The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

We're visiting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to hear about the kitchen of the future coming from the scientists working on the Counter Intelligence Project. Are you ready for talking oven mitts that tell you when the roast is done, a kitchen counter that keeps track of your favorite recipes, or a coffee maker that knows you like extra milk in your latte?Gray's Ice Cream in Tiverton, Rhode Island has been voted best homemade ice cream in the state for 11 years running. Jane and Michael Stern went to investigate and have a report. Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mulligan is just back from Portugal where she discovered delicious and undervalued Portuguese red wines. We'll find out what it's like to have the editor of Gourmet magazine over for dinner, and we'll learn about the chiltepin, America's first protected chile pepper.Broadcast dates for this episode:September 2, 2000 (originally aired)June 16, 2001 (rebroadcast)

We're going way beyond burgers and brats on the barbie this week with grilling guru Steven Raichlen, author of Barbecue! Bible Sauces, Rubs and Marinades, Bastes, Butters & Glazes. Steve roamed five continents to bring a global perspective to the flavor boosting recipes in his latest work. His Korean Barbecue Sauce is just one tasty example.Jane and Michael Stern are in Kentucky "fried-chicken heaven" at the Bon Ton Mini Mart. Gadget queen Dorie Greenspan talks cheese graters, our Parisian correspondent tells of the latest food trend in the City of Light, and we'll hear how top chefs in France and America are opening their kitchens to amateur cooks atl'École des Chefs. We have Lynne's recipe for Portobello "Steaks" with Holy Oil and she'll be taking your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 8, 2000 (originally aired)June 2, 2001 (rebroadcast)

We're traveling this week and food, of course, is the highlight. Richard Sterling, author of the Vietnam and Spain guides for the new Lonely Planet World Food series, stops by with tales from a Saigon restaurant and advice on choosing a guidebook.Jane and Michael Stern report from the Akron Restaurant in Pennsylvania Dutch country where they're eating stuffed pig stomach! Fish expert Jon Rowley takes us to Alaska for Copper River salmon. To celebrate this luscious fish, Lynne concocted a recipe for simple pan-roasted salmon. Then we'll go to Japan with chef Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly and a man with a mission ­ an American opening a French bistro in Tokyo. Finally, we're off to Los Angeles with Marcia Reed, curator of rare books at the Getty Research Institute, for a peek at The Edible Monument exhibition at the Getty Center.Broadcast dates for this episode:May 13, 2000 (originally aired)May 26, 2001 (rebroadcast)

Mexican food authority and TV chef Rick Bayless, author of Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen, is back this week and he's talking salsa. It's the new ketchup these days and we're putting it on everything from tacos to take-out. With summer's bounty just around the corner, we asked Rick to explain a bit of salsa culture and give us some tips for making fresh and fabulous salsas at home. It's a snap, and Rick's recipe for Essential Roasted Tomatillo-Serrano Salsa will get you going.Jane and Michael Stern are back from the Appalachian region with an unusual find in Cumberland, Maryland. Kitchen designer Deborah Krasner tells us what to consider when shopping for a dishwasher. We'll hit the open road when Biker Billy roars through on his Harley. He's fanned the culinary flames in his latest work, Biker Billy's Freeway-A-Fire Cookbook, a collection of sizzling vegetarian recipes. Sara Baer-Sinnot of the Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust tells us what's behind the rumor that we may have to start stockpiling Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the phone lines will be open for your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:June 3, 2000 (originally aired)April 28, 2001 (rebroadcast)

Remember that adage "tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are?" According to neurologist Alan Hirsch, M.D., Director of the Smell & Taste Treatment Research Foundation in Chicago and author of Dr. Hirsch's Guide to Scentsational Weight Loss, the notion might not be so far fetched. In his research on snack food, Dr. Hirsch discovered there are physiological reasons why our food preferences reveal our personality, so be discreet the next time you reach for a potato chip instead of a cheese curl. Someone could be watching.We'll visit California's wine country where Jane and Michael Stern are having breakfast at the Diner in Yountville. On down the road, we stop in at the French Laundry Restaurant, which has been called the most exciting place to eat in America, to meet legendary chef Thomas Keller. This week's recipe, "Clam Chowder" Sautéed Cod with Cod Cakes and Parsley Oil, comes from Chef Keller's French Laundry Cookbook, which recently won the IACP Cookbook of the Year award.We'll take a cheese discovery vacation to France with Steve Jenkins, and Master of Wine Mary Ewing Mullingan drops by to talk Chilean wines. Lynne's found a good mail-order source for organic peaches and nectarines so we suspect she's whipping up Bellinis these days. It's the season, after all.Broadcast dates for this episode:July 22, 2000 (originally aired)April 7, 2001 (rebroadcast)

Food and travel writer Anya von Bremzen takes us to Shanghai with an eater's guide to China's born-again boomtown. The city is reinventing itself these days and a cosmopolitan restaurant scene is emerging.Jane and Michael Stern are bound to stir up debate and controversy with what they say is the best fried chicken on earth. Gadget goddess Dorie Greenspan has the word on hand-held blenders, those magic wands among kitchen toys. We'll eavesdrop as John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger test recipes. The delicious Molasses-Glazed Pork Tenderloin resulted from one of their kitchen sessions.We like to explore all manner of dining venues (the car counts nowadays), so we called upon Bob Markovich of Consumer Reports to give us an evaluation of car cup holders. As always, the phone lines will be open for your calls."Broadcast dates for this episode:April 29, 2000 (originally aired)March 24, 2001 (rebroadcast)

If a snooty wine dealer has ever treated you badly, tune in this week for advice and anti-intimidation tactics you can use the next time it happens. Our guests, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, write The Wall Street Journal's "Tastings" column and are the authors of The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wines. They have definite opinions about what we should expect from a wine shop and tips for finding bargains.Jane and Michael Stern are eating Spiedies at Sharkey's in Binghamton, New York. Matthew Goodman says the Jewish specialty kreplach doesn't get the respect it deserves and hopes to change that with his recipe for Sweet Potato-Stuffed Kreplach. Meat expert John Willoughby is back to talk mystery meats and give us a recipe for Lime-Soaked, Cumin-Crusted Grilled Skirt Steak with Green Olive-Chile Relish, and we'll visit a public school cafeteria in Boston where Chef Paul Correnty revamped the food, threw out the deep fryer, and the kids love fresh vegetables.Broadcast dates for this episode:March 3, 2001

Dan Leone tells us how to eat out and eat well for under $10 in San Francisco, a city known for restaurants with break-the-bank prices. He knows where you'll find the perfect bowl of noodles, or a turkey dinner at midnight, and leave with your credit card intact. Dan is the author of Eat This, San Francisco and the popular "Cheap Eats" column in the San Francisco Bay Guardian.The Slow Food Movement recently concluded their annual Salone Del Gusto in Italy. Reporter Scott Haas was there, and has news of the vast array of artisan foods from around the world that tempted the thousands of participants. Jane and Michael Stern deliver their highly-researched dissertation on onion rings, kitchen gadget queen Dorie Greenspan talks juicers, and we'll hear from a competitive eater who is the current Carnegie Pickle Eating Champion.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 23, 2001

After this week's show, you may decide to rethink your Valentine's Day dinner menu. We're looking at food and love with Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist and psychiatrist who's researched the link between food aromas and arousal. Dr. Hirsch is the author of Scentsational Sex: The Secret of Using Aroma for Arousal and the forthcoming What Flavor is Your Personality? Forget the Chanel perfume and bring on some pumpkin pie!It's root beer and carhop service in Salt Lake City for Jane and Michael Stern. They'll report from Hires Big H. Wine maverick Joshua Wesson says it's time for Merlot to step aside to make room for Syrah. He claims it's the next wine sensation. Calvin Trillin has advice on how to have a successful marriage, we'll hear about the new Museum of Burnt Food, and the phone lines will be open for your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:February 9, 2001

Mexican food authority Rick Bayless, who latest book is Salsas That Cook, is with us this week and we're talking tequila. It's not just for margaritas anymore. In fact, Rick says lose the lime and salt and move on to a different tequila experience. He means those types (especially artisan-made ones) so classy and smooth you'll want to sip them neat. In a nod to tradition, though, Rick shares his recipe for Honest-to-Goodness Margaritas for a Crowd. These are the real thing ­ pure, fresh, and tasting of good tequila.Jane and Michael Stern are in layer-cake heaven at the Pie Kitchen in Louisville. John Willoughby talks single-flower honeys, Joel Rose takes us to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and King Cakes, and Ishan Gurdal has a report on the cheese cave at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge. Our grocery guru Al Sicherman sets Lynne up for a bottled water tasting, and we'll open the phone lines for your calls.Broadcast dates for this episode:March 4, 2000 (originally aired)February 3, 2001 (rebroadcast)