Mark Ladner, chef at Del Posto, joins Dave, Nastassia, and Piper for this week's Cooking Issues! Dave talks about his upcoming trip to Senegal, and the importance of learning about authentic cuisine from different regions around the world. Dave revisits a question about rice noodles, and then delves into different types of miso. How can one substitute duck fat into baking recipes? Later, Mark weighs in on the bacon vs. pancetta debate. What does he prefer when making a carbonara? The cast tastes different olive oils to decide what temperatures and cooking times cause flavor to degrade. Want to try Mark's Italian-style barbecue? Buy your tickets here! This program has been sponsored by Underground Meats.

"Poorly-made industrial pancetta is absolute garbage. It's too salty; just stick with the bacon for carbonara." [22:00] -- Mark Ladner on Cooking Issues

Michael Lomonaca joins Katy Keiffer on the 100th episode of The Main Course to talk about something near and dear to every meat lovers heart: steak! Tune in to learn more from the Executive Chef of one of New York's most celebrated steakhouses, Porter House New York. Michael breaks down his favorite cuts and explains the differences between choice, prime, grassfed, corn finished and dry aged beef. Later on the show, Oran Hesterman, Executive Director of the Ann Arbor-based Fair Food Network, stops by to talk about improving our foodways in this country. This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch - the nations largest single source supplier of grassfed and grass finished beef.

Celia Kutcher wants you to feed your pet quality, nutritious food! Today, Celia comes into the HRN shipping containers to talk with Erin Fairbanks about pet and animal nutrition. Hear about Celia's background in human nutrition, as well as the field of iridology. Find out why many common house pet ailments can be cured through dietary changes. How can you feed your pet and be socially responsible? Listen in to find out what symptoms are caused by a dry food diet, and learn why cats and dogs should not be fed a vegan or vegetarian diet. This segment has been sponsored by Whole Foods.

"The way that dogs' and cats' digestive systems work, dry food isn't that good for them. Their stomachs are enzymatic." [10:40]

"If we keep feeding these really high protein foods to dogs and cats, I think we will see kidney stones in dogs and cats in just a few generations." [12:30]

"We choose our dogs and cats by what they look like, but not by what they need." [25:30]

-- Celia Kutcher on Pet Nutrition