This week's episode of Cooking Issues starts off with a slightly off-topic discussion: food aesthetics. Tune in to hear Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez talk about the the importance of the appearance of a dish or cocktail versus its taste. What role does food presentation have in defining the quality of a meal? Later, Dave tackles a question about centrifuges and clarifying agents, as well as some methods to re-bottle vermouth. Dave offers some equipment suggestions to a caller, and follows up about picky-eating children. Check out this listener's suggestions for children's foods here. What is involved with making a maraschino cherry? All this and more on this episode of Cooking Issues! This program has been sponsored by White Oak Pastures.

"We're in an era now where a lot of food work is done on the Internet, in books, on television programs, and demonstrations. There's a lot of work that's done where you can tell that it's done for the look, and not necessarily the taste."

"When you're doing a demo or dish or a cocktail it's important to have it look appetizing. The way a dish looks can be enchanting and captivating and make an already good tasting thing taste better, but nothing is worse than something that's taken forever to make look great but doesn't even taste good."

-- Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues

In this James Beard Media Awards preview, Mariana Cotlear is joined in the studio by photography nominee Nathan Rawlinson. Tune into this segment to hear about Nathan's past at culinary school and at famed New York restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. Learn what photojournalistic endeavor shot Nathan into the spotlight. Hear about Nathan's experiences shooting celebrity chefs like Wiley Dufresne and Alex Stupak. Find out how Nathan's most recent trip to Spain brought back memories over discovering serious food, and listen in to hear what kinds of projects Nathan shot overseas? What's next for Nathan Rawlinson? Tune into this HRN Community Session to find out! This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods. Thanks to PEELS for today's music.

"Each chef had a different inspiration for how they would plate a dish. It was very interesting." [5:15]

"I think for me, I think it's helpful because I can talk a lot of the language of a restaurant. I can think in a chef's terms, or a restaurant owner's terms." [8:20]

-- Photographer Nathan Rawlinson

This week Dave gets his holiday travel frustrations out with some Nirvana and bagpipes while answering your questions about how to keep your coffee fresh (read: don't put it in the freezer!) and the rating system for pungency (think pyruvate scale). Learn why beef tenderloin is oft considered the cosmo of the meat world but excellent for beef wellington, how to make your own DIY emulsifiers, as well as the art of plating and presenting dishes in your own home. This episode is sponsored by The Modernist Pantry.