Erica-correct

Why We Cook

Hosted by: Erica Wides

Produced by: Jack Inslee

Engineered by: Nat Weiner

Subscribe: SubscribeRSS SubscribeiTunes

Tuesdays at 6:30PM EST

Every Tuesday, for one half hour, Chef Erica Wides hits the airwaves to become your own personal Chef Instructor. Chef Wides, along with esteemed guests from the culinary world, dissect topics that range from the complex (the nature of cooking itself) to the deceptively simple (eggplants!). Combining classic culinary know-how, personal experiences, and the occasional victual history lesson, Why We Cook is a great listen for culinary vets and rookies alike.

Learn more at: http://www.whywecook.com

Erica Wides has been a Chef for 17 years, and a Culinary Instructor for 12. She teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City, and is also a personal chef, consultant, and private teacher.

Recent Episodes

Why We Cook - Episode 56 - The Fabulous Niblets

Why We Cook - Episode 55 - Know Your Fruit

Why We Cook - Episode 54 - Fig Out

Previous Episodes


Episodes:
Why We Cook - Episode 56 - The Fabulous Niblets
First Aired - 08/31/2010 06:30PM

This week on Why We Cook Erica celebrates the last moments of summer with that sweet yellow star of the summer harvets: corn. Learn about the surprisingly racy names for the myriad types of corn and why the husk is a handy package to be removed at your peril. Tune in for a sneak peek at Erica's upcoming NPR appearance, plus a terrifying description of one of the worst, most starch-laden meals Chef Erica has ever been served by a student. This episode was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

Photo: Sweet Corn

Whole Episode:
You must enable JavaScript and install the Flash plugin to view this player
Sponsored by Wfm
Hosted By Erica-correct

Segments:

Why We Cook Introduction: The Last Week of Summer (10:49)

You must enable JavaScript and install the Flash plugin to view this player
Tags:
Erica Wides, Heritage Radio Network, Why We Cook, Whole Foods Market, www.wholefoodsmarket.com, it's the last week of summer, Fire Island, it stays hot in NYC well into September, Erica was a guest on All Things Considered on NPR!, the show will air Friday, last chance foods, peaches, peppers, Summer Sweetcorn Sendoff Spectacular!, the corn has been great this year, blanche it, throw it on the grill for a few minutes, Mexican grilled corn, sweet corn is an iconic summer food, it's only good when it's really good, sugar and butter corn,

All About Corn (9:17)

You must enable JavaScript and install the Flash plugin to view this player
Tags:
varieties of sweet corn, America is a corn fed nation, Food Inc, King Corn, Fast Food Nation, Michael Pollan, field corn is what animals get fed and what is used for industrial foods, it's a natural mutation, field corn was eaten by the Iroquois, sweet corn is better, picked when its fresh and soft, the milk stage, store it in a perforated plastic bag, use it within a day or two of cooking, don't husk it until you're ready to use it, the husk protects it, sweet corn is better for you when its cooked, it contains ferulic acid, high antioxidant,

The Second Worst Plate Ever (9:59)

You must enable JavaScript and install the Flash plugin to view this player
Tags:
search for the Worst Plate Ever episode on iTunes!, Erica has just encountered her second worst plate ever, practical exam hall of fame, organic chicken, difference between breast and thigh meat, here's the plate:, toasted banquette, 1/4 thick layer of polenta as a spread, the polenta wasn't really cooked, mixed with liquid and cooked briefly, it was the consistency of wet cement that hadn't set yet, on top of that was a patty made of diced up chicken breast mixed up with ground up bread and eggs, the leg was sort of barbecued, cauliflower was boiled and on the plate, corn starch thickened sauce,

To comment on this episode click here. There are currently Comments

Why We Cook - Episode 55 - Know Your Fruit
First Aired - 08/24/2010 06:30PM

This week on Why We Cook its Back to School week! Join Chef Erica for a quiz on all things fruit. Learn how to find the best watermelons, the difference between ripening and maturing, and what the single most sold item at Wal-Mart is. Tune in for this extremely helpful fruit-picking-primer. This episode was sponsored by Whole Foods.

Photo: How did you do on the quiz?

Whole Episode:
You must enable JavaScript and install the Flash plugin to view this player
Sponsored by Wfm
Hosted By Erica-correct

Segments:

Why We Cook Introduction: Quiz Time! (10:51)

You must enable JavaScript and install the Flash plugin to view this player
Tags:
Why We Wook, Erica Wides, Heritage Radio Network, Whole Foods Market, www.wholefoodsmarket.com, LA Story, back to school season, Why We Cook quiz!, do peaches continue to ripen after they are picked?, how do you define ripeness?, Erica says yes they do continue to ripen, a peach farmer says no, they just get softer, California Tree Fruit Agreement, maturity happens on the tree and ripening happens off the tree, perceived sweetness changes as acid levels drop,

Know Your Fruits (10:26)

You must enable JavaScript and install the Flash plugin to view this player
Tags:
melons, which melon is the only type that continues to ripen off the vine?, cantaloupe and musk melon family, background color should be yellow not green, when melons are ripe they detach themselves from their vines, smell your fruit!, shopping by smell, fruit is a game of chance and randomness, taste before you commit, melons should feel heavy, what does wall mart sell more of than anything else?, bananas!,

Closing Questions (8:02)

You must enable JavaScript and install the Flash plugin to view this player
Tags:
back to school week, which classic American fragrant flower is the first cousin of many of our favorite fruits, the rose, roses produce a fruit, the rose hip, there were many rose bushes planted along the West Side Highway, vitamin C often comes from rose hips, pectin makes fruit thicken, it's watermelon season now, it should be heavy for its size, it should feel substantial, it should not sound hollow, you're looking for a resounding thud, it should have a yellowy whitish brown patch, the longer it ripened the bigger it would be, watermelon starts to taste better after a few days in the refrigerator, it seems to get sweeter, what's the most commonly eaten in the whole world, mangos!,

To comment on this episode click here. There are currently Comments