Alex French Guy Cooking does crazy food science from Paris. Plus the amazing history of pickles; Shabbat at Wendy's; and chicken under a brick.

Questions in this Episode:

“I occasionally bake a cake from a box mix. My favorites are the “butter recipe” type — a plain yellow cake. It’s better than the other cake mixes but not nearly as moist as my favorite homemade recipe. I recently tried a trick from a recipe — folding in a half cup of cream, whipped to soft peaks. The resulting cake was moister and delicious, but it did fall a bit with a thin but noticeable “fall line” at the base of the cake. Can you think of a way to add the whipped cream and not have the cake fall? Or is there some other method of making a moister boxed cake?”

“I'm wondering if you can suggest either proportions or a better binder for a recipe that I love to make but wish to take to another level. The recipe is Garlic Mushroom Quinoa.”

“I make a lot of pizzas at home. Does the type of pan I use make a difference in the crispness of the crust? And should I use parchment paper?”

“A friend has his grandmother's handwritten recipe for Basler Läckerli cookies from Switzerland. The recipe calls for ‘2-year-old honey,’ a central ingredient to the cookie, which also consists of flour, sugar, almonds, lemon rind, cinnamon, and cloves. Can you please explain why old honey is necessary/noteworthy?”

This episode is brought to you by Ferguson.