Author Sharon Hudgins writes a love letter from post-Soviet Vladivostok. Plus, IBM's supercomputer creates flavor combinations; Dan Pashman lies to his kids about food; and we test cooking oils over high heat.

Questions in This Episode:

“I saw an interesting YouTube video where they put garlic and honey in a jar and left it out to ferment. Are there any ways to ensure or at least reduce the risk of getting sick from home fermentation?”

“I have been making cornbread for years and never had this problem. I used Polenta Grits (which I usually do), I doubled the recipe (which I never do), and made it in a cast iron pan (which I had never tried). It separated! Like a custard at the top and corn cake at the bottom. What can I do to make sure this never happens again?”

“Many recipes call for specific types of sugar (i.e. castor v. turbinado). I often only have cane sugar on hand. Is it important to use the specific sugar called for, or can any sugar be successfully substituted in a baking recipe? Why?”

“My question is a bit nostalgic for me. Growing up in Iowa, my mom made minced ham with a meat grinder. When she passed away I got all of her handwritten recipes but what was not in the recipe box was this particular one. Can you help me re-create it?.”

“How do you prevent a lemon meringue pie crust from becoming soggy and wet?”

This episode is brought to you by and Robinhood and Butcher Box.