Rachael Ray tells Milk Street how she almost killed Tony Bennett, set fire to Emeril’s kitchen, endured wardrobe malfunctions and why she still believes in the power and dignity of hard work. Plus, Brooke Jarvis takes us behind the $10 million launch of a new apple variety; we learn Sardinia’s secret to five-minute handmade pasta; and Dr. Aaron Carroll reveals the health effects of chocolate.

For Brooke Jarvis’s full story on the Cosmic Crisp apple, visit: https://story.californiasunday.com/cosmic-crisp-apple-launch

This episode is brought to you by King Arthur Flour, Master Class, Red Boat Fish Sauce, 3 Day Blinds and Ferguson.

Questions in this Episode:

"My kids are in Pre-K and 3rd grade and I’m in a major school lunch rut. I’ve fallen into the pasta-with-butter routine. Here are my restrictions: (1) no nuts/peanuts (2) no sesame (3) no meat/chicken/turkey We keep a kosher home and their school is kosher, so anything packaged must be certified. Do you have any ideas for me?"

"I started coarsely cutting stuff like onions and letting the food processor do the work. I see a good bit of liquid in the bottom of the bowl and that onion juice makes it into my dishes. I notice an "off" taste in some recipes. The more onion juice I see, the more "off" taste I experience. Is it me or is that onion juice doing something funky?"

"I have a purple shiso plant thriving in my yard. A friend had given me some other perennials to plant and this popped up from the same clump of earth. I’d love to know what it’s good for, if it makes good pesto, should I cook with it or only use it fresh, and any other ideas you might have.

"I am totally stumped tonight. I am hoping you can help! Sour cabbage versus sauerkraut! Our friends are Romanian, and they had a dinner party where they served traditional (vegetarian version) of stuffed cabbage rolls (sarmale). They pack and sour their own cabbage. I LOVED the dish. I would like to make it, but I have never seen sour cabbage heads around where we live. I had a thought that maybe I could add sauerkraut to the filling to replicate the sour a bit, or even make it into a dish that didn't need to be rolled into cabbage leaves - a casserole or something like that (I know, it's probably sacrilege), BUT I can't figure out if the flavor would be similar or not."

"Is there any conversion algorithm of amount of yeast and/or rise time that will enable me to use regular yeast for the quick version? I always keep a jar of regular yeast in my freezer but rarely use the instant, so if I read a recipe that specifies the instant kind I’m stuck buying some especially for that use or just skipping the recipe."