This week, we chat with Vivian Howard about growing up on a tobacco farm in Deep Run, North Carolina; her latest TV show, “Somewhere South”; and the foods she considers her flavor MVPs. Plus, we explore the future of algae-based food; Dan Pashman puts a modern twist on family cocktail parties; and we make Mashed Avocados with Sesame and Chili.

Questions in this Episode:

“I have been experimenting with sourdough bagels. I like to ferment the dough the day before and boil/bake the next morning. The problem that I have is maintaining the tension in the formed bagels while they are in the fridge overnight. They have a ton of tension when I form them but they seem to flop overnight. Is there a way to get around this?”

“Is stoneware better, worse, or same as storing onions or potatoes in a cloth bag?”

“My family recently relocated from NYC to North Carolina. We are having trouble finding decent dumplings. We have performed some research on dipping sauce recipes reminiscent to our favorite NYC places like Mimi Cheng's and are overwhelmed by the number of recipes out there. Could you recommend a dipping sauce recipe: (1) That can be prepared in bulk and last for a long time in the fridge (2) Can be prepared easily, with just a handful of ingredients?”

“I was listening to the show and someone asked about washing their knives in a dishwasher and then Sara said, “do not cut on china, it will dull your knife.” Are there other surfaces that will dull a knife?”

“The Joy of Cooking swears that you cannot make mayonnaise when a thunderstorm threatens or is in progress—it will not bind. I have found this to be the case. Have you? Why does this happen?”