Home Podcasts The Recipe with Kenji and Deb

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb

Deb Perelman & J. Kenji López-Alt 39 Episodes Apr 13, 2026

Deb Perelman and J. Kenji López-Alt, both professional home cooks and renowned food writers, host a podcast about the art and science of recipe development. They discuss the techniques they test, the ingredients they taste, and the process of iterating on dishes like meatloaf, pancakes, and chicken soup. The show aims to help home cooks create their own perfect recipes, offering practical insights and encouragement for the culinary curious. It is part of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent and listener-supported podcasts.

Episodes

Live from New York: Kenji guests on The Sporkful Live Apr 13, 2026 41:50 Note from Kenji:"Hey everyone. It's Kenji, and I've got something really fun to share with you today. I was recently a guest for a live taping of The Sporkful. It's a podcast I've been on many times before, and it's hosted by my old friend Dan Pashman. We were joined by the legendary Comic Judy Gold, and we're dropping the episode here so that you can check it out. We got into a whole lot

Mailbag Part 4 Jun 23, 2025 11:39 In their last episode before book-writing hiatus, Deb and Kenji take your questions, about truly satisfying turkey burgers, no recipe recipes, the correct order of operations for burger, fries, and shake at home, and more. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Burgers Jun 9, 2025 39:42 Deb has fifteen recipes for meatballs on Smitten Kitchen, and exactly one for a meat burger. That does not mean Deb lacks for opinions about burgers, oh no no — she goes head to head with Mr. Burger Lab himself, who has published dozens of burger recipes and guides. Kenji and Deb are in agreement about the one burger type that anyone can make at home just as well as a restaurant. Plus, a

Mailbag Part 3 May 26, 2025 15:13 When is it OK to yuck someone’s yum? Garlic and ginger hacks. How to turn your kid into a lifelong cook. Kenji and Deb answer your questions in another mailbag. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Eggs Benedict May 12, 2025 33:54 Eggs Benedict should really be called Eggs Benedict Arnold, because it will betray any shortcomings you have as a home cook. You should give it a go anyway. (Kenji: “You CAN and SHOULD make Eggs Benedict at home.”) Why? It’s a dish that all but the best restaurants get right, and you have all but three and a half minutes to shovel it in your mouth before the window closes for the perfect

French Toast (with Christopher Kimball) Apr 28, 2025 39:12 Crisp on the outside, custardy on the inside – this week we’re talking French Toast with special guest Christopher Kimball (Milk Street). Chris joins Kenji and Deb to banter about bread for longer than any podcast ever has (not fact checked) – and how each of them perfects this classic breakfast dish. Plus, Kenji dispels a myth about smoke points! Recipes Mentioned: Carmelized Cinnamon Su

Before Kenji and Deb, there was Lena Apr 14, 2025 32:30 Deb and Kenji are taking a break this week. Please enjoy this classic episode from our friends at Sidedoor, "America’s Unknown Celebrity Chef". For more information, visit Sidedoor's episode page, and subscribe to Sidedoor on your favorite podcast player.****************************** When Lena Richard cooked her first chicken on television, she beat Julia Child to the screen by over a de

Hummus Mar 31, 2025 36:19 If the only hummus you’ve ever had came from a cold tub procured at a supermarket, yeah...you haven’t really had hummus. Homemade hummus, served warm, is an experience unto itself, and 1000% a better snack than a dusty protein bar. Deb and Kenji also tell us how they really feel about flavored hummus. Recipes Mentioned: Ethereally Smooth Hummus (Smitten Kitchen) The Food Lab’s Science of

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (and something just as money, with Nigel Poor & Earlonne Woods) Mar 17, 2025 35:39 You’re really only technically eating a vegetable with broccoli cheddar soup — it is insistently not health food, but a giant middle finger to whoever invented the four food groups. It is a “you sure about that?” to the likes of President George HW Bush, who famously and controversially banned broccoli from Air Force One. Plus, we get to the bottom of broccoli vs broccoli rabe vs broccoli

Crispy Chicken Cutlets Mar 3, 2025 42:25 Crispy chicken cutlets are endlessly adaptable to taste, so it’s no wonder they are a universal crowd pleaser. From Austrian schnitzel to Japanese katsu to Deb’s mother-in-law’s recipe that leaves out a classic ingredient, there are endless permutations of chicken, flour, egg, breadcrumbs + ??? to satisfy the pickiest eater (and most discerning home cook).Recipes Mentioned: Tonkatsu or Ch

Brownies (and something just as iconic, with Kelsey McKinney) Feb 17, 2025 38:47 Brownies are a diabolical(ly) good cross between cake and cookie. They taste sinfully rich and decadent, but they’re an angel in the kitchen (one bowl recipe alertl!) and they make your house smell like heaven. Plus, we hear Deb and Kenji’s recommendations for the best snacks for gossiping or watching reality TV.Recipes: Glossy Fudge Brownies Recipe (Serious Eats) Olive Oil Brownies (Sm

Nachos (and something just as good, with our EP Audrey) Feb 3, 2025 45:42 Nachos were invented in a Mexican border town for a group of American ladies who lunch, and now they are considered food for the beer-drinking, football-cheering everyman. They can come piled high with twenty ingredients; a plate of nothing more than chips with melted Velveeta are also considered nachos. Whatever floats your tortilla, Kenji and Deb discuss ways to optimize every bite. Als

Meatballs (Italian-American) Jan 20, 2025 36:55 If humanity’s gotten you down lately, just keep in mind that our species can’t be that bad… we did invent the meatball after all. This ingenious invention stretches an expensive ingredient by mixing it with pantry staples into a dish that can feed many more people than on its own, while being truly delicious in its own right. Think about it: when meatballs are what’s for dinner, or you se

Onion Soup Jan 6, 2025 42:23 Quiet luxury has been all the rage the past few years, but our girl Onion Soup has been out here epitomizing that s**t for literally hundreds of years. A bag of onions, some butter to sauté it in, beef broth are really all you need; throw in some stale bread and grated cheese, and you’ve got a million-dollar taste for ten dollars and change. (AND it doesn’t take as long as you think. Ask

The Science of Stir-Fry with J. Kenji López-Alt [Milk Street Radio] Dec 30, 2024 22:48 We are taking a break this week. Please enjoy this classic interview from our friends at Milk Street Radio.For more information, visit Milk Street Radio's homepage, and follow Milk Street Radio on Apple Podcasts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Bacon Egg & Cheese Dec 16, 2024 38:38 There comes a point in every New Yorker’s life when they venture outside city limits and learn, to their horror, 24-hour access to breakfast sandwiches via bodegas spaced two blocks apart is not the norm in the rest of the world. When Deb and Kenji start breaking down each component, you will realize that it takes a lot of skill and discernment to a) choose the right ingredients b) prepar

Chicken Soup Dec 2, 2024 37:19 Chicken soup is the universal comfort food, but there are as many versions of chicken soup as there are planets in the universe. Depending on where and how you grew up, versions as varied as “Jewish penicillin”, phở gà, stracciatella, Campbell’s condensed all mean home to someone.Recipes mentioned: Chicken Noodle Soup (Smitten Kitchen) My Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup (Smitten Kitchen) Chi

A Smidge of Smitten Kitchen Keepers Nov 25, 2024 08:15 Congratulations are in order for Deb, who released the audiobook of Smitten Kitchen Keepers earlier this month. We are proud to share with you a little excerpt.Back in 2006, when she was just starting her food journey, she encountered a lot of dud recipes on the internet. (Haven’t we all?) This book is a collection of the ones you’ll want to return to over and over again, aka the keepers.

Apple Pie Nov 18, 2024 46:04 Things we learn in this episode: Kenji has a not-so-secret secret ingredient for can’t-miss pie crust, Deb is not allowed at Thanksgiving without her pie, the birthplace of Kenji’s love of junk food, the ideal baking apple, why American apple pie reigns supreme.Recipes mentioned: Apple Pie (Smitten Kitchen) Even More Perfect Apple Pie (Smitten Kitchen) Gooey Apple Pie (Serious Eats) Perfe

Take a Break with Home Cooking Nov 4, 2024 55:05 Deb and Kenji are taking a break this week. Please enjoy this classic episode from Home Cooking, our fellow Radiotopia show about food.****************************** According to our callers, a big part of Thanksgiving seems to be making food for your loved ones that you only kind of like yourself. But can we make these dishes a little better for the people cooking them?! We’re gonna try.

Popcorn Oct 21, 2024 37:02 Kenji and Deb are major, MAJOR fans of popcorn — “God’s gift to snacking” (two guesses who said that). One might actually call them a miracle of science. How does a hard af, yellow pebble turn into a fluffy white edible cloud? How does movie popcorn butter smell so heavenly without any butter? This is Popcornology 101, class is now in session.Recipes mentioned: Spicy Caramel Popcorn (Smit

Baked Ziti Oct 7, 2024 45:00 Kids say the darndest things, and so do Deb and Kenji. “Nobody likes penne.” “Chiffonade is pretentious.” “I have honestly no idea what my recipe contains.” And they’re not the only ones. There are people out there who call baked ziti — get this — lasagna. While baked ziti may be universally loved as a workhorse of catered buffets, potlucks, and meal trains, Deb and Kenji’s takes on the d

Caesar Salad Sep 23, 2024 43:33 In this episode, Deb and Kenji stop being polite and start getting real. Turns out, they weren’t born with encyclopedic knowledge of food; before each recording session, they consult…Wikipedia. (Stars, they’re just like us.)You may think of Caesar salad as the most ubiquitous of American salads. In fact, Caesar salad was invented in Mexico. However, it was invented by an American for Amer

BLT Sep 9, 2024 45:58 Deb: “This is the perfect sandwich.” Kenji: “This is my favorite sandwich of all time.” In fact, Kenji has gone way beyond just admiring and ingesting the Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato; as Isaac Newton captured the physical world with his laws of motion, Kenji has bestowed us with the 11 rules of the BLT. Deb has made her own significant contributions to the field of sandwich science, with the the

Back for Seconds Aug 26, 2024 01:09 Kenji and Deb will be back September 9 with all new episodes. Watch this space! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Live from Seattle: Deb in conversation with Kenji Jul 29, 2024 01:08:12 Kenji has many pans going on the fire at all times, one of which was directing this year’s Community Curated Series for Seattle Arts & Lectures. In January 2024, he invited his future podcast bestie Deb onstage with him to chop it up about recipe development (and theft!), family, and greasy bags of Dick’s. Thanks to Alison Stagner and Woogee Bae of Seattle Arts & Lectures for thei

Kenji and Deb and Ed Jul 15, 2024 36:25 Thanks to our friends at Special Sauce for allowing us to share this episode. Deb, Kenji, and host Ed Levine talk about ye olde days of early food blogging and the backstory of The Recipe. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Mailbag Part 2 Jul 1, 2024 27:59 We know you don’t want to burn your food in the kitchen (unless it’s a char/sear kinda situation), but you know what else you don’t want to burn? You, the cook. Deb and Kenji reveal their tips for avoiding cooking burnout, as well as how to mine your own sodium citrate at home. Did your eyes get whiplash reading this? Buckle up because your letters took us all over the map: biscuits for e

Mailbag Part 1 Jun 17, 2024 30:33 After putting out our first batch of episodes, we put out a call to our listeners — any questions? You sure did. Thanks to listeners from around the world who heeded our call, we bring you our first mailbag episode. Kenji and Deb debunk the 30-minute recipe, contemplate tiers of butter, go down the soup dumpling rabbit hole, and much more. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad

Asparagus Jun 3, 2024 40:41 In this episode, Kenji and Deb talk all about asparagus. You can roast it, puree it, sautee it, grill it, and even eat it raw. It can serve as a snack or as part of a main dish. Did you know it grows in different colors? Hear how Deb prepares asparagus as a family snack and how it can make for a great pizza topping. And it wouldn't be an episode about asparagus without learning about the

Grilled Chicken May 20, 2024 37:10 Grilling season is here and so are Kenji and Deb to talk grilled chicken. From marinades to brines, to the one thing that can prevent dried-out grilled chicken: a meat thermometer. No easy access to a grill? We talk grill pans, using vinaigrette for grilled chicken, and a condiment base for your marinades that Deb now swears by.Recipes mentioned: Kenji's Mayo-Marinated Chicken With Chimic

Iceberg Salad May 6, 2024 41:22 Iceberg lettuce gets a bad rap, but can make a good wrap. In this episode, Kenji and Deb go all in on lettuce. From wedge salads with homemade ranch to chronicling the rise, fall, and resurgence of the hardest-working lettuce in the kitchen. Knife and fork wedge salads are just the tip of the iceberg. Iceberg lettuce soup? Pickled iceberg lettuce? We got you. Recipes mentioned: Deb’s Ice

Grilled Cheese Apr 22, 2024 43:15 News to us at Radiotopia, but there are some of you out there who have some really strong feelings about grilled cheese, almost enough for a whole separate podcast. What is it about this seemingly mellow, humble sandwich — a favorite of both small children and stoners — that elicits all this controversy? (It’s always the quiet ones.) Even if you don’t like grilled cheese, it’s worth liste

Tomato Soup Apr 8, 2024 41:14 Some people think tomato soup only exists to serve as a dipping sauce for grilled cheese, but Kenji and Deb are here to set them straight. A properly, lovingly made tomato soup — even with sad-looking supermarket tomatoes from February — can be a time portal, from the dreariest winter day to the peak of summer farmer’s market fresh. Kenji makes Deb’s genius “grilled cheese kind of built i

Pancakes Mar 25, 2024 44:20 In preparation for this episode, Deb and Kenji fed their children so many pancakes that they are now on a pancake strike. But before you start feeling sorry for these young people, don’t forget they got to taste the rainbow of pancake styles. Tall and fluffy. Crisp and fluffy. Thin and crispy. The hottest pancake in the world right now, the Japanese soufflé. Tough life, kids!We learn why

Meatloaf Mar 11, 2024 35:55 Kenji and Deb have history with meatloaf that goes way, way back, to summer camp in the 80s. It was not love at first taste, but Deb has a moment of clarity and achieves meatloaf enlightenment. Kenji and Deb chew over “meat batter”, how many Meat Loaf references in one podcast episode constitutes audio malpractice, and if parents who send their teenage children to the store for one ingred

Stovetop Mac and Cheese Feb 26, 2024 38:16 Most people are familiar with the stuff in the blue box, but what might seem like a simple dish holds many nuances, from achieving that perfectly smooth cheese melt to avoiding greasiness or lumpiness. Find out why mac and cheese holds a special place in Kenji's heart and the results of Deb’s experience making Kenji’s three ingredient recipe.Recipes Mentioned:Deb’s Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Introducing: The Recipe with Kenji and Deb Feb 12, 2024 01:34 New from Radiotopia, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb. Join us to hear what goes into writing our recipes — the techniques we test, the ingredients we taste — so that you can be on your way to creating your own perfect recipe. Whether you're cooking meatloaf, pancakes, or chicken soup, we got you, and you've got this. Episode 1 drops February 26. Follow us on Instagram @kenjianddeb and visit

Coming Soon Oct 5, 2023 0:36 The Recipe - coming to Radiotopia in 2024! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb

Episodes

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