Best Mark Bittman Podcasts (2024)

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Cooking Can Always Become Simpler 22:22

3d ago22:22

22:22

Today, we revisit Kate's conversation with Kerri Conan and Mark about the choreography of making meals, learning a method of cooking that will last a lifetime, and one of Mark's recent books, the completely revised How to Cook Everything Fast. To get Mark's recipe for Spinach Carbonara, head to the Bittman Project: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe…

1
Episode 650: MARK BITTMAN (2021)-ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, JUNK: A history of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal 59:47

15d ago59:47

59:47

As Congress negotiates a new “Farm Bill” – they do so every 5 years – will health, nutrition, poverty, and nature/climate get seats at the table or will Big Ag and Big Food dominate and dictate as usual? Speaking of food, here’s my 2021 conversation with MARK BITTMAN, longtime fixture at the New York Times, author of 30 books, about one of his late…

1
Episode 652: 1) BUCKMINSTER FULLER-in the words of his daughter 2) STUART KAUFFMAN-Does life’s ceaseless creativity=God? REINVENTING THE SACRED 58:04

22h ago58:04

58:04

Two conversations about the big picture. First, 20 years ago USPS released a stamp honoring inventor and multi-hyphenate visionary Bucky Fuller. Here’s my 2004 conversation about the man and his work with his daughter, ALLEGRA FULLER SNYDER. Buckminster Fuller Institute: bfi.org. Second, one of my favorites, my 2008 conversation with MacArthur-winn…

1
Episode 651: ZOE SCHLANGER, THE LIGHT EATERS: How the World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life 57:24

9d ago57:24

57:24

This week, we step aside from today’s news to dig into a story millions of years in the making, as I speak with ZOE SCHLANGER about her best-selling THE LIGHT EATERS: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth. What are we to make of a vine that grows leaves to blend into the shrub on which it climbs, a f…

1
Do We Ask the Organic System to Do Too Much? 26:13

10d ago26:13

26:13

Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey talks to Mark and Kate about her recent piece, "The Truth About Organic Milk," which details how cows are suffering on even the most humane dairy farms; why raising cows in herds on pasture isn't always enough; the pros and cons of being so strict about antibiotics; and yet, although organic farms aren’t perfect, …

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The Sweetest of the Sweets: Abi Balingit 35:12

17d ago35:12

35:12

We revisit our episode with the lovely, lively baking genius — and recent James Beard Award winner — Abi Balingit, who talks to Holly and Mark about pork floss and ube, preconceptions about Filipino and American desserts, and fish on cookies. Subscribe to Food with Mark Bittman on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and please …

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Episode 649: ARI BERMAN, MINORITY RULE: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People & the Fight to Resist It. 1:00:00

23d ago1:00:00

1:00:00

The US holds one national popular vote and the Republican party has won that vote once since 1988, that’s 36 years. Yet they’ve held the presidency nearly 12 of those years. Since Nixon, they’ve appointed 15 Supreme Court justices, to the Democrats 4. I speak with ARI BERMAN about his new book, MINORITY RULE: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of th…

1
Francesco Turrisi: Pasta Rules! 28:41

24d ago28:41

28:41

The musician and avid cook talks to Mark and Kate about the learning processes of cooking and playing music, why Italians get so mad about Italian-American food, Italian food legends vs. history, and knowing your pasta. Subscribe to Food with Mark Bittman on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and please help us grow by leaving…

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Episode 648: Biden awards FATHER GREGORY BOYLE the Medal of Freedom-Here’s 2010 conversation re Homeboy Industries and his book Tattoos on the Heart 58:32

29d ago58:32

58:32

In May, FATHER GREGORY BOYLE, founder of HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES in Los Angeles — the largest gang intervention and re-entry program in the world — was honored by President Biden with the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Homeboy said that Boyle “…exemplifies the transformative power of compassion, forgiveness, and second chances. F…

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Khushbu Shah: Call It Fusion With Intention 26:18

1M ago26:18

26:18

The prolific food writer and cook talks to Mark and Kate about having one foot in two cultures; the auntie whisperer network – or, how Indians in America learned to make do without some of their beloved staples, and how they learned to make do with what was readily available; and why and how the term "fusion" got a dirty rep. Find the recipe for Kh…

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Episode 647: RICHARD CIZIK, Evangelicals for Democracy - after 28 years at National Association of Evangelicals 1:08:55

1M ago1:08:55

1:08:55

With an eye on the election, I speak with RICHARD CIZIK, founder of Evangelicals for Democracy, which aims to build a community of evangelicals across the political spectrum who champion democracy as an act of Christian faith. Earlier he spent nearly three decades deep inside the Religious Right. In 2008, after 28 years at the National Association …

1
Fadi Kattan: The Real Bethlehem, and Its Food 33:34

1M ago33:34

33:34

The chef and author talks to Mark and Kate about the dangers of simplifying reality; why we should recognize and champion origin, and how doing so is a lesson in humility; the effect the Israeli conflict has had, and continues to have, on agriculture; and his new book, which is a loving tribute to his home, Bethlehem. We're sharing two recipes from…

1
Episode 646: DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN(2013)-THE BULLY PULPIT-Teddy Roosevelt took on the Robber Barons and won 58:36

1M ago58:36

58:36

In response to the wonderful positive reaction to last week’s episode with DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN on her new best-seller An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, here’s our 2013 conversation re her book, THE BULLY PULPIT: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, a history of the first decade of the …

1
What We Talk About When We Talk About BBQ 33:50

2M ago33:50

33:50

A rerun full of Southern charm! Ed and Ryan Mitchell, the dynamic father/son duo, talk to the father/daughter duo (Mark and Kate) about their respective paths to pitmaster, transforming the tradition of authentic barbecue into a pure labor of love, and why working together ended up being the best thing for both of them. Head here for the Mitchells'…

1
Episode 645: DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN-Best-seller: AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY: A Personal History of the 1960s. 1:16:39

2M ago1:16:39

1:16:39

In this recording of a recent LiveTalksLA event, I speak with historian and best-selling author, DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, about her latest book, AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY: A Personal History of the 1960s, which combines personal memoir with presidential history. Her late husband of 42 years, Dick Goodwin, worked closely with JFK and LBJ in the White Ho…

1
What’s Wrong With School Food – And What’s Right? 34:39

2M ago34:39

34:39

Kendal Chavez, Food and Hunger Advisor in the office of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham; Curt Ellis, co-founder of FoodCorps; and Stephanie Lip, Senior School Food Operations Specialist at the Chef Ann Foundation talk to Mark about all things school food – "the biggest restaurant chain in the country." Why what we feed our kids is fundam…

1
Episode 644: Federal Judge JED RAKOFF(2021)-WHY THE INNOCENT PLEAD GUILTY AND THE GUILTY GO FREE 59:22

2M ago59:22

59:22

As perhaps too much public attention is focused these days on the Manhattan trial of one Donald J. Trump, here’s my 2021 conversation with Federal Judge JED RAKOFF of the Southern District of NY. In his book, WHY THE INNOCENT PLEAD GUILTY AND THE GUILTY GO FREE, RAKOFF makes clear that the US justice system bears little relationship to what the fou…

1
Unpacking 18th Century Food with A.J. Jacobs 28:32

2M ago28:32

28:32

The author of The Year of Living Constitutionally talks to Mark and Kate about how he threw an 18th century dinner party and what we can all learn from it; the things that people in the 1700s got right when it came to elections; the reactions he got when he walked around Manhattan with a tricorne hat and carrying a musket; and his family's reaction…

1
Episode 643: CHUCK COLLINS-Inequality Getting Worse-Corporations pay top brass more than they pay in taxes 1:00:49

2M ago1:00:49

1:00:49

I don’t know if my big question is “Why don’t the rich/super-rich and their corporations get the value of a society that works?” Or is it - “Why don’t they care?” Despite the knowledge that it might be impossible, moving society in that direction calls for getting ideas and models out into the world that show it’s actually possible to reduce inequa…

1
For Chantha Nguon, Family Recipes Are a Lifeline 26:43

2M ago26:43

26:43

The author and cook talks to Kate about what she remembers about fleeing her home in Cambodia at the age of nine, five years before the genocide; how the memory of her mother's cooking saved her life; why, and how, she decided to reclaim her family's recipes; and what brings her true happiness now. The recipe mentioned on today's show can be found …

1
Episode 642: JACK KORNFIELD & TRUDY GOODMAN (2015)-Sages, mentors, friends-Reflections on mindfulness in the US 57:05

2M ago57:05

57:05

Earlier this year my dear friend, meditation teacher, TRUDY GOODMAN, experienced a medical emergency that almost killed her. Another reminder of the preciousness and fragility of life and friendship. Here’s my 2015 conversation with TRUDY and JACK KORNFIELD on the occasion of an event at Insight LA, the mindfulness mediation center founded by Trudy…

1
What Can Make You More Susceptible to Food Addiction? 37:51

2M ago37:51

37:51

Professor Ashley Gearhardt, of the University of Michigan Department of Psychology, talks to Mark and Kate about why she's so addicted to studying the science behind ultra-processed food addiction, and how she got into it; how ultra-processed foods are different from beer or cigarettes (and how they're not); what differentiates people who get addic…

1
Alain Ducasse: The Best Is Yet to Come 28:22

3M ago28:22

28:22

The innovative chef talks to Kate about the importance of cultivating one's own identity, notably when it comes to food; why he's not in the business of nostalgia; his unique ability to read the taste of food; and his new memoir, Good Taste. PLUS: More from food stylist Barrett Washburne, who talks to Kate about wasted plate space, giving props to …

1
Episode 641: ASTRA TAYLOR-Digging into Democracy, Debt, Insecurity and Solidarity 1:02:27

3M ago1:02:27

1:02:27

In 2020, I talked about democracy with filmmaker/writer/organizer/activist, ASTRA TAYLOR. Four years later, following a pandemic, waves of protests, an insurrection, and a couple of ongoing wars, we revisit our fragile and threatened way of political life. She’s been busy - working with the Debt Collective, a union of debtors she co-founded, and wr…

1
Episode 640: What would nature do? JANINE BENYUS, BIOMIMICRY: Innovation Inspired by Nature 1:00:57

3M ago1:00:57

1:00:57

Earth Day 2024 is April 22nd. Here’s my 2011 conversation with JANINE BENYUS, who coined a term and invented a field called Biomimicry. After 3.8 billion years of R&D on this planet, failures are fossils. What surrounds us in the natural world has succeeded and survived. So why not learn as much as we can from what works? Nature has already solved …

1
Earth Day, with Earth Warrior Bill McKibben 30:56

3M ago30:56

30:56

Mark talks to the astute environmentalist and writer about climate: The good news and the bad, how we can stop setting things on fire, the most important thing an individual can do, and how to make good trouble. Plus: Is Earth Day still relevant? And Kate takes the next round of questions for food stylist Barrett Washburne: all about his essential …

1
Episode 639: The Myths of Poverty & the Role of Luck-MARK RANK-The Random Factor 1:00:00

3M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

Why does our society produce more poverty than other wealthy countries? Why don’t we or why can’t we change our incentives? I speak with MARK RANK, about his books, THE POVERTY PARADOX and POORLY UNDERSTOOD: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty, and his latest, THE RANDOM FACTOR: How Chance & Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives & the World Around Us. …

1
Episode 638: CHARLES EISENSTEIN (2019), Climate - A New Deeper, Fuller Story - People connect more with nature than policy 1:00:00

3M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

I describe the goal of my engagement with what we call the environment as “a healthy relationship with the rest of nature.” In this 2019 conversation, CHARLES EISENSTEIN asks: Have we become too focused on climate change? and reminds us that holding rivers, forests, and creatures as sacred and valuable in their own right, not simply as carbon credi…

1
What We Can Learn From School Lunch in Japan 27:29

3M ago27:29

27:29

Coming to you from Nagasaki, Japan! Mark and his partner, Kathleen Finlay, talk to each other about their trip to one of Japan's school lunch centers, a place that serves 1,750 students and serves as an excellent model for what a progressive lunch program looks like: carefully curated and delicious menu, cooked from fresh and seasonal ingredients; …

1
Alice Waters: Still Expanding Her Legacy 39:36

4M ago39:36

39:36

Mark and Kate talk to food's most tireless champion about public education as the last bastion of democracy, thirty years of Edible Schoolyard, and tomato confit. PLUS: Food stylist Barrett Washburne is back, and talks to Kate about how much food is thrown out vs eaten on a shoot, the best way to make something look like it’s fresh out of the oven,…

1
Episode 637: Can we build immunity to mis- & dis-information? ANDY NORMAN & MELANIE TRECEK-KING of the MENTAL IMMUNITY PROJECT 1:00:00

4M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

With social media and AI, bad actors weaponize information, stressing democracy. We have two options: stop the lies or stop people from believing them. The former is near impossible in a free society, but there’s solid evidence the latter is achievable. I talk with two founders of the Mental Immunity Project, ANDY NORMAN, author of MENTAL IMMUNITY,…

1
Tom Philpott: How to Unleash Innovation in Farm Country 39:46

4M ago39:46

39:46

Journalist Tom Philpott talks to Mark about how to decode wonky farm bill conversations (and why it matters), why we're having another erosion crisis, and how to turn farmers into conservationists without telling them what to do. PLUS: Food stylist Barrett Washburne talks to Kate about how he got into food styling and how he feels about it, why pot…

1
Episode 636: Two for the Campaign Ahead: 1) DREW WESTEN (2007), The Political Brain 2) BERNIE HORN (2009), Framing the Future 59:40

4M ago59:40

59:40

As we fasten our seatbelts and plunge into the 2024 campaign, here are two conversations worth a re-listen. From 2007, I talk with DREW WESTEN about the ideas and advice in his influential book, THE POLITICAL BRAIN: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. Westen: Democrats almost always present the best arguments but lose elections …

1
Episode 635: ROB JOHNSON & I talk about the State of the Union - Biden’s speech plus our own take on things 1:00:00

4M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

ROB JOHNSON is a plain-speaking and passionate critic of an economic, financial, and political system that leaves too many behind. He and I do post-election shows - and we’ll do another this November, but this week we talk about the State of the Union as well as the state of the union. We talk about Biden’s speech and about how the two of us see th…

1
Von Diaz: The Beauty and Importance of Island Cooking 40:11

4M ago40:11

40:11

Oral historian and journalist Von Diaz talks to Mark and Kate about the connections that tropical islands share, in general and as related to cooking; the urgency to perfect dishes, build a resilient pantry, and learn to cook sustainably when living on a tropical island; the culture of kindness that seems to emanate from island living; and what got…

1
Episode 634: TIM DeCHRISTOPHER-Courage & Conviction-Tim served 21 months in prison for civil disobedience protecting public lands 57:44

4M ago57:44

57:44

We know Republicans exercise minority rule in the states, the House, and the Supreme Court. Now Biden is arming Israel without meaningful or effective demands for humanitarian treatment of innocent civilians. Is it time for civil disobedience? Here’s my 2013 conversation with Tim DeChristopher. In a disputed auction of oil leases on pubic lands, Ti…

1
"Having Nonalcoholic Spirits Keeps Me From F-ing Up" 28:35

4M ago28:35

28:35

Washington Post columnist Allison Robicelli talks to Mark and Kate about the shame that comes with alcoholism, sobriety as a "trend" and watching things change, and why nonalcoholic beverages are so important. For the six nonalcoholic things Allison loves, head here: bittmanproject.com/food-with-mark-bittman-allison-robicelli/ Subscribe to Food wit…

1
Episode 633: ANGUS DEATON, co-author, Deaths of Despair - ECONOMICS IN AMERICA: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality 1:01:09

5M ago1:01:09

1:01:09

ANGUS DEATON won the Nobel prize in Economics for work accomplished before he and his wife, economist Ann Case, wrote DEATHS OF DESPAIR and the Future of Capitalism. Pre pandemic, life expectancy in the US was no longer rising, and already falling among adults without 4 years of college, due in large part to alcoholism, drug overdoses, and suicides…

1
What We Can — And Should — Learn From Peasants 23:46

5M ago23:46

23:46

Leading British social historian Patrick Joyce talks to Mark and Kate about the actual meaning behind the word "peasant" and why it's been co-opted so much, what we should be mourning about the near loss of peasant life and what we can learn from it, and the poignancy of seeing generations change. Subscribe to Food with Mark Bittman on Apple Podcas…

1
Episode 632: 5 BROKEN CAMERAS (2013)-EMAD BURNAT (Palestinian) & GUY DAVIDI (Israeli) co-directors, of the Oscar-nominated doc. 58:32

5M ago58:32

58:32

This week the media offers Academy Award buzz as well as the horrors of Israel’s response to the horrors of October’s attack by Hamas. Here’s my 2013 conversation with Palestinian EMAD BURNAT and Israeli GUY DAVIDI, co-directors of the Oscar-nominated documentary, 5 BROKEN CAMERAS. The film tells the story of Burnat, a Palestinian West Bank farmer,…

1
Lelani Lewis Happily Accepts the Title of Activist 34:13

5M ago34:13

34:13

The thoughtful and talented chef talks to Mark and Kate about why she named her dinner series and new book Code Noir, after a monstrous set of French regulations put into effect by Louis XIV; why some island cultures gradually veer towards the cultural homogeneity of the US; why pulling on heartstrings is sometimes the best way; and her showboat re…

1
Episode 631: MARGOT SUSCA-HEDGED: How Private Investment Funds Helped Destroy American Newspapers and Undermine Democracy 56:30

5M ago56:30

56:30

We all know the newspaper business is in trouble. A weekday edition of the LA Times - once a “national” newspaper, along with the NYTimes, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal - now might be 32 pages and another 100 were recently laid off in the newsroom. The culprit is assumed to be the internet, stealing both stories and ads. Not so fast. I t…

1
Greg D'Alesandre Really, Really Loves Chocolate 31:38

5M ago31:38

31:38

The Dandelion Chocolate Chief Sourcerer talks to Mark and Kate about why there's massive volatility in the cocoa market right now, what sustainable and fair sourcing actually means in the cocoa industry, and how and why people should think about chocolate differently. Find the recipe for Dandelion Chocolate's "Maybe the Very Best Chocolate Chip Coo…

1
Mavis-Jay Sanders: I Just Want to Feed People Good Food 26:18

5M ago26:18

26:18

Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders talks to Mark and Kate about how she got into cooking and why her parents were unsure about it, her transition from being a chef to being a chef-activist and the work she does in both areas, and why knowing how to give feedback successfully is one of the most important lessons a person can learn — in every field. Subscribe to…

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Episode 630: ROBERT P. JONES-THE HIDDEN ROOTS OF WHITE SUPREMACY and the Path to a Shared American Future 1:00:00

5M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

The last time a Democratic presidential candidate won a majority of White voters was in 1964. ROBERT P JONES, President and Founder of the Public Religion Research Insitute (PRRI) and author of THE HIDDEN ROOTS OF WHITE SUPREMACY and the Path to a Shared American Future, writes that “White Christian nationalism has become central to the…Republican …

1
Jamie Oliver: Cooking Is a Superpower 26:10

6M ago26:10

26:10

The wildly popular chef and champion of good food talks to Mark about what's changed in his almost 25 years of cooking in the public eye, big picture food advice, and why there's room for optimism. Find the recipes from today's episode at bittmanproject.com/recipe/jamie-olivers-charred-brussels/ and bittmanproject.com/recipe/jools-chocolate-dreams/…

1
Episode 629: JONAH SACHS (2012)-Winning the STORY WARS-Key to persuasion & motivation - and as timely as ever 1:00:00

6M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

In todays fractionalized & polarized world, facts and reality are too often less important than which narrative you embrace or which stories you believe. Here’s my 2012 conversation with JONAH SACHS, Co-Founder of Free Range Studios - the folks behindthe classic Story of Stuff - and author of WINNING THE STORY WARS. Learn how and why narrative work…

1
George Stiffman: What's So Special About Tofu? 24:15

6M ago24:15

24:15

Tofu evangelist George Stiffman talks to Mark and Kate about working under a fifth-generation tofu master, the vast array of misconceptions Americans have about tofu, why the misunderstood protein is better than fake meat, and a personal favorite: exploding juice tofu. View this episode's recipe and show notes here: bittmanproject.com/recipe/broken…

1
Episode 628: CORPORATE BULLSH*T- JOAN WALSH-Six lies they use to hold onto power and hold back progress 1:01:17

6M ago1:01:17

1:01:17

The market – using money in politics to write its own rules - cannot respond effectively to critical challenges we face . JOAN WALSH, formerly at Salon, CNN, and MSNBC and now national affairs correspondent for The Nation, authored CORPORATE BULLSH*T with Nick Hanauer (Pitchfork Economics; Civic Action) & Donald Cohen (The Public Interest). Digging…

1
Michele Norris: Food Is How We Find Each Other 32:29

6M ago32:29

32:29

Journalist Michele Norris talks to Mark about how she came to start her podcast, Your Mama's Kitchen; the standout moments in her (amazing) career; and how she preps for meals 30 days ahead. View this episode's recipe and show notes here: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/michele-norriss-zucchini-bread/ Subscribe to Food with Mark Bittman on Apple …

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