A good food podcast can feel like a sous chef by your side, ready to help in the kitchen or keep you entertained during a long commute.
We’ve rounded up the 10 best podcasts to listen to if you love cooking. One list could never possibly capture the full breadth of the food podcast genre, so take this with… a grain of salt. But what you’ll find here are shows selected for their capacity to inform, inspire, and challenge.
1.
Starting out as a public radio program all the way back in 1997, The Splendid Table is the OG of food podcasts. Every week, host Francis Lam digs into the topic of food as it intersects with culture, sustainability, history, and pretty much anything else.
Credit: the splendid table
2.
Co-hosts Hrishikesh Hirway and Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat started the podcast to guide people on what to cook during the lockdown. Episodes featured recipes built around pantry staples that people undoubtedly panic-bought in bulk. Although it started as a way to soothe listeners during a dark time, the content of each episode is timeless.
Credit: home cooking
3.
The show’s tagline says it all: “It’s not for foodies. It’s for eaters,” and its relatable and humorous approach to the food world has won The Sporkful numerous accolades, including a James Beard Award. Thanks to the show, we now know answers to questions like why actors never really eat in movies and whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich (actually, that one is still up for debate.)
4.
Each episode, chef Dave Chang and Chris Ying choose a dish or ingredient, cook it using three different recipes and discuss. The format is irresistibly catchy, but the show really shines because of Chang, Ying, and their guests’ entertaining commentary and impressive food knowledge.
Credit: the Ringer
5.
Created by the Southern Foodways Alliance, Gravy is a podcast that explores the history and evolution of food culture in the American South. From Georgia peach farmers adapting to climate change, to the African diaspora’s influence on southern cuisine, each episode of Gravy shows the south’s unique intersection of race, religion, culture, and climate.
6.
Produced by Boston’s public radio station, WGBH, Milk Street Radio is all about seeking answers. Whether it’s taking listener questions about cooking that range from common to complicated, or interviewing world-renowned chefs and experts, this informative podcast will always leave you with new knowledge to digest.
Credit: Milk Street
7.
Toasted Sister podcast is about much more than just indigenous cuisine. With food as its anchor, Andi Murphy, who is a member of the Navajo Nation, presents something new each episode — like the history of Thanksgiving, or an interview with Native American owners of a craft brewery. With this wide-ranging approach, it illuminates the past, present, and future of Native American cultures.
8.
Comedian and self-described “amateur chef” Dan Ahdoot is all about bringing the way we talk about food down to earth. Through interviews with celebrity guests in which nothing is too small or esoteric — topics include what’s in their fridge, and which supermarket hummus is the best — Ahdoot reminds us that food truly is the great equalizer.
Credit: the podglomerate
9.
Ever wondered about the origin of the bouillon cube? What’s the connection between glass bakeware and child labor? Co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley delve into the fascinating answers behind these questions and more on their quest to explain “food through the lens of science and history.”
10.
Top Chef alum Tanya Holland, brings her star power, over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, and passion for French and southern cuisine to the proverbial table. Holland’s guests come from all walks of life — chefs, athletes, activists, artists, etc. but each has a unique connection to food and a story worth telling.
Credit: muddhouse media