Hot Plate show

Hot Plate

Summary: Hot Plate uncovers surprising discoveries and insights into food and drink. Our contemporary food culture critics, Mirella and Joshna, help you build a stronger relationship with what you eat. Craft beer and Sensory expert Mirella Amato and Chef-activist Joshna Maharaj turn over current trends, news, controversies, tastes, and tactics of the food and beverage world. This sizzling round-table debate is a venue for expert voices from around the world, who sometimes bring us interesting things to try.

Join Now to Subscribe to this Podcast
  • Visit Website
  • RSS
  • Artist: Hot Plate / Frequency Podcast Network
  • Copyright: Copyright 2019 Hot Plate Podcast All rights reserved.

Podcasts:

 Season 1 finale: Fat green heads | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 36:25

Why Mukbang enrages Joshna, regenerative greens for your salad, milk cutting spice (as usual), and a #weirdwidget which grooms your herbs Mirella and Joshna fall down the rabbit hole of Mukbang, the Korean trend of broadcasting over-eating. Bethany Gaskin is internet famous for picking up in the trend and stuffing her face with shellfish. If you already know about her, that's okay, because the conversation travels to ASMR, synesthesia, mussels which cook themselves (terrifyingly) due to climate change, and Joshna's existential rage. There's some really promising news from a local farm about regenerative, organic agriculture. We used to think choosing to eat organics was about what we wanted to put into our bodies, but now there's more to consider. This approach to farming is carbon negative, meaning it improves the environment. A local restaurant chain, IQ Food, has teamed up with The New Farm to promote their regenerative salad greens and this is a seriously good news story. A study was just released, confirming, the mostly common knowledge -- believe it or not -- that milk is the best  thing to drink to ease the burn of spicy foods. Some intrepid researchers tried a number of things and confirmed milk is "the one". If you've heard this story before you'll already know all that, but did you know they never figured out "WHY"? Finally, Mirella and Joshna test a #weirdwidget unsuitable for personal grooming but designed for combing your herbs!

 The great beyond for meat and cookie dough | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 36:33

Who is eating Beyond Meat, when beer flavours go too far, a new and safe raw cookie dough, and a failed #weirdwidget  Beyond Meat is sweeping across restaurant menus and grocery store shelves. As Vandana Shiva points out, this is all part of further industrialization of food, responding to the market rather than addressing climate change and factory faming. When we think we're making a smart choice by choosing an alternative to meat, is this a real and impactful option? Beer flavours have jumped the shark in Mirella's opinion. Odd ingredients in beer appear to be a common theme. What are the strangest flavours we've tried and how are brewers reacting to them? Then, Nestle and Toll House are selling tubs of raw cookie dough, ready for eating right out of the tub. It's safe, and oh so enticing… But isn't cookie dough meant to be baked with? Finally, a gadget that literally tries replace something most people have:  hands. It's a hard fail on this episode's #weirdwidget!

 Oral crunching while seated | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 38:56

In defence of cooking, the rise of the New England IPA, posture and taste, and a perfect threesome of a #blindbeerdate   In defence of cooking, Mirella and Joshna dive into this New York Times piece about the importance of time spent cooking in the kitchen. The current message from all sides is "don't waste your time cooking". Convenience culture and the explosion in popularity of delivery services means fewer people seem to enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Is cooking really an endangered species? Is a cultural shift happening? Or, is this all just marketing spin?   Next: Do you want to nerd out about beer? Some beer drinkers definitely don't. It turns out these uninterested drinkers might well be IPA drinkers, according to an article published by the Brewers Association (in the USA). This isn't a discussion about IPAs, but it might explain why the New England IPA has risen so quickly.   Then, we - humanity - have finally learned for certain that sitting down helps you taste better. This study proves what instinct tells us: posture has an impact on our enjoyment of food. What does this mean to the way we make and consume food? We're boggled by the ramifications.   Finally, we explore a non-alcoholic beer paired with chips and home-made hummus on #blindbeerdate. It's a pretty perfect threesome!

 No good times in Toronto | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 38:10

Toronto Brews Exhibit with Wayne Reeves, what makes a great sandwich, and bubbles in beer. Mirella and Joshna welcome Wayne Reeves, Chief Curator of Museums and Heritage Services for the City of Toronto and curator of the upcoming "Toronto Brews: Two Centuries of Beer Culture in the City." Toronto's historic  relationship to beer fascinating, but we also wonder if this is part of a growing interest in documenting the history happening right now. The Smithsonian is now documenting the craft beer movement, recognizing its current historical importance, and Toronto is certainly taking steps to acknowledge its long history of brewing. Then, OH MY do we have opinions about sandwiches or what! Toronto Life released its Bread Winners list sandwiches, which begs the questions "what makes a great sammy?" and "how far exactly should Joshna spread the contents of the Sammy?" How do we really feel about dry corners? Finally, despite a personal interest in all things bubble tea and tapioca, Mirella rails against the new Tapioca Beer trend popping up in Japan and in LA. She's dreading the day it sweeps Canada, but Joshna can't wait!

 Non-drinkers who like to drink | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 37:34

Drinks writer Sarah Parniak on Seedlip, an electric tongue that can do your tasting for you, dehumanizing drinkers, and #curiouskitchen. Sarah Parniak, drinks writer, former bartender, and Canadian Brand Ambassador for non-alcoholic distilled spirit Seedlip, joins us to talk about the rise of NA (non-alcoholic) cocktails. Is there a growing movement of non-drinkers? Why are they spending time in bars "not drinking"? Sarah helps us unravel this growing group and understand the opportunities it's creating. Then, we muse about an E-tongue. Are tasting robots going to replace professional tasters? We're excited to learn more about our future robot executive chefs...  Apparently both men and women dehumanize women as they drink, according to a thoroughly depressing new study. Naturally we find it upsetting, though the study was conducted with beer, which has long suffered from certain connotations. We'll hear more about its history in an upcoming episode. Finally, on #curiouskitchen, we  taste test the wonderful and unconventional Italian treat, Lupini Beans!

 Get up early, hang with farmers | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 33:27

Get up early, hang with farmers Cookie Roscoe on making farmers' markets part of your routine, next level ice cream, the winning formula for breweries, and our first live #blindbeerdate ends badly! Farmers' markets manager and Queen's Diamond Jubilee recipient Cookie Roscoe joins us to talk about all things farmers markets. How can we work markets into our busy schedules? What should we expect to get and why are they popping up all over? Getting up early on a Saturday has never sounded so good! As the summer heat approaches ice cream season sets in. Mirella and Joshna review a few next-level flavours and  reminisce about the one that got away. This season's trend is taking us towards really savoury, complex ice cream. What makes ice cream such a great canvas for flavour? Then, if producing an ongoing rotation of sour, hazy and quirky beers is a winning formula, why are so few new breweries using that model? Finally, a #blindbeerdate where really we should have just quite while we were ahead.

 Bonus - Suzanne Barr on cultural appropriation (full interview) | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 41:09

Chef Suzanne Barr talks cultural appropriation with Mirella Amato and Joshna Maharaj  We had such a compelling conversation with Suzanne there was hemming and hawing as we attempted to cut it down to length for Episode 11 "Authenticity is the Emperor's new clothes". It feels like an important conversation, and important conversations need space to breath. So, we're releasing the entire interview as bonus content.  Enjoy "the details", and a glimpse behind the scenes of Hot Plate. Let us know what you think on Twitter @hoteplatpod Suzanne Barr: Suzanne’s notoriety within the food scene of Toronto has come at a rapid rate, as word spread of a female chef breaking down barriers and nurturing young talent. Constantly speaking at events, trade shows and writing editorials for many press outlets in Toronto and abroad. Her brand and infamy are on a steady rise, taken into her daily stride as a restauranteur, author, public speaker and mother.  Suzanne Barr has become one of Canada’s most respected chefs with a signature flair for fresh comfort food and a passion for local community, food security, and advocacy for people of colour & LGBTQ communities.  She was the owner of the popular restaurant Saturday Dinette, and the inaugural chef-in-residence at the Gladstone Hotel.  Her most recent residency was at Sand and Pearl Oyster Bar in Prince Edward County, which was just awarded #9 on the list of Best New Restaurants in Canada by EnRoute Magazine.  Suzanne has always combined her love of cooking with her desire for social change, and in June 2018, she was chosen to participate in the James Beard Foundation Chef’s Bootcamp at the New Farm in Collingwood, ON where she worked directly with Community Food Centres Canada.  Then in August 2018, she was asked to speak at the Mad Symposium in Copenhagen, Denmark where she was on a panel for working parents discussing the current state of the culinary industry.  In 2018, she was chosen as one of six finalists to present a project at the Women In Hospitality United symposium in New York City, where she presented The Dinette’s Program, a cooperative training program providing an opportunity to learn, co-create, effective solutions for workplaces, and enhancing business productivity while promoting the next generation of women as industry leaders.  Suzanne was one of the chefs featured in Maya Gallus’ documentary film The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution.  In 2019 Suzanne will begin her next journey as Head Chef at Avling Kitchen and Brewery in Toronto.  She lives in Toronto with her husband and young son, and still spends time in Florida with her family.

 Setting the bar high | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 33:54

Better beer, with Steve Riley from betterbeer.com, enthusiasm for edibles, bathing in beer, and #weirdwidget   Mirella's old friend Steve Riley joins us to talk about what's going wrong with beer in bars. What's actually happening when we're served a pint of beer that just isn't quite right? More importantly, how do bars go about solving some of these problems. He makes reference to his wall of shame -- if you have a strong stomach you can see it here: https://www.betterbeer.com/wall-of-shame/   Then, our frequently discussed friend Dr. Sylvain Charlebois has been busy studying weed. This study suggests people aren't as stoked for edibles as might have been expected. Mirella and Joshna talk about why we're not all eating pot brownies after legalization.   Of course Mirella thinks it would be a great idea to bathe in beer! But now she's got backup. Apparently there are scientific reasons to add beer to your bathtub - or maybe not so literally. Would she really try it? Isn't it a waste? How on earth can beer help your skin anyway?   Finally, Steve stumps Mirella and Joshna with a truly unlikely #weirdwidget!

 Authenticity is the emperor's new clothes | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 32:28

Cultural appropriation with Chef Suzanne Barr, the five year anniversary of Mirella's book Beerology, food safety in cookbooks, and a #blindbeerdate ends happily ever after.   We are so excited to welcome Chef Suzanne Barr, whose brand and infamy are on a steady rise in Toronto and beyond. She joins Mirella and Joshna to dig deeper into questions about cultural appropriation in restaurants. Is it really happening? What can we do about it? What questions could chefs ask themselves and each other?   A little birdie told Joshna that Mirella is celebrating the five year anniversary of the publication of her book, Beerology: Everything You Need To Know To Enjoy Beer Even More. She puts Mirella on the spot for an AMA on Beer.   Then, should cookbooks really be teaching us about food safety? A new study suggests yes…   Finally, we stumble upon a match made in heaven on #blindbeerdate.

 From tampons to tinctures | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 34:23

A controversial cocktail with Josh Lindley from Bartender Atlas, looking beyond bitterness, taste and ageing, and damiana tincture in #curiouskitchen   Josh Lindley is the co-founder of Bartender Atlas and has spent his career making drinks. We asked him what he thought of an explosively controversial "tampon cocktail". Can go too far?   Bitterness. No, not the emotional kind! Joshna has been playing with bitterness in her kitchen and walks Mirella through her findings. As it turns out, there's some solid wisdom that connects bitter flavours to the absorption of nutrients, the digestion of food, and the health of your gut.   Then, Mirella and Joshna get digging into the sad reality of how taste changes as we age. It's not pretty… but maybe there's an upside!   Finally in #curiouskitchen, Josh Lindley brings us a damiana tincture made by Dani Tatarin's Las Animas Botica.

 All the mouthfeels | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 36:43

What happened to texture, Craft beer as convenience, "is food art?", and foods seek love in #blindbeerdate   On this episode of Hot Plate we think about texture and mouthfeel of food and drink. More and more this is a secondary consideration to the industry and it's a huge problem. We talk about food and drink where the mouthfeel just isn't right, and what could solve the problem.   Next, this article discusses a curious effect breweries- industrial buildings - have on residential property values. Whereas we might not want any old factory in our back yards, counterintuitively a brewery acts as an amenity for a neighborhood.   Then, we don't name names - but there is an article floating around about food as art. In it the author allows art to completely overtake the purpose of food: nourishment. It was hard to contain our frustration long enough to record this segment… but we did learn about influential Indian Chef Gaggan Anand. Enjoy!   Finally, we have a #blindbeerdate: Mirella brings a random beer and a Joshna brings a random food to pair. We see what complements, what clashes, and, if we're lucky, discover something truly delightful!

 People who eat without pants | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 36:46

The dynamics of food delivery with Earlscourt BBQ's Jason Rees, cultural appropriation in restaurants, a case for mignardises, and #curiouskitchen On this episode of Hot Plate we get riled up with Jason Rees, competitive BBQer and owner of the very tasty Earlscourt BBQ in Toronto. He pulls back the curtain on food delivery services. For restauranteurs, what has the explosion of these services meant? What are the hidden benefits and drawbacks of this innovation and disruption? And is there really a difference between the people who eat at home and the people who go to a restaurant in person? Then, Mirella and Joshna react to recent cultural appropriation debates in the restaurant business:  Gordon Ramsay's company is in the news defending his new London restaurant. Is he right or wrong to call is "authentic asian"? Where and how do we draw the line on what is appropriation and what is not?  Finally Joshna puts on her hospitality hat to make a compelling case for mignardises, only to find Mirella turning her nose up at free post-desserts desserts! But all is mended with a drink in a special follow-up #curiouskitchen, where we test vodka made with milk permeate: Vodkow from Dairy Distillery.

 Hot Plate unwrapped | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 36:05

Food over-packaging with special guest Michelle Genttner, no-waste menus at home, alcohol and creativity, and a #weirdwidget We welcome our first ever guest! Michelle Genttner from Unboxed Market knows food packaging inside and out. She and her partner have opened Toronto's first Zero Waste Grocery Store. Michelle joins Mirella and Joshna to talk over-packaging, and why it's even happening in the first place. Also, there's a "no waste" menu trend,  hot now in restaurants. But is it really just a conversation starter for what can happen at home? Currently the average Canadian household wastes 140kg of food each year! Want to do better? We share some ways to pay more attention to what's in your fridge. Then, An endearing New York Times article profiles two scientists who meet weekly for a drink and a chat. Can alcohol really fuel creativity? They wrote 10 books together, ostensibly because of their drinking. What can you do with a drink in hand?   Finally, Hot Plate tests a very cheap #weirdwidget which delivers the goods - and the zest!

 Ep 7 Promo | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:57

We're about to have our first guest in the Hot Plate hot seat: Michelle Genttner from Toronto's Unboxed Market! Look out for the new episode streaming to you Tuesday.

 The food insecurity crisis | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 34:57

A closer look at how Canadians eat - food insecurity and Canada's food guide. Then, distilling food scraps, and where's the booze in #curiouskitchen?   Visit www.hotplatepod.com for links to people, articles, recipes, and products.   In this episode Mirella and Joshna delve into recent changes to Canada's Food Guide, which was revised in January 2019 by Health Canada. Aside a move away from meat, what changed? What do the changes mean about how we eat? What's realistic to expect? Are there any encouraging trends?   Then, a wakeup call. In the months following the Food Guide revision it's been revealed just how many Canadian are "food insecure" and the numbers are horrifying. How can we do better? Is it even possible for Canadians to follow the new Food Guide?   Finally, how food waste is being turned into spirits!   And on #curiouskitchen Mirella and Joshna test a non-alcoholic spirit.

Comments

Login or signup comment.