Snack Judgment Podcast

This week, my friend Lily joins me to talk about cereal! We talk about her comfort food (and the magic of Giovanni Rana), and a recent amazing meal, and then we jump into a big bowl of mini wheats. We discuss Lily’s cereal journey (including a two-year-long cold turkey period), why she eats cereal dry or with yogurt but never with milk, cereal in Italy vs Canada vs the US, Frosties (the Italian name for Frosted Flakes), the joy and pitfalls of emotionally eating cereal straight from the box, our shared hatred for all forms of hot cereal, the magic of cereal aisles, the fact that good granola is aristocratically expensive to buy, and one of Lily’s favourite cereals: the delicious but horribly-named Fitness cereal from Italy. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

This week, my guest is my friend Robbie! We talk about comfort food & recent great meals and then go into the main topic: eating while on a concert tour! (Robbie is the lead singer of Ripe, and they’re currently on tour in the southern US!) We discuss what the fridge looks like in a house where seven musicians live, where Robbie’s most surprisingly awesome tour meals have been, how trying to stay reasonably healthy while on tour has led the band to eating more like locals wherever they are, which regional chains hold up to the hype (and why), and the magic of home cooking after weeks of fast food and gas stations. We also get onto some pretty big tangents about United Bakers Dairy Restaurant, a Toronto Jewish community staple, as well as Centre Street Deli and Pickle Barrel. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.  

This week, I'm joined by TWO guests- my fantastic friends Charlie and Brad! Together, I call them The Pizza Bois. We hear about their comfort foods and recent food loves and then move onto the main event: PIZZA.  We discuss NY style versus whole-pie Neapolitan, Charlie and Brad's adventures in making pizza, their Pizza Boi origin stories, our personal pizza-eating techniques, their misadventures in eating pizza in Fernie, British Columbia (including an abomination called Taco Pizza), their ideal topping configurations, how Canada is sort of a pizza desert thanks to the dairy lobby (but that the decidedly meh by-the-slice offerings still have a place in our hearts), and then- *a special feature!*- we get to hear some of the footage that these pizza bois recorded on their phones on their five-borough pizza tour of New York City. Also, here's a link to the pizza-making video that Brad mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtAeKM_f2WU Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!!  Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.  

This week my guest is my husband, Aaron! We briefly talk about his comfort foods and recent special food experiences, and then we dive deep into a big vat of SAUCE. We talk about Aaron’s ideal hot dog toppings setup, the origin of his undying love of all sauces under the sun, why he can’t do food on the go, his opinion and rating of *many* different sauces (but especially mayo), which sauces are socially acceptable to eat with a spoon, his absurd but effective fry-dipping method, which sauces would make it onto a hypothetical sauce utility belt, whether or not a mcflurry is a sauce, and whether or not maybe Aaron just doesn’t like chewing. As always, there's some cooking tips and meal ideas sprinkled throughout. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!!  Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

This week, my lovely friend Eden joins me to chat all about their adventures in sourdough! We talk about finding your bread bible (theirs is Ken Forkish's Flour Salt Water Yeast), the adorable world of breaddit, the high highs and low lows of baking sourdough, how underemployment can lead to a sourdough habit, different meals that let sourdough shine, the weirdness that is sourdough starter, and the overlap between crossfit people and sourdough people (luckily/obviously, we are both the latter).  Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!!  Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

This week, I'm joined by my magnificent friend Julianna! We talk about President's Choice white cheddar mac and cheese (if you know, you know) and holiday meals, and then we delve into the world of baking.  We talk about baking as meditation in this, the darkest timeline; the beauty of sharing baked goods and which ones to bring to a party; the joy of teaching friends to bake; which ingredients you should always double; how to bake without spending all your money; why all brownies should have icing and none should have nuts; the origin and life of her 10-year-old baking binder; and Julianna's extremely true but brave and controversial opinion: that everyone can bake. Here's Jules's guest post on my food blog, where you can find more of her baking tips! https://chewonthis.co/2016/11/08/guest-post-the-joy-of-not-cooking-and-baking-instead/ Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!!  Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

This week, my friend Ma’ayan joins me to discuss her genius meal prep method called Cascading Leftovers Theory, which is inspired by the prep fridges of restaurant kitchens. Basically, it's all about prepping individual building block ingredients early in the week and turning them into different things every day. We talk about how and why she started cooking this way, how it prevents boredom and encourages creativity, what staple ingredients she relies on, the power of sandwiches, seasonings, and immersion blenders, and how going out to brunch can help you try out this method of cooking! You can find Ma’ayan on Twitter @maayanplaut. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!!  Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.  

This week, my awesome friend Zaliqa joins me to chat about road trip food! We talk at length about poutine, the perfect food, and then we dive into eating while driving across the country! We cover roadside mom & pop restaurants, Tim Hortons vs. Dunkin Donuts, the different types of highway rest stops (from Ontario’s OnRoutes to the desperation Denny’s all over the continent), important tips for first time roadtrippers, and the magic of super-seasoned Snyder’s of Hanover pretzel bites. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!!  Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

This week, my friend Lian joins me to talk ramen! First, we hear about her perfect comfort food- carbonara- and then we get deeeep into ramen. We cover what she looks for in restaurant ramen and we then move onto the instant stuff: brands, price, how to improve it (including making your own seasoning packet, adding fried garlic and fresh scallions, etc etc there’s so many TIPS!) We also cover how instant ramen has the power to be there for you on difficult days when the ol’ mental health isn’t at its best and literally nothing else will do the trick. Lian shares her best bets for ramen in Boston, London, and Philly, and at the end, you’ll hear a BONUS COMFORT FOOD SECTION about the perfect, flaky, British institution that is the Greggs sausage roll. Here’s Lian’s post on how to improve instant ramen: http://indigoskyes.tumblr.com/post/157568516872/ramen-hacks-101 Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!!  Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

This week, my lovely friend Carla joins me to discuss South African Food! We talk about the joy she finds in rooibos tea, the cultural institution that is braai (including boerewors and braaibroodjie), the biltong bin at JFK, droewors, melktert, koeksisters, bobotie, and the supremely first-gen/immigrant feeling of being the weird Canadian cousin when you go back to where your family's from.  And of course it couldn't be an episode with Carla without a lengthy section on Nutella, so we covered that right at the top.  As promised, here's a link to South African celebrity chef Zola Nene, and food writer Hope Malau! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcasts so more people can find it!!  Our website is www.snackjudgment.com. Follow the show and tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

This week I'm joined by my wonderful friend Louis, and we chat about eating in the wilderness! We cover trail snacks, rest stop food, the beauty of good canned fish, camping cooking methods and fails, the importance of sweets, how to DIY camping cooking gear, camping in North America vs. Europe, and the singular joy of eating something completely delicious while basking in nature.  Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com.  Tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

This week, I'm joined by my friend Nate! He tells me about his comfort foods and his recent stellar meals, and then we chat about cooking meat at home! Hear about the magic of marinating, the forgiving nature of chicken thighs, how to overcome raw meat anxiety, why low and slow is the way to go, Nate’s biggest meat-cooking fail, the basics of raw-meat safety, the power of experimentation and spices, and why chicken breast is a tricky beast that should only be attempted with caution and experience. Tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com.  Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

In a special episode of Snack Judgment, we recorded in person in Philly! We get to know my wonderful friends Grace and Zoë, and then they share their amazing tips for meal planning! We discuss how meal planning saves them tons of money, how it helps them de-stress from their crazy law school schedules, how they deal with food truck FOMO, where they find sources of meal plan inspiration, how helpful shortcuts make things easier, how they divide the labour but enjoy meals together, and how living and eating as a community make cooking and shopping much more fun- and bottom line, that ANYONE can do it!  We also hear tons of meal ideas thanks to a full Grace & Zoë meal plan, and lots of meal examples all through the episode, so take notes and get inspired! ALSO we hear the origin story of the name "Snack Judgment"! Tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com.  Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

In Episode 005 of Snack Judgment, we meet my friend Margaux, and we talk about the myths and the marvels of French food! We discuss being vegetarian in France, the quintessential French cookbook “La cuisine pour tous” by Ginette Mathiot, the culture of hosting and serving apéro, the practice of making a special meal on a Sunday and eating it all week, the joy eating big lunches and light dinners, and the truth that french food isn’t all as heavy or fancy as we’ve been led to believe. We also hear about Margaux’s three-colours cooking rule, how she learned to cook, and her tips on how to get into French cooking! Tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please ***rate and review*** the podcast so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com.  Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

In this episode, we get to know my friend Haylee and then start talking about eating in the suburbs!!  We talk about suburban chain restaurants, mall food courts, eating at Costco (samples & hot dogs), and the agony and the ecstasy of eating at 7-Eleven. This one will hit particularly close to home if you happen to be from Toronto, Dallas, or Boston, but either way, if you grew up in a suburb and have ever gingerly ventured back to a chain restaurant you ate at as a teen, this is for you. My side-mission is for nobody to ever feel ashamed of eating anything, so I also discuss the time I ate a chicken caesar Hot Pocket from 7-Eleven and enjoyed it. Tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and rate and review the podcast so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com.  Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

After getting to know my friend Ericka, the queen of entertaining, by discussing her favourite comfort foods, we talk about cooking for a crowd! We talk about the magic of delegation, go-to snacks for a crowd, wine vs. cocktails, the power of lists, entertaining must-dos and no-gos, the need for home economics in school, how to be an extremely helpful guest, how to relieve cooking legs, the buzz of entertaining adrenaline, the best dinner party layouts, the magic of chaos, and missing our friends. Reach out to Ericka @grawzer on Instagram if you want some personalized party advice - take her up on this!! Trust me! As always, tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and rate and review the podcast so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com.  Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

In the second episode of Snack Judgment, we get to know my friend Melissa and then dive into our main topic: food tv. We talk about Guy Fieri (Diners Drive-ins and Dives AND his Grocery Games), Julia Child, Chopped, what improv has to do with food tv and with cooking, young Melissa’s Iron Chef: Battle Pistachio, Great British Bake-Off, gender in Top Chef and Chef’s Table, the magnificent Cristina Martinez of Tacos El Compadre in Philly, David Chang’s Ugly Delicious, Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat, and stocking up on snacks before watching food tv. If you've ever felt feelings about any kind of food tv, join us! As always, tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and rate and review the podcast so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com.  Thanks for listening! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.

In this first episode, we get to know my friend Maddie a little bit by talking about her favourite comfort foods and the most exciting thing she's eaten lately- and then we get down to business. We discuss cheesestring etymology! Cheesestring shame! Low fat vs regular! Cheesestring brands! Cheesestrings at work and in public! The aesthetics of a cheesestring eater! Cheesestring confidence! Cheesestring history! Oaxaca cheese! Armenian braided cheese! Cheesestring evidence! Chain cheesestring eating! Cheesestring theft! If you've ever had an opinion about stringable cheese, this is the episode for you. Tell me about your favourite snacks @snack_judgment on Twitter or Instagram, email me at snackjudgment@gmail.com, and like the Facebook page! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and rate and review the podcast so more people can find it!! Our website is www.snackjudgment.com.  Thanks for listening!! Our theme song is Urbana Metronica by Spinning Merkaba ft. Morusque, Jeris, C-Soul, and Alex Beroza. Our logo was made in Canva and uses art by Agata Kuczminska and Freepik.com.