Audio Podcasts

Chef Jacob is joined by Ben and Alex to discuss various industry issues including low wages and the disappearing labor pool of cooks.

The tables are turned and Chef Jacob is interviewed by journalist Ashley Owen of Moonshine Ink. Topics discussed include Chef Jacob's approach to culinary instruction, why he hates recipes, the transition from a full fledged restaurant to an educational/event based environment, and the Stella Underground Diners.

In this episode we answer questions from the Stella Culinary Community, including issues with candied nuts, how to make basil jelly, dry brining, and other ramblings.

In this episode, Chef Jacob talks gravy and reductions sauces, including how to get a shiny, smooth sauce, why simmering gravies is important, and how to make a quick gravy using the pan drippings from a roasting pan.

If you've ever wanted to be a fly on the wall for one of our menu meetings, now's your chance. We spend the first 20 minutes of the podcast talking about chicken wings and sauces, and then switch gears into planning an all sea food menu for an upcoming pop-up dinner. Maybe you'll find it fascinating, maybe you'll find it dreadfully boring. But this is a big part of what we do for a living, so I thought it might interest some of you. Whether you love it or hate it, I'm open to hearing your feedback on this episode.

Chef Jacob is joined in studio with Ben and Alex to discuss various view points on what American Cuisine.

Chef Jacob mumbles his way through a couple chicken topics, giving you some good, albeit boring, tips on cooking chicken legs & breasts, and chicken galantine.

In this episode of Stella Cast, we talk about the best approaches for achieving crispy skin when cooking chicken, pork, and duck, and spend some time discussing how this can enhance your ability to serve and cook crispy chicken wings.

This one's for the bread heads! We talk sourdough baguettes and why you need to bake at a higher temperature than traditional breads, and I give Tmorrision feedback on his sourdough boule. I answer a question on double hydration sourdoughs, and how soy lecithin can be used to enhance your breads that contain fat. We finish the conversation troubleshooting large holes in the interior crumb of a bread.

In this episode we talk about using sodium nitrite when brining pork for added flavor and color retention, and how the addition of baking soda can lead to more tenderness. We also talk about "tyndallization" and if that concept can allow you to sterilize meats for long term storage using sous vide. Then we finish this episode with a quick question about fats turning rancid after being used for confit, and get an update from Mack-The-Knife on his Halloween dinner preparation, talking about pumpkin pie and cheese cake.