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SALT PIG

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
37 reviews
Categories
Country
United States
This podcast has
26 episodes
Language
English
Explicit
No
Date created
2026/01/13
Latest episode
2026/11/03
Average duration
43 min.
Release period
16 days

Description

Lukas and Ellie really hate washing greens. We may be two professional cookbook writers, but when the aprons come off, we eat quesadillas for dinner more often than we might like to admit. Real home cooking is improvisational, intimate, surprising, creative, sometimes mundane, sometimes memorable, and always best when debriefed with a pal. Topics include: dried mushrooms and where to use them, making stock out of arguable trash, the joy of broccoli pancakes, what not to bring to a dinner party, how we really clean our cast iron pans (even when people say not to), gauging the lifelessness of one’s sourdough starter, and a seemingly neverending discussion on how to pronounce fricassee. Join us as we get together to break down the flops, the good enoughs, and the pleasures and hilarity of home kitchen life. --- Elinor Hutton has been a writer, ghostwriter, editor, and publishing and culinary consultant since 2010. She’s worked on more than 25 books to date, including four New York Times bestsellers, most recently as the co-author of Gisele Bündchen’s Nourish. She’s also judged the James Beard awards twice, ran the test kitchen for a meal-kit company, and has worked in book packaging and design.  www.elinorhutton.com Lukas Volger is the author of six cookbooks, including Start Simple and Bowl, and has collaborated on numerous other cookbooks, including two New York Times bestsellers. Previously, he co-founded the award-winning queer food journal Jarry, and created a line of premium, fresh, and locally made veggie burgers called Made by Lukas. He lives in Brooklyn. www.lukasvolger.com 

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Dishware Devotees
2026/11/03
Welcome to SALT PIG! What do our dishes say about us, as individuals and as a society? Turns out quite a bit. Why do we “save” china for the right occasion? Are shallow bowls the new dinner plate? Is matchy-matchy necessary, and does it require “good” napkins? Do we like eating from the same vessels our ancestors ate from? When it comes to china/ceramics/dishware, we have questions, we have preferences, we have opinions—though honestly we are still unsure what actually differentiates china from ceramics from dishware. Bonus talk: heirloom Pyrex, traveling with trunks, and consuming lemon balm versus lemon verbena.  Discussed in this episode: Martin Sorge’s lemon verbena shortbread (from Great Bakes)Iced tea from Heidi SwansonChristmas Tree by Spode All about buttercup squashInstagram | Substack
Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Freezer
2026/10/27
Welcome to SALT PIG! This week, we count the ways that we love our freezers. So many uses, so much convenience, so little extra space. We ponder mysteries like where did all the frozen pureed squash go? What is freezer debris and where is it coming from? Do people actually freeze stock in ice cube trays? And more. Plus, this week’s double cliffhanger: Did Lukas dress up for the Rocky Horror Picture Show and did Ellie successfully pick her new cabinet’s lock? It will be hard to wait to hear what happens next…. Instagram | Substack
It's Unofficial Annual Pesto-Making Time
2026/10/20
We are so thrilled to be back for season 2 of SALT PIG! We’re kicking things off by talking about a favorite autumn tradition (at least for us): making pesto from all the basil in the garden, which we freeze to eat all winter long. Turns out making quarts of pesto at a time has a fair share of complications! How do you properly dry a trash bag of basil? Why do we require multiple appliances? How much olive oil do you need, really? (The answer, annoyingly, is always “more.”) The good news is that it always tastes good, even if you don’t properly defrost it. And over the winter we forget about our pesto-making problems just long enough to get excited about doing it again next year. Plus, tune in for some hot takes on peeling almonds! Discussed in this episode: Pesto 101 via Claire DinhutTypes of BasilTrapanese Pesto (Oops, Ellie was wrong: Trapanese traditionally uses fresh tomatoes) Pesto Rosso via David Lebovitz (This is the one with sun-dried tomatoes) Cottage Cheese GnocchiPesto Beans (NYT Cooking, gift link)Instagram | Substack
A Summer Drop-In and Re-Release: We ❤️ Dishwashers
2026/07/23
Welcome to SALT PIG! How's your summer going?? Today we’re sharing a bonus episode, in which Ellie and Lukas check in from opposite sides of the northern hemisphere. Between the constraints of our short-term kitchens and lots of fun new ingredients and places to shop, we’re feeling inspired and invigorated. And getting away from home is providing plenty of healthy perspective on some of the New York/American antics that we’d otherwise barely be aware of. We’re also including a re-release of one of our earliest episodes, in which Ellie shares a chicken stock disaster and we both wax poetic about our dishwashers. Hope you're staying safe, healthy, and having a blast this summer! We can’t wait to re-connect in September, when we kick off season 2 of SALT PIG. Instagram | Substack
Intentionality in the Kitchen
2026/06/10
Welcome to SALT PIG! After analyzing all sorts of home-cooking topics over these last 22 episodes (!), we marvel at how often we neglect certain basics and niceties when cooking day in and day out. As cookbook professionals, we are devoted to the details of our clients and our work; but when left to own devices, we can really phone it in and forget/refuse to make cooking as pleasant and fulfilling as it can be. So for our SALT PIG season finale, we explore if there's a way to make putting dinner on the table more of a practice than a task. What tiny, easy acts make a nicer experience for ourselves? Do we have the brainspace and time to prioritize joy and ease in the kitchen? Is there a price to “treating” ourselves to the right piece of equipment or a little extra care and attention? Being intentional just may be the secret (ingredient) to everything. Happy summer, pals! We are taking a break until September. Write us and let us know what you’re up to. We’ll be back for season 2! Discussed in this episode: Chicken cutlets dredged in Preserved Lemon Paste Jenna Helwig’s interview with Greta PodleskiLukas’ Snacks For DinnerThe SALT PIG Lentil Salad MatrixAlice Medrich’s melted butter tart crustFull circle to our first SALT PIG episode: Food Waste vs RecipesInstagram | Substack
Beans at Home, with Steve Sando!
2026/06/02
Bean tribe, unite! This week, we have a very special guest joining us: Steve Sando, founder of everyone’s favorite heirloom bean company Rancho Gordo and author (or publisher) of nearly a dozen books on the topic. We get philosophical: What is actual simplicity in cooking (and can it exist in cookbook publishing)? We get genre-bendy: Is there a connection between making fashion choices and eating beans? And of course we get very deep on the specifics of bean cookery: pre-soaking, brining, blending, and what to do with the liquid gold that is bean broth. Plus, Steve’s ultimate no-fuss dinner-party finale: Pockys and Amaro? Yes, please! Discussed in this episode: Caballero BeansPineapple VinegarLukas’ Smoky Confit’d Beans with Olives, which is one of the most popular Rancho Gordo Bean Club recipes OF ALL TIMEThe Rancho Gordo Bean Club (sorry, there’s a waiting list!!) The Rancho Gordo Cooking with Clay Facebook Group The movie The Taste of Things, on our to-watch list nowRancho Gordo Gift BoxesAlso, Steve is on Substack! Instagram | Substack
Striving for No-Stress Dinner Hangs
2026/05/26
Sometimes having people over can be kind of stressful. But as they say, you have to make the community you want, right? And we want dinner parties. We share the successes, the mishaps, the too-small chicken pot pie, the desserts to remember. We debate if it’s better to apologize for your own shortcomings or just zip it and hope no one notices. What can be done to make an evening no-fuss, tasty, and, most of all, fun for you, too? We have thoughts! Plus more strategies to get your spouse to bring leftovers for lunch.  Discussed in this episode: Lots of people eat chive blossomsSnacking Cakes by Yossy ArefiNora Efron on Lee Bailey and the “Rule of Four”Julia Child’s My Life in FranceAmiel Stanek’s Homemade Onion DipInstagram | Substack
Is Costco Worth It?
2026/05/19
Welcome to SALT PIG! There comes a time every year when we wonder: is paying for a membership at Costco worth it? Especially given the spectacle of the almost-fistfights in the parking lot, the morality of buying the world’s most giant chicken breasts, the longest lines, the tallest soft serves, the lifetime supply of Zyrtec that might expire before you can take it all, the physical grappling to fit it all in your freezer when you get home…it is truly savage. But then, after the food is all ziplock-portioned and decanted and the millions of boxes are tied up and dragged to recycling, there is a deep contentment, knowing that you might never, ever, EVER need to go shopping again. Is this just the price one pays to wild-out at one of the few clubs middle-aged people still go to? Discussed in this episode: Ellie’s Old-Fashioned Rice GratinCan the Golden Age of Costco Last? from The New YorkerThe olive oil we both buy: Terra Delyssa organic extra virgin olive oilLukas’ favorite Costco treat: WhispsInstagram | Substack
Homegrown Food Highs & Lows
2026/05/12
Welcome to SALT PIG! This week, we are pushing back against the enshittification of Big Food and talking about what veggies are growing on Lukas’ roof and in Ellie’s backyard. Turns out homegrown food has a wide range of highs and lows: mistakenly planting the proliferative yet dull-as-rocks banana pepper, the verdant joy of clipping your own herbs and lettuces, the diverse findings of chili pepper experiments, and the horrifying, nightmare-inducing girth of a lost cucumber from 2012. Plus, can a ferment get too fermented, or is Ellie just a ninny? Discussed in this episode: Pale in Comparison: What to Know about US Butter (via Radio New Zealand)The Enshittification of Big Food (via Mike Lee) Lukas’ fermented hot sauceLukas’ soupy orzoInstagram | Substack
Outside Food
2026/05/05
Welcome to SALT PIG! This week we are talking about eating food outside of home: from the beach to the park, from a car trip to just about every social interaction during COVID. Lukas extolls the virtues of slab sandwiches wrapped in parchment and individual half-pint containers. Ellie makes orzo salad with giardiniera-brine dressing. And we dissect the difference in appeal between a communal trough and a curated sharable spread. (Do you want to share long noodles with anyone??) Plus, hear the genesis story of Lukas’ love affair with oatmeal and one way to get extremely crispy salmon skin.  Discussed in this episode: Goodbye Caputo’s…I guess we’ll be making our lard bread at home now. Ellie’s Marinated BeansLukas’ Spicy Marinated Butternut SquashLukas’ Beach LinguineSnacks For DinnerInstagram | Substack
Does Lukas Hate Lentils?
2026/04/28
Welcome to SALT PIG! Buckle your seatbelts everyone, because we are about to break the biggest scandal this side of the East River. Or at least in SALT PIG history, in all three months of its existence. Lukas—cookbook writer extraordinaire, vegetable whisperer, bean club acolyte—has a thing AGAINST lentils. WHaaat? But don’t despair! We break down many ways these sometimes-chalky pulses can be prepared and we dissect the root of his ambivalence. Will he find a lentil dish he truly craves? Will Ellie recover from her shock? Listen and find out! Discussed in this episode: Table Manners episode featuring Kristin Scott ThomasMujaddara/mujadra/mujadarah/mejadra recipes from Ottolenghi, from Hot Date! by Rawan Alkhatib, from Naz DerivianFagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy by Judith Barrett, and recipe for Pasta con LenticchiDeb Perelman’s My Favorite Lentil SaladCatherine Newman’s Red Lentil FalafelInstagram | Substack
Life Beyond Tupperware
2026/04/21
Welcome to SALT PIG! This week, we go beyond the Tupperware drawer of yore to discuss the food storage realities of our kitchens: what containers are best for freezing our ever-present broth, what jars and packaging we wouldn’t dream of recycling, the appeal versus futility of beeswax wraps, and the best receptacles for pawning off leftovers for our husbands’ lunches. It opens up some big life questions, like, why is decanting rice so satisfying? Can gallon-sized ziplocks ever be properly washed, and are they a vice worth keeping? Plus, find out the root of one of Ellie’s romantic fantasies—all we will say here is that it involves a “sugar drawer.” Spicy! Discussed in this episode: We’re not the only ones obsessed with Talenti Gelato containersWeck Jar LidsCambro ContainersSouper CubesSoy Sauce Marinated EggsInstagram | Substack
Living Through Our Salad Days
2026/04/14
Welcome to SALT PIG! From a nostalgic walk through of Lukas’ family’s Costco paint can of blue cheese dressing, to the maybe French/maybe made-up habit of Ellie’s family eating salad after the main dish, we break down our early childhood salad experiences. Present day, we love it so: raw, cooked, “signature,” with leaves, with no leaves. Lukas tries to convince Ellie to revisit broccoli salads, Ellie tries to convince her husband that her vinaigrette isn’t “too sour” (though maybe it is), and no one will convince either of us that salad plates are worth the space in the dishwasher.  Discussed in this episode: A pretty good rundown of some of the cultural forces behind when salad appears during a mealHetty Lui McKinnon, queen of fun and filling saladsBroccoli salads galore: Lukas’ Picnic Broccoli Salad, a classic Southern Broccoli Salad, Melissa Clark’s Broccoli Salad with Garlic and SesameMaggie Hoffman’s interview with Fermín Núñez, in which Mexican cuisine makes us “authors of our own bite”Veggie Craft, the protein pasta that Lukas mentionsInstagram | Substack
Food for Resetting
2026/04/07
Welcome to Salt Pig! Given our perpetual professional exposure to wellness culture, this week we discuss what healthier cooking means in our kitchens on a day-to-day basis. Topics range from food hangovers in your 40s and the power of data from wearables, to the pleasures of raw vegetables and the previously scorned superfoods we now consider everyday ingredients. Even when you are enthusiastic about healthier eating, making it stick can be challenging. It comes back to the question we ask ourselves after every vacation: how can we feel nourished but still enjoy every bite? Discussed in this episode: Nine Vegetables that are Healthier for You When CookedJeanine Donofrio’s Pressure Cooker Brown RiceMichael Pollan’s In Defense of FoodLukas’ Charred Scallion Tofu MeatballsEllie’s Green SauceEveryone is extremely into sleep scoresInstagram | Substack
Food Gifting with Jenny Rosenstrach
2026/03/31
To mark a dozen episodes(!), this week we have cookbook writer Jenny Rosenstrach joining us as our first ever SALT PIG guest. We discuss all the food we give our friends and family when they have had a baby, are going through something, hosting us, or just because: practical dinners, surprising treats, weird concoctions that need a home, and more. It turns out packaging has a major impact too: Jenny buys cellophane bags and shops from her designated gift closet (we knew she was a pro), Lukas keeps it classy (most of the time) with parchment and twine, and Ellie finds out that upcycling cottage cheese containers, while environmentally noble, really ruins the vibe.  Discussed in this episode: Salt Lick Nationwide Delivery via GoldbellyKari Kari Chili CrispJenny’s I’ll-Miss-You GranolaHomemade Vanilla ExtractZingermans Coffee Cake TrioTasteful Biodegradable ContainersBatched Cocktail Details from Brooks ReitzLukas’ Blueberry-Almond SmoothieThe I Hate to Cook Cookbook by Peg BrackenJenny’s Three-Bean ChiliInstagram | Substack

Podcast reviews

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5 out of 5
37 reviews
★★★★★
Eve Duff 2026/10/31
Peaceful & informative!
Ellie and Lukas’s voices are NPR levels of calm and they come with such a unique, smart perspective. Love how casual and personable it is as well. Ama...
★★★★★
TINAMVB 2026/05/28
5 STARS!
Love it, utterly delightful. Feels like a sweet hang with wise friends. Great advice and hot takes. SO FUN!
★★★★★
Sienna Meadow 2026/05/19
My Staple Podcast
This podcast calms my nervous system while also reframing the way I cook, shop, repurpose leftovers, use recipes…the list goes on. I think it’s becaus...
★★★★★
Lex Beach 2026/02/03
Fun, Smart, Entertaining
I don’t enjoy cooking even a fraction as much as these two do, and I still find this podcast to be delightful company. It’s relatable and inspiring an...
★★★★★
DATMZ1 2026/01/15
Expert but not snobby
Lukas and Elinor know what they’re talking about but keep it real—a refreshing podcast for food lovers!
check all reviews on apple podcasts

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