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 blossoms Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi Nora Efron on Lee Bailey and the “Rule of Four” Julia Child’s My Life in France Amiel Stanek’s Homemade Onion Dip Instagram | Substack
Is Costco Worth It?
19/05/2026 | 47 mins.
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 Gratin Can the Golden Age of Costco Last? from The New Yorker The olive oil we both buy: Terra Delyssa organic extra virgin olive oil Lukas’ favorite Costco treat: Whisps Instagram | Substack
Homegrown Food Highs & Lows
12/05/2026 | 43 mins.
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 sauce Lukas’ soupy orzo Instagram | Substack
Outside Food
05/05/2026 | 32 mins.
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 Beans Lukas’ Spicy Marinated Butternut Squash Lukas’ Beach Linguine Snacks For Dinner Instagram | Substack
Does Lukas Hate Lentils?
28/04/2026 | 39 mins.
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 Thomas Mujaddara/mujadra/mujadarah/mejadra recipes from Ottolenghi, from Hot Date! by Rawan Alkhatib, from Naz Derivian Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy by Judith Barrett, and recipe for Pasta con Lenticchi Deb Perelman’s My Favorite Lentil Salad Catherine Newman’s Red Lentil Falafel Instagram | Substack
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.comLukas 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
New Zealand