Welcome! We're veteran authors Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough with over three dozen cookbooks to our names (plus knitting books and a memoir from Mark). Our latest is THE LOOK & COOK AIR FRYER BIBLE, packed with photos, one for every step. You can find it here.

In this episode of our food and cooking podcast, we're back in the kitchen, making a batch of homemade chili crisp. If you don't know, chili crisp is a Chinese condiment that has overtaken the world! It's hot, garlicky, and aromatic. And surprisingly easy to make. Look for the recipe below!

We've also got a one-minute cooking tip for your holidays. And we'll let you know what's making us happy in food this week.

[01:04] Our one-minute cooking tip: how to make perfect whipped cream from scratch.

[02:38] We're in the kitchen, making chili crisp. We hope you have as much fun as we do.

Grind all of this in a spice grinder:

2 tablespoons dehydrated onion

2 tablespoons mild smoked paprika

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

2 teaspoons ground sumac

1 teaspoon table salt

Put the ground spices in a large, heat-safe baking dish, preferably a Pyrex dish. Then stir in:

50g or about 25 dried red chilis (preferably er jing tiao chilis), stemmed and snipped into pieces

1 star anise pod

Heat 2/3 cup or 160 ml neutral-flavored oil to 300F in a medium skillet. Pour over the chilis and aromatics.

When the sizzling stops, stir in 2 TBS jarred fried garlic (an important condiment, available at Asian supermarkets). Cool to room temperature before sealing in a glass jar and storing in the fridge for up to 1 month.

[17:31] What’s making us happy in food this week? Air-fried broccoli cheese casserole and Belgian-style hard cider!