We speak with Bee Wilson to follow the curious, contentious history of margarine back to its first invention. Turns out, we have Napoleon III to thank. 

The banana peel is so synonymous with slipperiness that we know how this joke ends right when it starts—why? And why a banana? We trace down the origins of the gag, and land in a surprising place.

Today we dedicate our whole episode to a roundtable on meal planning: Amanda, Merrill, and Kenzi answer questions from our staff and community about how to cook smarter every week. Highlights include refrigerator graveyards, condiment guilt, and why avocado toast is a little like comfortable underwear.   This episode of Burnt Toast is sponsored by Casper. Get $50 toward any mattress purchase by visiting www.casper.com/TOAST, and using promo code TOAST. 

We invite Doug Quint and Bryan Petroff of Big Gay Ice Cream into the studio to talk about summer’s favorite frozen dessert. There are no boundaries: We discuss bedazzled unicorns, magnums, beet soft serve, and—for a little light hazing—we have Doug taste test some classic Good Humor ice cream treats.    Burnt Toast is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the new service that delivers all the ingredients you need to make incredible meals at home. Discover a better way to cook. Visit BlueApron.com/TOAST to get your first two meals free today.

Even when it's leftover pizza or takeout from down the block. We talk to book seller and author of Lunch at the Shop Peter Miller about the midday meal: Why we should always break for it, the simple ways to make it better, and how to make our new favorite of his recipes, Pizza Soup. (You're going to want to hear this.) 

This week, we talk to NY Mag food critic Adam Platt about criticism in an age that makes it easy for everyone with an internet connection to be a reviewer. Listen in for some salty conversation, his live evaluation of some food in the studio, and—because we couldn’t help it—a dramatic Yelp reading or two.      Burnt Toast is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the new service that delivers all the ingredients you need to make incredible meals at home. Discover a better way to cook. Visit BlueApron.com/TOAST to get your first two meals free. BlueApron.com/TOAST

We invite food writer and coffee expert Oliver Strand—and our very own Michael Hoffman—into the studio to talk coffee. After we make sure we’re caffeinated, we discuss specialty coffee, coffee snobbery, and cup some McCafe, just for fun. 

Today’s episode covers the topic of first food jobs—we chat with Lucky Peach co-founder Peter Meehan about how he got his start, how aspiring food writers might get theirs, and just how scrappy Amanda was before The New York Times.

This episode is a party: We pack the studio with Charlotte Druckman, Kenzi Wilbur, and Marian Bull to talk about something near and dear to our hearts -- cookbooks. We chat about what makes a good one, what makes a bad one, and some of the craziest books ever published. 

We invite chef, bakery owner, and cookbook author Allison Robicelli on our show to talk about all manner of strange food: What constitutes strange, the craziest things we’ve ever eaten, and how we feel about all of it. Things get weird.