Pati Jinich is on a quest to show people what Mexico looks like and tastes like. She breaks down the common denominators of Mexican cuisine, tells us why she lives and dies for her blender and reveals her favorite recipes for chicken soup. Plus, writer Brandon Cook gives us a language lesson on drinking toasts from around the world, Alex Aïnouz has an epiphany about homemade pasta, and we bake up an ultra-easy Swedish “Sticky” Chocolate Cake.

This episode is brought to you by This Is Fine Cheese.

Questions in this episode:

"I love the cauliflower pizza at my local pizzeria and have tried to make that kind of crust at home. It’s never turned out crisp enough. How can I improve my recipe?"

"I’ve had a sous vide for a couple of years and have cooked a leg of lamb with it a number of times. It always tastes fine, but the texture is awful. What am I doing wrong?"

"In college, I worked in the salad department at an old school restaurant on Route 66 where I spent a lot of time stemming spinach. I never see any salad recipes calling for this, so is this a matter of personal preference or is it a worthwhile step?"

"I have a beautiful herd of dairy cows and their milk is so wonderful. I’ve made great mozzarella, but was wondering if you had any recommendations for hard cheeses I should attempt."

"Lately, I’ve been making cakes, quick breads and muffins, but find that the recipes I use are far too sweet and heavy for my liking. I’ve taken some liberties, like reducing the amount of sugar and fat, adding another egg or using a cultured dairy product. I just play around, but I’d like to know how low I can go when it comes to sugar and fat."