After 17 years hosting Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi was ready for something new. This week, she fills us in on her recent endeavors: a new book, an original culinary competition show and standup comedy. Plus, Elyse Inamine celebrates a cult-favorite mayonnaise, Kewpie; and Mariena Mercer Boarini, Master Mixologist for Wynn Resorts North America, shares why martinis are the cocktail of the year.

Get the recipe for Mariena Mercer Boarini's Hot and Dirty Martini here.

Questions in this episode:

"When I try to make vegetable lasagna at home, it always comes out mushy and watery. I've tried salting the zucchini and precooking the ingredients but it never comes out right. What am I doing wrong?"

"Is black cocoa powder interchangeable with other cocoa powders?"

"I was at a friend’s house and she served homemade apple cake. It left an aftertaste of, I figured, baking soda. She sent me home with a piece, and the next day I ate it, it was fine. Another instance: I froze cookies that had already been frozen before. And a couple days later, I took them out and they were ghastly tasting. What is chemically happening?"

"I have an issue with bread crust. I apparently can’t make it without it being rock hard. Help!"