This week, we chat with TikTok star and expert forager Alexis Nikole Nelson about the most delicious weeds in your backyard, the joys of mushroom jerky and her cross-country journey to make seaweed panna cotta. Plus, Kevin Fortey takes us inside the competitive world of giant vegetable growing, J. Kenji López-Alt reveals the secret to perfect French fries, and we make Italian Flourless Chocolate Torta. (Originally aired August 13, 2021.)

Questions in this episode:

"I make Australian meat pies in batches of 75 to 100 for friends and family. I make each batch separately because I've tried to double and triple the recipe, but the stew doesn't taste the same. Is there anything I can do?"

"I feel like I’m a pretty good cook, but when things go wrong in the kitchen, I feel like my intuition is bad. How can I improve my intuition?"

"I am trying to recreate a cookie from my childhood that was a favorite of my sister. It was a hermit cookie that was chewy and shiny on top like a brownie. Do you know a recipe or method that might achieve this kind of cookie?"

"I want to make a watermelon salad, but most of the watermelons I'm able to find are mealy and spongy. I remember reading somewhere that you can firm watermelon up by marinating it in one of the harsher citrus juices like lemon or lime, but I can't remember anything specific. Can you help?"

"I love braised short ribs. My understanding is that boneless short ribs are not the same as bone-in short ribs with the bones removed. Is this correct? Because even though I see numerous recipes for boneless short ribs, I never see them in the meat section of the store. Can you please elaborate on this cut of meat and provide some hints on sourcing it?"