Hi, we’re Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen) and J. Kenji López-Alt (Serious Eats, The Food Lab, The Wok). We’re professional home cooks, which means we can - and will - make the same meal 57 times in a row on the quest for the perfect recipe. Is it crazy? For us, no, because we do this for a living. But for you? Yes, probably. Which is why you should listen to The Recipe with Kenji and Deb. You'll hear us talk about what goes into writing our recipes — the techniques we test, the ingredients we taste — so that you can be on your way to creating your own perfect recipe. Whether you're cooking meatloaf, pancakes, or chicken soup in all its forms, we got you, and you've got this.
The Recipe with Kenji and Deb is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent and listener-supported podcasts. Discover audio with vision at radiotopia.fm.
Chart trend
Position in the Food chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#36#70JunJulAugSep
#1
all-time peak
98
days in the top 3 since Nov 2024
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Live from New York: Kenji guests on The Sporkful Live
Note from Kenji:
"Hey everyone. It's Kenji, and I've got something really fun to share with you today. I was recently a guest for a live taping of The Sporkful. It's a po
Apr 13 41 min
Mailbag Part 4
In their last episode before book-writing hiatus, Deb and Kenji take your questions, about truly satisfying turkey burgers, no recipe recipes, the correct order of operat
Jun 23 2025 11 min
Burgers
Deb has fifteen recipes for meatballs on Smitten Kitchen, and exactly one for a meat burger. That does not mean Deb lacks for opinions about burgers, oh no no — she goes
Jun 9 2025 39 min
Mailbag Part 3
When is it OK to yuck someone’s yum? Garlic and ginger hacks. How to turn your kid into a lifelong cook. Kenji and Deb answer your questions in another mailbag.
Learn ab
May 26 2025 15 min
Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict should really be called Eggs Benedict Arnold, because it will betray any shortcomings you have as a home cook. You should give it a go anyway. (Kenji: “You
May 12 2025 33 min
French Toast (with Christopher Kimball)
Crisp on the outside, custardy on the inside – this week we’re talking French Toast with special guest Christopher Kimball (Milk Street). Chris joins Kenji and Deb to ban
Apr 28 2025 39 min
Before Kenji and Deb, there was Lena
Deb and Kenji are taking a break this week. Please enjoy this classic episode from our friends at Sidedoor, "America’s Unknown Celebrity Chef".
For more information, vi
Apr 14 2025 32 min
Hummus
If the only hummus you’ve ever had came from a cold tub procured at a supermarket, yeah...you haven’t really had hummus. Homemade hummus, served warm, is an experience un
Mar 31 2025 36 min
Broccoli Cheddar Soup (and something just as money, with Nigel Poor & Earlonne Woods)
You’re really only technically eating a vegetable with broccoli cheddar soup — it is insistently not health food, but a giant middle finger to whoever invented the four f
Mar 17 2025 35 min
Crispy Chicken Cutlets
Crispy chicken cutlets are endlessly adaptable to taste, so it’s no wonder they are a universal crowd pleaser. From Austrian schnitzel to Japanese katsu to Deb’s mother-i
Mar 3 2025 42 min
Brownies (and something just as iconic, with Kelsey McKinney)
Brownies are a diabolical(ly) good cross between cake and cookie. They taste sinfully rich and decadent, but they’re an angel in the kitchen (one bowl recipe alertl!) and
Feb 17 2025 38 min
Nachos (and something just as good, with our EP Audrey)
Nachos were invented in a Mexican border town for a group of American ladies who lunch, and now they are considered food for the beer-drinking, football-cheering everyman
Feb 3 2025 45 min
Meatballs (Italian-American)
If humanity’s gotten you down lately, just keep in mind that our species can’t be that bad… we did invent the meatball after all. This ingenious invention stretches an ex
Jan 20 2025 36 min
Onion Soup
Quiet luxury has been all the rage the past few years, but our girl Onion Soup has been out here epitomizing that s**t for literally hundreds of years. A bag of onions, s
Jan 6 2025 42 min
The Science of Stir-Fry with J. Kenji López-Alt [Milk Street Radio]
We are taking a break this week. Please enjoy this classic interview from our friends at Milk Street Radio.
For more information, visit Milk Street Radio's homepage, and
Dec 30 2024 22 min
Bacon Egg & Cheese
There comes a point in every New Yorker’s life when they venture outside city limits and learn, to their horror, 24-hour access to breakfast sandwiches via bodegas spaced
Dec 16 2024 38 min
Chicken Soup
Chicken soup is the universal comfort food, but there are as many versions of chicken soup as there are planets in the universe. Depending on where and how you grew up, v
Dec 2 2024 37 min
A Smidge of Smitten Kitchen Keepers
Congratulations are in order for Deb, who released the audiobook of Smitten Kitchen Keepers earlier this month. We are proud to share with you a little excerpt.
Back in
Nov 25 2024 8 min
Apple Pie
Things we learn in this episode: Kenji has a not-so-secret secret ingredient for can’t-miss pie crust, Deb is not allowed at Thanksgiving without her pie, the birthplace
Nov 18 2024 46 min
Take a Break with Home Cooking
Deb and Kenji are taking a break this week. Please enjoy this classic episode from Home Cooking, our fellow Radiotopia show about food.
******************************
Nov 4 2024 55 min
Chart positions
Where The Recipe with Kenji and Deb ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 12, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
Love the friendly banter between these two hosts. Very entertaining to hear their different perspectives and personalities!
rambler920 · Mar 2025
Excellent education on how to break down a recipe and make it your own - love how they focus on a lot of the basics. My picky eater of a daughter loves it too and it has encouraged her to try some new things and be more involved in the kitchen!
Afw5123 · Feb 2025
Gosh, I’m stunned by some of the reviews of this pod, and wondering if I haven’t listened long enough to render an opinion. But, honestly, I have been enjoying this a lot. The recipe topics are around really basic recipes. That’s the point! It’s dishes we all prepare and/or consume and, thus, all have opinions about. It’s a deep dive into the ins, outs, and possibilities. It’s a podcast for food nerds. If this isn’t you, it’s not going to be your cup of tea. Personally, I love the opportunity to break down, re-think, and reconsider dishes I have been making a certain way for years. I think that’s the point of this podcast. Many have criticized the dynamic between Deb and Kenji, but, if anything, I have enjoyed their clearly different backgrounds they bring. They are both complimentary of one another’s recipes, even when they disagree. Maybe people aren’t realizing that the podcast is not recorded in a single take? So, at times, it might seem like one is interrupting or failing to respond to the other? These are heavily chopped up conversations, folks. Give ‘em a break! Anyways, I’m enjoying this one a lot. I’m sooo here for an hour discussion of popcorn. Thank you so much.
NicknameNotTaken99 · Jan 2025
I consider myself an accomplished home cook. On the surface each of the episodes I’ve listened to initially sound like rudimentary cooking. Having said that, I have yet to fail to come away with a new technique or a new idea about the things I cook at home as a result of this podcast.
Saged Cook · Jan 2025
It’s one thing to have friendly banter and ideas flowing back and forth. It’s another thing when one host is constantly weighing in with the “correction” to the other host. Deb is charming and stands back (or defers) to Kenji constantly. Because (I’d guess) he likes to be right. His attempt to be friendly is not convincing. And it makes the banter uncomfortable. Which means there’s no way to enjoy the show. Let Deb do her own thing. She doesn’t need a man to tell her she’s right.
Neighborladee · Apr 2025
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
