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Monday

Is Coconut Oil All It's Cracked Up To Be? Get The Facts On This Faddish Fat

Coconut oil's potential health benefits are outweighed by its heavy dose of saturated fat, most nutrition experts say. Saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Russ Rohde/Getty Images/Cultura RF hide caption

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Russ Rohde/Getty Images/Cultura RF

The Salt

Is Coconut Oil All It's Cracked Up To Be? Get The Facts On This Faddish Fat

In the past few years, enthusiasts have touted coconut oil as the next great health food. But it contains high levels of saturated fat, which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Is Coconut Oil All It's Cracked Up To Be? Get The Facts On This Faddish Fat

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Sunday

Here Are Martha Stewart's Tips For Hosting A Terrific New Year's Eve

Martha Stewart says in the last 30 years she's seen the food offerings at parties become a lot more interesting and varied. "Our interest in all kinds of things culinary, and all kinds of things related to celebration has really expanded tremendously," she says. Fadil Berisha/Magrino PR hide caption

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Fadil Berisha/Magrino PR

Author Interviews

Here Are Martha Stewart's Tips For Hosting A Terrific New Year's Eve

Ice balls melt slowly and impress everyone. Provide toothbrushes and bathrobes for overnight guests. And if your budget is tight, mac and cheese and a bottle of good wine can go a very long way.

Here Are Martha Stewart's Tips For Hosting A Terrific New Year's Eve

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Saturday

You Can Eat Like Johnny Cash — Thanks To A Cookbook From Country Music's First Family

Fried bologna and eggs is one of the dishes included in The Cash And Carter Family Cookbook. Courtesy of Sara Broun hide caption

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Courtesy of Sara Broun

You Can Eat Like Johnny Cash — Thanks To A Cookbook From Country Music's First Family

The son of country music legends Johnny Cash and June Carter has compiled a book of Southern recipes handed down in his family through the years.

You Can Eat Like Johnny Cash — Thanks To A Cookbook From Country Music's First Family

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Friday

How A Little Science And A Lot Of Shady Advertising Boosted Yeast's Popularity

There is a whole subset of people who can't imagine popcorn without a sprinkling of nutritional yeast, which is naturally full of B vitamins that are harder to come by in meat-free diets. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

The Salt

How A Little Science And A Lot Of Shady Advertising Boosted Yeast's Popularity

Nutritional yeast isn't a new health fad — in the 1920s, sales exploded due to the "Yeast for Health" campaign. But bad news about the candida strain affected all yeast, and it's just now rebounding.

Thursday

Chef Dominique Crenn: 'Everything I Do Could Have ... Impact' For Other Women

Chef Dominique Crenn recently was awarded three Michelin stars for her restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. She is the first female chef in the United States to achieve a top ranking. Cayce Clifford for NPR hide caption

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Cayce Clifford for NPR

The Salt

Chef Dominique Crenn: 'Everything I Do Could Have ... Impact' For Other Women

In a restaurant world dominated by men, Crenn recently became the first female chef in the U.S. awarded three Michelin stars. It's "showing young girls you can achieve a lot in your life," she says.

Chef Dominique Crenn: 'Everything I Do Could Have ... Impact' For Other Women

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Kerala Needs Coconut Pickers — So Women Are Stepping In (And Climbing Up)

A laborer climbs a tree to pluck coconuts at a farm in India. Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Kerala Needs Coconut Pickers — So Women Are Stepping In (And Climbing Up)

In Kerala, a part of India known as "land of coconuts," male coconut pickers are turning to other jobs. Women are among the new trainees.

Kerala Needs Coconut Pickers — So Women Are Stepping In (And Climbing Up)

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Wednesday

Beyond Garnish: How Science Helps An Indoor Farm Amp Up Flower Flavor

At the restaurant Siren by Robert Wiedmaier, pastry chef Maddy Morrissey uses marigold as the base for a Japanese dessert served with nasturtium leaves, flower petals and pineapple sage shortbread. Brian McBride/RWRestaurant Group hide caption

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Brian McBride/RWRestaurant Group

The Salt

Beyond Garnish: How Science Helps An Indoor Farm Amp Up Flower Flavor

Chefs are turning to Fresh Impact Farms, located in an unassuming strip mall outside of Washington, D.C., when they want edible flowers, herbs, and greens that do more than just make a pretty plate.

Tuesday

Mail-Order Pies: An Expensive Slice Of Nostalgia For Which Many Will Pay

An employee at Grand Traverse Pie Co. in Michigan makes cherry pies. The company has been shipping pies since 1998, when people still had to phone in their orders. Beryl Striewski/Grand Traverse Pie Co. hide caption

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Beryl Striewski/Grand Traverse Pie Co.

The Salt

Mail-Order Pies: An Expensive Slice Of Nostalgia For Which Many Will Pay

It can cost more to ship a pie than the price of the pie itself, and causes bakers a lot of headaches. So why does business boom over the holidays? Well, that's personal.

Monday

Gingerbread Cred: Bakers Craft Winning Edible Art Down To The Last Detail

For this year's grand prize winner, the judges were impressed by the intricate, working gingerbread gears of the clock inside Santa's workshop. Kristen Hartke/NPR hide caption

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Kristen Hartke/NPR

The Salt

Gingerbread Cred: Bakers Craft Winning Edible Art Down To The Last Detail

Tiny working gingerbread clock gears, meticulously hand-painted playing cards, scenes that tell stories — all comes into play at the annual National Gingerbread House Competition in North Carolina.

Sunday

Sorrel: The Ruby-Red Caribbean Christmas Drink Flavored With Black History

Sorrel, a festive drink made by steeping hibiscus flowers, is the taste of the holidays throughout the Caribbean. It is also a close cousin to the African-American red drink, described as "liquid soul." Andrea Y. Henderson/NPR hide caption

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Andrea Y. Henderson/NPR

The Salt

Sorrel: The Ruby-Red Caribbean Christmas Drink Flavored With Black History

This festive punch, made from hibiscus, is the taste of the holidays throughout the islands. It is also a close cousin to African-American "red drink," described as "liquid soul."

Saturday

Like Moths To A Flame: Why Modern-Day Guests Always Gather In The Kitchen

Michael Durand (left), husband of Kitchn Editor-In-Chief Faith Durand, and friend Chris Gardner (right) carve turkey while guests hang out in the Durands' kitchen, dirty dishes and all, at a recent party. Kitchn/Rachel Joy Barehl hide caption

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Kitchn/Rachel Joy Barehl

The Salt

Like Moths To A Flame: Why Modern-Day Guests Always Gather In The Kitchen

Holiday season is party season. Hosts decorate their homes with trees, flowers and candles in the windows to make them cozy and festive. Yet so many parties end up in the kitchen. Why?

Like Moths To A Flame: Why Modern-Day Guests Always Gather In The Kitchen

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Friday

Radio Replay: Yum and Yuck

Would you eat a cricket? Parth Shah hide caption

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Parth Shah

Hidden Brain

Radio Replay: Yum and Yuck

Paul Rozin has been studying the psychology and culture of food for more than 40 years. And he's come to appreciate that food fills many of our needs, but hunger is just one. On this week's Radio Replay, we chew over the profound role that food plays in our lives. Then, we spit it all out — we study the ick factor that turns us off to cockroaches, skunks, and poop. Rachel Herz explains the sensation of disgust, and why it doesn't always come naturally. For more information about the research in this episode, visit https://n.pr/2UTf1p0.

Radio Replay: Yum and Yuck

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An Indian Dessert, Beloved And Battled Over, Now Stars In Its Own Movie

Rosogolla, also known as rasgulla, is a simple white spongy ball, made of chhena, an Indian version of cottage cheese, dunked in syrup. Above, newer, colorful iterations of this classic sweet are for sale during Rosogolla Day in Kolkata, India. Sandip Roy for NPR hide caption

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Sandip Roy for NPR

The Salt

An Indian Dessert, Beloved And Battled Over, Now Stars In Its Own Movie

Rosogolla is a classic Indian sweet, so loved that a new film tells its "bittersweet" origin story. But that story comes with its own version of a political birther controversy.

Thursday