Cult Flav Is Going Off

🍿 This Week’s Snack:

Kolsvart Candy Fish: https://www.kolsvart.com

1. Sour Blueberry
2. Elderflower
3. Black Currant + Raspberry
4. Sour Raspberry (tasted like Luden’s: https://www.ludens.com/sore-throat-remedies/wild-cherry)

📝 Things Mentioned:

• Chef’s Knife Speed Review: https://youtu.be/C8ms3VOZyhg?si=LmX93y76FMm07N67
• CPM MagnaCut Steel: https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/03/25/cpm-magnacut/
• Cult Flav Site Update: https://cultflav.com
• Epicurean Edge: https://www.epicedge.com
• Steelport 8” Chef’s Knife: https://www.steelportknife.com/product/8-carbon-steel-chef-knife/

MagnaCut Knives Tested

• Doberman Forge Chef’s Knife: https://dobermanforge.com/products/8-magnacut-gyuto-chef-knife-1
• Aura Calafia Chef’s Knife: https://www.auracalifornia.com/collections/calafia-chef-knives

AEB-L Knives Tested

• Bradford: https://bradfordknives.com/culinary/499-10568-chef-knife-AEB-L-Steel.html
• Goettig Nakiri: https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=109099

Damasteel RWL34

• Acre Forge Macrum: https://acreforge.co/collections/macrum

Our Recommendations For Most Home Cooks

• Hedley & Bennet Chef’s Knife: https://cultflav.com/products/hedley-bennett-chefs-knife
• Acre Forge Macrum: https://acreforge.co/collections/macrum

❓Questions

If you could commission a custom knife for yourselves, what would it be like? - Grant

• GoldVein by Kamon GV No.2 for $54,650: https://eatingtools.com/products/goldvein-by-kamon-gv-no-2
• Sarah’s Mac Che’f series: https://cultflav.com/products/mac-725-chef-series

In the world of small-run or custom knives, do you see a price range where performance, craftsmanship, and cost all align before the benefits start diminishing? - Lim

• Sarah’s Santoku: https://cultflav.com/products/hitohira-180mm-santoku

What are ya’ll’s thoughts on using the “right” knife for the job versus the knife I’m “comfortable” with? - Emily

• Who the hell is Christopher Kimball? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Kimball

🔪Specialty Knives with Eytan Zias

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eytanpdx/?hl=en
• Co-Founder & Bladesmith at Steelport: https://www.steelportknife.com/
• Founder & Sharpener at The KnifeHouse: https://knifehouse.com/

Thanks to Eytan for letting us into Steelport and playing Absolutely Rank! Thanks to Grant, Lim and Emily for asking us questions! Thank you for listening! As always, if you’ve got a question, you can post it in #going-off or call 424-419-3528.

See you next Sunday!

Things Mentioned

• Brami Lupini Beans - chili and lime is the best flavor
• Wok Review that inspired our strong opinions this week: https://youtu.be/p1k3iRAvnn8?si=XlOz8ck-JEl1MMAQ
• The Tucci Cookbook: https://cultflav.com/products/stanley-tucci-the-tucci-cookbook
• Cutting off the ends of the steak story - The Pot Roast Principle
• Khao Soi recipe YouTube video
• Sqirl's Milk Jam Menu Item
• Lil Sagna X Recipe
• Lil Sagna X YouTube Video
• Thanksgiving ramen recipe
• Curry Pan in short crust from Budonoki
• Sarah's birthday cake recipe inspired by Tucci's traditional flaky cake
• Sarah's cookie recipe - her first recipe
• Matty Matheson's third cookbook review on YouTube
• Anne Geddes - she's still at it!

Questions

"What is your 'only weird if it doesn't work' thing in the kitchen?" - Drew

• Sarah's Cheese Gloves
• Bryn's Mayo recipe
• Bryn's Hollandaise recipe

"Do you have some all time favorite foundational cookbooks that you'd recommend? And do you have any plans to review classic cookbooks?" - Zach

• The Flavies
• Sandwiches of history
• Anti-chef
• An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey
• Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ken Forkish
• Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly
• Sarah's Review of Start Here on YouTube
• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
• All Under Heaven by Carolyn Phillips
• Flavorful Origins on Netflix

If you’ve got a question, you can post it in our #going-off channel or call 424-419-3528

Traditional Dishes That Could Use An Update

• Coq au Vin reference recipe
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Sarah roasts Bryn by saying he'll add a balloon like Mike Bagale
• Pav Bhaji
• Ropa Vieja
• French Onion Soup
• Pao de queijo (but Bryn actually meant Dadinho de Tapioca)

Thanks for hanging out with us and thank you to Drew and Zach for asking some great questions. As always, if you’ve got a question, you can post it in #going-off or call 424-419-3528.

THINGS MENTIONED:

• Tochi popcorn (try the Ube flavor) - https://tochisnacks.com/products/tochi-popcorn
• Red Dye #3 Ban announcement Jan 15, 2025 - https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-revoke-authorization-use-red-no-3-food-and-ingested-drugs
• What's the Delaney Clause? - https://www.gao.gov/products/hrd-82-3
• Who's supporting the ban? - https://www.cspinet.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/Red%203%20petition_24%20Oct%202022_FINAL%20%281%29.pdf
• CSPI is publishing sensational articles - https://www.cspinet.org/press-release/red-3-fda-petition
• Consumer Reports Advocacy Efforts - https://www.consumerreports.org/issue/food-safety?INTKEY=I000G0000
• What is EWG? - https://www.ewg.org
• Sprinklegate - https://www.npr.org/2021/10/15/1046348573/sprinklegate-sinks-a-u-k-bakerys-top-sellers-after-topping-is-found-to-be-illega
• Yoga mat chemical in bread - https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/03/06/286886095/almost-500-foods-contain-the-yoga-mat-compound-should-we-care-keep
• Eating PTFE to lose weight study - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4928218/#:~:text=There%20is%20strong%20evidence%20supporting,extreme%20inertness%20of%20the%20material.

QUESTIONABLE CONTENT:

• "I desperately need help explaining to my granola boyfriend that seed oils aren't bad. Any chance you guys can super break this down? I know you already touch on oils a bit" - Kristen
• P.s. Kristen or Dyyylan if you're reading this, please know that we're just joking about breaking up. Please don't take our jokes too personally. We're sure Dyyylan (not his actual name) is a lovely person.

As a reminder, if you want to ask questions, go post em in the #going-off channel on cultflav.com/community or call 424-419-FLAV (that’s 424-419-3528).

FOLLOW HYDROXIDE!

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hydroxide?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hydroxide.foodscience
• Cameo: https://www.cameo.com/hydroxide?utm_source=talent_undefined&utm_medium=talent_social&utm_campaign=profile_share&utm_content=dynamic_profile_card_new&_height=982&_width=1512&%24web_only=true&_branch_match_id=1372706244231321495&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXL9NLTsxNzddLzs%2FVT9UP9arwLU0xtkgKTLKPL89MKcmwNTQ1NFKLz0jNTM8osbW0MFKrK0pNSy0qysxLj08qyi8vTi2yDU5MSyzKBAAKZWreUwAAAA%3D%3D

THAT'S IT!

Thanks for watching the show! As a reminder we have a community page on our website where you can chat with folks about this epsiode over at https://cultflav.com/community. Check it out.

THINGS MENTIONED

• Nada Moo intro: https://nadamoo.com
• Kat Ensign gave a middling review of a restaurant in San Francisco called Hamburger Project where she referred to their food as “good, not great”: https://nypost.com/2025/01/04/us-news/chef-geoffrey-lee-quits-restaurants-after-spat-with-influencer/
• Internet Shaquille: https://www.patreon.com/shaq
• Peinao Review: https://youtu.be/Zkfb9aTyNpo?si=E-NQ0R8wHQYcBIQI
• Peinao DMs: https://ehhb6mu6qg.ufs.sh/f/1GCkiCEkTCfJkJ1VBblAtTarEy1wQDbfd80nmRXBV94gFscC
• There are plenty of reviewers out there who rely on brand partnerships to stay afloat: https://prudentreviews.com/partnerships/
• Matty Matheson review where people said we were biased: https://youtu.be/3ByP2I5fYDA?si=0ESdH1Y4HPxL8moM
• “Why Academics Stink at Writing” by Steven Pinker: https://grad.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Why-Academics-Stink-at-Writing-1-2.pdf
• PubMed aggregator disclaimer: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/

HOW TO BE WRONG ON THE INTERNET

1. Honesty.
   Getting something wrong isn’t inherently bad because you can learn from it, but if it seems like someone’s actively lying or purposefully twisting the truth — that’s unacceptable.
2. Show your work.
   Cite your sources, talk through your logic for how you got to the conclusion you did.
3. Don’t get too invested in being right.
   The more indignant you are, the more defensive you tend to get AND the bigger target you paint on your back for people to try to prove you wrong. Which means you will very likely be proven wrong and it will be more painful to learn from it rather than digging in further.

QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
"How do you use pork shoulder?"

• Kimchi Raikkonen: https://cultflav.com/recipes/kimchi-raikkonen
• David Chang-style Bo Ssam: Just coat it in brown sugar and salt, then roast it for a few hours til it falls apart. Roll it up in lettuce with some rice and ginger scallion sauce.
• Pulled pork sandwiches are fire, Sarah actually wrote a phenomenal homemade Carolina-Style bbq sauce recipe designed SPECIFICALLY for pulled pork sandwiches called None Too Bright that we used to sell: https://cultflav.com/recipes/none-too-bright

"What do you use cabbage for?"

• I said green cabbage, but napa or savoy are very good for my akira tareyama recipe: https://cultflav.com/recipes/akira-tareyama
• Sai Krok Isaan is one of our absolute favorites which is a northeastern thai-style sausage that is easy to buy frozen, tastes amazing, and is often served with chopped cabbage, sliced red onion, ginger, and peanuts: https://grocerythai.com/Cured-Pork-w-Rice-(E-Sarn-Sausage),-Champ
• Chakalaka, which is like a South African cross between kimchi and chutney is great on a grilled cheese. We made that for our In Bibi’s Kitchen review a while back: https://bookshop.org/a/88615/9781984856739
• I’m also a sucker for a salted cabbage salad with sumac, which Dune, one of our fav lunch spots here in LA tends to put on everything: https://www.dunekitchen.com

"TF is a lime leaf?"

• Don't use this word: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir_lime

HOW TO GET ON THE SHOW
If you would like to ask us a question on the show either call 424-419-FLAV (3528) or post at cultflav.com/community/going-off

BEAN MILK CHALLENGE FEAT. RADICCHIO SALAD

• Radicchio Salad Website: https://www.radicchiosalad.com
• Radicchio Salad YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RadicchioSalad
• Radicchio Salad Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radicchiosalad/

👋Ok, that's all for this week! Thanks for watching!

p.s. We've got a community page up on our w...

The Flavies are a celebration of cooking and food from the year! These aren't necessarily the best thing period by some objective measure — they’re just our faves from this year. Next year, we plan to get nominations from a bunch of our favorite food creators and then ask you to vote on them so they can be YOUR favs to make it a whole thing.

The Drink It In Award Is for the beverages that kept us hydrated through long cookbook reviews and late nights writing. We basically only drink water, coffee, tea, and alcohol, but this year, these were the standouts:

Runner's Up:

• Mom Water - lemon and water
• YUZUCO Yuzu Super Juice: https://www.theyuzu.co
• Sparkling Botanicals - Black Lemon Tea: https://rishi-tea.com/collections/sparkling-botanicals/products/black-lemon-sparkling-botanicals?variant=44376706646266

🏆 Winner: Mezcal Amarás Verde: https://mezcalamaras.com/en/products/mezcal-verde

The Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Award is for the snacks that we just couldn’t put down this year:

Runners up

• Gelato Boy Salted Cookies and Cream: https://gelatoboy.com/products/salty-cookies-cream
• Sambal Goreng by Bungkus Bagus: https://bungkusbagusla.com/products/sambal-goreng-bulk-jar

🏆 Winner

• bougie pringles aka The Good Crisp Company’s Potato Crisps: https://www.thegoodcrispcompany.com/collections/all

Our favorite food content...

The Wait, it got HOW MANY VIEWS Award!? Is for the food trends that took over all of our FYP pages — and occasionally our hearts. This year, there were really only two major contenders that took off on our side of the internet:

Runner up

• Turkish Pasta: https://www.tiktok.com/@anna..paull/video/7432950686737845522?q=turkish pasta&t=1736656998864

🏆 Winner

• Logan’s Korean Pickled Cucumbers: https://www.tiktok.com/@logagm/video/7404231127738748166

Getting us through it award: Is for the comfort-watch food creators who did just that. 2024 was a rough year for a lot of people and the coziness that these creators embraced made it a little better for all of us.

Runners up

• @daywithmei Mei Liao: https://www.tiktok.com/@daywithmei
• @twopeoplecooking aka Hailee Catalano and Chuck Cruz: https://www.tiktok.com/@2peoplecooking

🏆 Winner

• Jamie Tracy aka Anti-Chef: https://www.youtube.com/@antichef

The Lunchtime Achievement Award: This one's for up-and-coming food creators (somewhere around 100k followers or less) 🏆 Winner

• @hydroxide: https://www.tiktok.com/@hydroxide

The Finally, Food TV Worth Watching When You’re Not In a Hotel Room Award

Runners Up

• Delicious in Dungeon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delicious_in_Dungeon
• Culinary Class Wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culinary_Class_Wars

🏆 Winner

• Gastronauts: https://www.dropout.tv/gastronauts

Misen Comeback Brand of the Year Award: This is for brands who went through bankruptcy and came back and it’s designed to only go to one specific brand and it’s right there in the name.

🏆 Winner

• Misen: https://misen.com

The Wait, Wait Hear Me Out Award: Goes to our favorite innovations in cookware this year — things that really shook up a traditional formula.

Runners Up

• Our Place Always Pan Pro: https://fromou...