Two fun things to listen to in the kitchen (or anywhere)

I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen these past few days. There was a double batch of mac and cheese with gruyere and caramelised onions - one for our freezer and another for friends. I also made a whole lemon lemonade with rosemary, more Anzac bikkies, and tortellini from scratch that had us dining at 10.30pm (!). Keeping me in the company in the kitchen...

The TASTE podcast, which I stumbled across while Googling podcast episodes with Ruth Reichl. It's an interview podcast which features some of my favourite cooks, from Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman to Christina Tosi, Alison Roman and Dorie Greenspan. I've loved hearing about their perspectives on food and cooking. It's not a new podcast - it's been running for about a year - but at the moment, it's my favourite thing to listen to while making a meal. I'm super keen to sample their daily podcast during the week.

And because sometimes it's nice to just zone out and listen to music, I've also had Anderson .Paak's new album Ventura on repeat. It's kind of old school and new at the same time and very sunny. My brother Derrick messaged me months ago to say I'd like his music - and this is my fave album of his so far.

Have a lovely week ahead. I am a tiny bit nervous about heading back to work after so many days off. I'll miss messing around the kitchen, going out for coffee, and crisp Autumn walks. All things that can be done during the working week, just not all on the same day :)

A new favourite podcast

What kinds of podcasts are you enjoying at the moment? Lately I've been really into interview shows, especially the kinds that perk me up, no matter what time of day I'm listening. For the last two weeks, my go-to podcast has been Unstyled by Refinery 29.

It's hosted by Christine Barberich, who is a wonderful, clever and empathetic interviewer. She chats to a super diverse range of women about their working lives, covering everything from career trajectories to daily routines. I first tuned in after hearing about an interview with Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little Life. Since then I've been cherry picking episodes, including this one with Jenna Lyons of J. Crew fame, an interview with Laura Brown, the Australian editor of US In Style magazine, and a chat with Busy Phillips ahead of the launch of her late night talk show.

I only recognise a handful of guests but have since learnt that that doesn't matter. The conversations are heartfelt and wide ranging, and magically I always feel more positive about my day after listening.

Unstyled isn't a new podcast (it's been going since late 2016) but it's new to me, which means there's a decent back catalogue of episodes to work through. Here's hoping I don't burn through them too quickly :)

P.S Another interview show I've been loving (along with Tony) is Without Fail. While I don't have any hard and fast career goals, I'm fascinated by how people build their careers and all of the little choices (and set backs) that happen along the way.

What podcast should you try out next?

Every week, I find myself trying out a bunch of new podcasts, looking for something to add to my favourites. This week I'm sampling Hiding In The Bathroom, a podcast for introverts!

I have a few ways of finding new shows, The New York Times Podcast Club recommends one every week. It's how I discovered 74 Seconds, which has been one of the journalistic standouts of the year.

E-newsletters are great for super specific recommendations - the Bello Collective sends a regular email with a breakdown of recent podcast episodes of notes, along with a short description of why each made the list.

Because I produce the occasional audio piece for work, I listen to the Transom podcast, which is all about the craft of audio storytelling. They've put me onto awesome podcasts like Sleepover, and played incredible stories from first-time producers too.

This week I'm trying out Amazing Podcasts, which you can subscribe to in podcasting apps. It promises to deliver three curated episodes each week. At a glance, they seem to be mainly American shows with a news and current affairs bent - but there's an Oprah episode in there, so you never know!

And finally, Death, Sex & Money have put together a crowd-sourced playlist called Welcome to Adulthood, aimed at this year's cohort of new uni students. It's an eclectic mix of shows and topics, covering everything from getting your tech in order to processing grief. I listened to Ellen Burstyn's Lessons on Survival, and loved this: "I have what I called should-less days. Today is a day where there's nothing I should do. So I only do what I want to do. And if it's nap in the afternoon or watch TV, and eat ice cream, I get to do it."

P.S - Would you pay for a podcast? I've just started supporting one of my most favourite Australian podcasts, Not By Accident, on Patreon.  I've pledged a small amount per episode and feel great about doing it. I look forward to every new episode and really value it as an independent and artful production. The show is made by Canberra woman Sophie Harper, who shares her decision to become a single mum and everything that's happened since.

A podcast series about consent

Have you listened to The Heart podcast? I listened for the first time this month, and tuned into a mini-series called No. It's about consent and it's told through the sexual experiences of host Kaitlin Prest. It's compelling listening, and at times very confronting. It made me think about how we talk about consent - what we learn at school, from parents, friends, movies and magazines.

A couple of weeks ago, I joined an Ask Me Anything panel for a talk at a local high school. By going along, I was agreeing to answer any question the teenagers put to us as individuals or as a group. I was really nervous about getting a question about sex but none came up. Instead, I was asked a lot of questions about being a journalist.

In preparation for that panel, I spent some time thinking what I would to say if a question was put to me. I thought about this video, which uses the analogy of a cup of tea, and this open letter that was written by the victim of a university sexual assault.

Then I landed on this series. It might not be for everyone but if you're keen to sample it, and don't want to listen to anything too graphic, I'd recommend starting with the final episode. It focuses on questions listeners have sent in, which tackle some of the issues that are raised in the series like alcohol, communication and power.

The news today

How are you keeping up with the news in these crazy times? I work in a newsroom, which means I absorb a lot of local news but lately I've been try to get a greater sense of what's happening overseas - specifically the US.

Just today I started listening to The Daily, a new podcast from The New York Times. It recaps the biggest stories and issues of the day in a way that's not quite news, analysis or a documentary but somewhere magically inbetween.

A new episode comes out every weekday and they're around 15 to 20 minutes, which makes them easy to listen to on the way to or from work. So far, it sounds like a few of my favourite podcasts combined - it has the brain power of The New Yorker Radio Hour and the down-to-earth style and surprise of Radiolab's More Perfect. Here's an episode I found especially fascinating.

P.S I'm a big fan of Insiders when it comes to keeping up with politics at home.

New year, new podcasts

Are you listening to anything great at the moment? I've just started getting into podcasts again after a long break over summer. Right now, I look forward to getting home from work, putting on an episode of Strangers as I start to make dinner and unwind.

I really loved Eleven Up, which came recommended by my most favourite e-newsletter. It was a fascinating story that didn't shy away from big ethical questions. I've since enjoyed Jo & Fayaz  (I love love stories - Tony makes fun of this all the time) and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman.

The host, Lea Thau, has an incredibly gravely voice and is generous with her commentary too - you learn as much about her life as you do the people who feature on the show. And a fun fact: she also created The Moth podcast and The Moth Radio Hour. So if you love true stories about strangers - I think you'll love this podcast too.

Speaking of podcasts, I've also been dipping in and out of Hidden Brain after discovering it through This American Life last year. Getting Unstuck is particularly great for this time of year.

Binge listening to...

Last week I blitzed my way through the first season of Millennial, a podcast that documents what it's like to be in your twenties and on the hunt for your your first real job. My friend Sarah had mentioned it over lunch and that same week my sister did too.

It's hosted by Megan Tan, who graduates from college and sets out to become a radio producer. She moves out of home, waits tables while she's applying for jobs and records everything along the way.

I'd been warned that there were parts that were hard to relate to, for anyone who's not in their early twenties and that was true. But I found the hardest (and best) episodes to listen to were the ones that I could relate to a little too closely, that captured things we often keep hidden.

There's everything from trying to work out big things like money, when you've just moved out with a boyfriend to trying to keep your ambition in check when it comes to competing against other graduates for work.

It's a super honest podcast about having a professional goal and sticking to it, and parts of it were recorded in a closet!

P.S I'm late to the party but I also started listening to the Token this week from The Guardian. The series started in Australia and has since moved to the UK newsroom but it explores something that's been on my mind a lot lately - race, identity politics and the news.

Photo by Megan Tan.

A super fun podcast

Are you listening to anything great at the moment? My sister put me onto The Sporkful the other week and I am obsessed. It's a fun food podcast for anybody who loves to eat and it has the best tagline - 'It's not for foodies, it's for eaters.'

So far I've listened an episode about pho that covered everything from home to pronounce it and how best to eat it (not drowned in sauce and each element kind of separately - which really surprised me) and the host, Dan Pashman, is so enthusiastic, empathetic and funny.

Parts of the show go into the science of eating something for maximum taste (!) and while that might sound nerdy, the show is entertaining as it is informative. It's very earnest too. Another episode I really enjoyed (and admired) focussed on dining out in a wheelchair. And my sister made sure I heard this Serial send-up (knowing that I'm not really a fan).

P.S - I just listened to this episode of Burnt Toast that about lunch breaks done well and and how to salvage leftovers in the most insane/delicious ways.

An excellent new podcast

What are you listening to at the moment? I'm loving The New Yorker Radio Hour, it's like a variety show with a top-notch cast of writers, cartoonists and guests each week.

A fun new podcast

We spent a good 10 hours on the road this long weekend and I was stoked to discover Starlee Kine's new podcast Mystery Show right before we left.

Starlee Kine is behind one of my most favourite This American Life stories, 'Dr Phil', in which she enlists Phil Collins to help her pen a satisfying break up song. The pair end up talking about heartbreak, relationship breakdowns and whether you can ever really get over people. It's seriously great radio that's both hilarious and heartwarming.

In Mystery Show, Starlee Kine promises to bust open a real life mystery in each episode, working on cases that can't be solved by Google. They're kooky, low-stakes cases that lead her to a bunch of unexpected people, stories and ultimately an explanation. 

This show makes me grin, from the theme music to the super cute logo to hearing how each investigation unfolds. Case #2: Britney was especially entertaining and I've already downloaded episode three for my drive to work tomorrow.

Mystery Show logo by Arthur Jones.

P.S - Here are my favourite Australian podcasts. I'd also add to that list two recent series - Radio Housewives and Workers Without Borders.

Five awesome Australian podcasts

I'm always on the look out for new podcasts and while I started out listening to a lot of American shows, now I find myself turning to some great local offerings week after week. Here are a few of my favourites.

1. The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry

Lee Tran Lam writes an excellent Sydney food blog that highlights new cafes, restaurants and bars in the city. Her recommendations are so reliable and totally influence where I eat when I'm in Sydney. Tony and I actually got engaged at an Italian restaurant I picked from her blog!

I was stoked when she launched a podcast, where she talks to industry insiders about their paths into the food industry (which are often really unconventional) and where they like to eat in Sydney. Beyond the food, these interviews are fascinating profiles of creative people and are pretty motivating as a result.

I've especially loved hearing from Nick Smith (Rising Sun Workshop), Hetty McKinnon (Arthur Street Kitchen), Andrew Bowden (Hartsyard) and Ambrose Chaing (Momofuku).

2. Finetooth Radio

My brother Derrick started podcasting from his lounge room two years ago and now has a weekly show on a community radio station in Sydney. Growing up, I used to wander into Derrick's room to hear his latest musical discoveries, which I would later claim as my own. Now I find most of my music through his show and love the cool beats and random disco tracks. One of the best things about Finetooth is that it's not a one-listen podcast. The music's also super energising and eclectic.

Here are a handful of episodes that I keep replaying - NYE (especially for the '90s section in the middle), Nuggets 2014 (because many of these songs became my favourites too and featured in wedding playlists he made for us) and RnB classics.

3. Conversations with Richard Fidler

One of the perks of working in a radio station is that the radio is on all day and piped through the building. This means I hear snippets of Conversations with Richard Fidler as it goes to air. Often I'll catch a compelling minute or two of an episode and know I'll want to revisit it in full.

Richard Fidler interviews a mind-boggling variety of people and spends an entire hour with them. His interview style is so genuine and friendly and the episodes are often about someone's life as a whole and the moments and people who have shaped them.

Recently, I've really enjoyed his interviews with Loren O'Keeffe, Annabel Crabb, Geraldine Doogue, Helen Garner, Bernadette Black and Pat McGorry.

4. Chats 10 Looks 3

Late last year Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales started a podcast and I instantly became a mega-fan. I may have tweeted and emailed them to say so. I love the behind-the-scenes details they share about their high-profile TV jobs and just enjoy hearing two clever women talk about everything from books to Twitter to what they'd baked that week.

There are five very funny episodes of their podcast so far and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll keep recording in 2015. This is one you might have to ration, though each episode is packed with enough recommendations to keep you busy for awhile yet.

5. 20 Questions on AWAYE!

In 2014, the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney's Surry Hills staged 20 Questions, a production that featured a surprise Indigenous performer each show and became 'a cabaret and talk-show rolled into one', hosted by director Wesley Enoch.

Despite its name there were actually over 300 questions put to each mystery guest, who performed inbetween sets of increasingly personal questions. On stage it was electric, deeply revealing and in a way, like a funeral for person who was still alive. According to Enoch, you can't help but answer the questions in your head as they're asked, which I definitely found to be true.

RN's AWAYE! recorded 20 Questions over its theatre run and broadcast a performance every few weeks in 2014. They're excellent episodes that take you as close as possible to the live performance, which is great because having attended one, I left wishing I could've seen many more.

You can lucky-dip your way through this series or listen to my favourite guests, who have been Leah Purcell, Trevor Jamieson, Wilma Reading and Wesley Enoch. 

Thanks to Will Reichelt for the pic of Lee Tran Lam and Kelvin Saik for his photo of Derrick Gee.

If you have any podcast recommendations of your own, I'm all ears :)