In The Weeds with Ben Randall

So what, really, is a sandwich? Is it just the ingredients? Is it the technique? Is a burrito a sandwich? Are you crazy?

Today we tackle the idea of theme restaurants. Why that theme? In many cases, the answer seems to be a resounding "We Didn't Think This Through!"

Ever wonder what it's like to be a woman in the restaurant industry? We got this crazy notion to actually ask a woman! Chef Kelly returns to the show to tell her stories about navigating the locker room of professional kitchens.

What exactly is the 'whole food' movement? How are baby carrots made? Can you suicide by kale?

Is it better to go to culinary school or to train yourself behind the line? We discuss this, and read over an article sent in by a listener!

If you're gonna get tacos, GET REAL TACOS.

Tonight we tackle food name origins, as well as covering AGAIN why it is you should keep your arrogant item substitutions to yourself.

None of your friends want to open a restaurant. If they do, they're nuts.

Ever steal anything from a restaurant? How about a $500 plate? Ever seen a $500 plate? Me neither!

Tonight we talk service styles, other peoples' podcasts and why you should just shut up & eat your ketchup. Also, Ovaltine still sucks.

Tonight, we propose a BUNCH of new Oreo flavors, invent unicorn-themed foods and develop a foodtruck TV show. It's a wild ride.

Tonight we review some BBQ joints, talk road food and decide that the KY Deli needs a vegetarian sister restaurant.

Look, everything was great but the temperature in the restaurant was one degree too high. One star. I just yelpfucked you.

We're talking barbecue at long last! Also, we invent the Smorca and Steve recommends burying your slow cooker in the sand.

Tonight we talk low kitchen wages, April fools jokes, the top terrible foods from each decade and the KY Deli gets a fondue restaurant!

Going out for dinner? Check your baggage at the door. Also, Boeufhaus is tre-goddam-mendous.

Ever wonder what we think about food in movies? Do you like open kitchens? How about tacos? Join us for a rollicking conversation about all of these things!

In this very special episode, I bring on a working member of the TV and film industry...who also happens to be my brother. What's it like to eat on a TV set? What happens to 40 pounds of candy in the wrong wrapper? We basically solve all the mysteries of life.

Sorry. I went a little off the rails.

Look, we thought that between pie & cake, cake would be easier to define. We were so wrong.

In this episode, we sit down with pastry chef Kelly & she schools me on all of the nuances of cake making and decorating that I should have remembered from culinary school. Ft. @kellydull & @cakewrecks

In which we attempt to answer the question which has plagued humanity since time immemorial: What exactly is the definition of pie? Also, what the fuck, Paula Deen?

Oh, man. Tonight we're joined by Andy McElfresh of Edumacation fame (as well as numerous other accolades) to wrap up our Soylent experiment. Andy smears nutrition science facts all over the podcast tonight, and we speculate about astronaut bathroom arrangements.

Yo, in this episode we discuss the differences between off-brand 5 Hour Energies, alternate flavors for legit 5 Hour Energy, time travel and my ongoing experiment with Soylent.

Tonight we discuss notable Chicago restaurant closings, the future of the restaurant industry and we get our first update from the Great Soylent Experiment.

It's a new year, and so it's time to do a thing. I'm going on an all-Soylent diet for the next two weeks! We discuss the history of meal replacements, as well as their appearances in sci-fi.

Tonight, we discuss undocumented robots smashing strawberries, naked waitresses & why you shouldn't saute naked. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-25412/a-naked-restaurant-is-opening-in-london-theres-a-45-000-person-wait-list.html?utm_source=quickanddirtytips.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange_module https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49ht-GHpm5U&feature=youtu.be

This week we discuss what makes a good first date restaurant, and due to recording technical details, it sounds like I'm interviewing Steve's Force Ghost. Please be aware, we DID NOT record this episode on a ouija board.

What do Presidents and Wannabe Presidents eat? What does this tell us about them? And what is Jimmy Carter's backup band called? We cover ALL of this in tonight's white-housed and red-eyed episode!

I know it's almost Halloween, but I want you to NOT be afraid. Trust me, it's gonna be ok.

Today we sit down with Dave Gebhardt of Rogue Philanthropy (roguephilanthropy.org) to trade industry stories, ponder the future of fine dining and discuss how to make a charity-driven restaurant work.

You walk in the front door of a restaurant & what do you see? Not the seething stockpot of hatred. Oh, but it's there.

Hosting a big holiday dinner this year? Scared yet?

What's REALLY in your food?

With a little forethought, you're gonna be alright. And so will your turkey.

What do superheroes eat? You know you've always wondered!

Good evening and welcome to "What Would You Do When Faced With An Active Shooter?" and other tales from the seemingly completely unprepared world of restaurants.

Man, do I have bad news for you.

Get the equipment you need to make the food that you want.

Look, I've worked in a lot of places. Like a lot. Tonight we just peck at the surface of the giant list of folks that I owe apologies to. If we truly are products of our mistakes, then there are some people out there who are partially products of MY mistakes.

We're launching a series of mini-episodes, each one dedicated to a single technique or kitchen skill set. Tonight, WE GRILL!

...or listen to the SIP podcast and this'll make a lot more sense. Listen to their episode 157: Shift Drinks, THEN listen to this, my response to that one. Spoilers, my audio quality's not great because I recorded in my basement.

In the past we've told you what you SHOULD have in your kitchen, tonight we tell you what you should NOT have there. From ridiculous to dangerous to insulting, we review 'convenience' gadgets which should pretty much be outlawed.

Tonight I invade the home of Josh Ladd from www.feralcuisine.com ! We talk everything from BBQ to fitness to steampunk. And yes, we fix American's cuisine dilemma. It's that simple.

Ya think YOUR apartment kitchen is shitty? Wait until you hear about Steve's! (find us @intheweedswbr on Twitter, chefbenrandall on Instagram and [email protected] . C'mon, bug us!)

Tonight we delve into the murky & disgusting world of foodborne illness, and continue speculating about the KY Deli foodtruck.

Let's decode some common food additives! Yum Science!

So we wanted to talk about what it takes to open a restaurant, and why you should never do that silly thing. Instead we pitch THE GREATEST RESTAURANT EVER.

This week we're joined by our good friend (and sister) Elise, to discuss everything coffee, coffeeshops & hipster. Also, we discuss the difference between a replicator (Star Trek) and a Replicator (Stargate).

It's our long-overdue discussion of fast food, how MacDonald's ruined out agriculture and why we should not go to Mars.