Cookbook Author Ella Quittner Is “Obsessed With The Best”

Radio Cherry Bombe

The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network

Restaurants, 591312, Business, Arts, Food Radio, Interviews, Kerry Diamond, Female Chefs, Radio Cherry Bombe, Entrepreneurs, Society & Culture, Women, Careers, Women In Food, Food, Cherry Bombe Magazine, Talk Radio, Chefs, Restaurateurs

4.6 • 592 Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s guest is Ella Quittner, journalist, mom-to-be, and the author of the wildly inventive cookbook “Obsessed With the Best: 100+ Methodically Perfected Recipes Based on 20+ Head-to-Head Tests.” Ella is known for her rigorous (some might say obsessive) recipe testing and her sharp, funny writing, which has appeared everywhere from The New York Times and New York Magazine to Food52, where her “absolute best” tests first gained a cult following. Ella joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about leaving a high-powered Wall Street career for food media, why arguing about the “best” way to make something is actually a gift to curious cooks everywhere, and how her brilliant and quirky cookbook came together. Ella also shares about writing screenplays, working in a TV writers’ room, growing up with journalist parents, her lifelong tendency toward obsession, and the joyful chaos of promoting a debut cookbook while expecting her first baby. Ella’s Braised Tomato-Butter Cabbage recipe Our new Mom’s the Bombe issue The Jubilee Business Owners Pass application Visit cherrybombe.com for subscriptions, tickets to upcoming events, and more. More on Ella: Instagram, “Obsessed With The Best” cookbook More on Kerry: Instagram, “So You Want To Open A Restaurant” Substack series

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, everyone. You are listening to Radio Cherrybaum, and I'm your host, Carrie Diamond,
0:09.4	coming to you from New York City, where we are in the midst of the blizzard of 26. This is the
0:15.2	snowiest winter I can remember in a very long time. Wherever you are right now, I hope you're
0:20.2	warm and cozy and safe.
0:22.5	Today's guest is Ella Quittner, journalist, mom-to-be, and as of tomorrow, cookbook author.
0:28.6	Ella's book, Obsessed with the Best, 100 plus methodically perfected recipes based on 20-plus
0:34.8	head-to-head tests drops tomorrow.
0:41.3	Ella's title is perfect because I am completely obsessed with her book.
0:45.7	It's one of the most interesting and unique cookbooks that's crossed my desk, maybe ever.
0:51.1	If you love clever cookbooks, you can really read, you're curious what makes one recipe better than another,
0:54.5	and you love nothing more than falling down a culinary rabbit hole,
0:59.4	you need Ella's book. It's also a delight if you're a fan of book design, food styling,
1:04.7	and photography. Basically, it's a brilliant book. I've wanted to interview Ella for some time, and I am thrilled she's finally here on Radio Cherrybaum. Our chat was recorded at Newsstand Studios
1:10.4	at Rockefeller Center. If you'd like a
1:12.4	little sneak peek of Ella's book, you can find the recipe for her brazed tomato butter cabbage on our
1:17.6	substack. And yes, you can get the recipe for free. It's at cherrybom.com. And if you have the brand new
1:24.4	issue of Cherrybom magazine, we've excerpted Ellis chapter on whipped cream. So flip through and be sure to find that. Who knew there were so many ways to make whipped cream? Well, Ella knew, and that's why we love her. Stay tuned for Ella Quittner. What else? Thank you to everyone who joined us at Shopify and Soho last weekend for our Bomb Squad Bazaar. We had a fun launch party for our new
1:45.1	issue. Thank you to Carrie Gold and Vuvclico for their support. And thank you to the amazing female
1:50.1	founded indie brands that took place in the bazaar. We'll be dropping some gift guides in the
1:54.6	week ahead featuring all the amazing brands so you can shop from them and support them. Brands like
2:00.0	Bixby Chocolate, the tiny tassel,
2:02.5	and Marshall's hot sauce. Also, big thanks to the authors who took part in the talks and panels,
	...

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