The Conquest of Cold
The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters
American Public Media
4.3 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 22 June 2002
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The next time you open your refrigerator door, consider that, centuries ago, cold was a mystery—something seemingly without a source, often associated with danger and death, and altogether too fearsome to explore. Tom Shachtman, author of Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold, examines the subject that baffled ancient mankind before it brought conveniences like refrigeration and air conditioning that we take for granted today.
Jane and Michael Stern are in truck-stop heaven at one of their "Top 10 Favorites"—a tiny shack in Smyrna, Delaware, called Helen's Sausage House. The Food Network's David Rosengarten recently taste-tested mail-order barbecue ribs. He'll share his top picks and a recipe for the perfect side—Mustard Slaw. Reporter Scott Haas is on the Belgian beer beat, sorting out the Trappists from the Triples; grocery guru Al Sicherman is back for a supermarket salsa tasting, and Lynne has a recipe for Bellinis.
Broadcast dates for this episode:
- July 7, 2001 (originally aired)
- June 22, 2002 (rebroadcast)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Our common nature is a musical journey with Yo-Yo Ma and me, Ana Gonzalez, through this complicated country. |
| 0:08.1 | We go into caves, onto boats, and up mountain trails to meet people, hear their stories, their poetry, and of course, play some music, all to reconnect to nature and get closer to the things we're missing. |
| 0:24.4 | Listen to Our Common Nature from WNYC, wherever you get podcasts. |
| 0:31.9 | It's Lynn Rosetta, Casper, with the splendid table. |
| 0:43.4 | Music with the splendid table. Pondered your refrigerator lately? |
| 0:45.9 | Probably not, but consider this. |
| 0:48.8 | There was a time when no one saw anything useful about cold. |
| 0:53.0 | No one even knew it preserved food. |
| 0:55.8 | Our guest is Tom Shatman, and he's author of Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold. |
| 1:01.8 | Shane and Michael Stern are taking us to a dream of a truck stop in Delaware. |
| 1:06.1 | David Rosengarten of Food Network fame has taste-tested mail-order ribs from all over the south. |
| 1:11.8 | Hungary reporter Scott Haas is sorting out the trapeze from the triples in Belgium, |
| 1:16.3 | and grocery guru Al-Sikerman is back with a taste test of supermarket salas. |
| 1:21.1 | All this and your calls coming up on the splendid table. |
| 1:27.5 | But first, this. |
| 1:35.5 | It's Lynne Rosetta-Casper with Kitchen Chronicles, where knowledge is power and cooking |
| 1:41.0 | is pleasure, a practical guide to nourishing ourselves and the people we care about. |
| 1:47.2 | Today, I want to talk about the one vegetable most people can't cook without. |
| 1:53.5 | The onion. |
| 1:54.7 | Now, even if you don't cook, I guarantee most of what you eat tastes better because of the onion. |
| 2:01.8 | From spaghetti sauces to salads to stir fries, just about everything needs onion for character, |
| 2:08.7 | savouriness, and just plain good taste. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from American Public Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of American Public Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.