You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

Hey Shortwaavers, Rebecca Ramirez here and today I am joined by

NPR Health and Science Correspondent Maria Gadoi.

Hey Maria, what you got for the pod today?

Rebecca, I'm gonna get real vulnerable here.

I've got a kitchen confession. I don't do Thanksgiving turkey.

Oh, I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.

No, I mean I don't eat a lot of meat but in this case we skip the turkey because of I don't know soul crushing disappointment.

Oh no. I know I know.

Several years ago my family and I decided we just weren't going to do Thanksgiving turkey anymore because it was usually dry and just lacked any flavor.

It just didn't taste like anything.

So what's the point of getting up super early and spending hours just laboring and sweating

and stressing in the kitchen if you're just going to end up with a bland bird?

I mean, I don't need that kind of holiday heartache in my life.

You know, Maria, I feel your pain. I totally do, but this is a science podcast.

I know, but bad turkeys are a problem that science can actually solve.

I'm listening.

I called up two well-known cookbook authors slash food science writers to see if they could

help me overcome my fear and loathing of cooking turkey.

Okay.

It is one of the most boring and unflverful pieces of meat and I think that's probably why everyone struggles

every over this bird. That's Nick Sharma. He's the author of the flavor equation and a trained molecular

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