This week our guest is Barbara Kafka, one of the masterful cooks in the food profession. When Barbara digs into a subject she takes no prisoners. She's created her own short list of cookbook classics with titles like Roasting, Soup, and Microwave Gourmet, and each one is a complete education. Now, she has ideas for bringing more veggies into our lives with her new book, Vegetable Love. She leaves us her recipes for Parsnip Ice Cream and Greek Island Potatoes.

The Sterns dig into classic Dixie diner fare and sky high meringue pies at Crystal Grill in Greenwood, Mississippi. Kitchen equipment expert Dorie Greenspan has the scoop on the new silicone kitchenware. From muffin pans to rolling pins, is silicone the way to go?

For Chris Kimball of America's Test Kitchen fame, the ideal family vacation involves a tent, two kids, 4 camels, and a cook walking the desert in Morocco. Morning Edition's Kitchen Sisters talk America's hidden kitchens—the ones not in houses and restaurants—from their book, Hidden Kitchens: Stories, Recipes, and More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters.

In honor of its 100th birthday, Ted Allen, food guy of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, talks our most overlooked appliance: the toaster. And, as always, the phone lines will be open for your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• January 14, 2006