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Ask Rahul! Plates & Places
Ask Rahul! Plates & Places is a food and hospitality storytelling podcast where chef and food‑business leader Rahul Shrivastava explores how different kinds of stays create memorable eating experiences. From hotels and restaurants to villas, forts, homestays and hostels, each episode focuses on one place, one plate, and the story behind it.
You’ll hear how menus are designed, buffets are planned, and local dishes are turned into signature experiences—plus simple ideas you can use to improve your own property, brand or travels. Whether you’re a hospitality professional, a culinary student, a stay owner, or a curious traveller who loves food, Plates & Places gives you warm stories, practical insights and a fresh way to look at the tables you sit at.
Episodes
17 episodes
#17 - Restraining Order Against your "Delivered HOT food."
Episode Title: Why Food Temperature Drops Before the Customer Even Opens the Bag — And Did the Warm Air File a Restraining Order Against Your Packaging?Episode Description:Forty seven minutes. That is the average tim...
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#16 - Why Fried Chicken Turns Rubbery Under Heat Lamps!
Why Fried Chicken Turns Rubbery Under Heat Lamps — And Is the Holding Drawer Secretly Running a Sauna for Your Best Sellers?Episode Description:It left the fryer perfect.Shatteringly crisp crust. Juicy interior. Seas...
#15 - Fries - Going Through an Emotional Softening Phase!
Episode Title: Why Fries Lose Their Crunch Within Five Minutes — And Are They Just Going Through an Emotional Softening Phase?Episode Description:Five minutes. That is all you get.From the moment a perfectly f...
#14 - Peak Hour in Kitchen & Beyond the Pass!
Every kitchen has a breaking point. For most, it arrives at exactly 8 PM on a Friday — when the printer stops pausing, the pass fills up, and everything that was running smoothly thirty minutes ago begins to quietly fall apart.In this ep...
#13 - Issues of a Burger Bun!
Burger Bun Issues is a practical podcast that explores the many challenges behind making a great burger bun. Hosted by Rahul, the show dives into bun quality, texture, shelf life, structure, softness, absorbency, and how the bun affects ...
#12 - Crispy Issues: When Crunch Goes Wrong
In this episode, Rahul explores one of the most frustrating problems in food service: why crispy foods lose their crunch before they reach the customer. From soggy fries and limp fried chicken to delivery delays, coating issues, oil problems, a...
#11 - Coconut oil vs Mustard oil
Comparing 2 super ingredients and stories
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#10 - Marination Mysteries: Why Time Does Not Always Equal Flavor
Marination feels like magic: leave food in a bowl overnight, and expect restaurant-level flavor the next day. But in real kitchens, that often leads to rubbery chicken, crumbly paneer, or fish that falls apart before it hits the pan. This episo...
#9 - The Art of Tempering: 30 Seconds That Change Everything
In this episode of The Culinary Challenge Show, we break down the tiny, explosive step that decides whether your dal tastes flat or unforgettable: tempering. In just a few seconds of hot oil, spices, and crackling aromatics...
#8 - What If Every Whistle Is A Story Of Time, Memory, And Taste
The hiss, the pause, the whistle—our kitchens have their own soundtrack, and today we lean into it to unlock faster, deeper flavor with total control. We dive into the real science of pressure cooking, explaining how higher boiling points and s...
#7 - Tandoor Magic: Fire Without Fear
Before we light up today’s fire, let’s acknowledge three books that keep the tandoor’s story alive outside the oven. Ranjit Rai’s Tandoor: The Great Indian Barbecue — the technical bible of heat, meat, and method....
#6 - The Science of Perfect Tadka – Why Your Dal Tastes Like Water
The sound is unmistakable: a hiss of oil, the crackling of cumin, the bloom of red chili. It’s not just a garnish—it’s chemistry and performance art rolled into five seconds of magic.Intro (What Listeners Get):• The step‑by‑ste...
#5 - THE CURRY CONSPIRACY – WHO REALLY INVENTED INDIA’S MOST FAMOUS DISH
Get ready for a flavor-packed journey with "EPISODE 5: THE CURRY CONSPIRACY – WHO REALLY INVENTED INDIA’S MOST FAMOUS DISH," a culinary podcast episode that challenges everything you thought you knew about curry. This chapter of Culinary Challe...
#4 - Street Food Secrets – What Your Vendor Doesn’t Want You To Know
Kitchen Lab on the StreetsThe episode kicks off with a disruptive question—what if your favorite street vendor isn’t just cooking, but orchestrating a full-blown kitchen lab under open skies? Each puff of fried dough and glis...
#3 - Bengali Fish vs Goan Prawns – The Ultimate Coastal Food Battle
Culinary Challenge | Seasoning 1, Episode 3Title: Bengali Fish vs Goan Prawns—The Ultimate Coastal Food BattleHere’s where flavors throw down and stories sizzle. I’m your host—think less dreamy sunset, more sizzling stovetop—and on this pod...
#2 - South Indian Breakfast Supremacy: Idli, Dosa, Vada, Upma & Pongal
Season 1 Episode2 South Indian Breakfast Supremacy: Idli, Dosa, Vada, Upma & PongalIt’s said that a great day begins with a great breakfast—but the South perfected that art centuries ago. I’m Rahul Shrivastava, and this is