John Whaite takes us behind the scenes of “The Great British Bake Off.” He talks life after winning, the simple pleasures of Eton mess and the importance of listening to your food. Plus, we dive into the crazy world of culinary Facebook groups; Alex Aïnouz tries to reverse engineer Joël Robuchon’s mashed potatoes; and we cook an Indian staple of simmered lentils with spice-infused hot butter.

Questions in this Episode:

“I’m trying to be as resourceful as possible and I am curious to know if there is anything I could make with banana peels?”

“I can’t eat cilantro and am wondering what substitutions I might try.”

“My question is about adding wine to cream-based sauces to ensure the sauce doesn’t break.”

“I’m a new mother and we are in the process of transitioning from pureed baby food and bottles to solid food. We want to build our son’s palette so that he will enjoy spices and flavorful food later in life. I know you both have children, so I’m wondering your approach to that?”