"There's a lot of food content on television and on video platforms, especially in either the competition genre or in the travel genre," Bishop said. With the public TV series, "it's first and foremost the content and the utility of the show, that it helps people cook."

Turns out, I am not alone in my unfamiliarity with Irish whiskey. Today's Irish whiskey industry is relatively young. It all but died out after Ireland gained independence from Britain in 1922. In 1980, there were only two distilleries, Bushmills and Midleton, makers of Jameson and other well-known brands. Today there are 31. Irish whiskey, like other whiskeys today, is booming.

Choose boneless, skinless chicken breasts that aren't too large; they shouldn't look like turkey breasts. If they're too large, they're often tough before you start cooking them.

Where I grew up, there was an old-fashioned drug store with a lunch counter. When the weather was good, my best friend and I would ride our bikes there and order grilled cheese and made-to-order orange-ades. The grilled cheese was made with fluffy white bread and American cheese on a griddle. It had one slice of cheese between the bread slices and was as thin as a sandwich can possibly be, as the bread was compressed during grilling. Still, I have a vivid and mouthwatering taste memory of this grilled cheese, as if I ate it yesterday.

Baking a potato is the easiest thing in the world, right? Then why are so many potatoes lacking in texture and flavor?