Cover of Always Hangry

Always Hangry

Always Hangry

By: George Duran
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Food isn't complicated. People make it complicated. Always Hangry is a funny, honest, slightly unhinged podcast where chef and TV personality George Duran calls out the weird, frustrating, and totally ridiculous ways we all behave around food. This is not a recipe show. It's not precious. It's not trying to impress you. It's the kind of conversation you have after a couple of drinks, when somebody finally says the thing everyone else is thinking but nobody wants to say out loud. Why does one gluten-free guest suddenly change an entire dinner party? Why are the Costco samples always the wrong thing? When did we stop trusting our instincts at a restaurant and start trusting whatever looked good on social media? Every episode grabs the everyday stuff — ordering, shopping, food trends, other people's eating habits — and pulls it apart with humor, honesty, and just enough chef perspective to actually make it land. Episodes open loose and opinionated: George and a co-host working through rants, food news, real-life scenarios, and arguments that start small and end up somewhere much bigger than they should. The energy comes from the back-and-forth and the disagreements. Nothing is locked in. And then the show goes deeper. Many episodes turn from the rant into a real conversation with someone who genuinely knows the subject — a chef, a scientist, a farmer, a writer, an insider — the kind of expert who can tell you whether the thing we've all been arguing about is actually true. Same honesty, same humor, just with someone in the room who has the receipts. Most food content either teaches you something or tries to look perfect. Always Hangry does neither, and somehow does both. It's for anyone who has ever been annoyed ordering at a restaurant, confused by a menu, skeptical of a trend, or stuck in a situation where dinner quietly turned into a social negotiation. New episodes weekly. Built to be watched, clipped, shared, and argued over. Always Hangry is what happens when you stop pretending food has to be serious and start admitting it's actually kind of ridiculous. Watch, subscribe, sign up for the newsletter, and t ell us who George should be arguing with next at https://alwayshangrypodcast.com/ (alwayshangrypodcast.com).Always Hangry Art Cooking Food & Wine Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Fridge Crimes & Chocolate Secrets

    Fridge Crimes & Chocolate Secrets
    6 Oct 2026

    George Duran opens the fridge with Delish food editor and recipe developer Taylor Ann Spencer, and it is not pretty in there. They start with the Eat Me First trend, where you give soon-to-expire food its own labeled bin, and George admits his version of that bin is the back of the fridge. From there: the foods we forget most, whether bread and potatoes belong in the fridge at all (they disagree), and George's habit of plastic-wrapping every pepper he buys.

    Then Taylor Ann tells George that eggs should be stored pointy end down. He does not take it well.

    They also get into the "ADHD fridge" idea of moving produce to the door and condiments to the crisper, fridgescaping (including Fridgerton, Hobbit and Beetlejuice themes), and the restock videos that turned a mini fridge into a full-time career. After the break it is fridge technology: knock-to-see-through doors, cameras that log what goes in and out, a fridge that pre-cools before you usually open it, and the 1950s features we somehow lost, like a door that opens from either side.

    In the second half, chocolatier and TikTok favorite Konstantin Zsigo of Park Lake Creamery in Bath, Michigan explains how chocolate is made, why cocoa butter is the expensive part and what big brands use in its place, why he does not think European chocolate is automatically better, and what happened to Dubai chocolate once the big manufacturers got hold of it.

    Guests

    • Taylor Ann Spencer, food editor and recipe developer at Delish.
    • Konstantin Zsigo, chocolatier and co-owner of Park Lake Creamery. Order at konstantinzsigo.com, follow at @konstantinzsigo on TikTok.

    Key takeaways
    • We eat what we see first, which is the whole idea behind an Eat Me First bin or shelf.
    • Store eggs pointy end down and off the door, where the temperature swings the most.
    • Freezing is the best way to keep bread. George refrigerates his; Taylor Ann does not.
    • Smart fridges are now doing Eat Me First for you, logging what goes in and flagging what has been there too long.
    • Cocoa butter is the costly ingredient in chocolate. Cutting it, often with palm kernel oil or the emulsifier PGPR, is how big brands hold prices down.
    • Konstantin's view on sustainability labels: you cannot verify them yourself, so it comes down to trusting the brand.
    • Most people who say Dubai chocolate is overrated have only had the mass-produced version.

    People, companies and sources mentioned
    • People: Taylor Ann Spencer, Konstantin Zsigo, Kaeli Mae McEwen
    • Appliances: LG (InstaView, ThinQ Food, AI Fresh, Signature), Samsung (AutoView, FlexZone, AI Vision Inside, Bixby), GE, Philco, Kelvinator (Foodarama)
    • Chocolate: Hershey, Cadbury, Nestle, Kinder, Reese's, Snickers, Fix (Dubai), Costco
    • Organizations and outlets: ReFED, Love Food Hate Waste NZ, Realtor.com, Delish, Food Research International, Starbucks, Park Lake Creamery
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    31 min
  • Hack in the Box, Froyo 3.0 & Author of "Picky", Helen Zoe Veit

    Hack in the Box, Froyo 3.0 & Author of "Picky", Helen Zoe Veit
    29 Sep 2026
    Why do we love hacking a box mix? George Duran and Delish food editor Taylor Ann Spencer — writer of the Mostly Vegetarian newsletter and proud user of "condimental meat" — dig into the strange history of cake mix, from Bisquick and the first dehydrated gingerbread mix to Betty Crocker's gelatin-spiked Color Vision cake, Campbell's tomato soup cake, diet-soda cakes and a tuna-filled Bisquick ring nobody asked for. Taylor shares the boxed mac and cheese trick her dad taught her, George lays out the three upgrades that actually make a box mix better, and they play a round of Grandma or TikTok.Then it's Trend or Trash: frozen yogurt is on its third comeback. From Bloomingdale's Forty Carrots to TCBY, Pinkberry and today's around-the-block lines in New York, George asks why froyo keeps coming back — and how a cup ended up costing as much as a cocktail, with melted-butter dips and caviar on potato chips. Plus a game of Froyo or Fo-Yo: squid ink, Fireball and french fry flavors are real. Peanut butter and pickle is not.In the second half, historian Helen Zoe Veit, author of Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History, explains why kids weren't always this fussy — 19th-century children happily ate bitter greens, organ meats and even coffee — and what parents can borrow from the past: protect mealtime appetite, keep offering the family meal, don't panic about a small reward, and season kids' food the way you'd season your own.Key TakeawaysHacks are about feeling clever. Taylor's read on the box-mix obsession: it's the combination of cleverness, ease and convenience.Cake mix is older than you think. Bisquick hit shelves in 1931, and P. Duff and Sons patented a dehydrated gingerbread mix in 1933.Modern mixes rely on emulsifiers. Commercial cakes and mixes use food-grade emulsifiers and surfactants for volume, texture and shelf life.The best box-mix upgrades are simple. Brown butter, espresso powder in chocolate cake, and freeze-dried fruit ground into powder for color, acidity and concentrated flavor.Taylor's mac and cheese trick. Make a well in the cooked macaroni, pour the cheese powder in the center, then fill the empty packet with milk — Midwestern thrift that also happens to be the right amount.Retro hacks keep coming back. Tomato soup cake doesn't taste like tomato — it's a spice cake — and chocolate mayonnaise cake is basically eggs and oil. Cottage cheese cookie dough and pancake cereal are the TikTok-era equivalents.Froyo has died twice. The '80s TCBY wave and the 2000s Pinkberry/Red Mango wave both collapsed under too many stores. Froyo 3.0 is Greek-style, premium-priced and drawing long lines.Fat plus salt plus sweet hits the bliss point. That's why butter-dipped froyo and potato-chip toppings work — and why TikTok melts entire tubs of margarine for views.Kids weren't always picky. Helen found no record of kids as a group being picky eaters until recently — and abundance isn't the explanation: well-fed 19th-century kids weren't picky either.Hunger is a tool. Past kids came to meals hungry — less snacking, more chores and outdoor play. If dinner is an hour away, "go play, I'll call you" is fine.Small rewards are okay. Helen pushes back on the rule that dessert should never be contingent on dinner; a little incentive can help a child try something new.Season kids' food. George's secret weapon for fish is good European butter; Helen adds that parents aggressively under-salt children's food.The food industry isn't on your side. Helen notes that about two-thirds of an average American kid's diet is highly processed — but kids don't need "fun" food to be happy.Pickiness is learned — and unlearnable. Protect appetite, present family foods again and again, and treat it as teaching a child to love food.People & Companies MentionedGeorge Duran — Host, Always Hangry; chef and TV personalityTaylor Ann Spencer — Food editor at Delish; recipe developer, food stylist; writes the Mostly Vegetarian Substack newsletterHelen Zoe Veit — Historian, associate professor of history at Michigan State University; author of Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History (St. Martin's Press, Feb. 24, 2026)Delish — Where Taylor develops recipes, including a vampire poke cakeGeneral Mills / Bisquick / Betty Crocker — Bisquick (1931), Betty Crocker's first mixes and the Color Vision cakeP. Duff and Sons — Pittsburgh molasses company behind the first patented cake mix (1933)Procter & GamblePillsbury — Pillsbury Bake-OffCampbell's — Tomato Soup Spice Cake, a.k.a. "Mystery Cake"Jell-O / Cool Whip — Poke cakeHellmann's — Chocolate mayonnaise cakeRitz — Mock apple pie made with crackersWeight Watchers — Message boards behind the diet-soda cake trendH.P. Hood — Massachusetts dairy that created "Frogurt"Bloomingdale's / Forty Carrots — NYC café serving frozen yogurt since 1975TCBY, Red Mango, Pinkberry, Yogurtland, Menchie's, Orange Leaf, 16 ...
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    29 min
  • Celery Jell-O, Baby Food for Adults & Glitter Maple Syrup

    Celery Jell-O, Baby Food for Adults & Glitter Maple Syrup
    22 Sep 2026
    "Low fat" might be the most fattening words on the bag. George Duran and recurring co-host Karla Walsh open with a brand-new study out of Turkey. People ate noticeably more of the exact same snack when it was labeled "low fat" or "high protein." Then they walk the fake-healthy aisle:veggie straws that are mostly potato starch"fruit" snacks that are basically jelly beansspinach wraps that are really just green tortillasrice cakes, which George insists double as home insulationThere's also a round of Trend or Trash on protein cookie dough. And a crash course in label words that mean far less than you think: natural, multigrain, farm fresh, plant-based. (Oreos are plant-based.)Then comes the food-flop hall of shame:Olestra-powered WOW chips and their infamous warning labelOre-Ida's bright-blue Funky Fries (George bought them, and he has a story about what happened next)Pepsi A.M., Crystal Pepsi and Life Savers sodaGerber Singles: pureed beef burgundy in a baby-food jar, marketed to adults who live aloneJell-O's 1960s savory line, including celeryKarla, from the Midwest, explains that anything made with Jell-O counts as a salad there, strawberry pretzel salad and cookie salad included. George is not convinced.In the back half, Laura Sorkin, co-founder of Runamok Maple in Fairfax, Vermont, takes George from tree to pancake:It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.She explains what reverse osmosis actually does.She explains why dark syrup isn't just "cooked longer." George had that one wrong.She shares the story of the one IHOP that serves the real stuff.She explains why an opened bottle belongs in the fridge.She names the one flavor experiment that should never be repeated: wasabi.She introduces Sparkle Syrup, maple with edible glitter that turns a cocktail pearlescent.Key TakeawaysHealth labels make us eat more. In a 2026 study of 60 adults, participants ate about 67g of a snack labeled "low fat," 61g labeled "high protein," and 50g with no label. The snack was identical in every case.The health halo is real. One virtuous word on the front of the package makes the whole product feel healthier. Read the nutrition panel, not the marketing.Veggie straws are mostly potato starch, potato flour and cornstarch. The vegetable powder is there for color.Fruit snacks nutritionally resemble candy more than fruit. Corn syrup, sugar and modified starch follow close behind the fruit puree."Multigrain" does not mean whole grain. The FDA has no formal definition of "natural," and "plant-based" covers potato chips and Oreos.WOW chips were a hit before they were a punchline. They sold roughly $347 million in their first year, until the "abdominal cramping and loose stools" warning caught up with them.Gerber Singles (1974) put beef burgundy, sweet-and-sour pork and "blueberry delight" into baby-food-style jars for single adults. They vanished within months.Jell-O once sold celery, mixed vegetable, seasoned tomato and Italian salad flavors. Karla says savory aspics are quietly making a comeback.In the Midwest, if it has Jell-O in it, it's a salad. That includes strawberry pretzel salad, cookie salad and Snickers salad.Maple sap is only 1–3% sugar. Reverse osmosis concentrates it to about 16%, and boiling does the rest. Vermont producers need about 40 gallons of sap per gallon of syrup. Birch needs roughly 100.Tapping doesn't hurt the tree. Some sugarbushes have been producing for over 200 years.Darker syrup isn't cooked longer. It usually comes late in the season and carries more minerals and complexity, so the maple flavor is stronger.Real maple is thinner than pancake syrup. Corn syrup is what makes the fake stuff thick.IHOP serves real maple syrup in Vermont. The Vermont location got special permission, because nobody there would eat pancakes without it.Organic maple is mostly about the forest. Because there are almost no inputs, certification comes down to how the land is managed: erosion, runoff and biodiversity.Refrigerate maple once it's opened. Unopened bottles keep on the shelf for years.Use maple like soy sauce or Worcestershire. A touch rounds out savory dishes without making them sweet. Laura uses it constantly in Asian cooking.Sparkle Syrup is maple with edible pearlescent sparkles. In a cocktail, it turns the drink shimmery.People & Companies MentionedGeorge Duran: Host, Always HangryKarla Walsh: Food and wellness writer, Level One Sommelier, recurring guest co-hostLaura Sorkin: Co-founder, Runamok Maple (Fairfax, VT)Eric Sorkin: Laura's husband and co-founder, who came up with Sparkle SyrupRunamok Maple: runamokmaple.comDicle University (Turkey): Source of the 2026 health-claims snack studyFDA: No formal definition of "natural"Frito-Lay / Procter & Gamble (Olestra): WOW chips; Pringles also made Olestra versionsOre-Ida / Heinz: Funky Fries (2002)PepsiCo: Pepsi A.M. (1989), Crystal Pepsi (1992)Coca-Cola: New Coke (mentioned)Life Savers: Life Savers sodaGerber: Gerber Singles (1974)Jell-O: Savory ...
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    27 min
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