Ina Garten has a new podcast called Happy Hour, where she talks with celebrity guests at her New York City apartment. The podcast is billed as "conversations you would love to overhear at a great dinner party." I listened to the first episode featuring Kate McKinnon. The show started with a weird promo of Whole Foods, the episode's sponsor, which Ina read from a prepared script (you can see her holding the paper) that was written in the first person. The vibe was that of a (charming) hostage reading her kidnapper's demands. The conversation was not as odd although it seemed somewhat stilted, which could have been due to the editing. The cocktail that Ina prepared for Kate must have been strong, because it looked like Kate was struggling even to sip it, making me wonder if I had inadvertently clicked on an episode of Drunk History. I won't provide any more spoilers; you will have to see it for yourself. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

NYC cookbook store maven Bonnie Slotnick landed in hot water this week over an altercation with a security guard. Slotnick, 72, was arrested and charged with one count of menacing in the second degree following an altercation with security personnel stationed outside the door to her store. A Harry Styles merchandise pop-up opened nearby a couple of weeks ago, drawing long lines of fans that queued up on Slotnick's block, right past her front door. As she was trying to lock up her bicycle and enter her store on Friday, she got into an altercation with a security guard who was blocking the railing that Slotnick uses to secure her bike. Following the incident, Slotnick was arrested and spent 12 hours in custody before being released.

Do you feel better in the morning just by smelling the coffee brewing, even before you take a sip? A recent study showed that the mere aroma of freshly-brewed coffee might be enough to change someone's mood, even if they don't drink a drop of it. Before you install a permanent coffee scent-generating machine, know that the study came with caveats: a small sample size that only included college students, and no control group. Whether it's scientifically provable or not, I know that my mood improves when I encounter that aroma. It's one of my favorite scents.

If you've wondered about the controversy surrounding seed oils, The Independent's Hannah Twigg provides information that separates the hype from the reality. There is no scientific evidence that seed oils are toxic or bad for you, and considering the price differential between the alternatives like avocado oil and extra-virgin olive oil, seed oils are the best bang for the buck when it comes to everyday cooking needs.

Chef Emeril Lagasse may be most well known for the "Bam!" he uttered on his groundbreaking Food Network show as he sprinkled the spice blend he calls his "essence" onto food, but he has another ingredient he uses nearly as much as the essence: celery salt. In 2015 he told Nation’s Restaurant News, that celery salt was one of the five things he “couldn’t live without.” 

Saveur Magazine just listed the 15 fall cookbooks that its editors are most looking forward to reading. The list includes books by big names like Eric Ripert and Fuchsia Dunlop alongside tomes exploring underrepresented cuisines like Basque, Taiwanese, and Ghanaian. Since there are so many cookbooks and so little time, it's always nice to get another perspective on which ones are worth the shelf space.