Jessica Badalana

So they're like, you know, they're solidly room temperature on the warm side of room temperature, but they're not like a molten cookie experience. Yeah. I think what I don't like about a warm chocolate chip cookie is that there is no sort of textural contrast, right? Like it's just sort of like raw dough. You know, there's not like a distinction between the edge and the middle.

It just feels like an underdone to me in a way that I don't find appealing.

It just feels like an underdone to me in a way that I don't find appealing.

Now you're getting a Jess opinion.

Now you're getting a Jess opinion.

So I don't know. I mean, are we going to get hate mail? I don't know what's going to happen.

So I don't know. I mean, are we going to get hate mail? I don't know what's going to happen.

David, before we go, I want to tell you about something I learned while working on this episode. There is a chocolate chip cookie that is so special, it's in a museum.

David, before we go, I want to tell you about something I learned while working on this episode. There is a chocolate chip cookie that is so special, it's in a museum.

It may not be the freshest cookie you've ever eaten. The cookie is at the Udvar-Hazy Center at the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. And that's the museum that also houses the Space Shuttle Discovery and lots of other notable air and space artifacts.

It may not be the freshest cookie you've ever eaten. The cookie is at the Udvar-Hazy Center at the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. And that's the museum that also houses the Space Shuttle Discovery and lots of other notable air and space artifacts.

And the reason that there's a cookie there is because this chocolate chip cookie does not fly, but it was the first thing ever baked in space.

And the reason that there's a cookie there is because this chocolate chip cookie does not fly, but it was the first thing ever baked in space.

It is a notable achievement because as you can imagine, there's a lot of challenges when it comes to baking in space in a zero gravity environment. So I called up Ian and Jordana Fichtenbaum, who are the co-founders and co-chefs of this space technology company called Zero-G Kitchen.

It is a notable achievement because as you can imagine, there's a lot of challenges when it comes to baking in space in a zero gravity environment. So I called up Ian and Jordana Fichtenbaum, who are the co-founders and co-chefs of this space technology company called Zero-G Kitchen.

And they were curious to see if it was possible to design a zero gravity oven that would work on the International Space Station. And when I asked them about Why chocolate chip cookies? Although the answer to me is quite obvious.

And they were curious to see if it was possible to design a zero gravity oven that would work on the International Space Station. And when I asked them about Why chocolate chip cookies? Although the answer to me is quite obvious.

You know, they thought like if you were going to be away from home for a year, like what food item, what baked food item would bring more comfort and joy than a chocolate chip cookie, which I think is true. Totally. But until now, the technology hasn't existed to actually freshly bake something. So in 2019, the oven, along with frozen discs of chocolate chip cookie dough, were sent to space.

You know, they thought like if you were going to be away from home for a year, like what food item, what baked food item would bring more comfort and joy than a chocolate chip cookie, which I think is true. Totally. But until now, the technology hasn't existed to actually freshly bake something. So in 2019, the oven, along with frozen discs of chocolate chip cookie dough, were sent to space.

And the astronauts who are working on the International Space Station then take the frozen pucks of chocolate chip cookie dough. They put them in like a silicone pouch. And the silicone pouch prevents like flyaway crumbs, but also is vented to release steam. Mm-hmm. And they put them in the center of the oven and nobody knew what was going to happen.