Top Chef

Seriously, what is the deal with foams? We've got the answer, plus some insight into Padma's sexy post-baby body, and an overview of dining in the nation's capital. Check it out, and leave your own burning questions in the comment section.

A: Those cheftestants sure do love their foams, don't they? Well, not all of them, but there's always at least one in the bunch (Season 2 runner-up Marcel, Season 3 winner Hung, both Voltaggio brothers from Season 6). And with good reason — they're a great way to add a flavor to a dish without changing the dish's composition. Plus, the judges seem to go crazy for them (although the general consensus in the culinary world is that they are sooo over).

To make a foam, you need three things: a smooth liquid, a stabilizing or gelling agent, and a tool to whip it all together. The liquid can be anything; egg whites, cream, or in the case of Angelo Sosa's winning Arctic char dish — a bacon-infused sauce. To stabilize it, most chefs use lecithin, but you can also use gelatin or agar. Give it a few whips with a good-old hand blender, and you've got yourself foam.

Q: When did Padma have her baby, and how soon afterwards did she start filming? – clarkeles

A: We're guessing this question came in after a loyal viewer noticed that Padma's rocking a curvy post-baby bod in the season premiere. Our favorite model-turned-MILF gave birth to a baby girl, Krishna Thea Lakshmi, on February 20, 2010, and began shooting six weeks later, in early April.

That hadn't been the original plan, though. According to the New York Post, Top Chef D.C. was originally supposed to start filming in January, but with Padma eight months pregnant, it wasn't going to happen.

Keep the sexy curves, Padz! We love 'em!

A: Not really, no. Not like, say, New York City, New Orleans, or Chicago. But the D.C. food scene is not without its merits. High-profile chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Alain Ducasse now have D.C. outposts, as does handsome, charming Top Chef judge and seafood god Eric Ripert. Michelle Obama's edible garden at the White House has given a boost to the locavore movement, and D.C. has also jumped on the mobile-food-trucks-tweeting-their-locations bandwagon. D.C. is also home base for several Top Chefs alums, including Spike Mendelson, Carla Hall (Hootie hoo!), and Mike Isabella. So you can definitely score a good meal in the nation's capital, though you probably won't make it a culinary vacation destination.