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Cooking with puppets: Duff teams with Jim Henson Company

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Michelle Rose / TV Media
Duff Goldman hosts "Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time"

Duff Goldman hosts "Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time"

If you grew up on a steady TV diet of Jim Henson-led productions, you probably still have a secret soft spot for puppets. And if that's the case, you'll probably be more than just a little curious about a new series debuting this week on discovery .

Exclusively available beginning Thursday, April 29, "Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time" comes from The Jim Henson Company. It features cake master Duff Goldman, who is joined by a cast of puppets that will serve as his partners for an unusual journey that promises to transform food science into family-friendly entertainment.

In each of the six half-hour episodes, Goldman and friends will explore the science behind our favorite flavors and how ingredients work together. They'll also dabble in a few food experiments to see what happens when you try to make a cake without eggs or a loaf of bread without a surprising ingredient: patience.

"I think cooking is absolutely fascinating, and I wanted to make a show that explained why things happen the way they do in the kitchen," Goldman explained in the official news release. "When I understand the science behind the food I make, I somehow feel more connected to it and I wanted to share that with everyone."

Some easy-to-make recipes will help chefs of all ages master those fundamental cooking techniques. But like many star-studded episodes of "The Muppet Show," Goldman's puppet friends could end up stealing the show. There is Couscous, Goldman's robot sidekick and sous chef; Dizzy, the "literal elephant in the room" who likes to stick her nose into everything; crabby Edgar, who is straight out of Chesapeake Bay (Goldman is from Baltimore, after all); S'Later, a sloth who is both wise and quizzical; and Dragon Oven, whose preferred methods of communication involve a lot of smoke and noise.

Count on a few appearances by a non-puppet friend, too: the musical grocer, Geof, played by Goldman's longtime executive sous chef at Charm City Cakes, Geof Manthorne (he's also a songwriter).

Whereas the celebrity cameos in Netflix's "Waffles Mochi" keep adults entertained, the food science in "Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time" will likely hook the grown-ups, while whimsical banter makes it fun for the whole family. The series debuts Thursday, April 29, on discovery .