The Great American Recipe - General Discussion

[milkyaqua]

Ugh, why all this mishmash of recipes?!  Building a competition around "themes" like holiday dishes or dishes that give you warm fuzzies is not an actual fair way to  base a competition.  How would you break up this into categories in a book.  That holiday challenge included three or four desserts if you include the sweet potato casserole and the rest were savory.  Will there be a dessert chapter and a sides chapter and a mains chapter or what?

I can't believe this forum is the only one complaining about this format.

[potatoradio]

Color me confused....so, are the contestants supposed to present dishes as they usually prepare them ("sharing their culture and who I am") or are they supposed to present dishes based on a tradition and that they have spiced up or salted or whatever to bring the recipe to a more "chef level."

Is the winner based on what the judges think will make an exciting recipe for people to try? Because if it is, why would somebody present a dish that doesn't have salt or sugar or anything other than water? Because I might try a poi recipe, but if it's just mashed up taro root and nothing is added because grandma says so....well, then, that's not much of a recipe, is it? But if the point is to present a dish and share the way your family makes a traditional meal, then, sure, what grandma says goes and I'll try the poi as grandma intended. 

 

Same thing with the three sisters soup. If the squash isn't traditionally roasted, then why point out that the soup would have been better had the squash been roasted first? But, if the challenge is to present a dish as it is traditionally made, then don't point out that the squash should have been roasted. 

Gah! This show is just all kinds of confused and I'm only tuning in now to pick up some recipe ideas, which I can then Google and find some things to try. For that, this show is a gold mine.

And I am ridiculously happy that there is a twin Brad in the world. 

[dleighg]

The thing I've noticed (note I haven't seen the most recent episode) is that the woman who always features native foods typically falls down because of that. She uses bison instead of beef, notes that it's hard to cook because it often comes out dry, and sure enough, it's dry. She uses a special native brand of cornmeal that uses pre-roasted corn, and gets complaints that the cookies or cornbread or whatever she made is dry. I wonder if she doesn't usually use these "native" ingredients, but that's her schtick, so that's what she's going to use, even if it doesn't end up coming out all that successfully. 

[chicagofan]

I still like watching, but this vague theming is ridiculous. We've got rack of lamb vs. fish cakes vs. breakfast cups vs. soup vs. sweet pudding in one round and cinnamon rolls vs. sweet potatoes vs. stuffing vs. meatballs vs. donuts in another. Yes, they're looking at how well something is cooked/ baked, but when they're judging something they've never heard of or tasted before how can they judge the preparation or execution?

At least Graham lost the "aloha" this week.

Edited July 19, 2023 by chicagofan

[Shelbie]

I watch the show for background noise. Pleasant people making nice food. No fighting or backstabbing although I do roll my eyes at the crying sometimes.

[nanmar33]

I hate that they always say that part of the judging will be how well it fits the theme.  If the theme is something you always have at a holiday how do the judges know the contestants are telling the truth?  I could make anything and say, "my grandmother always made this and now I make it" and start crying and they would say I matched the theme beautifully. 

I found the bake sale recipes a bit of a stretch.  Every bake sale I've gone to had choc chip cookies, brownies, fudge, etc, I have never seen bread pudding at a bake sale and I think the triple choc cheesecake cups were a bit over the top for a bake sale plus I am so tired of people putting salt on every dessert now.  Pina Colada macaroons are not new.  I also hated the judge saying why has no one ever thought of that before, uh, they have.  Not sure of the Knafeh Muffins at a bake sale.  Depends on the buyers I think.

I think Leanna, Kehla, and Maria would have been eliminated by now if there had been eliminations.  

[nanmar33]

There is no way those cinnamon rolls could have been made in 90 minutes.  My husband makes cinnamon rolls a lot and it takes 90 minutes just for the two rises.  Then you have to mix the ingredients, roll them out, bake them. 

The way she rolled them up was atrocious - looked like a giant crescent roll and she just poured the brown sugar on and then sprinkled cinnamon.  Judges are always talking about getting the same taste in every bite, yet with the way the cinnamon/sugar was done, there would be some bites with no cinnamon in them.  The cinnamon and brown sugar should have been mixed together and then sprinkled evenly over the dough. And there was no butter in the icing.

These judges are really annoying me with their stupid comments.  Telling Leanna that using dental floss was genius - that tip has been around for years.  My husband uses a bakers bench knife which works just as well. 

[blueray]

3 hours ago, nanmar33 said:

These judges are really annoying me with their stupid comments.  Telling Leanna that using dental floss was genius - that tip has been around for years.  My husband uses a bakers bench knife which works just as well. 

I was confused by this too. As I could have sworn I've seen this used on the British Bake off, so not very new.

[Mondrianyone]

It's way older than the British Baking Show. I've been doing it for decades. I don't know what rock these judges have been hiding under.

[potatoradio]

Graham: "I can really tell that you cooked this with a smile." 

Seriously? You're a freaking chef and THIS is your comment? Shut up. 

How fragile do they think these people are? Don't they deserve even the respect of some honest feedback instead of the magnetic poetry kit of most generic, meaningless bromides the judges must apparently use to script their comments? Tiffany is so wasted here. 

And for all their Food Network inspired "tell me the stor-eee....it's all about the stor-eeeeee," I can't recall a single story behind any of the recipes except "my [insert relative here] made this" or "we make this every [special occasion]." Blerrrrrggggh.

That said, I liked the detail about the coucou stick and how (blanking on the contestant's name) she tried to buy one and her mom told her nobody buys them because they are made in the family. Also liked Salmah's explanation that her recipes usually involve an entire kitchen of women cooking together. I also want to make just about every one of her bread recipes. 

Also appreciated that somehow they didn't line up so that Brad would have to cook a non-kosher dish and Salmah would have to cook pork. I do appreciate the avoidance of that needless drama.

But still. Come on, show. 

Edited July 25, 2023 by potatoradio
Big diff between would and wouldn't. Oops.

[MBayGal]

13 hours ago, potatoradio said:

How fragile do they think these people are? Don't they deserve even the respect of some honest feedback instead of the magnetic poetry kit of most generic, meaningless bromides the judges must apparently use to script their comments?

"the magnetic poetry kit of most generic meaningless bromides...." Made My Day!!  you sound like an out-of-work tv comedy writer😊😊

[milkyaqua]

So I guess next week we'll find out who the finalists are.  Which will be good, I guess.  I still wish this show would follow a traditional cooking competition show instead of all of these random dishes.  Between the judges and all of their, I can feel your soul and all of the crying contestants, it's overkill.  They could tweak this show without much effort.

[nanmar33]

Now, every recipe made is getting rave reviews. 

Although what Salma made looked good, the judges didn't know what it was.  How could they know if it was made well or not?  Maybe it's supposed to be dense and hers was airy or vice versa.  You can't tell her she did a great job if you don't know how it is supposed to turn out. 

And what was up with Kehla talking about herself in the third person?  

 

[dleighg]

48 minutes ago, nanmar33 said:

Now, every recipe made is getting rave reviews

Maybe that's so the judges can pat themselves on the back for "how much these home cooks are learning and growing from our awesome critiques."

[Rammchick]

20 hours ago, dleighg said:

Maybe that's so the judges can pat themselves on the back for "how much these home cooks are learning and growing from our awesome critiques."

If no one's being eliminated, I'd like to see the judges actually teaching them something, instead of this learning by "osmosis."

Edited July 27, 2023 by Rammchick

[nanmar33]

On 7/11/2023 at 8:19 AM, dleighg said:

Why is Leah Cohen wearing a 1970s bridesmaid dress?

"Canned Ham." I guess she was not allowed to say SPAM.

 

Yep, cannot mention brand names on tv - it's considered either an endorsement and/or free advertising.  It's why on game shows the contestants never say the company they work for.  Although, saying I work for a large software company in Washington State kind of gives it away. 😃  Although I have seen exceptions when the contestant works for a university or sometimes a non-profit.

[Leeds]

On 7/18/2023 at 5:40 PM, chicagofan said:

I still like watching, but this vague theming is ridiculous. We've got rack of lamb vs. fish cakes vs. breakfast cups vs. soup vs. sweet pudding in one round and cinnamon rolls vs. sweet potatoes vs. stuffing vs. meatballs vs. donuts in another. Yes, they're looking at how well something is cooked/ baked, but when they're judging something they've never heard of or tasted before how can they judge the preparation or execution?

At least Graham lost the "aloha" this week.

I just watched the recipe swap episode: unfortuately "aloha" was back.

So for the final I'm putting my money on Brad and Salma and somebody else (!), with Brad for the win.

[chicagofan]

"Prepare a dish that saved your life". Gag me! Just saw a promo for the upcoming episode which is the last one before the final. Let the sob stories begin.

[Yeah No]

Did anyone catch "America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation" last December?  I just found it on Freevee and watched the first few minutes of episode 1 and it looks pretty good - better than this.  I think I'll stick with it.

[buttersister]

Is it a bad sign I forgot this was airing tonight. 😏

[MBayGal]

They asked for Life Changing Recipes.  What they got was "This is the dish that made me change [my approach to cooking] or [my appreciation for xxx cuisine]". Life changing? I expected something like "This is the dish that made my MIL stop hating me." or "I served this to someone and they agreed to be my husband's kidney donor." Life Changing!

[Mondrianyone]

Well, Leanna was certainly a surprise. She seemed to be in the bottom more often than not. I came away with the feeling that the finalists were ethnically and otherwise curated for a balance that would make everyone feel good. I don't think I'll be back for another season if there is one.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Mondrianyone
Because a finalist isn't a winner. Yet.

[dleighg]

Just now, Mondrianyone said:

Leanna

was she the one from Hawaii? Yeah, this show bored me

[Mondrianyone]

No, she was from Queens. Of Guyanese heritage, I think. Relle was the Hawaiian, and she was on top in several challenges. I didn't like her, but the judges seemed to like her food more than Leanna's.

Bored me, too. And the prize for all this work is extremely underwhelming.

[Rammchick]

4 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

And the prize for all this work is extremely underwhelming.

It's similar to the Great British Baking Show, in which you don't really win anything (although some of the winners have gone on to have culinary careers, so the value of the prize is debatable 😏)

Leanna?! Really?  When Relle outright won 2 challenges?  I hate to be that person but it looked like the fix was in when Tiffany piped up for her during their discussion.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Rammchick

[milkyaqua]

Yes, also color me surprised Leanna is in the final since I was pretty sure it would be Relle (even if Relle annoyed me).  Brad or Salma for the win but they really, really, really need to change the format of this show if they have another season.  All these vague, "make a recipe that made your spouse fall in love with you" challenges suck and serve no purpose in showing us which cook is actually more technically proficient or imaginative.

Do better show.

[Salacious Kitty]

Leanna isn't top 3 material. Not sure who I would put in her place, Khela maybe? But Leanna seemed to be middle-bottom of the pack.  

[Mondrianyone]

23 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

It's similar to the Great British Baking Show, in which you don't really win anything (although some of the winners have gone on to have culinary careers, so the value of the prize is debatable 😏)

Somehow I don't see these contestants being able to monetize the win the way they do on the GBBO. They're not nearly as engaging, and the challenges are so vague that there's nothing for viewers to hook onto. You don't even have to win the GBBO to make money off being a contestant.

I didn't watch the previous season of this. Did the winner of that one manage to make a career out of it?

[Rammchick]

3 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Somehow I don't see these contestants being able to monetize the win the way they do on the GBBO. They're not nearly as engaging, and the challenges are so vague that there's nothing for viewers to hook onto. You don't even have to win the GBBO to make money off being a contestant.

I didn't watch the previous season of this. Did the winner of that one manage to make a career out of it?

Not that I know of.  And I agree, I doubt this one leads to anything.  I didn't really mean that it would, only that it's similar to GBBO in that winners don't win...anything 😉

[Mondrianyone]

But a lot of the GBBO bakers (not even necessarily winners) have gotten books, TV shows, businesses out of their participation. So they know that's a real possibility, which makes it worth the effort. The GBBO hosts and judges are a major asset toward that end, helping to bring out the best in the contestants, so viewers get to know them and like them and have an accurate idea of how good they are at what they're doing. Can't say that's gonna happen here. The notion that it's a good idea to keep all scoring secret is beyond me (unless the scoring doesn't really figure into the final choice, which I strongly suspect after last night).

I'm not saying I think money should always be the goal. It's just that this show is so . . . dreary and pointless that you have to wonder why do it at all?

[chicagofan]

10 hours ago, dleighg said:

Leanna - was she the one from Hawaii? Yeah, this show bored me

 

10 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

No, she was from Queens. Of Guyanese heritage, I think. Relle was the Hawaiian, and she was on top in several challenges. I didn't like her, but the judges seemed to like her food more than Leanna's.

Salmah was the contestant with the Guyanese heritage. She is my favorite contestant and I think she is more than qualified to be in the final.

Leanna has Caribbean roots, but she is from Atlanta and her cooking has a twist of "Southern Comfort". I'm not sure who should have been the third contestant in the final along with Salmah and Brad, but I don't think it should have been Leanna.

Edited August 2, 2023 by chicagofan

[2soon2tell]

So, the judging. You can’t judge something when you don’t know what it is supposed to be like. A steamed slider is not supposed to have char, or crust, or anything crunchy or crust like. It is supposed to be soft. Soft bun, soft onions, soft patty. I’m not sure why I keep watching this. Its incompetence drives me nuts.

[Mondrianyone]

1 hour ago, chicagofan said:

Salmah was the contestant with the Guyanese heritage.

Yes, you're right. I got their details switched.

[Yeah No]

On 7/31/2023 at 10:20 PM, Yeah No said:

Did anyone catch "America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation" last December?  I just found it on Freevee and watched the first few minutes of episode 1 and it looks pretty good - better than this.  I think I'll stick with it.

So cue crickets.....I just watched the first episode of "ATK: The Next Generation" - It's a cooking competition with all the hosts of ATK (minus Bridget) presumably to find a new member for the test kitchen and the show.  I just watched the first episode and I think it's better than this show.  I recommend it to anyone who is finding this show lacking.  I've recorded this show but after the first couple of episodes this season I haven't watched the rest of it based on what I'm reading here.

Also, I'm not finding a thread for the ATK competition, which is interesting.  I also wonder why they didn't air it on PBS.  

[Guest]

I was kinda rooting for Maria to be the third finalist, even if it wasn't likely. I just liked her vibe and thought her food looked good.

[chicagofan]

Finally watched the latest episode. While I agree that Salmah and Brad should be finalists, I saw absolutely nothing warranting Leanna's inclusion. Don't remember her being top tier in previous episodes either. Looks like this non-elimination "judging" was just an excuse for them to keep everyone around and then put whoever they wanted in the final.

Salmah for the win!!!

[Leeds]

On 8/1/2023 at 10:01 AM, Salacious Kitty said:

Leanna isn't top 3 material. Not sure who I would put in her place, Khela maybe? But Leanna seemed to be middle-bottom of the pack.  

In all honesty, I don't think there were a top three, just a top two and a bunch of interchangeable others.  (A couple of weeks ago I predicted it would be Brad, Salmah, and "someone".)

[Salacious Kitty]

9 minutes ago, Leeds said:

In all honesty, I don't think there were a top three, just a top two and a bunch of interchangeable others.  (A couple of weeks ago I predicted it would be Brad, Salmah, and "someone".)

Those two certainly separated themselves from the rest of the pack very early on. 

[nanmar33]

On 7/26/2023 at 2:07 PM, dleighg said:

Maybe that's so the judges can pat themselves on the back for "how much these home cooks are learning and growing from our awesome critiques."

Leah actually said about one contestant how she listened to their critiques and has improved so much!

 

On 8/1/2023 at 1:01 PM, Salacious Kitty said:

Leanna isn't top 3 material. Not sure who I would put in her place, Khela maybe? But Leanna seemed to be middle-bottom of the pack.  

I think Abby or Relle, they both had a few wins and were consistent.

[nanmar33]

I knew Leanna was going to make it to the final because all during the show when they showed the contestants interviews away from cooking she kept mentioning how she really wanted to make the final and how she had to up her game to make the final, etc.  It was obvious she was going to make it, but other were more deserved.

[blueray]

I was surprised and confused on why Leanna was picked. I don't recall her ever winning and Rell (sp) was toward the top usually and won twice. I thought it would be Rell (the Hawaiian one), Brad and Solma.

Though I thought Kela was the most improved.

[buttersister]

Two of three were predictable, based on the season’s placements. I didn’t keep a scorecard, but by my sense was Leanna, was a surprise. I wanted to try a lot of her dishes, so, whatever. I think the judges are looking to give it to Salmah. All of the finalists can send me their recipes. 
 

In the previews, when I hear Brad say that it’s been an honor (to be in the final), I hear runner-up edit.

[Yeah No]

I just wanted to say that I've watched more of that competition "America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation" and it's soooooo much better than this that I have to post again about it.  The contestants are more likable and capable, and the challenges very creative and well thought out and it's a real competition with believable judging and someone sent home every week (except week 1).  In just about every way it's better than this show.  It's on FreeVee, which is free, and Amazon Prime Video for free, so I'm pretty sure it's available to anyone that wants to see it.

[Salacious Kitty]

Of course they're more capable; they're real chefs. ATK doesn't hire home cooks. 

[dleighg]

14 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Of course they're more capable; they're real chefs. ATK doesn't hire home cooks

But these are NOT chefs. They ARE home cooks. Now I am very skeptical that anyone is actually going to get hired for a permanent job, rather than a few episodes a year or something like that, given that for almost all of them a relocation would be involved. I was kind of surprised to see Peter Cardoz, son of the late great Floyd Cardoz, there. Interestingly, at least in the first episode, his excellent genes (and presumably nurture as well) didn't help him one bit.

I started a topic for it: 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by dleighg

[Salacious Kitty]

Oh okay. I just assumed they were pros like the current staff. 

As for this show, I will be the outlier and root for Brad. 

[Leeds]

6 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Oh okay. I just assumed they were pros like the current staff. 

As for this show, I will be the outlier and root for Brad. 

I'm pretty sure you're not an outlier!  I've been rooting for him since the first episode and I'm guessing there are others.

I really like Salmah too and I'm rooting for her for 2nd 😄

[buttersister]

Still rooting for Brad, just thinking Salmah’s getting the winner’s edit. But since they didn’t exile a cook a week, maybe the editors aren’t refugees from TC. 😉

ETA to ask what’s going on—isn’t the final supposed to be airing now? Chicago PBS is showing Puppy School, from 2019?! 

Edited August 8, 2023 by buttersister

[Leeds]

15 minutes ago, buttersister said:

Still rooting for Brad, just thinking Salmah’s getting the winner’s edit. But since they didn’t exile a cook a week, maybe the editors aren’t refugees from TC. 😉

ETA to ask what’s going on—isn’t the final supposed to be airing now? Chicago PBS is showing Puppy School, from 2019?! 

My schedule shows it playing tonight at 10pm (Pacific Time).  No puppies in sight, but that certainly doesn't guarantee that they won't turn up.

Edited August 8, 2023 by Leeds

[buttersister]

Perplexed because I’d set a recording and it’s not there. Oh well, someone will post soon.