S21.E01: Chef's Test

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I was less offended by David’s hat and glasses look and more peeved by his incessant use of the word “sexy.”

Ugh, yes, about a long (for the short amount of time we saw him) list of things, none of which were sexy.

[buttersister]

Quote

 I will miss her sad, heartfelt PYKAG's.  So far Kristin's was a little cold by comparison

I feel confident saying Padma would not have given this week's knife packer any sort of sad or heartfelt boot.

[mlp]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I will miss her sad, heartfelt PYKAG's.  So far Kristin's was a little cold by comparison.

I rather doubt she had any warm fuzzy feelings for hat guy.  I sure didn't.

[violet and green]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I was a little unsure about how I'd like Kristin in her role as host but so far I think she's doing fine.  I am sorry to hear that so many won't miss Padma.  I will.  She was the face of the show going back 18 years.  I will miss her sad, heartfelt PYKAG's.  So far Kristin's was a little cold by comparison. 

I miss Padma. She embodied warmth. I don't think Kristin has such an empathetic nature. She always struck me as cold and clinical and precise.

I felt sorry for hat guy going out first, as he came from an interesting perspective in his cooking, but that was a bit revolting to watch in the reverse quickfire final three cookoff. That level of chaos needed to be behind closed doors!

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, violet and green said:

I miss Padma. She embodied warmth. I don't think Kristin has such an empathetic nature. She always struck me as cold and clinical and precise.

Thank you.  I was trying to find a way to put into words how I feel about Kristin without putting her down and you just nailed it for me.  There are things I like about her for sure but I have found it a little hard to warm up to her and I'm sure this is why.  Padma does embody and radiate warmth and I will miss her for that.

I also liked Padma's dynamics with Gail and Tom.  I'm not sure how I feel about Kristin's dynamics with either of them yet, although I haven't felt anything negative so far.

[HappyDancex2]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Yes, prepare as if you're going to be on TV, competing for your professional reputation, and go with a variety of dishes.  Certainly have some that will probably be featured because of the location and resources, and plan a four or five course meal for the finale.   Have at least a couple of desserts you can make well, and look good.   

So many come in unprepared, and I don't understand that.    

Agreed a zillion percent.  Not to mention this show is formulaic in it’s challenges in you have shop time, couple hours of prep time and then finishing the next day.  You will cook and serve for the masses.  You need to have technique driven ideas that are flexible enough to make a dish shine no matter the curveball.

i think the hardest urge to fight is the need to impress the judges with something they haven’t seen before.  The bbq pit master chef who won and chef Hat both proclaimed their disdain for making pasta.  But the winner decided to make what she knew and make it well…versus Chef Trash Again decided to make a potato cake with offal marscapone Calabrian chili sexy ragu and a bunch of dots cuz Pasta Ain’t Mah Thing.

[seacliffsal]

I had forgotten how much I liked Kristen (I don't watch all the other shows mentioned which featured her).  I thought the host transition was seemless.  I am so glad that David was sent packing.  Too many contestants on reality shows seem to be going for camera time rather than cooking/playing/strategizing (depending on the reality show).  He went way overboard trying to get camera time (and never mock/criticize the judges!).  I was a bit nervous thinking about future team challenges and that he would hurt whatever team he was on by not having a plan and rather just 'throwing' things together).  I am so glad that the other chefs won't be burdened by him moving forward.  I think he way overestimated how charming and 'sexy' he was.

So far I liked several contestants-especially Michelle (?) winner of the pasta round.  But, as always, I may change my opinion as we move forward and some of them reveal more of themselves.  Glad the show is back!

[MerBearHou]

I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Kristen as host, right out of the gate.  Padma has huge shoes to fill, but Kristen seems so comfortable making the host position in her own way.  Kristen is poised and articulate and I like her manner of speaking, and she can have a bit of fun when the time is right.  

In that final three cook, I swear I thought David was auditioning for Cook Comedy Show.  He would not stop talking and kidding around.  I am sure it’s his way of dealing with nerves, but it was just so wrong and out of place.  I can only imagine how much the other two chefs wanted him to stop the distractions, especially when the stakes were high and their cook time was so short.  Shut up, David with your dumb, not-sexy-hat!!

[susannot]

BBQ pit chef (Michelle?)  didn't really express disdain for pasta.  I think she said she hadn't made any in about 6 years.  But she rose to the occasion!  Unlike not-sexy offal chef who thought he could skate by proclaiming that pasta was just not his thing.  What did he expect the judges to say?  "Oh, well, pasta is just not your thing.  You're excused!  On to the next round!"

Edited March 23 by susannot

[essexjan]

I like the new format, with the winning chef gaining immunity in the next elimination challenge, which is the Project Runway formula that's worked well for years.

I agree with everyone that, if you know you're coming on the show, you prepare. Even though each Whole Foods store will have a different layout, you'd think the chefs would familiarise themselves with the products and in which sections different ingredients are found. And also practice unfamiliar techniques that turn up every season - pasta, desserts, leftovers, using different spice blends, etc.

David was very annoying and, in a challenge involving using leftovers, given his restaurant specialises in using waste food, you'd think he'd have nailed it. Glad he didn't.

I thought Kristin nailed it, and it was good that they chose someone to replace Padma who already has a history with the show, and good charisma with Tom and Gail.

Overall, a very good start.

[LennieBriscoe]

I never, ever liked Padma and her affectless face and voice, not to mention what I perceived as her thinking of herself as hot. 

It's okay to say "Married At First Sight" here (dude with hat on in bed). I'd wager there's a significant overlap of fans!

I knew Pozole Guy was going to win it all when he said he cooks from the heart. 

 

 

[mlp]

1 hour ago, LennieBriscoe said:

I never, ever liked Padma and her affectless face and voice, not to mention what I perceived as her thinking of herself as hot. 

That's pretty much how I always saw her.  I thought of her as a beauiful ice princess with a very high opinion of herself.  The only time I thought she seemed warm and empathetic was when she rallied around Fatima.  I don't see Kristen as a warm and fuzzy type either (neither am I) but she seems genuine.

[gorgy]

I miss Padma, but it might be more so a loss of familiarity. Personally, it felt a little first date clunkiness with Kristen, but I expect her rapport with Tom and Gayle will improve quickly in time. 

There's too many people for me to formulate a strong opinion for any of them (except for the hat guy and the witch)

I'm picking the pitmaster as the winner. It's an outside pick, but I like her, and that's enough for me right now.

Edited March 24 by gorgy

[HappyDancex2]

Paul Bartolotta was a delightful and super charming judge.  He has a twinkle in his eye and a jovial yet professional presence.  I loved his edit.  He seemed kind and lighthearted towards the cheftestants in a way that was pleasing to me.  Normally the judges wow me with their knowledge and perspectives and for the most part have that Gotta put on my Judge hat (no pun intended) that can dampen the twinkle.  Wouldn’t mind seeing Paul back for the finale!  I’m interested in his restaurants now.

If anyone rewatches, on the 3 chef cook off when Tom asks Chef TrashAgain what he found in the wax wrap he says “fucking shrimp Tom” and Paul mouths “fucking shrimp” and laughs.  Don’t know why that cracked me up.  I’m easily amused.

[Bastet]

17 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

If anyone rewatches, on the 3 chef cook off when Tom asks Chef TrashAgain what he found in the wax wrap he says “fucking shrimp Tom” and Paul mouths “fucking shrimp” and laughs.  Don’t know why that cracked me up.  I’m easily amused.

I like when Tom repeated that it's shrimp and Kristen corrected him, "No, Tom, it's fucking shrimp."

[dleighg]

all I could think re: the shrimp is that deveining is a PITA, and with a 20 minute time limit, horrible.

[Rai]

I found Kristin's chopping of Hat Guy no colder than how Padma did it, particularly in the earlier seasons. There was a time -- many a time -- when Padma was criticized for being too aloof, too robotic, too unkind, whatever, and she really had to push herself to sound more expressive. I liked Padma a lot and as someone who is also reserved and monotoned, I felt for her on those grounds. But I think there may be some rosy hindsight in comparing Kristin to Padma. And I thought Kristin was pretty straightforward, not cold. I do think she's got room to grow though in how she interacts with both the chefs and the judges.

[carrps]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I like when Tom repeated that it's shrimp and Kristen corrected him, "No, Tom, it's fucking shrimp."

On Dish with Kish, Stephanie Izard said she was showing her son some of her season, and he said "Mommy, you said the F word."

[marybennet]

I felt good about Kristen and, though anyone hosting is assuming a persona, I found hers warmer and more genuine than Padma’s.  I liked Padma but she felt a little too at-home—in the way beautiful people often are—in an I-am-to-be-pleased mode. 
 

I thought Kristen needed to work on including the guest judges a bit more. 
 

I thought a great moment was when Tom asked how long pasta team had been working and Kristen, intuiting what he meant, asked if that was because hat guy should have been long finished rolling out his pasta. Her unique appeal as host is going to be her knowledge of the habits and practices of the kitchen. 

[ML89]

So happy to see the back of Hat Guy. Him criticizing Tom's hat game while wearing that trash looking cowboy hat and then whatever dirty hat that was in the elimination round was something. And wasn't he the one calling everyone babe or baby? Ugh.

Rooting for Michelle the pitmaster/stealth pasta expert.

[heatherchandler]

Am I the only one who didn’t mind hat guy?  I was kind of rooting for him.  I like his restaurant’s concept.  I knew he was a goner just by Tom’s reaction.

Love Kristin Kish!!  Love her show Restaurants at the end of the world.  I was just wondering if that was renewed.

[meep.meep]

19 hours ago, essexjan said:

I agree with everyone that, if you know you're coming on the show, you prepare. Even though each Whole Foods store will have a different layout, you'd think the chefs would familiarise themselves with the products and in which sections different ingredients are found. And also practice unfamiliar techniques that turn up every season - pasta, desserts, leftovers, using different spice blends, etc.

I think it's difficult to know what to practice.  In a season set in Wisconsin, wouldn't you expect challenges based on cheese, bratwurst, certain ethnic cuisines - but not stuffed pasta, soup, or roast chicken?  In Top Chef France they don't have to shop for themselves, so Kevin is at a disadvantage there.

This season the judges are going to taste at the Quickfires as well as the Elimination challenges.  Only Padma tasted the Quickfires up to now and had to lose weight by the end.  Gail, in particular, looked poured into her clothes this episode.  Will she be in caftans by the end of the season?

[stewedsquash]

19 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

I never, ever liked Padma and her affectless face and voice, not to mention what I perceived as her thinking of herself as hot. 

It's okay to say "Married At First Sight" here (dude with hat on in bed). I'd wager there's a significant overlap of fans!

I knew Pozole Guy was going to win it all when he said he cooks from the heart. 

 

 

I wanted to give you a laugh for the last remark. I cook from love is right up there with sob stories on my eye roll scale. 

 I like Padma on a general level and also because I think she is in on the joke (sexy, the fear of  her Indian food palate, etc) but I do agree with your assessment of her and feel the same way. She and Gail are snobs and to relate it to food, I don’t think Padma  or Gail would venture into normal places for food featured on the show or in real life unless it is under controlled circumstances, like filming. There is no(!) way Gail would ever go to that rough and tumble neighborhood ethnic place featured on the Portland? Seattle? season or any place like it anywhere unless it was for filming. 
 

 

[stewedsquash]

19 hours ago, gorgy said:

 

I'm picking the pitmaster as the winner. It's an outside pick, but I like her, and that's enough for me right now.

I also found myself gravitating towards her! While I am burned out on pitmasters, I think (hope?) she is not going to rely on that as an excuse not to win challenges. I think she should have won this challenge and I had no interest in eating any of the other two top three dishes.

[Ellee]

4 hours ago, ML89 said:

Snip 

Rooting for Michelle the pitmaster/stealth pasta expert.

I liked Michelle too along with the 3 best soup guys.  
 

Actually look forward to seeing all the contestants’ personalities/abilities develop. 

[stewedsquash]

5 hours ago, ML89 said:

Rooting for Michelle the pitmaster/stealth pasta expert.

 

4 minutes ago, Ellee said:

I liked Michelle too along with the 3 best soup guys.  
 

Actually look forward to seeing all the contestants’ personalities/abilities develop. 

Glad to see several of us liking Michelle. I do hope she goes far and doesn’t have to do LCK to get back in. 
 

Also, I forgot about the soup guy when I said I wasn’t interested in the soups! Wasn’t the top three soup guy in the final three ( soup pasta chicken) the one who had issues with his chicken cooking to temperature? I feel like that was heavily edited about how much time he really had left when he was panicking. 
Also to the poster who said the guy left off his chicken thighs because it was raw and not that he “forgot to put it on” Yes! I saw that rawness also!

 

Edited March 24 by stewedsquash
catching up and editing as I go is not good for posting lol

[Ellee]

@stewedsquash 

Too early to tell what is ‘real vs TC manipulated’ but I like to read what others see/think here. For some reason I instantly thought ‘we don’t know if that was his dark chicken’.  
 

Maybe I watch too many cooking shows. 

[stewedsquash]

I am loopy nm

Edited March 24 by stewedsquash

[hula-la]

I knew that I had heard of hat guy’s restaurant. It was featured in either Food and Wine or Bon Appétit magazine (can’t find the article now). I can’t remember how he came across in the article, though. 

[caitmcg]

6 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Also, I forgot about the soup guy when I said I wasn’t interested in the soups! Wasn’t the top three soup guy in the final three ( soup pasta chicken) the one who had issues with his chicken cooking to temperature? I feel like that was heavily edited about how much time he really had left when he was panicking. 

No, the one whose chicken wasn't cooking fast enough was in the roast chicken group, and ironically, he ended up being the top in his group (they loved his sauce and said his chicken was perfectly done).

[stewedsquash]

@caitmcg  oh yes, I remember it now. So I guess I am back to my original thought that I did indeed not like any of the soup offerings. Sorry French guy who did win immunity for soup, I am not into you yet.

This was a pretty straight forward easy to understand episode even with the changes so I don’t know why I have it all confused when remembering. 
 

One more confusion and then I am done. French guy. How is it that he has done the French version and now the American version? I get that last year was international contestants. But for the countries that have their own version can others compete? If French guy lives in France could he have gone to Brazil this year to compete there? Or does he live in the US now and that’s why he can compete in the US version this year? Dual citizenship? Could Kwame decide to go to France and compete in the French version? I don’t have a problem with it I just don’t recall it happening before.

[ProudMary]

25 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

One more confusion and then I am done. French guy. How is it that he has done the French version and now the American version? I get that last year was international contestants. But for the countries that have their own version can others compete? If French guy lives in France could he have gone to Brazil this year to compete there? Or does he live in the US now and that’s why he can compete in the US version this year? Dual citizenship? Could Kwame decide to go to France and compete in the French version? I don’t have a problem with it I just don’t recall it happening before.

He is the chef/owner of a restaurant in Austin, TX, so he now lives in the US. When he competed in Top Chef France, he was living and working in France.

I have no problem with him competing here this season.

[caitmcg]

39 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Sorry French guy who did win immunity for soup, I am not into you yet.

That's Mexican guy – and Colorado resident, I think – who won immunity for soup (posole, a Mexican soup).

[bravofan27]

I was pretty sure David Murphy was heading home right away given just how clearly out of his league he was. Everyone worked with such focus and detail and precision, and he was just so sloppy. Watching him slop his dough together and roll and cut it, was painful. It's like he knew it was terrible and he just gave up altogether. Maybe he was banking on his "fun" eclectic personality and image to carry him through a few challenges. I actually didn't mind his personality that much, but his constant needling of Tom and the show-- saying Tom's hat game was "awg" and that he hates pasta, was probably not the best move. Especially if you hope to stick around because the judges like you.

Kristin is doing awesome! She's really letting the judges shine and seems to really enjoy being there. I sort of wonder if Padma is more taking a break because she didn't want to hang out in Wisconsin. I think she may be back. Maybe she'll even make some guest appearances this season.

Does anyone know who some of the guest judges will be? 

[stewedsquash]

Oh jeeze. I guess I am just not able to remember who is who/names to faces/contestants backstories  for this episode yet! @ProudMary @caitmcg

I don’t have a problem with the soup winner competing, like I said in my post. I was confused on how it worked competing in different versions. I couldn’t remember his name so called him French guy for competing there. 

 

Edited March 25 by stewedsquash
@ mentions

[Bastet]

On 3/21/2024 at 6:37 AM, Rammchick said:

Where have we seen Kaleena Bliss before?  She's very familiar.

To add to the list, I just watched her on the latest episode of Beat Bobby Flay. 

Spoiler

(Which she won.)

 

[seltzer3]

Just watched the episode and had a couple  of thoughts.

-Really shocked that no one in the roast chicken group spatchcocked their chicken (where you remove the backbone and flatten the chicken).  It roasts a lot quicker since the backbone is gone.  Or was that not allowed, because that wouldn't count?

-Kristen I thought was a pretty good host.

-Thought the challenge was kind of uneven.  I think soup is hands down the easiest (because you can adjust as you go).  The other two is a lot more challenging, because you can't really know until the end.

-The first guy should have gone home even if they didn't do a cookoff.  Dishes like his pisses me off, when you have this tiny piece of whatever, and then 90% is just sauces.

[ProudMary]

51 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Oh jeeze. I guess I am just not able to remember who is who/names to faces/contestants backstories  for this episode yet! @ProudMary @caitmcg

I don’t have a problem with the soup winner competing, like I said in my post. I was confused on how it worked competing in different versions. I couldn’t remember his name so called him French guy for competing there. 

 

The soup winner is not the French guy. Let me help you out a little:

Here is the French guy, Kévin D'Andrea.

Here is the cheftestant that won for his yummy-looking soup, Manny Barella.

[stewedsquash]

That helps. Another part of my confusion I think comes from Kévin Kenny Danny Manny. Plus Kévin and Manny have similar looks. 
Y’all can give a big sigh of relief. I am tapping out on discussing this episode. I dislike myself for becoming that poster, ha. Thank you all for clearing up things for me!

I am doing to be diligent in getting to know who is who Wednesday.

[oldCJ]

Excited to have a new season and in a totally new city. Paul Bartolotta made sense as a guest judge since he was integral in getting the show to film in his city. But what’s interesting is most of his career has been outside Wisconsin while his brother took care of the restaurants until Paul’s return less than ten years ago. His brother passed away a few years later and now Paul is the face of the Bartolotta group. 

I loved that two of the three top dishes were surprises. Michelle, the pit master, saying she hasn’t made pasta in years and 72 degree chicken guy whose name I can’t remember. 

The local chef Dan, who I remember being on Beat Bobby Flay,  was getting on my nerves at first. Then hat guy was so bad that I forgot about annoying Dan and his flouncing on the meat case begging favors from the Whole Foods butchers.

I am having a hard time remembering a more obnoxious chef than hat guy. The following is a brief litany of why he is awful.

His Halloween costume-looking hat choice and then the chutzpah to insult Tom, a bald man who needs to protect his scalp from the sun, for his hats. He didn’t mock Kristen’s fear of sleeves or Gail’s sometimes questionable dress choices.

The pint of salt he poured into his pot only to be surprised to discover the food was so salty that it had to be rinsed in the sink. Still cackling over the judge’s snark on that one.

Him making liver and insisting on calling it offal despite every other cheftestant in Top Chef history calling it liver since it is a very common food used for paté, fois gras, chopped liver, and in many other cultures. He wasn’t using something uncommon or that otherwise gets tossed out. Liver is the thing that kept Sara from winning Top Chef All Stars and the source of one of the earliest most iconic mistakes back in season two when Ilan used it with chocolate much to the disgust of Eric Ripert, etc. But hat man prides himself on using waste foods but chose the one organ that is not something most people in the culinary scene shy away from like other variety meats. 

His time management was appalling, hand rolling out his pasta with little time to spare, his amateur chopping skills were amateur, his use of the word sexy, his accusing another chef of theft because he wanted an item she picked up first. 

I assume he thought he was bringing the drama that the producers love. But instead he came off as a total wanker. /rant 

The discussions on here about Kévin are so funny because who would have thought a generation of French kids would be named after Dances with Wolves’ Kevin Costner or Macaulay Culkin’s Home Alone character. Would have been more fun if they spelled it the original Irish way, Caoimhín. 

6 hours ago, seltzer3 said:

Really shocked that no one in the roast chicken group spatchcocked their chicken

I assume they didn’t have any space to do so with the tiny ovens they were given. Few things would be more Milwaukee than beer but roasting a chicken on a beer can wasn’t possible either unfortunately.  

Edited March 25 by oldCJ

[vibeology]

On 3/21/2024 at 2:38 PM, meep.meep said:

Not everyone is good at the game. Or at TV.

This. Being a great chef and being a great Top Chef contestant are two very different things. As much as the Hat annoyed me, I'm sure he's a great chef.

On 3/21/2024 at 9:56 PM, PhoneCop said:

Maybe it was meant in a sabotage-y way? Don't interrupt your competition when they're making a mistake, and all that. "Yeah, cool out-of-the-box thinking, bro, you roll with that. Sounds sexy."

I tend to think both of them just were not confident in their ability to roll out the pasta dough to the right thickness for something like a raviolo. Stuffed gnocchi is going to be a bit more forgiving.

On 3/23/2024 at 1:02 AM, Yeah No said:

I also liked Padma's dynamics with Gail and Tom.  I'm not sure how I feel about Kristin's dynamics with either of them yet, although I haven't felt anything negative so far.

Padma didn't have that at the start. I did a whole Top Chef rewatch this year and while Padma was an improvement in season 2, she was still a little awkward. She took a few seasons to really have a bond with Tom that was visible on camera. Kristin will get there. And probably a bit faster because she already knows the other judges and the show itself is a well-oiled machine at this point. When Padma joined, the show was still figuring itself out.

[Yeah No]

15 minutes ago, vibeology said:

Padma didn't have that at the start. I did a whole Top Chef rewatch this year and while Padma was an improvement in season 2, she was still a little awkward. She took a few seasons to really have a bond with Tom that was visible on camera. Kristin will get there. And probably a bit faster because she already knows the other judges and the show itself is a well-oiled machine at this point. When Padma joined, the show was still figuring itself out.

Thanks to you and whoever else pointed this out but I am well aware of that and did allow for that in my post about this when I said the following:

Quote

So far Kristin's was a little cold by comparison.  But it's her first day, I have hopes that she'll get better at that.

Also, my opinions about both Kristin and Padma have been formed by watching both of them not only on this show but in other situations when just being "themselves", and I still feel that Padma has the edge in the warmth department overall.  YMMV.  That's OK, not everyone I like is warm and fuzzy!

I'm also a little concerned about how people have lined up to bash Padma after she's gone.  I don't remember people bashing Padma so much when she was on the show.  In fact I thought most people defended her.  Go figure.

[stewedsquash]

I am not getting a sense of lining up to bash. Padma has always had a following of like her, like/dislike her, dislike her, and it has always been discussed. She is a complicated woman and is many things to different posters. 
The first episode without her and with a new host is going to rate a passing of the torch line of discussion about both hosts.

[seltzer3]

4 hours ago, vibeology said:

This. Being a great chef and being a great Top Chef contestant are two very different things. As much as the Hat annoyed me, I'm sure he's a great chef.

I tend to think both of them just were not confident in their ability to roll out the pasta dough to the right thickness for something like a raviolo. Stuffed gnocchi is going to be a bit more forgiving.

Padma didn't have that at the start. I did a whole Top Chef rewatch this year and while Padma was an improvement in season 2, she was still a little awkward. She took a few seasons to really have a bond with Tom that was visible on camera. Kristin will get there. And probably a bit faster because she already knows the other judges and the show itself is a well-oiled machine at this point. When Padma joined, the show was still figuring itself out.

As much as the first guy annoyed me, I am really sympathetic to his struggles in the cook off.  Especially in the first week, when you don't know where everything is, and all those small things like finding a pot, knife etc. adds up in time.

[leocadia]

On 3/22/2024 at 8:35 AM, Rai said:

My only real critique is that it was odd to do pasta first, then soup, then chicken. I automatically think about it as a progressive thing, so I'd have thought the soup course should've gone first. It's not a flaw, just an upset of my expectations.

My take on this is that the food was ordered this way to allow extra prep time for the soup and chicken courses.  In a real dining experience the soup would be served first, but pasta can be prepared more quickly than soup.  I think developing good flavor was already a challenge in the time they had, but again to avoid undercooked chicken, it made sense to serve that last.

[seacliffsal]

1 hour ago, leocadia said:

My take on this is that the food was ordered this way to allow extra prep time for the soup and chicken courses.  In a real dining experience the soup would be served first, but pasta can be prepared more quickly than soup.  I think developing good flavor was already a challenge in the time they had, but again to avoid undercooked chicken, it made sense to serve that last.

I think they all had the same amount of cooking time as the groups were staggered entering the kitchen (so, first group was there 30 minutes before the second group and the third group came in 30 minutes after that).  Thus, the other groups seemed to have more time, but in actuality it was because the three groups did not all start at the same time.

[caitmcg]

1 hour ago, leocadia said:

My take on this is that the food was ordered this way to allow extra prep time for the soup and chicken courses

They all had the same amount of prep time, two hours. The pasta group was first in the kitchen, then after a while the soup group joined them, then chicken. 

[bravofan27]

So for this episode, it seems the "winner" is the one that can nail technique in each category. So the best pasta, the best chicken, and the best stock. For each one, someone could try to cover or emphasize something else, like the sauce or the filling, or side whatever, but I think it's really who does the basic best. I think the soup is the hardest. Here is a list I found-- pasta, roasted chicken, and soup is all on there, but for soup there are LOTS of types. https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/classics-master

[Yeah No]

22 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I am not getting a sense of lining up to bash. Padma has always had a following of like her, like/dislike her, dislike her, and it has always been discussed. She is a complicated woman and is many things to different posters. 
The first episode without her and with a new host is going to rate a passing of the torch line of discussion about both hosts.

I was specifically responding to these and other similar comments:

Quote

"a beauiful ice princess with a very high opinion of herself"

"Gail and Padma are food snobs"

"I never, ever liked Padma and her affectless face and voice, not to mention what I perceived as her thinking of herself as hot."

And other than seeing numerous discussions about her cleavage and choice of wardrobe I have not been aware of seeing comments like the ones above when she was on the show.  I would normally remember that.  In fact, I was surprised that the specific posters that made those comments actually had those opinions because I'd never known that about them before.  YMMV.

I don't mind a discussion about the pros and cons of the new and old host but I just feel like there's a fascination for Kristin that makes people want to find more fault with Padma just to justify it.  That's of course my suspicion, no one has to agree with  me on that.

Edited March 26 by Yeah No

[dgpolo]

23 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

have not been aware of seeing comments like the ones above when she was on the show.  I would normally remember that. 

Maybe not because just a cursory search of the forums brought up many examples for me. 'Padma remains insufferable' 'show would be vastly improved if Padma and Tom were replaced' 'Padma is just a fashion plate' etc. I'm not saying I agree, I had no strong feelings either way about her, but I definitely remember seeing anti-Padma feelings throughout the years.

I think I'll be liking Kristen as a host, she does know what the contestants are going through.