mertensia January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 At least this show makes it easy to know 4 contestants who will be kicked off before the finale so you don't have to root for them at all. You know, I wish they had the sensitivity to save any have-to-cook pork recipes until Tarik is gone. But they won't. 2 Link to comment
NikSac January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 I couldn't stop laughing when the one chef last episode kept talking about making sure his spoons would be or have "salt bombs" from here on out. I forget which chef. I am forever amused by the Chopped judges who apparently need a salt lick just to enjoy a dish, so it was funny to see it on this show too and then have one of the contestants say it. In fairness I do think this is the only cooking show I've seen where someone said a dish was <gasp> too salty, though. Link to comment
cooksdelight January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 They should have titled this episode "Vinegar or Salt, Pick Your Poison." 1 Link to comment
Wings January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 (edited) The final cook off is ridiculous. Give them the same protein but let cook by themselves. Why does this very obvious idea elude them? It is a competition between mentors. Gah! Ludo knew Jen made that chicken pot pie, I just don't see him choosing something that simple. She may have mentioned it was a favorite food of hers at some point. They stand directly behind their mentor so any whispering or rustling behind them can give it away easily. I re watched and they do stand still and remain quiet for the most part. She made big arm gestures and he may have been able to see that peripherally when he turned toward the other judges. Bourdain made a smart choice for Symon's tasting. Even I know he loves pasta, uni and eggs! Nigella. Ah, Nigella. Bad spoon choice, bad dress. Women should just wear their mic packs on the outside of their clothes. It looks stupid to see that bump knowing what it is. Edited January 2, 2015 by wings707 4 Link to comment
LakeGal January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 I have a problem when someone gets 2 red stars and doesn't have to go to the cook-off. Half the judges thought Dan was the worst yet he gets a pass. I think they just wanted someone from Anthony's team to have to cook against Ludo's team. They didn't want Natasha to get a pass so they gave it to Dan. I agree it would have been more entertaing to see Ludo competing against himself. Ludo screaming at Natasha probably helped add to her cutting her finger. I don't like that the coaches can pretty much tell them what to cook step by step. Let the cook pass or fail on their own. 2 Link to comment
ae2 January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 Natasha made vegan pesto to go with her meatball. I don't understand that! I also had to look up what vegan pesto is, and subsequently what nutritional yeast is. In previous episodes, Ludo showed a lot of disdain toward Jen, and even scoffed at her being a home cook. This episode he was batting his eyes at her. Maybe just respect for surviving two cook offs? Or something more? Either way, it was quite... strange. I was glad the medic pulled Natasha away from Ludo and from her cooking to bandage her finger. He has a job to do and they were stopping him from doing it, and he didn't let their petulance get in his way. Ludo is always super competitive, but this episode he was downright childish. He laughed and pointed at Tarik when he thought his pork was overcooked. What a jerk. 3 Link to comment
Uncle Benzene January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 You know, I wish they had the sensitivity to save any have-to-cook pork recipes until Tarik is gone. But they won't. I didn't have a problem with it. I'm not Muslim, so please pardon me and do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand it, the prohibition is only about consuming pork. And (again, do correct me if I'm wrong, but) I was paying close attention and I didn't see Tarik (or Natasha, who also doesn't eat pork, for that matter) taste while cooking. And I'm absolutely 100% sure neither of them were required to. I don't recall Tarik mentioning any objection to having to handle or cook the pork. I think that as long as he didn't have to put it into his body, he was fine with it. Same with Natasha. I do agree thought that at the very least, requiring a Muslim contestant to participate in a pork-centric challenge in the first place was in poor... *ahem*... taste. Here's my compromise solution to the Nigella Problem. Bring in a new fourth mentor, and have Nigella be a fifth judge. Just judge. You could sell it as her being an impartial party, a breaker of ties, etc. I think she does just fine as a judge. Just not as a "mentor." 5 Link to comment
Etta Place January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 I thought the way the mentors described their ideas for the New Year's dishes was very telling. Marcus, Ludo and Anthony all said some variation of, "here's what I'm making, now you do your own take on that." Nigella said, "I'm requiring you to make...." 9 Link to comment
Guest January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 Women should just wear their mic packs on the outside of their clothes. It looks stupid to see that bump knowing what it is. Or just not wear all their clothes so tight. I didn't get the vegan pesto on meatball idea, either. And how does a caterer decide to slice the head off a garlic bulb right toward (and into) her hand? Though I think I would've thrown the knife at Ludo. And I don't see the mystery in cooking pork, whether you eat it or not. It's not much different from cooking any other meat. These are professional cooks, for the most part, they should be able to cook for palates besides their own. Link to comment
Padma January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 (edited) If I could make one change in this show (just one) I'm not sure which it would be: (1) get rid of overbearing control freak Nigella, (2) forbid the mentors/judges from giving directions to the contestants during the actual competitions so the cooks were judged on their own skills not their mentors', or (3) slip Ludo some Thorazine as Bourdain suggested a couple of weeks ago so that he would stop screaming and insulting people like an obnoxious lunatic and Just. Shut. Up. I suppose it would be #1, but it would be a very difficult choice. If they could do all three it would make the show so much better to me. But...seems like all of the above things are here to stay. Edited January 2, 2015 by Padma 4 Link to comment
CorgiNarnia January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 I'm just speculating, but I think the rules Jen didn't want to discuss regarding her spoons from last episode was that they have to make more than four. She was one short of whatever that number is, but rather than sacrifice a spoon for close-ups or whatever they use the extra spoons for, the rule is to take it away from the judges' tasting spoons. I'm sure Jen didn't agree with that but is not really allowed to complain about behind-the-scenes rules like that. I would like to see a Nigella team get further as well, but there isn't a way to do that without sacrificing the team-choosing process in some way. There would have to be some contestants who are awesome chefs that put her as #1 mentor choice. NO ONE would do that, though. I do not think the show is all that concerned about her team performing poorly every season. This is what everyone's expects, what with her being the home cook and getting the worst picks of the draft, whereas if, say, Anthony's team is the first one entirely eliminated, that would be embarrassing. Link to comment
Canada January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 Add me to the list of people confused by the vegan pesto on lamb idea. Ummm, WTF? You don't need a vegan sauce on lamb. And her food really didn't look good at all. As soon as Nigella used the phrase 'lobster with champagne sauce' I knew PK was going home. That just doesn't sound good. And Nigella was her usual useless self during that challenge. She needs to go. It's beyond a joke now just how bad she is on this show. And I did laugh when PK mentioned in her talking head, during the challenge, 'I could be in trouble here'. Honey, you were in trouble the moment you ended up on Nigella's team! 2 Link to comment
Rapunzel January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 (edited) Happy New Year everyone! I guess none of us are at all shocked that Nigella is the first one sent home again this season. If I remember correctly, Nigella lost every single one of the guest judge challenges this season. That is really pathetic. Not only does she keep going out first season after season, she continually breaks her own speed record for how fast her entire team is eliminated. How is this possible? The only constant throughout the seasons has been Nigella, and while she has had some difficult team members, the other mentors have as well. The problem is Nigella and the fact that what she seems to consider “mentoring” means doing exactly what she says how she says to do it and if you disagree with her or want to be even a little bit creative you will be accused of being difficult and/or not listening and then will be sent home. In three seasons on this show, she hasn’t demonstrated that she should be listened to in the kitchen or that she has any knowledge or credibility at all. By losing on all of the guest judge challenges, it will be even more difficult for her to deny that she is the reason she was eliminated so quickly. Those challenges were all lost on dishes chosen by her that she demanded be done in a very specific way. Her team had no chance to be creative or to try to elevate the dish in any way – and they always had the least favorite dish as chosen by a variety of different chefs. Then she had the nerve to tell PK while sending her home last night, that, while she had a fantastic palate and really improved, she needed to let that “passion roar a bit more.” Um, so when was she ever been given the chance to do this? Anyone who tried to “let their passion roar” was immediately shut down by Nigella and then sent home. All the cooks that had a choice between her and another mentor must be so happy that they chose one of the other options. All of the potential contestants for next season (if there is one) have hopefully caught on to the fact that Nigella doesn’t have much credibility left with any of the viewers (or even the contestants and other mentors) at this point given her incredibly embarrassing showing 3 years in a row. I think that the only thing to watch for next season if Nigella stays as a mentor is how fast she can get herself and her team eliminated. If she continues to top her fastest time year after year she might be gone after two episodes next time. Also, it would be hilarious if someone opted not to participate if their only option was to join her kitchen. I'm getting tired of Anthony's stalker Vanessa. She screwed up her lamb, so I was hoping her second try with the beef would still have issues and I was kind of glad that Anthony criticized her a bit but her “heartbroken,” butt-hurt, head in her hands reaction was a bit much. I agree with those that have said that she needs to dial back the crazy when it comes to him. If she only cares what he thinks she may have a very tough time getting too much further as the other three judges don’t always like the same things that Anthony does – that was evident by the Tom Yum Soup that he loved and the other three were kind of ‘meh’ about. Can someone please finally send Jen home? I have no idea why Ludo likes her except every year he seems to have this "damsel in distress" in his kitchen - remember what's her face last year that had the showmance with one of the other contestants (I think she was also the one with the really annoying laugh) that needed either Ludo or someone on her team to tell her how to do anything all? She didn’t even have a clue what to do when one of her pans caught on fire and she just stood there freaking out about it while one of her teammates had to stop what he was doing and go carry the pan over to the sink. For some reason Ludo seems to have a fondness for these types of kitchen “damsels in distress.” As the initial selection is blind he doesn’t know what he’s getting into when he picks them for his team, but he sure does what he can to keep them around way past their welcome or their skill level would otherwise dictate. He even goes so far as to call them “really good cooks” while putting down the fact that they may not be as skilled or may be "just a home cook" in the same breath. There is nothing appealing about Jen or her cooking to me and tonight she made a freaking deconstructed chicken pot pie – and by deconstructed I mean just put a chunk of phyllo on top of some shredded chicken. Nigella actually said that making a pot pie “shows confidence” and that “it was a joy to see and a joy to eat.” What? Her judgment is just getting worse and worse by the second. I can make a pot pie with a full crust made from scratch without any problems at all – using phyllo dough or puff pastry shells (I like to use the puff pastry shells on occasion to make cute little appetizer pot pies) is extremely simple and my 8 year old nephew can make them. Jen needed help from Natasha to even get such a simple dish completed. It seemed that the other mentors were going out of their way to praise her when she got her gold star - it just seemed a little over the top. Edited January 2, 2015 by Rapunzel 1 Link to comment
cooksdelight January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 To PK's credit, she had only nice things to say about Nigella when she left. I really thought I'd hear at least one "Well, if I were allowed to cook something using my own style...." but nothing. 4 Link to comment
Rapunzel January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 To PK's credit, she had only nice things to say about Nigella when she left. I really thought I'd hear at least one "Well, if I were allowed to cook something using my own style...." but nothing. I noticed this as well and I was glad she went out with class. It must have been tough knowing she was likely doomed since the team was shrinking so quickly, but she kept her head up and pushed through it and did the best she could with what she had to work with. 2 Link to comment
whirlingdervish January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 PK showed a lot of class. I think it was pretty clear as she walked through the kitchen that she was pretty pissed, though (quietly pissed, but still pissed). Did you see how fast those cuts/edits were when she was in the kitchen getting ready to leave? Kinda looks like they had to patch it together. Heh. I would have been pissed, too, and I was deeply impressed with her keeping it cool in response to Nigella's ridiculous feedback to let her passion roar. Definitely points for class and restraint. 3 Link to comment
RockShrimp January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 I knew PK was a goner when she specifically mentioned in one of the talking heads that the "team" challenge was half what you made and half what your mentor picked for you. 3 Link to comment
cee January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 PK had this downtrodden look before they pulled Nigella's team as worst. I thought that was misdirection and was surprised she had lost. I'm glad the blood bath is over and I don't have to endure Nigella's insipid directions anymore. 2 Link to comment
Wishing Well January 3, 2015 Share January 3, 2015 What's going to be more painful is watching Nigella wander around the next four weeks offering useless advice. All I remember is during the desserts challenge where she kept offering her opinion and everyone just ignored her...including Bourdain. Stalker Vanessa needs to either toughen up or shut up. Seriously starting to worry for the safety of her team, she's incredibly creepy. Still loving Gabe by the way...those eyes! Also I rewatched last season and Cassandra was "cutting bread" the way one carves a pumpkin's triangular jackolantern's eye. Ludo walks over and is gently helping her and she's cuddlinng up to him. Then he says how he's so happy with her even though she doesn't have knife skills. Then immediately after he screamed at the other three. Season one was the same, he spent his whole time helping the token blonde and the other two guys on the team nearly blew a gasket. What I don't get is that while I can see why he would help Sarah and Cassandra because horny old dude...what is it about Jen???? 1 Link to comment
cooksdelight January 3, 2015 Share January 3, 2015 She's a sports reporter. No telling what she says to him in the locker room. :) Link to comment
Guest January 3, 2015 Share January 3, 2015 I think it's just part of his role he's playing. French chef, hot in temper and saucy with the poor, dim home cook ladies. Link to comment
grisgris January 3, 2015 Share January 3, 2015 Nigella's parting words to P.K. were indeed baffling and I suppose, hypocritical. When P.K.'s dish was chosen as the worst, Nigella seemed completely baffled, embarrassed, then resigned. I thought the kudos she paid to Jen about the chicken pot pie on a spoon were a not-so-subtle FU to the others for their ongoing admonishment of home cooks. The guy with the greasy topknot is creepy, as well as is Tony's stalker. I am disappointed that we won't get to see Nigella ever participate in a cook-off. I'd love to see her head-to-head with Ludo. I can just hear the comments he'd make about "women." I thought for a moment there, that there was going to be a Ludo-Ludo face-off. Has that ever happened? 2 Link to comment
Happytobehere January 3, 2015 Share January 3, 2015 Add me to the list of those who do not understand how the person with the most red stars gets a pass. Based on what was said, I would think the cook-off should have ran between Dam and Tarik. How was Natasha selected, it seemed that Ludo was given the option and he selected her, which doubly sucks because Natasha seems to have been a decent cook, although I admit I am only a "Nothing else is on, so let me see what's on demand watcher" who had to have missed an episode but from what I saw I think Natasha should not have been up there. 1 Link to comment
Actionmage January 3, 2015 Share January 3, 2015 (edited) I caught the last half of last night's episode and hung around, as I like Michael Symon. I had seen the sneak peek on The Chew and was surprised it was on. I think I would be either yelling at Ludo or just walking off. Even for TV "drama", that was tiresome and unnecessary. I was unsurprised that the chef he hectored throughout did not survive. I came here to see what everyone thought, read a bit, then watched the other episodes, other than the audition one. I even caught the first half of last night's episode! I feel so mixed! Is this really about finding the best undiscovered chef or primarily an excuse to yell at folks? I have seen enough Food Network shows, US Gordon Ramsey shows and the sitcom Chef!, so I know to expect some yelling in high-pressure situations or when there is a lot of frustration. But it's not necessary every episode, is it? Bourdain seems mellow because he has relatively good folks cooking very well to middle-of-the-pack, so we haven't had to see him in a yell-off. Nigella does indeed seem to self-sabotage before her team gets a chance at any type of star or the yell-off. We have no idea how Ms. Lawson would react, except for the micromanaging. Marcus was minimal in his volume, but he seemed very impatient, no matter the speed the cheftestant moved. Ludo? I am worried that we might see his head pop off like the cork in Symon's champagne! The shots of the first time he was screaming at Jen and production gave us the Judges' Lounge side of things was, well, delicious. I get why Bourdain looks smug: last year's winner is not a shoo-in and there is no clear competition from LeFevbre's (sp?) team. Plus, I am betting that Anthony and Marcus are buds and can handle if one lost to the other. Nigella telling poor P.K. to, essentially, spread her creative wings? The most tone-deaf thing I have heard a judge say, especially after how Ms. Lawson ran roughshod over every other stinkin' teammate. While I don't think P.K. was necessarily butt-kissing, the acquiescing to Nigella did not help her one jot. There's showing you are getting what the teacher is teaching and then there's not even trying to step out in any way. I feel for P.K. because she saw how nastily Nigella dealt with those who did not agree with the Goddess. I think I'll stick through the rest of this season; it's intriguing, but two hours seems like too much. We don't have to see the Master Class, do we? Get some footage, get a couple of talking heads oohing and aahing/ 'I've learned so much from this class!", boom, we're out to ads. We barely get mentoring in this completion and we barely get any real competition in this competition, so why spend a big segment on the guest? (Unless that's the only way to get guests for this thing..) Speaking of, I have actually enjoyed the guest judges and their segments. There were a bunch of ladies a couple of Next Iron Chef iterations back I enjoyed, so maybe some of them can pop in sometime? Vanessa is scary in her obsession with Mr. B. Gabe needs to crash and burn once or twice. There's confidence and there is cockiness. Gabe feels more like the latter, imo. Tarik seems quietly self-assured, but willing to expand his knowledge. Is it me, or when the individual tests are going on, there's a general same-yness to many of the dishes? Butternut squash seems really big. Potatoes and persimmon seeds, too. Also, the flavor profiles seem pretty similar, except for Tarik and the departed Natasha. Is the larder really that limited or is it the palates that are? ( I know this isn't Iron Chef, in any iteration, cash-wise, but there was caviar for heaven's sake. Is there no goat or other organ meats for someone?) New ways to spur me on for a good, new oven! (Hubby and I purchased our first house, but the oven was crap and dead on top of that. Yay for microwaves and crock pots!) Edited January 3, 2015 by Actionmage 2 Link to comment
chocolatine January 3, 2015 Share January 3, 2015 I wonder why for the chicken pot pie Jen didn't (or wasn't allowed to?) use the mini-ramekins that people on the show use for soups/stews. A tiny pot pie would have looked so much more appealing than the spoonful of shredded chicken toped with a square of phyllo pastry. I guess that would have taken away from the "will she or won't she get four spoons plated in time" drama. I didn't find any of the main challenge dishes all that appealing or creative, except perhaps the cacao-rubbed venison, considering that the theme called for something special and decadent. The only dish I wanted to try was Eric's uni/caviar/pasta dish that won the guest mentor challenge. 1 Link to comment
Padma January 3, 2015 Share January 3, 2015 (edited) Does Bourdain have an unfair advantage with the guest judges like Symon and Rippert (and some others as well)? He has shared so many meals with these guys through the years and absolutely knows what they do and don't like and can guide his team accordingly. Bourdain seems mellow because he has relatively good folks cooking very well to middle-of-the-pack, so we haven't had to see him in a yell-off After seeing and reading so much about him (perhaps not as much as Vanessa!), including comments from his producers, I think he seems mellow because he has learned how to do that, even when situations get very stressful. I still remember so many "No Reservations" when things were going wrong with people the crew had relied on for arrangements, protections, etc. When things get stressful, you could see him get calmer, not angrier and louder, not controlling or dominating the situation. I think we could watch this show for 10 years and never hear anything about him yelling at someone in his kitchen (he might, some day, lose his temper with Ludo, but that's a different story as I think Ludo is actually a lunatic, not just playing one on television). Edited January 3, 2015 by Padma 2 Link to comment
Guest January 4, 2015 Share January 4, 2015 I don't fault the woman for gaining weight. She's human, she went through a divorce recently (I think), shit happens. But I don't think she has to wear last year's dress size. I'm pretty sure she and/or the show can afford dresses that fit. I figure she likes wearing them tight. I think even last year she was stuffed into them, though being a size smaller, it didn't look quite as rough. Link to comment
MarkHB January 4, 2015 Share January 4, 2015 What's going to be more painful is watching Nigella wander around the next four weeks offering useless advice. Since the preview said that next week is to get into the semifinals, I'm thinking there are only three weeks left and they either have 5 in the finale or there's a multiple elimination coming. Link to comment
HappyDancex2 January 4, 2015 Share January 4, 2015 The guy stuffing the pork loin with pork sausage for the "pork on pork action" complete with requisite porn musi?.....icky and hilarious at the same time. Symon putting that champagne bottle in the clam pan was awesome. Normally the guest master classes can be a bit slow but since Mike is such a seasoned vet in both quick TV cooking, explaining and hosting it was fun to watch. Nigella couldn't teach her how to make a sabayon in that amount of time? Baffling. And the look when Nigella's last cook got the boot? " oh well I'm used to it...." Sheesh not a ringing endorsement there. How about a sub of a female chef who is not a home cook? Send Nigella off to Top Chef so she can judge food and languidly spell herself on a couch. Why does Nigella invade your personal space while cooking? Cooking on a show is stressful enough but to have someone on top of you, smothering you with negatives and constant comments of how much pressure there is? Yikes. Please go away. How is that mentoring??? Was that the dish that Symon described as "some kind of sabayon sauce I think....??" V neck tshirt with sweaty chest hair? Ugh. 3 Link to comment
whirlingdervish January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 Does Bourdain have an unfair advantage with the guest judges like Symon and Rippert (and some others as well)? He has shared so many meals with these guys through the years and absolutely knows what they do and don't like and can guide his team accordingly. I've never had dinner with Symon and I knew that he's a "big egg slut" and likes pasta...I figure if I can pick up stuff like that from seeing him on the odd cooking show, four professional chefs on a TV show who know he's coming on for the NYE challenge can do a little research and figure it out. All the chefs who've come on so far as mentors are well known, with well known ideas about food. You've just got to be familiar with what they are, and target that accordingly (I'm looking at you, NIGELLA). 1 Link to comment
Branchop January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 Jen was too much for me tonight. Giving those advice because if she can win Taste off so can they? She is just rubbing salt in that wound. And watching the previews immediately after, I'm scared she outlasts Dan too. She is incorrigible. Hated it for Natasha,but I think it should have been Dan vs Natasha. I knew as soon as two Ludo chefs were in bottom, Tarik was screwed. If it had been someone on Marcus' team, I don't think Tarik would have been up there. They all really didn't like Dan's dish. I wonder if that is why Ludo chose Natasha. Maybe he thought she had a better chance of winning against Tarik. Link to comment
Drogo January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 (edited) You mean to tell me Big Egg Sluts don't like seafood in champagne sauce? In the case of two Team Ludo/Anthony/Marcus chefs in the Taste-Off, would Nigella be called upon to assist one of the competitors (as the only unbiased party?) Though it would be unfair if only one Taste-Off chef received his/her own mentor and the other got a sub... Perhaps Nigella assists one, guest judge assists one - and the mentor does the blind tasting/eliminating? Edited January 5, 2015 by Drogo Link to comment
Totale January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 Drogo, I suspect that (purely due to the talent and cooking skills of the contestants involved and not at all because production can fiddle with it at will, of course) we will never see the Taste-off scenario you try to pre-game just above take place. 1 Link to comment
Wishing Well January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 Dunno if anyone else follows the Facebook page but Crystal from last season is trolling the comment threads complaining about Nigella. 75% of the comments are complaints about Jen, the other 25% about Nigella. ABC's gotta be seeing this Link to comment
mlp January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 Dunno if anyone else follows the Facebook page but Crystal from last season is trolling the comment threads complaining about Nigella. Which one was Crystal? I can't put a face/personality to the name. Link to comment
theatremouse January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 Fascinating, you'd think she'd be in violation of some sort of NDA. Although I suppose someone would have to confirm it's really her and not someone claiming to be her. Link to comment
cooksdelight January 5, 2015 Share January 5, 2015 I'm going to start a thread for social media discussion. So you can discuss present and past cooks. Because I've got a link that's a doozy. :) 1 Link to comment
bluepiano January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 (edited) I do agree thought that at the very least, requiring a Muslim contestant to participate in a pork-centric challenge in the first place was in poor... *ahem*... taste. There was a similar situation on the Great Food Truck Race, where the Israeli Kosher chef (and his sister helper) had to cook pork or shell fish not once, but several times. There may be nothing in religious law against cooking a food, but not being able to taste what your cooking (or have ever eaten that food) is a HUGE handicap. I can't even conceive of trying to cook a food that I don't eat. (The Israelis wound up winning the GFTR, which I think spoke volumes about their ability. And their perseverance). Regarding the cook off (or "scream off," when Ludo's involved), someone posted earlier wondering why the show allows the mentors to participate. That would make sense if this show was about the contestants, but clearly it's intended to be about the mentors. They are the stars and the whole focus is on them. Which makes Nigella's repeated failures a real drain on the show. It's bad for the entertainment value when one of your four "stars" is pretty much a joke. (I'm actually surprised that the show let her go out so early. I guess that means the judging is honest). Ludo's screaming at the medic who was trying to bandage Natasha's finger was deplorable, but I really have to believe that was scripted, or at least done with everyone's consent. Because had he really interfered with her getting adequate treatment the show could've been liable for a law suit. Edited January 6, 2015 by bluepiano 1 Link to comment
GaT January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 I didn't have a problem with it. I'm not Muslim, so please pardon me and do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand it, the prohibition is only about consuming pork. And (again, do correct me if I'm wrong, but) I was paying close attention and I didn't see Tarik (or Natasha, who also doesn't eat pork, for that matter) taste while cooking. And I'm absolutely 100% sure neither of them were required to. I don't recall Tarik mentioning any objection to having to handle or cook the pork. I think that as long as he didn't have to put it into his body, he was fine with it. Same with Natasha. I do agree thought that at the very least, requiring a Muslim contestant to participate in a pork-centric challenge in the first place was in poor... *ahem*... taste. There was a similar situation on the Great Food Truck Race, where the Israeli Kosher chef (and his sister helper) had to cook pork or shell fish not once, but several times. There may be nothing in religious law against cooking a food, but not being able to taste what your cooking (or have ever eaten that food) is a HUGE handicap. I can't even conceive of trying to cook a food that I don't eat. (The Israelis wound up winning the GFTR, which I think spoke volumes about their ability. And their perseverance). You must not watch Chopped, this kind of thing happens all the time. Kosher chefs have to cook with pork, vegetarian chefs have to cook meat, they even made a chef who was so allergic to shellfish he had to wear rubber gloves to cook it, cook oysters in the appetizer round & shrimp in the entree round. It's almost a guarantee that if a chef can't eat or cook something, it will be in the basket. Link to comment
In Pog Form January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 There may be nothing in religious law against cooking a food, but not being able to taste what your cooking (or have ever eaten that food) is a HUGE handicap. Oh, they're able to (unless they have a severe allergy) - they just choose not to. That's their choice, and not something the competition should be changed for. Ludo's screaming at the medic who was trying to bandage Natasha's finger was deplorable, but I really have to believe that was scripted, or at least done with everyone's consent. Because had he really interfered with her getting adequate treatment the show could've been liable for a law suit. Also deplorable were his rapey comments towards Jen. Jen: "Please don't touch me." Ludo: "It's my kitchen, I do what I want!" That really should be the subject of a Standard & Practices complaint. Really not cool saying that no doesn't mean no. 3 Link to comment
Wings January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 (edited) I thought Symon might have been trying to decide which of the last 2 spoons was Ludo's so as not to wipe out Nigella. He could afford to lose someone. If he did this, it meant that Nigella actually did the more sophisticated bite since that is where Ludo goes. Neither were losers, really. I am sure they both tasted good. Just a thought. Edited January 6, 2015 by wings707 Link to comment
backgroundnoise January 6, 2015 Share January 6, 2015 I do agree thought that at the very least, requiring a Muslim contestant to participate in a pork-centric challenge in the first place was in poor... *ahem*... taste. Except that the Muslim was not required to be on the show, he chose to. I doubt they changed the meat at the last minute; it doesn't generate enough drama. I would argue that not eating pork is not that much of a disadvantage, though. They could use a dish that they would use for eggplant or chicken, couldn't they, except use the pork? They can tell by the color how done it is or isn't, and can taste the sauce separately from the meat. Might be a slight disadvantage if seasonings don't always transfer well, but not a huge one. But I'm not a cook, so I don't know for sure. 1 Link to comment
akr January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 Tasting the pork dish: he's not going to be able to taste the sauce, either, because it's a sauce built on the pan juices and to which the pork was returned; so he couldn't check for salt, acid, or any other needed correctives. (And if he'd made something that was just components thrown together, it wouldn't have stood much chance of being good enough). As it was, I guess Natasha was in essentially the same boat, although I sort of got the impression she might have been working with a less stringent set of limitations on what she could and could not do with the pork - whether it was allowable in her mind to taste-test but not eat the pork, for example, and both knew how to cook pork in the abstract, and knew theoretically what would go well with pork (and no, I don't think substituting pork for a preexisting recipe for chicken or eggplant would have worked! they're really not comparable in terms of what goes well with them), but still they'd be flying a little blind and at risk of ending up with a dish that theoretically worked but that hadn't been fine-tuned by someone tasting it as they went and so might end up fatally off. By contrast, one competitor on the UK show, who was allergic to fish and shellfish, nonetheless CHOSE to cook with salmon (which she was allergic to, it wasn't just shellfish), in an elimination challenge. That was nuts! Pick something you can taste! Save "challenging yourself" in that particular way for another time! Link to comment
MarkHB January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 Has anyone seen anything elsewhere regarding Natasha's not eating pork, or reasons therefor? I could truthfully say exactly what we saw her say, only about eggplant, and in my case it would be because I just find it disgusting and want nothing to do with it. If she's vegetarian, I would think they would have told us that when she was making lamb meatballs. We didn't see anything on the show to indicate that her not eating pork was or was not a point of conscience, so I'm wondering if anyone has learned more. Link to comment
Zahdii January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 Maybe she's Seventh Day Adventist, they don't eat pork. My former MIL was one, wouldn't go near a pork roast, chop, or bacon (but was able to overcome her aversion to pork whenever it was served on a pizza...). Link to comment
drmka9 January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 I would argue that not eating pork is not that much of a disadvantage, though. They could use a dish that they would use for eggplant or chicken, couldn't they, except use the pork? They can tell by the color how done it is or isn't, and can taste the sauce separately from the meat. Might be a slight disadvantage if seasonings don't always transfer well, but not a huge one. But I'm not a cook, so I don't know for sure. Part of the issue with cooking pork is cooking it properly, temperature-wise. Until recently in the US, pork was only cooked to well-done, making it tricky to keep tender. A few years ago the cooking recommendations changed to allow a medium temperature, which is still higher than what most cuts of meat are cooked to. Someone that doesn't cook pork often would likely have difficulty cooking it perfectly and to temperature. I think that's likely part of why Ludo was such a jerk about Tarik overcooking the pork. Link to comment
cooksdelight January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 I think we can stick a fork in the pork. :) 5 Link to comment
Drogo January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 (edited) Crystal: She was a pain in the ass, she got eliminated on Fish & Chips when neither she nor Jacqueline (drunky redhead) wanted to listen to Nigella and were flat out rude. Edited January 7, 2015 by Drogo 2 Link to comment
cooksdelight January 7, 2015 Share January 7, 2015 Tomorrow night's episode: A Latin-flavored show has contestants creating ceviche, tacos and more. Javier Plascencia is the guest mentor. I'll have to be sure to eat before watching this, some of my favorite cuisine. 3 Link to comment
Drogo January 8, 2015 Share January 8, 2015 Javier Plascencia is the guest mentor. Saying his last name out loud makes me lose my appetite. 2 Link to comment
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