The Shows of 2015: More Indecipherable Seasonings

[HappyDancex2]

If our meat was not sold in neat prepackaged wrapped slices, I think I'd be a vegetarian. For some reason I don't feel bad about shrimp though!

[Totale]

I am unabashedly carnivorous and felt no hypocrisy at all in not being interested in this episode.  I'm happy to live where the streets are paved and we are at least temporarily rich enough to feed byproducts like those seen here to our companion animals.

[cooksdelight]

I enjoy redemption episodes, especially if I have seen all four of the chefs compete before. I hate that Brandon didn't win, and wish he'd just left that ice cream off the plate. It wasn't a required ingredient, and it was over-churned. If he had left it off, I think he would have won because of Bradley not straining his pudding. My gag reflex kicked in when Chris showed him the bits of egg that had cooked in the pudding. I cannot imagine (nor do I want to) what that tasted like.

Glad to hear the girl's mom has recovered from her stroke. She also threw something on her plate that wasn't a required ingredient, and it cost her. If Han had just deep fried that chicken to start with, he might have won the whole thing. Chris was raving about the taste of his seasonings. In fact, I'm surprised no one headed to the deep fryer with chicken thighs, being that they take a long time to cook otherwise.

I wanted to eat Brandon's biscuit with the fruit. I'm going to have to remember to try pairing blueberries and candied sweet potato into a cobbler.

[xaxat]

I was kind of surprised that Chris didn't get both plates of under cooked chicken. Especially since this episode followed a repeat where he got a hair on one plate and raw pork sausage on another.

[mlp]

I didn't like Bradley the first time around and didn't like him much better last night.  However, I have to agree with the judges that he deserved the win more than Brandon whom I did like.  I also liked Han a lot.

[blubld43]

I felt the same way.   I didn't need to see that the goat has teeth and eyes.

 

Seriously, disgusting!    All these shows have become just gross.  I think the producers need to revamp the whole thing:  get rid of the food MOST people would find inedible, can the daily what's-my-story feature, get back to some innovation here!  Being interesting doesn't have to mean stomach-turning.

[MajorWoody]

Back to the gross foods concept: why does it seem that no matter how obscure or disgusting some ingredient is, the judges always seem to be well versed in it? I don't really believe that they have all experienced every weird item that the producers come up with. If the next basket opened has yak schlong in it, I'm sure the three judges will all expound on the flavor and the proper way to prepare and serve it.

My guess is that it is something along the lines of Pawn Stars, they are told in advance what the items are, and are able to research them to sound knowledgeable about it.

[cooksdelight]

Or they are fed info sheets which tell them what to say on camera. With that knowing look, that nod of the head to Ted with one eyebrow raised, or the concerned look that Santos will get when he is worried they won't cook it properly.

[FormerMod-a1]

Or they save those ingredients for when they have judges that have eaten them before.  Although I'm not surprised they have tried so many different foods in their lives.  I am hardly a chef, but I am a good cook, a "foodie" (but not a snobby one) and I'm an adventurous eater.  I will try anything at least once, unless I'm allergic.  Like spiders, for example, I am allergic to many different kinds of spiders so I would never try tarantula even though I hear they taste a lot like crab.  I have at least heard of, if not tried, many of these odd ingredients.  So, since I'm just your average Jane and I have these experiences and knowledge, I would expect chefs to have at least that much if not more.

[caci]

Although Bradley wasn't my favorite contestant, it was refreshing to see someone without a sob story and had confidence in his abilities.  Sob stories aside, I hate when a chef goes on and on about "proving" themselves to their family.  That is my own personal number one gripe.  Some of these people are head chefs, restaurant owners, and/or have won major awards. I get that it truely can be an issue, but most of the time, the whole thing comes off as a bit forced, like they really didn't have a sob story so proving themselves is second best.

 

That being said, I did like this redemption episode. The cooking seemed above the norm with  many dishes sounding really good.  Since they had already played out their stories in their first episodes, there was no need to dwell too much on them this time, except for follow-ups.  I liked the contestants and would have been fine with any of them winning.

[Bella]

I will try anything at least once, unless I'm allergic.  

 

If you ever make it to my neck of the woods, I will take you out for grasshopper tacos.

 

I suspect they're told what's in the baskets in advance, so they can do some research in case there's something they haven't tasted. But I also suspect they've had almost all of it. I still feel sorry for them having to taste so much bad food. And it's probably room temperature by time they get it.

[xaxat]

After this discussion, I now have an image of Arrron sitting in the green room practicing his pronunciation of some Spanish language delicacy he has never heard of before.

[NikSac]

I still feel sorry for them having to taste so much bad food. And it's probably room temperature by time they get it.

 

I do too. And yes, the food temp thing seems like it's got to be a big factor. I wonder if the contestants think about this at all or plan for it when they're cooking?  I'm almost always surprised when something ends up undercooked because I figure it's probably been sitting out for quite awhile at that point. You'd think if it started out hot when it was plated, there's a decent chance it would get to the point of cooked while it sat.

[cooksdelight]

I read somewhere that the food will sit for up to 45 minutes while they get the next scene set and ready. No idea why it takes that long. I think they try to keep hot things hot and cold things cold while it's waiting.

[cooksdelight]

On a rerun tonight, Bradley's custard that turned into soup.... Ted asked him if he had asked the staff to keep it in the freezer while they waited, and he didn't. So, I guess that answers the question, somewhat, that the food does sit for a while between finishing and judging.

I just watched the goat head episode. I tried not to look at some of those things. And yet another employee of a Chopped judge takes the prize. They've never had their bosses there while they compete, but everyone knows who works for who. I sort of wish the guy with the baby on the way had won, only so he wouldn't have cried when he left.

[GaT]

On a rerun tonight, Bradley's custard that turned into soup.... Ted asked him if he had asked the staff to keep it in the freezer while they waited, and he didn't. So, I guess that answers the question, somewhat, that the food does sit for a while between finishing and judging.

 

Why would he have to ask the staff to do that? How would he even know that he should? I call BS on that, the "staff" are the ones with experience here, why didn't one of them ask him if he wanted to keep it in the freezer so it wouldn't melt?

[xaxat]

it's really unfortunate they can't speed up the judging process. Nothing tastes as good after sitting under a heat lamp for a half an hour. Even fast food joints throw out fries after ten minutes.

[NikSac]

Why would he have to ask the staff to do that? How would he even know that he should? I call BS on that, the "staff" are the ones with experience here, why didn't one of them ask him if he wanted to keep it in the freezer so it wouldn't melt?

 

I completely agree.  Also if they've got one hot item and one cold item, what are they supposed to do?  As a simple example - hot apple pie, and ice cream - do they plate them separately then ask for the pie to be kept in the oven on "warm" and the ice cream to be kept in the freezer?  That would probably be way, way better for the judges, but I really can't imagine them doing that for the show. (plus they'd probably get dinged for ugly plating)

[cooksdelight]

I'm glad you all think the same thing I do, that the long time they take to tape this show is ridiculous. The meats that should be eaten right after resting and slicing, not a half hour later. I realize it takes time in between rounds to clean up the stoves, replace pots and pans, etc. But a 17 hour day for a one hour show is nuts. Someone's doing something wrong. I was amazed the first time I went to see The Price Is Right, it's filmed in real time, an hour. Sets totally changed out, cars moved in and out, etc.

[Totale]

I thought I'd read somewhere that as soon as the contestants finish cooking they are shuttled offstage, and the judges go over and check out the plated food and have off camera discussions.  The filmed chopping block may come somewhat later, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if they sampled off of at least one plate nearly immediately after it is ready.  They have the untouched Beauty plate to photograph, anyway.  Pristine untouched plates are rarely seen in front of the judges at the block, except in cases where the chef DNAs all over the food, and that could be determined immediately after the round ends.  The filmed judging and deliberations were determined at some point either here or on TWOP to likely take place out of order, as evidenced by the disappearance/reappearance of holiday decorations in the background on a Xmas or Halloween episode.  It would make sense both for them to taste the food somewhat fresh and to be given time to work on those zingers and bon mots we all love so much.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I didn't like Bradley the first time around and didn't like him much better last night. However, I have to agree with the judges that he deserved the win more than Brandon whom I did like. I also liked Han a lot.

And I was hoping that Bradley would lose again just because I couldn't stand him the first time I saw him and he was even more obnoxious this time around. I would have much preferred to see Brandon win if only to see the look on Bradley's face.

Petty of me, I know. But I don't care.

[Julia]

You guys have already covered my thoughts. Except, now I'm counting the minutes until some guy who was garde manger at Vong and staged at Annisa until someone saw him go into the bathroom and a trustafarian who's been curating the distilled spirits program at a former shooting gallery on Elizabeth Street open a trans-himalyan artisanal brew pub called Yak Schlong in Williamsburg.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Julia

[Rai]

Nah, GHScorpiosRule, I was rooting for Bradley to lose just because he was so thoroughly obnoxious.  Rarely do I fall into the villain trap.  But wow, he just got under my skin in the worst way.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Rai

[cooksdelight]

On last night's show, I was happy with either of the two remaining guys winning.

My big issue was with the big guy, Christian. He threw those garlic scapes on the plate whole, without transforming them, and they applauded that. The other mistakes he made was why he got chopped, thankfully.

But... what I couldn't stand to watch was him running his BARE HANDS through his greasy hair, then using the same BARE HANDS to handle the chicken and those pizza balls. No way would I have been able to eat his food. Gross.

[mlp]

I had the same thoughts, cooksdelight.  I also liked both of the finalists.  The person I didn't like was the cheese expert.  He was trying way too hard to make sure everyone knew he was an authority and he wasn't pleasant about it.

[cooksdelight]

He was obnoxious, I agree. I wish they'd stick to the regular judges. They just celebrated taping their 300th episode!

[Rammchick]

Chef Alluette, who was on in January (she's the one with the healthy soul food restaurant in Charleston, SC) was featured in an episode of Million Dollar Critic (BBC America, Thursdays, after Gordon Ramsay) last week.  The premise is that the critic eats at 5 restaurants in a particular city, then selects which place to give his "million dollar review" on HuffPost.  Alluette's was selected as the best of the 5, and got the review.

 

ETA:  Apparently, Alluette's closed last August.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Rammchick

[backformore]

The cheese episode was pretty boring.  Each course they had 2 or 3 cheeses.  But, if they combined the cheeses, the judges complained that they couldn't distinguish the flavors of each cheese.  Other ingredients were said to overpower the cheeses, and come on -   I love cheese, but putting together three courses, ALL focused on cheese, does not really make for a good dinner.  I love deep dish pizza, and I love cheesecake.  But i wouldn't have both.  

 It was boring to watch, because every dish was focused on the same ingredient.  Doesn't make for exciting television. 

 

I felt bad for the guy from VietNam, who didn't grow up eating cheese, and doesn't use it a lot in cooking.  

[cattykit]

 

But, if they combined the cheeses, the judges complained that they couldn't distinguish the flavors of each cheese.

I'm just tired, in general, of this complaint.  When I eat a slice of cake, I don't expect to taste the eggs, the flour, and the oil, but they are all essential to the final taste experience.  Transformation, which they're always whining about, isn't just about making the product look different; it's about creating a completely new taste.

 

Agree with posters above about guest judges who feel this need to prove what tough badass critics they can be.  Are they auditioning for a regular role?

[Rick Kitchen]

The cheese episode was pretty boring.  Each course they had 2 or 3 cheeses.  But, if they combined the cheeses, the judges complained that they couldn't distinguish the flavors of each cheese.  Other ingredients were said to overpower the cheeses, and come on -   I love cheese, but putting together three courses, ALL focused on cheese, does not really make for a good dinner.  I love deep dish pizza, and I love cheesecake.  But i wouldn't have both.  

 It was boring to watch, because every dish was focused on the same ingredient.  Doesn't make for exciting television. 

 

I felt bad for the guy from VietNam, who didn't grow up eating cheese, and doesn't use it a lot in cooking.  

 

I had dinner at friends' house one time.  They offered Greek salad, lasagna and cheesecake.

 

I don't eat cheese.

[backformore]

Is it just me, or has this show become ridiculously boring?   this latest episode, with chocolate in every course, should have been a good one.  But t turned out to be pretty stale.  

[nitrofishblue]

What is it with these chefs when it comes to large cuts of meat? I have never seen such large pork chops. Several of the chefs tried to cook them as-is. One chef was smart enough to cut the meat into smaller pieces for tacos. My husband watched part of this show with me and he was rather turned off by the ingredients. He really didn't like the chocolate with the beef.

 

When the producers put together the baskets, why in the world do they include a cut of meat that HAS TO BE cooked for a long period of time, like the deckle of beef. I can only assume that they want to see who will think far enough ahead to know to cut the meat into smaller pieces or grind it.

[backgroundnoise]

In the chocolate episode, I was disappointed that the one who lost on the dessert round lost.  I thought that overall she presented better tasting dishes and the woman who won (sorry, can't remember any names) kinda slid by by default.   Her appetizer and entree weren't very imaginative compared to the other chef.

 

Maybe they were punishing her for "hogging" all the cream, all two containers.

 

What is it with these chefs when it comes to large cuts of meat?

Yeah, I had a don't-they-watch-this-show? moment there, too. 

Edited February 12, 2015 by backgroundnoise

[jcbrown]

 

In the chocolate episode, I was disappointed that the one who lost on the dessert round lost.  I thought that overall she presented better tasting dishes and the woman who won (sorry, can't remember any names) kinda slid by by default.

Me, too. I thought her food looked more interesting even though she had some execution errors. Plus, I have been to the restaurant where she is the pastry chef and it is fantastic.

[Totale]

As a straight white dude I don't get to play the "Nice to see <someone of my ethnic background or sexual orientation> win" card often, but I was surprised that there wasn't more pushback here that one of the few times the show has featured four female contestants that they were all pastry chefs in a chocolate themed episode just before Valentine's day.

[MajorWoody]

As a amateur when it comes to cooking, I was shocked that only one of the supposedly professional chefs had the common sense to cut up the large pork chops. Even I know, with my limited kitchen skills, that a thick pork chop is going to need at minimum 20 minutes to cook. In addition, the same chef who cut up her chop was the only one with sense enough to tenderize her deckle, even though she used the largest bread in the pantry for her sammich.

I thought she would win based on the overall experience, but apparently her melted, over spiced ice cream was more important to the judges than her winning the first two rounds.

On a related note, I wonder what kind of zoning regulations exist where the winner can install a commercial kitchen in her home, in what appeared to be a residential neighborhood, and even run a business out of it?

Edited February 17, 2015 by MajorWoody

[cooksdelight]

On a related note, I wonder what kind of zoning regulations exist where the winner can install a commercial kitchen in her home, in what appeared to be a residential neighborhood, and even run a business out of it?

They vary from state to state, county to county. I have a friend who makes and sells homemade canned items when she hits all the local farmers markets in the summer, and her home kitchen was OK'd by the state of NC and her county health department. I ran a small catering business from my home kitchen in Virginia, same thing. The county I live in now in NC won't let you do anything other than cakes or cookies in a home kitchen unless you've got a separate commercial kitchen setup in your home. It's nuts that there isn't a common standard.

[GaT]

I didn't know who a single one of those reality "stars" were, & I didn't care who won.

[caci]

I was pleasantly surprised by the reality star episode even though I only knew a couple of the chefs.   They all seemed rather likeable.  I esp. liked how they were helping each other in the second round.  I just overall enjoyed it.

[SophiaPehawkins]

I'm already forgetting the name of the guy that won, but holy heck was I rooting for him. He was too nice for his own good, but I love that not once did he complain about the other two asking him for help. I don't know if he's annoying on his show, but he was extremely likable here. 

[beeblebrox]

I'm already forgetting the name of the guy that won, but holy heck was I rooting for him. He was too nice for his own good, but I love that not once did he complain about the other two asking him for help. I don't know if he's annoying on his show, but he was extremely likable here. 

 

Travis something from Deadliest Catch, I think. I was so happy that Amy Roloff didn't win because she's annoying. Her going on and on about her kids and cooking had me eye rolling based off of everything shown on their tv show. It's well known how she feels about her family from the TWOP forum. When they were introduced, they all have cookbooks which seems so weird to me versus some of the celebs they've shown on the past on Chopped who just like the show and to cook.

[backformore]

I didn't know who a single one of those reality "stars" were, & I didn't care who won.

Yeah, I had never heard of any of these people. Boy, did they get EASY baskets! Which is ok for reality star home cooks, but they had COOKBOOKS. Really , has there ever been an easier appetizer basket than biscuit dough, meat, cheese, salad?

I didn't like that two of the women relied on the guy to be a "perfect gentleman" by helping them so much.

 

ETA:   AND, has there ever been an easier dessert basket?    Cannoli shells, cherry pie filling, chocolate?  They give the Chopped kids version harder baskets.  

These baskets were close to ingredients you might have in your fridge, that you throw together a meal out of.  Pillsbury has a whole website devoted to recipes you can make out of the canned biscuits, piecrusts, etc.  

 

I guess next they can have an appetizer basket of crescent roll dough, mini hotdogs , and American cheese. Main course -  flour tortillas, leftover chicken, and salsa.    And for dessert - brownie mix, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate sauce! 

Edited February 19, 2015 by backformore

[Bastet]

I watched bits and pieces of the episode on breaks from something else.  The only one I knew was Amy Roloff, but I think the Roloffs are shitty people, so I wasn't rooting for her.  The episode seemed okay as far as how they interacted with each other, but the baskets were ridiculously easy.  Which, as said above, wouldn't be so bad if these people weren't selling cookbooks.

[xaxat]

For me, the best part of this episode was Alex rolling up her sleeves with a look of annoyance on her face at having to crack her lobster.

[cooksdelight]

As a straight white dude I don't get to play the "Nice to see <someone of my ethnic background or sexual orientation> win" card often, but I was surprised that there wasn't more pushback here that one of the few times the show has featured four female contestants that they were all pastry chefs in a chocolate themed episode just before Valentine's day.

I'm watching it now, and one of the women wasn't a pastry chef. She said she's a corporate chef who's also in charge of other things like marketing. She was the lady with an accent who has 3 kids.

Maybe the reason they didn't know how to trim down the pork chops or make smaller cuts is because they only work with pastry and desserts?

[Drogo]

Seeing Christina Tosi as a Chopped guest-judge has me sad about the next season of MasterChef. Somebody check for a pulse.

[jcbrown]

I was also pleasantly surprised by the reality stars episode of Chopped. I burned it off while I was exercising and expected to hate it. While I did not care for all the contestants (the Mob Wife woman was a total caricature, the Jersey Housewives woman was icky, and I cannot stand Amy Roloff), I was very pleasantly surprised with how nice they all were to each other. That said, I predicted both the final two and the winner after seeing a bit of their first round efforts. And agreed, these baskets were stupid simple.

[mlp]

I'd never heard of any of those reality show people.  The only one I liked was Travis and I'd never even heard of his show.   I was very glad he won.  The "housewife" surprised me.  I've never watched any of those Housewives shows but I was under the impression that they all featured attractive, glamorous women.  She was neither.  By a long shot.

[Totale]

I'm watching it now, and one of the women wasn't a pastry chef. She said she's a corporate chef who's also in charge of other things like marketing. She was the lady with an accent who has 3 kids.

 

 

I missed that, because one of the tools in my box to hack watching this show is FFing and starting it where Ted says "Open your baskets for the appetizer round". 

[Julia]

Seeing Christina Tosi as a Chopped guest-judge has me sad about the next season of MasterChef. Somebody check for a pulse.

You know, I'm genuinely surprised. I really liked her on Mind of a Chef, and I think it'd be wonderful to have her on Master Chef in place of Joe "third base" Bastianich. Although not being born on third base makes her a bit of an outlier on the Food Network...