S06.E04: Scared Straight Into the Kitchen

[Bella]

 

This week, the Recruits huddle up to tackle game day dishes as they as they create deep-fried fan favorites for Chefs Anne and Tyler. Will they make crowd pleasing dishes, or be defeated by the fryer? After the big game, the Recruits try not to lose their noodles when they break down a raw squid to make squid ink pasta with calamari.

 

Yeah, I went from knowing less than nothing about cooking to making squid ink pasta with calamari within a month. Doesn't everyone?

[Lillybee]

I thought that the squid ink pasta was way too difficult for these cooks.

[backformore]

Yeah, I kind of think that if I were going to teach someone who is a terrible cook, I would NOT try to teach them filleting fish, butchering chicken, breaking down squid.   Instead of trying to move them from "worst"  to "gourmet", how about teaching them to be AVERAGE?  Most people who cook at home buy the wings, fish fillets, already cut.  

And most home cooks do  not even try to make squid. 

Edited January 26, 2015 by backformore

[backformore]

I am not a "worst cook",  I cook, but I stick to things that are not so complicated and time-consuming.  I'm good at reading recipes and figuring out how to make new dishes.  But there's no way in hell I'd be able to complete either of these dishes in 45 minutes. 

Why not show them "regular"  pasta, with a tomato sauce, to start out with?  why does the first foray into pasta making have to be something so complicated?

And I don't buy that Kristen can't cook.  she knew her way around the pasta machine, her family all cooks, right? 
My theory - she says she's a singer.  I bet she tried out for American Idol, or The Voice, and didn't make it. Then she tried out for The Bachelor - because she wants to be on TV.   She didn't make that either.  So now her "hook"  is that she's the only one in the family who can't cook.

She doesn't belong in this show.

Edited January 26, 2015 by backformore

[nccueagle84]

And I don't buy that Kristen can't cook.  she knew her way around the pasta machine, her family all cooks, right? 

My theory - she says she's a singer.  I bet she tried out for American Idol, or The Voice, and didn't make it. Then she tried out for The Bachelor - because she wants to be on TV.   She didn't make that either.  So now her "hook"  is that she's the only one in the family who can't cook.

She doesn't belong in this show.

Her dad/family owns a restaurant.  I call bull also!!!  "Oh wait I have to batter the fish?" but then claims her dad is famous for his po' boy sandwiches.  Even if you're not executive chef status, if you've been around a restaurant or a parent who is a chef then there is no way that you can't at least do some basic things.  Having to fillet a fish isn't easy, but she should know that you had to put batter on it.

[Lizzing]

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I thought these challenges were ridiculous, especially "skill drill" one.  In what world would you buy whole chickens to make wings for a game day party?  Even if you only had one other person over, you'd have to buy at least 6 chickens to get enough wings.  What the hell are you going to do with all those chickens?  Sure, you could freeze them and then have chicken for months, but wouldn't it be a hell of a lot easier to buy a pack of wings from the grocery store?

 

As for Kristen, when she "forgot" to batter the fish, that was absurd.  Throw out the fact that her parents run a restaurant.  If you've ever EATEN a fried fish poboy, you know that sucker is battered.  And they did eat one, right there on camera.

[GaT]

Along with a lot of other people, I call bullshit on the "I can't cook at all & now I can make squid ink pasta", they're doing things that are way too advanced for people who are supposedly the worst cooks. How about things like poaching an egg, or grilling a burger, or even roasting a chicken? Making homemade raviolo out of squid ink pasta dough that you made yourself is ridiculous.

[NikSac]

I have a somewhat related question - does anyone know what squid ink tastes like?  It's been on so many cooking shows lately I've been wondering. I'm allergic (like deathly allergic) to shellfish and I'm not sure what that means for squid or squid ink, so I'll probably never try it, but I'm pretty curious what it tastes like.

[Lamb18]

What's kind of sad is that two of the people who were probably true worst cooks were the ones that went home.  I'll miss them both.  David grew on me as I realized he was a true bad cook and he really was being himself.  He was funny, too.  Same with Kourtni - I think that's what she's really like.  She had a good line this week: "At least I didn't set the kitchen on fire - I'm proud of myself for that."

 

I agree this was a silly challenge for worst cooks.  But I guess they wanted horrified reactions, squirting ink, etc. to broadcast.  I just hope it is not Sarah vs. Leo for the end. They're the fakes.

[Lizzing]

I have a somewhat related question - does anyone know what squid ink tastes like?  It's been on so many cooking shows lately I've been wondering. I'm allergic (like deathly allergic) to shellfish and I'm not sure what that means for squid or squid ink, so I'll probably never try it, but I'm pretty curious what it tastes like.

Well, I've only had squid ink pasta once and, TBH, it didn't really leave me with that great of an impression.  The pasta was a bit chewier (though that could have been due to the way the pasta was made, not the squid ink), and a tiny bit saltier.  That said, I do love calamari, so if you can get allergy tested to see if your okay on squid, it's worth it, IMHO.

[desertflower]

I agree with everyone that this was too hard. Anne was mad because everyone on her team was rushing to finish; doesn't that tell you something when everyone is having a problem?

I also wonder what squid ink tastes like; maybe I'm wrong but I suspect it's not worth the effort.

[phoenix780]

Wow, how bad is this show in terms of imparting culinary knowledge if we watched but didn't at least learn what squid ink tastes like and why it'd be worth the effort.

 

Last week someone mentioned that they get more extensive training off-camera.  Is that still taught by Anne/Tyler?  Since, y'know, the premise of the show is to see which is a better teacher.

 

As far as the challenge- I also thought it was absurd.  Though it would be...funny, I guess, if they went home knowing how to harvest squid ink but not grill a burger (or some other basic task).

[Writing Wrongs]

Leo is really annoying in his THs. Like he's auditioning for his own reality/variety show.

[The Solution]

When did Anne Burrell become such a harridan? She used to be tolerable but now she's a total fishwife. I don't think hectoring a room full of people with knives is a wise thing.

 

Totally agree that squid ink pasta and calamari is far too difficult for someone who just learned how to turn on an oven two weeks ago. I'm a good enough cook to have considered opening my own restaurant, but even I would only try something like that on a Saturday when I had plenty of time and no distractions.

[erikdepressant]

This was a bittersweet episode.  I was sad to see Kortni go.  When she had burned wings with white tips, she cracked me up with the line, "My chicken's gonna have a fresh manicure goin' on."

 

But I was thrilled to see Jerry Lewis Wannabe go.  If they can just get rid of Leo and Sarah now, the show would be tolerable.  I'm sick of seeing Leo drop his mouth open in faux astonishment whenever he sees his reflection in the camera lens.

 

When Sarah said, "I need to act like an adult," I thought, "No, you just need to stop your acting."

 

I like how often Norman says "I like eating those" whenever Anne/Tyler introduce new dishes.

[BensBritches]

In what world would you buy whole chickens to make wings for a game day party?  Even if you only had one other person over, you'd have to buy at least 6 chickens to get enough wings.

 

This was a big question in the Britches household too.  They sell wings (with tips and without) at pretty much any grocery store.  Why in the whole would you buy a whole freakin' chicken just to use the wings? At a real party, it would take something like 20 chickens to get enough wings to feed your guests!

 

I too, thought this show was ridiculous in terms of the difficulty level.  I don't know of too many home cooks who make squid ink pasta from scratch.  And I'm a pretty good cook who's been cooking since I was 12, but I've screwed up calamari more times than I can count.  I still can't filet a fish and I don't need to, since I can buy the filets in the store...

 

What I thought was odd/funny was how all these contestants, who don't even know what a cucumber is or have never cooked with a tomato, LOVED the taste of the squid ink pasta.  I'm not buying it. And somehow adding sour cream, mayonnaise and some cheese together turned Sarah into a "condiment" lover. 

 

It also seemed a bit unfair that Tyler led Sharif down a path to get potentially offed last night.  He dings him for not enough salt and then, as Sharif is gently adding a bit of salt (to what was clearly an already salty dish), Tyler reminds him of his tendency to under-season or get the seasoning wrong. That seemed to lead to Sharif adding a lot more salt to his dish, thinking that was what Tyler wanted, and then he gets slammed for over-salting the dish.

 

I too, so wish they would focus on basic cooking, the kind most of us "home cooks" do.  Through all the meals I've served, never once has someone complained that my onions weren't evenly chopped.  And if they think it's under-salted they just add salt!!  But knowing how to tell when meat or chicken is done is such a key to cooking and they don't seem to focus on any of these basic techniques.  I refuse to believe these people who had possibly never even made boxed pasta could suddenly make fresh squid ink pasta.

 

Yet, I still watch...

 

Edited because Bobby Flay was smart enough to abandon this ship.

Edited January 26, 2015 by BensBritches

[Sharpie66]

Getting the cuts even is really important to even cooking, as well as having it look pretty, so I get why they emphasize that. It's just really central to being a cook, IMO. And I totally agree on making sure that your food is thoroughly cooked!

 

There were several statements from this weeks episode that just made me go "Really???"

 

First, Kortni saying that she didn't know that something could be burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. Has she never had something cooked on the grill? I've seen lots of backyard barbeque-ers manage to do just that.

 

Second, Dave never had raw tomatoes or onions before? I guess that goes along with his not eating vegetables at all, but that just confused me.

 

Third, what was up with Sarah's hatred of all things condiment? Her food must be so dry without it. Her babygirl voice just drives me up a tree anyway, and that faux gagging was making my teeth grind. (I hate faux-gagging in general--there's a furniture company that is using it in a commercial, and I really wonder why the ad agency thought it was something clever to make a central point of the ad, because all it does for me is make me want to retch and then turn the channel.)

[grisgris]

It seems to me that they always throw in making pasta and processing seafood into each season. Both in one fell swoop? Not so sure. I know that squid ink pasta is trendy (seems like more in the past) but having to process squid and harvest the ink, on top of making pasta, was way too much. Especially for that level of competence.

 

I would like to see Genique and Norman in the final. Unfortunately, we'll probably get Leo and Sarah because of their "personalities." Ugh.

 

Yeah, usually, I am an Anne shipper, but she's turning into a real shrew this season. I hope that Tyler hands her her ass.

[needschocolate]

Well, I guess the competition is finally really starting, because they actually got rid of the two most annoying people (well, I should say, two of the three most annoying).  Until now, when it came down to the final two, they kept the more annoying one.

 

 

As far as the challenge- I also thought it was absurd.  Though it would be...funny, I guess, if they went home knowing how to harvest squid ink but not grill a burger (or some other basic task).

 

I imagine this conversation - 

 

A: We are going to my cousin's for dinner.

B: The one that was on that cooking show?

A: Yup

B: Mmmm, I wonder what he's making...

A: He is making squid ink pasta. He always makes squid ink pasta.  

B: For Thanksgiving?

[NikSac]

I would like to see Genique and Norman in the final. Unfortunately, we'll probably get Leo and Sarah because of their "personalities." Ugh.

 

Yeah, usually, I am an Anne shipper, but she's turning into a real shrew this season. I hope that Tyler hands her her ass.

 

I'm with you, those are the two I'd like to see as well. I kind of like Kristen as well, so I'd be okay with her.  If Leo and Sarah aren't gone next episode I'm not sure I can even keep watching.

Well, I've only had squid ink pasta once and, TBH, it didn't really leave me with that great of an impression.  The pasta was a bit chewier (though that could have been due to the way the pasta was made, not the squid ink), and a tiny bit saltier.  That said, I do love calamari, so if you can get allergy tested to see if your okay on squid, it's worth it, IMHO.

 

Thanks, good to know!  I'll stop even thinking about it. Calamari/squid itself - no, no way due to allergies. If the ink pasta's not that great, I won't consider risking it. As a related aside, I know crickets and cricket flour are all the rage now and those are apparently dangerous for those with shrimp allergies. Sheesh.

 

Wonder if they'll have the chefs cooking with crickets next week, even though they probably still can't grill a chicken breast or a burger.

[backformore]

I wish this show was less high-end gourmet and more easy everyday American meals. Burgers, pizza, pasta, maybe a simple stir fry. Those are the things people who CANNOT cook need to learn.

And breakfast. Not fancy, just basic eggs french toast, pancakes.

It's like teaching someone to make a perfect caramel macchiato before they've figured out how to master a pot of drip coffee.

[NikSac]

I wish this show was less high-end gourmet and more easy everyday American meals. Burgers, pizza, pasta, maybe a simple stir fry. Those are the things people who CANNOT cook need to learn.

And breakfast. Not fancy, just basic eggs french toast, pancakes.

It's like teaching someone to make a perfect caramel macchiato before they've figured out how to master a pot of drip coffee.

 

Completely agree with you!  I think that'd only work if they got rid of the horrible actors pretending to be "worst cooks," but I think it'd be a much more enjoyable show.

[MajorWoody]

A few observations:

First of all, the characters once again seem to be the purpose of this show, not the cooking lessons. The sooner Sarah and Leo leave the better. It's getting so I can't stand to watch either one anymore.

Secondly, who in their right mind thinks squid ink pasta is something a new home cook needs to learn? How about learning to make regular pasta, which is something that they might actually make at home in the future. Does Anne or Tyler really think anyone at the contestants skill levels will ever make squid ink pasta in the future?

Also, as others have posted, I'd like to see a finale with Norman and Genique. Sadly, since they are both somewhat normal and not characters, it's highly unlikely we'll see that pairing.

[sofaslug]

Like most of you I thought this episode was ridiculous. Never would I buy whole chickens to just use the wings for a SB party or anything else. The whole squid ink thing just sqicked me out. As others have noted, why not just show them how to cook pasta correctly (since they probably grab the 3/$1 boxes when shopping) then teach 'em how to make their own to compare the taste.

And I'm so glad David is gone. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.

[Lillybee]

The squid ink pasta was a ridiculous challenge. On the latest Top Chef episode, one of the chefs wanted to make squid ink pasta, but wasn't able to buy squid ink, so she changed her game plan. She didn't consider buying whole squid and harvesting the ink herself.

 

I still think that Sarah is a ringer.