The Judges

[cooksdelight]

4 hours ago, stormy said:

The contestants are always shocked to see Martha. Practically wetting their pants.

Is that scripted? Because it's ridiculous.

Yes, it’s scripted. They know who the judges will be, they get a walk-through of the kitchen and pantry before filming starts.

[mellowjoi]

On 6/20/2018 at 12:27 AM, mlp said:

Donut episode................... I don't really mind Martha Stewart as a judge but I wish they'd stop fawning over her, feeding her lines, having her bring food and even having the contestants gush about her.  It's become quite annoying.  She's not the Queen of Sheba.  Just treat her like all the other judges.

I've watched a lot of Chopped and I don't remember any other judges bringing part of the basket ingredients. If this is the path they are going to take then let each judge bring something.  I'm over them treating Martha like royalty.  If they really want to entertain me then have Martha bring 4 of her favorites from prison as a basket ingredient.   

[roseslg]

I wish Martha would go away.  I think she is good for certain competitions but that’s about it.  There was one show where she commented on the dish being too spicy.  The way she talked about made me think of all those people who cannot handle anything beyond the kindest of flavors, and that annoyed me.  None of the other judges said anything about the spice level.  

[cooksdelight]

Martha thinks she’s still a trend-setter, using chopsticks to eat everything, hoping people will all start doing that and give her credit. The way she curls up her nose a lot makes me not watch this show anymore.

[nitrofishblue]

Martha and her chopsticks can go away ASAP

[schnauzergirl]

20 hours ago, nitrofishblue said:

Martha and her chopsticks can go away ASAP

Two more weeks, I think, maybe three at the most.  

[AZChristian]

As a non-fan of Martha, I haven't watched Chopped since she became a judge.  Sounds like I made a wise choice.

[stormy]

I know we've discussed chopsticksgate to death. But when Martha started swishing her chopsticks around the soupy ice cream, I wanted one of the other judges to grab them and break them in half.

[meowmommy]

Am I misremembering or have Alex, Amanda and Maneet not appeared with Martha?  Is it in her contract that she must be the alpha-female?

[Bastet]

I don't have a problem with Martha as a judge (other than chopsticks with ice cream; if anyone is more comfortable eating with chopsticks than a fork, no problem, but ice cream?!), but including clips of every contestant talking about what an honor it is to cook for her got old fast.  It's not like this show is traditionally judged by line cooks at Outback.  Martha is more generally famous than any other judge, and a formidable personality, so I have no trouble believing there'd be some "Oh, yikes, I'm being judged by Martha Stewart" sentiment, but these are chefs -- if Eric Ripert appeared as a judge, they'd all genuflect.  Martha Stewart, some would simper and some would shrug. 

[GaT]

Maneet is one of the judges on Wedding Cake Championship. When she gets introduced, she is called a "master pastry chef". Was this ever mentioned on Chopped? I never thought of her as a pastry chef all of this time she's been judging, I thought she was strictly a food/restaurant chef.

[cooksdelight]

She is a chef, restaurant owner known for her Indian cuisine. She’ll need to pad her Wikipedia resume to add master pastry chef to her list. Not a mention of it. I think these shows are becoming parodies.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneet_Chauhan

Edited July 3, 2018 by cooksdelight

[stormy]

I don't get Martha.  In last night's episode she says she's only cooking Japanese at home. What?

Martha makes Alex likeable.

[cooksdelight]

Maybe because she realized most of the recipes she’s published are crap. 

[skipnjump]

On 7/3/2018 at 12:03 PM, cooksdelight said:

She is a chef, restaurant owner known for her Indian cuisine. She’ll need to pad her Wikipedia resume to add master pastry chef to her list. Not a mention of it. I think these shows are becoming parodies.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneet_Chauhan

Interesting.  I watch her Martha Stewart Bakes show on PBS, and she is always talking about the breads she's baking at home and she isn't doing anything Asian.  But then again, those are probably old episodes.

[roughing it]

On ‎7‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 11:56 PM, GaT said:

Maneet is one of the judges on Wedding Cake Championship. When she gets introduced, she is called a "master pastry chef". Was this ever mentioned on Chopped? I never thought of her as a pastry chef all of this time she's been judging, I thought she was strictly a food/restaurant chef.

Maybe I haven't seen Maneet in a while, but on WCC, wow has she lost a lot of weight!  So much so that my husband, who has watched Chopped forever, didn't recognize her.

Edited July 17, 2018 by roughing it

[Lura]

As one who feels that Ree Drummond is less than "cheffy," I was disappointed to see the ad for her being a judge on the next installment, which I think is today.  Ree is so many light years away from Martha or Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, or Alex Guarnaschelli that I can't respect her judgment.  I have seen Ree judge other competitions, and her main objective seems to be flashing that ever present grin and flattering the contestants with compliments.  I suspect that Ree's guest spot has more to do with her agent than it does with her qualifications.  I hate to see a good show like "Chopped" be brought down by incompetent judges for the sake of plugging their shows. 

[Bastet]

On 7/18/2018 at 1:48 PM, Lura said:

As one who feels that Ree Drummond is less than "cheffy," I was disappointed to see the ad for her being a judge on the next installment, which I think is today.

While watching Chopped Tuesday, I saw a commercial for The Next Food Network Star in which it was promoted that the creepy clown that is Ree Drummond would be appearing.  I saw one again tonight while watching Beat Bobby Flay.  I don't watch the next star show, so it will be easy to avoid her there, but if she's also going to appear on this one, I'll definitely be skipping that episode.  Her food is shit, and she's unspeakably annoying, so there's no reason to subject myself to her.  So I hope you are just mistaken as to which FN show she'll be appearing on next week.

[GeorgieNY]

On 6/20/2018 at 2:42 PM, cooksdelight said:

Yes, it’s scripted. They know who the judges will be, they get a walk-through of the kitchen and pantry before filming starts.

That’s actually not true. They get a walk through, but they do NOT know who the judges will be. 

[cooksdelight]

29 minutes ago, GeorgieNY said:

That’s actually not true. They get a walk through, but they do NOT know who the judges will be. 

6 people who have been on the show told me otherwise.

[GeorgieNY]

57 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

6 people who have been on the show told me otherwise.

I work there. 

[AZChristian]

4 minutes ago, GeorgieNY said:

I work there. 

Do they know as soon as they walk onto the set who the judges will be?  For example, I'm sure they're not told a week in advance, but do they know who the judges are around the same time they do a walk-through?  Just curious.

[GeorgieNY]

2 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Do they know as soon as they walk onto the set who the judges will be?  For example, I'm sure they're not told a week in advance, but do they know who the judges are around the same time they do a walk-through?  Just curious.

No, they see who the judges are as they walk out. Sometimes they have to walk out a few times for camera, so they might come back and tell the others who is out there, but they are not supposed to! 

[AZChristian]

5 minutes ago, GeorgieNY said:

No, they see who the judges are as they walk out. Sometimes they have to walk out a few times for camera, so they might come back and tell the others who is out there, but they are not supposed to! 

Thanks for the info.  I'm imagining in my mind that someone sees the ONE judge they did NOT want to face, then they pass out . . . thus requiring an additional walk-out.  LOL.  I admire these folks so much; I am NOT a creative cook, but I sure enjoy the fruits of the labor of those who are.  

[cooksdelight]

@GeorgieNY, aren’t you under a non-disclosure contract as part of your job? 

[GeorgieNY]

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

@GeorgieNY, aren’t you under a non-disclosure contract as part of your job? 

The same NDAas the six people who were on the show who told you they knew who the judges were. I don’t think this info is sensitive, it’s  just the truth. I’m not revealing any secrets. 

[sharifa70]

Oh, my GOD, Zakarian: It’s soup. Put. The Chopsticks. DOWN!

Also, Lynette was seriously grossing me out with her long pigtails hanging down. Put ‘em up or chop ‘em off.

[xaxat]

I just found out that my local grocery store has produced a solution for the greatest source of shame in the modern kitchen. Pot (half) sized spaghetti. So you never have to suffer from the embarrassment of breaking your pasta in half again!

Take that Conant!

[Kyanight]

Personally I thought Martha Stewart did a good job judging the dishes.  I didn't see her use chopsticks but my 94 year old father and my three sons won't eat Asian food without chopsticks, so maybe she has a quirk like they do.  She certainly appears to be a "Quicky" person!  lol

[cooksdelight]

I was waiting for them to bleep out the “as f**k” but no... LOL

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I was waiting for them to bleep out the “as f**k” but no... LOL

When does she say "as fuck"?  I can't with adults using cutesy coverings of "bad" language - use your words, either the ones you mean or an actual substitute - so I'm not a fan of "AF" instead of "as fuck" (either say it, or instead say "as hell" or "as all get out" or whatever), but that's what she says at the beginning (about 12 seconds in) and the end (just a couple of minutes before the end) of the video you posted.  My ears are racing to catch up with my eyes in the failing department, but I don't don't hear something in between - when does she say it?  Or has it been edited in the interim?

[cooksdelight]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

When does she say "as fuck"? 

She doesn’t say it, she says the letters “A F” .... sorry you misunderstood me! 🙂

[Gramto6]

10 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

She doesn’t say it, she says the letters “A F” .... sorry you misunderstood me! 🙂

Which are her initials. That may be what she is saying "Easy as A. F."

[cooksdelight]

I was watching Guy’s Grocery Games last night and noticed Marc Murphy wearing a hearing aid. He was sitting at the end of the judges’ table so I only saw his right ear, he was not facing left enough for me to check that one.

[xaxat]

Late last year, Ted was interviewed by Christopher Kimball (America's Test Kitchen, now founder of Milk Street.)

[Needham]

Martha Stewart  is  obviously a  successful "influencer" for all things presentational  and home entertainment..."very pretty "...

But as a chef who has the experience  of the other judges on the show "Chopped"  I find her imperious  stature a little hard to accept...

Discuss....

[cooksdelight]

I got her book Entertaining at a yard sale, and I watched her TV program. Then I wasted money on her cookbook. Every frickin’ recipe I tried was gross, didn’t work, tasted like crap .... you name it. She somehow managed to hit the airwaves at the right time for living beautifully. But it ain’t cheap. The less I see of her, the better.

[letusprocrastinate]

Poking my head over here to say that Geoffrey Zakarian is going to be on QVC throughout the day today (March 11th) hawking, among other things, an electric skillet, which is their special deal of the day.

But he has his name on a bunch of other products available at QVC, including this new one:  M-67422. 

Yes indeed, you can buy Zakarian "brand" mixed nuts.

Edited March 11, 2020 by letusprocrastinate

[xaxat]

33 minutes ago, letusprocrastinate said:

Yes indeed, you can buy Zakarian "brand" mixed nuts.

Twenty bucks a pound! 😮

[Delphi]

Watching reruns on hulu and I'm so glad Aaron isn't judging anymore,  he's so fucking pretentious and,  well overly judgy.   I notice a lot that when a person makes a meal or dessert from their culture he's very quick to tell them that it's not what they say it is or it's not a dessert.   For a chef that's so protective of his own culture I just find it very disrespectful. 

[buttersister]

On 3/11/2020 at 8:30 AM, xaxat said:

On 3/11/2020 at 7:52 AM, letusprocrastinate said:

Yes indeed, you can buy Zakarian "brand" mixed nuts.

Twenty bucks a pound! 😮

I’ll check the gourmet food shelf at Marshall’s some day.

Edited April 18, 2020 by buttersister

[galaxychaser]

$85 for raw chicken. Seriously nope.

 

https://www.qvc.com/Geoffrey-Zakarian-(2)-375-lb-Spatchcock-Chickens.product.M67861.html?sc=PSCH

 

 

[galaxychaser]

15 hours ago, Delphi said:

Watching reruns on hulu and I'm so glad Aaron isn't judging anymore,  he's so fucking pretentious and,  well overly judgy.   I notice a lot that when a person makes a meal or dessert from their culture he's very quick to tell them that it's not what they say it is or it's not a dessert.   For a chef that's so protective of his own culture I just find it very disrespectful. 

Aaron quit? 

[mlp]

Aaron hasn't been on Chopped in a couple years, maybe longer.  He's now doing Master Chef with Gordon Ramsay so I've assumed he's no longer with FN.  I don't miss him.  He was fine when he competed and when he did Chopped After Hours but, when he was a judge, he was very pretentious as the poster above said and as I've been saying for years.  He's the same way on MC.  I honestly don't think he's very knowledgeable about anything but Mexican cooking and he covers that up with blather.

[xaxat]

9 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

$85 for raw chicken. Seriously nope.

 

https://www.qvc.com/Geoffrey-Zakarian-(2)-375-lb-Spatchcock-Chickens.product.M67861.html?sc=PSCH

 

 

"5 Easy Pays of $17.00". An installment plan for two chickens.

[letusprocrastinate]

10 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

$85 for raw chicken. Seriously nope.

https://www.qvc.com/Geoffrey-Zakarian-(2)-375-lb-Spatchcock-Chickens.product.M67861.html?sc=PSCH

But, but...it's a great deal!  If you only want one 3.75 lb chicken instead of the set of two you're paying $54.99!  (5 easy pays of $11)

https://www.qvc.com/Geoffrey-Zakarian-375-lb-Spatchcock-Chicken.product.M67859.html

Edited April 19, 2020 by letusprocrastinate

[galaxychaser]

All his merchandise is overpriced. $35 for a skillet? I can buy 2-3in Burlington for that much $.

[letusprocrastinate]

38 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

All his merchandise is overpriced. $35 for a skillet? I can buy 2-3in Burlington for that much $.

The joys of shopping channels.  Someone's gotta pay to cover all of the extra overhead:  hosts, production staff, studio equipment (which is not cheap), IT, employees at multiple warehouses, etc.  Then of course if there's a celebrity's name on it they can charge a bit more for the name.

With respect to food, especially the perishable stuff like the chickens which have to be shipped faster, they build the shipping cost into the price.  They know very well that $75 plus $10 shipping will cause some people to balk but just make it $85 and free shipping and it's suddenly OK.

They also build in a cushion for refunds.  If those chickens show up thawed because the dry ice is gone or you think they're the worst things you've ever eaten in your life, your only recourse is to call for a refund and then chuck what's left in the trash.  If you don't like the skillet you can return it for a refund of the purchase price (not shipping, unless the item is defective).

[galaxychaser]

7 hours ago, mlp said:

Aaron hasn't been on Chopped in a couple years, maybe longer.  He's now doing Master Chef with Gordon Ramsay so I've assumed he's no longer with FN.  I don't miss him.  He was fine when he competed and when he did Chopped After Hours but, when he was a judge, he was very pretentious as the poster above said and as I've been saying for years.  He's the same way on MC.  I honestly don't think he's very knowledgeable about anything but Mexican cooking and he covers that up with blather.

I don’t care for Aaron either. 

[Ashforth]

This isn't exactly Chopped-related, but this morning I watched a "Brunch at Bobby's" from 2016 in which Scott Conant was the guest chef. Scott made a Middle Eastern inspired chicken and rice dish that looked and sounded fantastic (though I could have done without the fried eggs - that dish didn't need eggs, but they were trying to brunch it up). 

Bobby made an "Everything Bagel" strata and here's where it got fun. He made a topping for it that was mainly SLICED RAW RED ONION, with some capers and parsley and olive oil, as Scott looked on and commented about how great it was.  Whaaaaaat??? When they did the taste, it did look like he skipped the onion, LOL.