Cooks Vs. Cons - General Discussion

[spaceytraci1208]

I loved last night's winner; that he donated his winnings and that he made an amazing crab cake to shut up that smug-ass "I'm From Maryland" judge

[mlp]

I would have reconstituted a can of cream of mushroom soup with the required milk.  Of course, I would have promptly lost.  :)

The guy who won had an unusual name which I've already forgotten but I was sure he was a chef partly from his cooking but also from the natural way he used his side towel.  So far using that as an indicator has worked for me more often than not.

The young woman who turned out to be a nanny was really impressed with herself.  I found her very annoying.

Justin Warner seems to have toned down the behaviors that made him obnoxious and I've taken him off my "most loathed" list.  I'm still not crazy about him but I no longer find him as detestable as Melissa and Robert Irvine.  His crack about pea shoots made me laugh.

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

Justin Warner seems to have toned down the behaviors that made him obnoxious and I've taken him off my "most loathed" list.  I'm still not crazy about him but I no longer find him as detestable as Melissa and Robert Irvine.  His crack about pea shoots made me laugh.

I agree about Justin.  He used to make my fillings hurt, but he's been pretty spot on with his food critiques, and not in an offensive way.  Who'd a thunk?

[spiderpig]

Just now, spiderpig said:

I agree about Justin.  He used to make my fillings hurt, but he's been pretty spot on with his food critiques, and not in an offensive way.  Who'd a thunk?

ETA: those crab cakes had me salivating.  He manipulated them so delicately, I wanted to run straight to my fridge and duplicate his technique.

[Snarklepuss]

I loved Demal, including his unusual name.  Any guy that tattoos "Ignatius" on his arm has my vote just at that, but I thought he was a very interesting person too, and a great cook.

[Wings]

On 4/27/2017 at 0:00 PM, spiderpig said:

On 4/27/2017 at 11:58 AM, spiderpig said:

I agree about Justin.  He used to make my fillings hurt, but he's been pretty spot on with his food critiques, and not in an offensive way.  Who'd a thunk?

ETA: those crab cakes had me salivating.  He manipulated them so delicately, I wanted to run straight to my fridge and duplicate his technique.

Damn, I deleted and now I will never know how to manipulate a crab cake.  

On 4/27/2017 at 10:43 AM, mlp said:

 

The guy who won had an unusual name which I've already forgotten but I was sure he was a chef partly from his cooking but also from the natural way he used his side towel.  So far using that as an indicator has worked for me more often than not.

The young woman who turned out to be a nanny was really impressed with herself.  I found her very annoying.

Justin Warner seems to have toned down the behaviors that made him obnoxious and I've taken him off my "most loathed" list.  I'm still not crazy about him but I no longer find him as detestable as Melissa and Robert Irvine.  His crack about pea shoots made me laugh.

The side towel is one of my tells, also.   I agree with all you said.  I deleted your sentence on using cream of mushroom soup though!  I have never used canned soup in anything and never will.  :^)

[spiderpig]

42 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Damn, I deleted and now I will never know how to manipulate a crab cake.  

Think of all the ways we could work "manipulate a crab cake" that could get us permanently banned from PTV!

Demal handled the ingredients so delicately, tossing them lightly between his fingers so you knew they wouldn't be the fried hockey pucks you often get when you order crab cakes.

One of the things I've learned from food shows is never to overwork your protein.  Actually, never overwork anything.

My grandmothers were spectacular cooks.  My own mother, not so much.  Guess it's all about timing.  Grandmas raised families during the Depression and WWII and had to feed families with what they could get.  My mother's generation thought food preparation was Better Living Through Chemistry.

[Wings]

38 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Think of all the ways we could work "manipulate a crab cake" that could get us permanently banned from PTV!

Ha! 

I make good crab cakes and you barely handle them.  They should hold together only enough to be able to turn them in a skillet and it often takes a spatula and your hand.  Mine fall apart when you put your fork into them.  All crab held together with a little mayo, egg and freshly made soft bread crumbs.  

My mother was an excellent cook and my grandmother never went into the kitchen other than to get a maraschino cherry for her Manhattan.   Not an alcoholic, just a ritual she enjoyed as her cook made dinner!

I use this recipe.  

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/classic-maryland-crab-cakes.aspx

Edited April 29, 2017 by wings707

[Snarklepuss]

@wings707, I make good crab cakes too.  The recipe I use is very much like the one you posted.  In fact it may be exactly the same.  One tip I follow so they don't fall apart while cooking is to put them in the fridge for 30 minutes before frying them.

Both my mother and grandmother were gifted cooks; I owe a lot to them.  It seeped into me by osmosis.  I still watch chefs on TV and say to Mr. Snarkle, "Oh yeah, I do that, my mother used to do that".

When I was little my mother read the NY Times and learned about this new chef Julia Child who came out with a cookbook about French cooking.  She ran out and bought the book and began to cook from it all the time - I still have her original copy.  When Julia's show came on the air my mother and I watched it together from episode 1.  We never missed it.

Sorry to go off topic!

[Wings]

@Snarklepuss.  Good tip to refrigerate first.  Thanks.  

[spiderpig]

Lemon & maple episode.  Mmmmm...crabcakes.

The Korean vegan's profession was no surprise.

[Wings]

3 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Lemon & maple episode.  Mmmmm...crabcakes.

The Korean vegan's profession was no surprise.

Yes on the bold.  I pegged her as a con immediately.   Her type is a casting favorite, ethnic food from grandma makes you look professional when you skillfully prepare things that are less known.  They did fool me once on this though, a couple of weeks ago.  

I was on the fence until the last minute with the crab cake guy.  Chefs are usually big on the proper ratio of bread to filling for a sandwich.  Then I reminded myself the cooks are often be private chefs or caterers and not necessarily up on some details that seem obvious to us, viewers of the cooking channel! 

[jcbrown]

Agreed that Justin Warner has toned the odious know-it-all personality way down. I actually kind of liked him in this epi. And I thought Aarti's hair was looking fabulous.

[Snarklepuss]

4 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Agreed that Justin Warner has toned the odious know-it-all personality way down. I actually kind of liked him in this epi.

ITA, I even commented to Mr. Snarklepuss that if Justin was in my class in high school I would have sat at his table in the cafeteria!  I don't know where that came from, but it seemed to fit.

[spiderpig]

22 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

ITA, I even commented to Mr. Snarklepuss that if Justin was in my class in high school I would have sat at his table in the cafeteria!  I don't know where that came from, but it seemed to fit.

You nailed it. He reminds me of Bill Z., the only guy in high school who gave me a signed copy of his graduation photo.

He's now probably the CEO of Google or something.

[Wings]

12 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Agreed that Justin Warner has toned the odious know-it-all personality way down. I actually kind of liked him in this epi. And I thought Aarti's hair was looking fabulous.

Love Arti's hair!  Much better look for her.  Justin never bothered me much and I have moved into liking him. 

[Snarklepuss]

Jeffrey was wrong this week.  I love knowing that the pros can be just as wrong about the contestants as we can.

[spiderpig]

Once again I liked all the contestants.  It's a nice palate cleanser after some of the icky nasty hijinks we get on other shows (not to say we don't enjoy booing and hissing.)

The first eliminated seemed to be getting the winner's edit early on.

[spiderpig]

Chili cheese dogs with apricots.  OK.

I always enjoy a con having an unexpected occupation.  Forensic pathologist.  ("Did you wash your hands?")

[Wings]

George was an easy guess when he put his fries in the freezer after first fry.  I have never done that but the fact he fried them twice did it for me.  No one else did.

Pink hair an immediate con when I saw her first dish. It was way too wimpy.

The pathologist was my other con guess because he did the same style of food twice, a chef would not use yoghurt for cheese nor use it twice.  I love it when I am right.  I love games.  Delightful show. 

I guessed the other cook by process of elimination and figured she was a caterer, I was half right.  

[spiderpig]

Eddie and Justin were cute together.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

[mlp]

I can't believe I'm going to say this but..................... I think I actually like Justin Warner now.  I think he grew up.

I liked George and figured him for a chef also.  I thought the pathologist would turn out to be a rabbi - although that would have been too easy a guess.

[Snarklepuss]

I guessed George before he even cooked anything.  When he said he was from Vernon, CT and that barbecue was his specialty, I knew he could only be from Little Mark's Big Barbecue, which used to have a branch in my town that closed.  I went there once several years ago and was not impressed.  Both branches have closed in recent years while the original restaurant has remained open with mixed reviews.  He seems like a very enthusiastic guy, which surprised me considering how his restaurants have fared.  His food did look good on TV, though.  Maybe he should give up the barbecue and start doing something different.  Now that better barbecue places have opened up he has stiffer competition in that area and IMO can't measure up.

[Wings]

On the most recent episode the father and son chefs were easy to guess.  I loved that their dishes were very similar.  Cute touch.  A slam dunk for guessing.

[mlp]

That was a good episode.  I liked both father and son although I preferred Dad and I also liked the guy of Asian descent.  I would have been happy with any one of them winning.

I am SOOOOOO sick of Daphne Oz.  Little Miss Knowitall.

[spiderpig]

Maybe I should take this to the Food/Kitchen Gadgets forum, but does anybody have any experience with the father/son indoor smoking techniques?  Pan vs. gun.

[Snarklepuss]

On this week's show I think Geoffrey made a mistake - he said Joe won $10,000 - If a con wins they get $15,000.

[Lura]

On a recorded show I just watched last night, a doctor beat out both pro chefs.  It was so much fun to see.  His job at the hospital was very interesting to me.  He studies all of the test results on cancer patients and then maps out a course of treatment for the doctors to follow.  I always thought one's doctor did that.

I always liked Justin even though he was strange.  Now, I think he's even better.  He's a smart guy and sure knows his food.

[mlp]

Sunny Anderson was at her best on last week's show.  She looked "normal" and was subdued instead of screeching like she usually does.  The other judge, Little Miss Know-It-All (Daphne Oz), annoys me no end.  She has learned a lot during her time on The Chew but she's not the final authority she seems to think she is.  On the rerun that followed, she was paired with Marcus Samuelsson, a highly regarded actual chef, and she went on and on about everything while he sat there being polite.  

It has seemed to me all along that the contestants on this show must know in advance what the "secret ingredients" will be.  They all act surprised but then they run to the very limited pantry and grab exactly what they need for a dish they supposedly came up with on the fly.  Sometimes they use something I wouldn't expect to find in that setting.  On one episode of Bakers vs. Fakers, basically the same show, one of the cooks used birch oil.  Seeing an uncommon thing like that be available in that little pantry pretty much confirmed my suspicions.  I could, of course, be wrong.  Maybe all bakeries stock birch oil for some reason.  Dunno.

[Snarklepuss]

12 hours ago, mlp said:

Sunny Anderson was at her best on last week's show.  She looked "normal" and was subdued instead of screeching like she usually does.  The other judge, Little Miss Know-It-All (Daphne Oz), annoys me no end.  She has learned a lot during her time on The Chew but she's not the final authority she seems to think she is.  On the rerun that followed, she was paired with Marcus Samuelsson, a highly regarded actual chef, and she went on and on about everything while he sat there being polite. 

I noticed that.  Did you notice how at one point Marcus and Geoffrey shot each other a glance when she insisted on something ridiculous for 5 minutes after Geoffrey respectfully disagreed?  I forget what it was now, but it was obvious that the two of them were in effect eye-rolling about her.

I thought Marcus held his own next to her pretty well.  Even Jeff Mauro had a hard time getting a word in edgewise when he sat next to her.  It's getting to the point that she's affecting my enjoyment of the show.  I usually tune people like that out but she's getting so annoying I can't even do that anymore.

[mlp]

I did notice the eye-roll.  

I loved The Chew when it first started but couldn't stand Daphne.  Her role at that time was to be the healthy eating voice and she was so smug and self-important about it that she turned me off.  I think the PTB must have told her to tone it down because she did eventually but I got so sick of her that I actually stopped watching the show.  I don't know what she's doing on FN (maybe the Oz name) but I wish they'd sit on her.  At least she's not on every episode.

[Lura]

On ‎7‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 0:11 PM, mlp said:

I wish they'd sit on her.

I like Daphne.  In fact, when she isn't on this show, the show seems less interesting to me.  Maybe it's her enthusiasm.  However, I sure know what you're talking about when she was first on "The Chew."  Waaaay too much energy!

The only judge that I've never been able to be enthused over is Marcus Samuelson.  Oddly, I like him in other situations, and I have all kinds of respect for him, but as a judge, he sometimes strikes me as being too demanding of these home cooks and personal chefs who don't have the knowledge that he does.  I always love watching to see what clothes he'll wear.  He's an original, a clothes horse, and his bright, colorful combinations are usually worth the wait.

[Hockeymom]

On 4/27/2017 at 7:42 AM, wings707 said:

I have never even seen the Italian tuna in a jar but I would leap to buy it.  I cannot find tuna packed in oil anymore

Italian speciality stores will have it. Most grocery stores as well. If it's not in the canned fish section, with the other tuna,  It may be in the Italian section with the pasta, canned tomatoes and paste.  In my local store, there is a small speciality section within the larger Italian isle. 

You can always ask the store to get it for you. They order stuff for me all the time!

[cameron]

I can't believe the judges and Jeffery didn't recognize Chef Jeffery Bubin when he and his son were cooking as contestants.  Come on a big name chef and they didn't recognize him.

[Hockeymom]

42 minutes ago, cameron said:

 

I can't believe the judges and Jeffery didn't recognize Chef Jeffery Bubin when he and his son were cooking as contestants.  Come on a big name chef and they didn't recognize him.

 

I can't believe any of this show. I can spot the cooks in the first 2 minutes. Now, just to keep it interesting, I try to guess the occupations of the imposters instead. I mean, how do you not know the guy with a big knife tattoo isn't a chef? Or the woman with her long hair dragging in everything is really a home cook?

They don't even try to hide it. A few episodes back, during the introductions, they showed a picture of a woman contestant posing in front of her giant BBQ smoker. Really? How many home cooks have a commercial smoker just lying around?

I want to like this. I do. But it's almost insulting that FN thinks we are this stupid. 

[Snarklepuss]

I hear you, @Hockeymom, but I watch this show for almost mindless entertainment so I don't get too personally involved in it.  I just hate it when they claim that "no home cook" would know a certain technique.  Oh, please, they should get over themselves, a lot of home cooks know a lot of difficult cooking techniques.

Lately I'm spotting the cooks vs. the cons pretty quickly too for a lot of reasons like you say above, plus after watching this show since it came on the air I've honed my ability to spot certain catchphrases that give them away every time!  Like a lot of times when they talk about going on this show to prove to their families that they can achieve something, that's a giveaway that they're a con, because a pro doesn't need to prove they can cook by going on this show.  When they say they want to show their kids that if you put in a lot of hard work you can achieve your dream, that tends towards being a pro, because why would they go on a cooking show to send that message to their kids if they weren't a pro?  Plus if they say they want to use the prize money to open their "dream business", like DUH that usually means they're a pro that needs startup money for their restaurant or food cart.

ITA about the woman with the BBQ smoker.  I thought the same thing.  Just how many people have a huge honkin' smoker like that and aren't a pro at BBQ in some way?  Like DUH.  But I see this show as meaningless fun, like a child's brain teaser on a diner place mat, so it doesn't bother me that much LOL.

That said, I liked the combination of Gail from "Top Chef" with Alex Guarnaschelli as judges.  Interesting contrast of perspectives, and thank goodness neither is annoying like Daphne Oz!

Edited August 6, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[spiderpig]

16 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I hear you, @Hockeymom, but I watch this show for almost mindless entertainment so I don't get too personally involved in it.  I just hate it when they claim that "no home cook" would know a certain technique.  Oh, please, they should get over themselves, a lot of home cooks know a lot of difficult cooking techniques.

I think the same thing, Snark - are the judges including the home cooks who watch their own network?  Do they think we're watching for fashion tips?  (Oh, don't get me started...)

[CBKlim]

@Snarklepuss

I've noticed they've said the con winnings are $10,000 a couple of times now in the last few months.  They haven't told anybody different, they've just slipped it in as if no one would notice.  I don't like that at all... they're taking away half the point of the show.

[Snarklepuss]

1 hour ago, CBKlim said:

@Snarklepuss

I've noticed they've said the con winnings are $10,000 a couple of times now in the last few months.  They haven't told anybody different, they've just slipped it in as if no one would notice.  I don't like that at all... they're taking away half the point of the show.

Thanks for noticing that, I was starting to think I missed something but they did just "slip it in" (LOL) between seasons.  I notice they don't have Geoffrey explain the what they win anymore either.  I remember he used to say "15 large" for the cons.  I don't get why they would do that.  I'm sure the show can afford the extra $5,000 once in a while.  I'm thinking there has to be a reason.  Maybe some of the professional cooks thought it was insulting to get less than the home cooks, so the show leveled it out.  But why didn't they go up instead of down?  Are they that cheap?  But I agree with you, it was half the point of the show for the cons to win more.

ETA:  I wonder if they did the same thing on "Bakers vs. Fakers".  I don't watch that so I don't know.

Edited August 10, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[spiderpig]

How can you not love a show where one of the competitors is a candle-making home cook dude from Texas?

[Hockeymom]

26 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

 

How can you not love a show where one of the competitors is a candle-making home cook dude from Texas?

 

He was seriously hot. I was trying to guess his profession because clearly he was no cook. I was just waiting for him to take off that scruffy hat and announce that he's really a professional model. Underneath that hat and that beard was one adorable smile!

[Snarklepuss]

13 hours ago, Hockeymom said:

He was seriously hot. I was trying to guess his profession because clearly he was no cook. I was just waiting for him to take off that scruffy hat and announce that he's really a professional model. Underneath that hat and that beard was one adorable smile!

Wow, tastes sure do differ!  I didn't think he was bad looking but he didn't register on my "seriously hot" meter at all.  I knew right away he was no cook and then what he did with the halibut only confirmed it.

[spiderpig]

I finally managed to watch the sesame/bluw cheese episode.  Again, I liked all of the contestants.  But Lisa's crawfish Mac & cheese looked freaking awesome.  Want.  Want.

Hilarious reveal about Brittany's occupation.  You go, girl!

[Snarklepuss]

I got them all right this time.  I just knew Lisa was a cook.  The other woman did not have a cook's personality.  I love it when they're all wrong and I'm right!

[Hockeymom]

5 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

 

I got them all right this time.  I just knew Lisa was a cook.  The other woman did not have a cook's personality.  I love it when they're all wrong and I'm right!

 

Are they ever all wrong though? I think it's just an act to manufacture suspense. If we at home can spot the cooks immediately, I'm sure it's no challenge for professionals at close range. 

Production shoots the occupation clips and interviews, so I'm sure at least GZ knows. 

Edited August 21, 2017 by Hockeymom
Misspelling

[meowmommy]

On 8/6/2017 at 1:56 AM, Snarklepuss said:

Like a lot of times when they talk about going on this show to prove to their families that they can achieve something, that's a giveaway that they're a con, because a pro doesn't need to prove they can cook by going on this show.  When they say they want to show their kids that if you put in a lot of hard work you can achieve your dream, that tends towards being a pro, because why would they go on a cooking show to send that message to their kids if they weren't a pro? 

I dunno--how many times do we see on Chopped the cheftestants claiming they're there to prove to their families that they made the right decision in becoming a chef?  And speaking of families and Chopped, I was about ready to scream at the Chopped-level of sob stories.  Adoptive sister with cerebral palsy.  Mom with unstated illness just getting out of the hospital.  Son with no college fund because of Katrina.  Do not tell me the Vietnamese sous chef with attitude was really competing for Grandma.  WTF is wrong with FN????  Why isn't it ever enough that people compete because they just fucking either love to compete and/or they want the damn money?

On 8/20/2017 at 6:11 AM, spiderpig said:

I finally managed to watch the sesame/bluw cheese episode.  Again, I liked all of the contestants.  But Lisa's crawfish Mac & cheese looked freaking awesome.  Want.  Want.

Hilarious reveal about Brittany's occupation.  You go, girl!

I'm so mean that I immediately thought the students ought to learn how to write the articles themselves, as part of a well-rounded education.

[Wings]

I love games and cooking.  I got them easily, last night.

The woman (blintzes) was easy to guess as a cook, she approached things as someone who works with food.  They tried to fool us with the mention of small town and her kids but that failed. 

The first one out was an obvious con. Fried shrimp and salad with her stuffed mushrooms was trying too hard. 

[spiderpig]

I just got around to watching the stuffed mushroom ep, and by the time I got downstairs to make Mr. pig's margarita I forgot who won round two and what they made.

OK, I looked it up so you don't have to.  The second challenge was figs.

I still don't remember who won.

[Snarklepuss]

On 8/26/2017 at 10:25 PM, spiderpig said:

I still don't remember who won.

The guy with the beard (if I recall correctly).  He was a pro and very obviously one, too.  I spotted the other guy for a con right away.  I'm more often right with this show than wrong these days.  Not sure why, maybe it's intuition.

[spiderpig]

I finally got around to watching the popsicle curry/bean episode.  Could Avi (blonde ponytail) possibly have a higher opinion of herself?