Cooks Vs. Cons - General Discussion

[Lura]

On ‎4‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 9:54 AM, wings707 said:

The casting director is doing a good job.  

You can say that again, Wings.  I've thought the same thing.

I love this show.  I don't even mind GZ.  He's been locked into the same serious role in judging Chopped" for so long that I think people forgot how much fun he can be.  He's also fun on "The Kitchen."  The real pains in the butt, to me, are the young jerks who MC "Cupcake Wars" and that Grandmother show.  They are such amateurs.

My record on Cooks vs. Cons guessing both cooks is about 5 0%.  Nothing to brag about, but the competition is fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0% wins.  Nothing to brag about, but the challenge is fun!

[spiderpig]

I like seeing people have fun on TV for a change.  I especially enjoy it when the cons reveal their true occupations.

Remember the winner who turned out to be a con? Spoiler just in case:

Spoiler

The charming French female barber who outcooked everyone!

No badmouthing except in jest, judges enjoying themselves, Geoffrey clowning around.  It's a palate cleanser.

[spiderpig]

January 25 ep - again I liked all the contestants.  Hard to believe the one who couldn't figure out how to attach a whisk to a KitchenAid mixer, though.

Spoiler

And he's a cooking instructor!

[Wings]

Their predictable formula was broken this week!  That being, the woman who cookes eithnic food from her background is a con.  Well damned if she wasn't a cook this time. Foiled!  I figured the doctor owned a diner, foiled again.  I have been pretty good but I was totally stumped this week.   

Edited January 26, 2017 by wings707

[steven T]

I just saw a repeat, I think of the very first episode, and I thought I recognized the con from Indonesia and when they said she was a fashion designer, then I remember her being a Project Runway winner from about 5 years ( i haven't watched the show in years so thats I guess), but i did watch her season.  I couldn't remember her name, that's why I wasn't sure.  I might be wrong on this, though.  I need confirmation.  Maybe i'm getting her confused.

[spiderpig]

Aww...my buddy Eddie Jackson was judging with Daphne.  He always makes me smile.

This is one of the few competitive cooking shows where they show the judges really chowing down on the food, unlike those dainty upside-down fork nibbles we see elsewhere.

ETA:  They eliminated the part at the beginning where all the contestants mug and point at each other.  I had to run it back to make sure.  Yeah - I need to get a life.

Edited February 2, 2017 by spiderpig

[mlp]

One thing I realized while watching Eddie is that he's much better on a show like this where his comments are unscripted than on shows where he seems constrained.  He's knowledgeable and he's certainly nice to look at.  Also he seems to have a good sense of humor.  I wish they'd give him Rachael's spot on Worst Cooks.  I think he'd be a lot more fun.

[steven T]

Does everything have to have texture and crunch?  I hear that all the time on these shows but when I eat a crepe, like one of the cooks prepared, I don't want crunch.  I want my strawberry and cream crepe to have a smooth soft texture with no crunch.

[spiderpig]

Feb 8 - once again, four very likeable contestants.  And a winner with a pretty amazing backstory.

Damn, those whoopie pies looked good.

[Wings]

Perfect score last night!  I pegged the ham handed guy as an Italian cook immediately.  Failing on his rice pudding only confirmed it.  

The homemade tart crust screamed home cook, chefs typically do not make their own when faced with pastry.  And I the pegged winner as a personal chef.  I would love to have her as my personal salad chef. 

First out, was clearly a con, odd tart.  

Ta Da! I got them all.  Rarely happens. 

[mlp]

I've been doing pretty well for several weeks spotting the pros ever since I started noticing how they use their side towels.  LOL  Nothing to do with their cooking.  Home cooks are more apt to use pot holders and oven mitts.  I pick the ones who are clearly using the side towels as second nature.  It's worked pretty well so far.

[spiderpig]

29 minutes ago, mlp said:

 I pick the ones who are clearly using the side towels as second nature.  It's worked pretty well so far.

I use my side towels all the time too, and I have the burns to prove it.

[Passing Strange]

On 1/26/2017 at 4:00 PM, steven T said:

I just saw a repeat, I think of the very first episode, and I thought I recognized the con from Indonesia and when they said she was a fashion designer, then I remember her being a Project Runway winner from about 5 years ( i haven't watched the show in years so thats I guess), but i did watch her season.  I couldn't remember her name, that's why I wasn't sure.  I might be wrong on this, though.  I need confirmation.  Maybe i'm getting her confused.

 

I can confirm that you're getting them confused. :) Anya Ayong-Chee won season 9 of Project Runway. Miranti Kisdarjono, who is also a fashion designer, won episode 2 of Cook vs Cons.

[Lura]

This week's show was a real surprise for my husband and me.  Whereas we generally get a couple of guesses right, we pulled off a complete win on this one, and it wasn't because we're so smart!  It was because the show was so transparent that anyone could have seen through it.  The cons were using the wrong pans, burning their food, pouring entire bottles of ginger ale into their sauces, and making fools of themselves.  Even the judges weren't surprised by the outcome!  Fun show!  :)

[spiderpig]

Have they dropped the mock squabbling among the contestants when Geoffrey is opening the show?  I don't recall seeing it the past few weeks.

[Lura]

Just when I thought this show couldn't get much lamer, with the cooks and cons being so obvious, along comes a clone called "Bakers vs. Fakers," which is even more transparent than the first show.  No, no, no!!!  What committee of airheads came up with TWO losers???  IMHO, both shows need to go back to the drawing board for major overhauls.

[Snarklepuss]

On 2/26/2017 at 1:55 PM, Lura said:

What committee of airheads came up with TWO losers???

From the looks of it, Buddy Valastro is listed as a producer on both shows.

[mlp]

I enjoy both shows.  They aren't supposed to be profound.  I do wish Geoffrey and the judges on his show would tone down the enthusiasm and the "pro  move!" a bit but, otherwise, I'm happy.

[Wings]

On 1/25/2017 at 11:28 PM, spiderpig said:

January 25 ep - again I liked all the contestants.  Hard to believe the one who couldn't figure out how to attach a whisk to a KitchenAid mixer, though.

  Hide contents

And he's a cooking instructor!

Every time I use my food processor I seem to struggle with getting the bowl on the correct way.   I have owned it for 30 years and use it often enough to remember! 

On 2/21/2017 at 8:43 PM, spiderpig said:

Have they dropped the mock squabbling among the contestants when Geoffrey is opening the show?  I don't recall seeing it the past few weeks.

I think, maybe.  I usually hit FF twice to get past the opening but I have not glimpsed it as far as I remember which is not much. 

I have things I look for to determine the professionals and I have a pretty good track record.  One is how they cut and onion and how fast.  Most do the skillet tossing but I watch for skill, have they been doing this a long time or just learned it to fool them?  Who tosses their skillet at home?  Also tossing ingredients in bowls rather than using a utensil.  

I have noticed chefs on Chopped taking short cuts they would not ordinarily do at their restaurant so I usually dismiss the judges saying a chef would never do that in the case of cutting a corner. 

One pretty common faker tell is getting too fancy to impress.  The flip side of that is they have to win for best dish to get to end, so there is that.  

I like the upbeat feel of this show, too.  

[Lura]

Speaking of upbeat, can you guess why I'm feeling upbeat today?  I finally got both chefs and cons right this week!  LOL  Do you think it took me long enough???!

Question for the day:  Does it make you laugh, too, when it seems like every con has to use the term "up a level" to try to impress the judges?

[Koalagirl]

Did anyone watch this week's episode? Don't they usually give $10,000 to the winner if that person is the cook and $15,000 of  it's the con?  This week the con won and Geoffrey said they won $10,000.  I re-watched it 3 times on my DVR to see if Geoffrey said anything at the beginning of the show about the price $$ but nada.

[mlp]

Quote

 the con won and Geoffrey said they won $10,000.

I watched and I didn't even notice that.  I wonder if he just misspoke - although you'd think that would have been picked up on during editing and fixed.

I did notice that they made a couple welcome changes for the new season.  They did away with the contestants all pointing at each other and acting silly at the beginning.  Even better, they stopped the very irritating I.......am.......a...........Con!  

Amanda must have been a good influence on Sunny Anderson.  Her hair and make up looked normal and she wasn't screeching.

[Lura]

I sometimes wonder whether they EVER edit anything.  I've heard so many grammatical errors made by Ree Drummond on her shows (plus in her blog}, and none of t hem are ever edited.  Yet she calls herself a writer!

[spiderpig]

9 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

Did anyone watch this week's episode? Don't they usually give $10,000 to the winner if that person is the cook and $15,000 of  it's the con?  This week the con won and Geoffrey said they won $10,000.  I re-watched it 3 times on my DVR to see if Geoffrey said anything at the beginning of the show about the price $$ but nada.

I watched the ep (burritos & ham) after I read your post, Koalagirl, and you're absolutely right.  No mention of prize amount until they announced the winner, who was a con, and it was $10,000.  And as mlp pointed out, they eliminated the mugging and pointing as well as the drawn out "I......am.....a".

Spoiler

I wondered about the guy who really needed the money because he & his wife were expecting a new baby - and he was a Seattle recruiter for one of the largest tech companies in the world.  Is the techworld economy that bad that $10,000 (before taxes) would make a huge difference?  Yet the winner was a correspondent for CNN, so I doubt she was making chump change.  Do the competitors have to pay their way to NYC like they do on Chopped?

I don't think the spoiler tag is necessary since the show already aired, but I'm too lazy to figure out how to remove it, and anyway, no harm no foul.:-)

[BloggerAloud]

The "pro move" stuff makes me laugh because so much of it is stuff that an amateur would've learned simply by watching the Food Network over the years.

[Amarsir]

2 hours ago, BloggerAloud said:

The "pro move" stuff makes me laugh because so much of it is stuff that an amateur would've learned simply by watching the Food Network over the years.

To be fair, that's probably the point - so beginners at home learn from watching the Food Network now.

[Psychobunny]

I also noticed that they stopped mentioning the prizes at the beginning of the show and instead said something about the cooks proving themselves if they won. When the prize was lower I assumed that they just got cheaper and tried to gloss over it.

[spiderpig]

Geoffrey - you know we love you.  But what was with the Ed Grimley 'do in the banana/side salad ep?  

[Lura]

I was both surprised and bored by today's show.  It was either a repeat we hadn't seen, or it was a new show.  The add-on ingredient was bananas, yet 3 out of the 4 chefs used plantains.  Were plantains also offered as a choice?  They're really two different "animals."

Geoffrey is about due for a new jacket.  He wears that blue plaid one pretty frequently in alternation with another one.  The jacket is pretty, but it's worn out its exposure for me.  Do you notice how often he wears blue or lavender?  He must have had his colors done. 

[Wings]

Last night was a slam dunk for me.  I immediately identified Ken (?) as a con.  He was the guy who made very fancy dishes, perfectly plated and turned out to own a snow removal company.  

The odd Hawaiian girl was a chef and I guessed her for having a very small restaurant which turned out to be a food truck though she never called it that!  

The black guy had to be a chef because he said "we have made for you" instead of I.  Chefs always do that and I am surprised the judges didn't pick up on that.  

The first eliminated a definite con.  I forgot what she made but it was clear her Alfredo missed the mark.  

I get all puffed up and proud when I get them all correct.  Maybe I need to get out more.  

[mlp]

I had them all right too - for a change.  I think the snow removal guy's name was Wes.  Not positive.  At first I thought he was arrogant but, after he won and they showed pictures of him with his trucks and men, I decided that he was putting on an act the whole time - deliberately to fool the judges.  He seemed quite nice at the end and I liked him.  

That first woman out really was arrogant.  I was glad to see her go.

I'm glad they've toned down the opening bits.  Now I wish they'd do less over-reacting with every reveal.  Otherwise, I really like this show.

[Lura]

I got them right on this show, too, which was a pleasant surprise.  I thought that Wes was probably a chef, but I took a gamble on the other guy.  I was really hoping for the sweet girl from Hawaii.  She had such a great attitude and said so many positive things about her mom.  I also liked the first woman to leave, the healthy cooker."  I think she was nervous, and it showed in her remarks, but she calmed down and seemed like a nice lady.

I had read so many catty comments about Daphne before seeing her on this show, and now that I've watched her, I like her a lot.  Is she related to Dr. Oz (whoever he is)?  I don't watch a lot of TV, as you can tell!

[mlp]

Daphne is the daughter of Dr. Oz.  I can't stand his smarmy self so I was sort of predisposed to dislike her when she started on The Chew.  Back then she was very young and entitled and thought she knew everything because she'd written some little cookbook for students when she was in college.  She was into healthy eating and very annoyingly smug about it.  I loved The Chew at first but stopped watching it after a year or so because Daphne bugged me so much.

SO..... Fast forward a few years.  Daphne is older, more mature and married with children.  I find her far more tolerable, even likable now.  She's not a chef or even a cook but she's spent years learning from Michael Symon and Mario Batali so I can respect her opinions.

[spiderpig]

15 minutes ago, mlp said:

SO..... Fast forward a few years.  Daphne is older, more mature and married with children.  I find her far more tolerable, even likable now.  She's not a chef or even a cook but she's spent years learning from Michael Symon and Mario Batali so I can respect her opinions.

I agree with you, mlp - plus she approaches her judging in a spirit of fun, which is why I enjoy this show, and doesn't have an off-putting camera presence like Melissa D'Arabian.  (Watch...next week one of the judges will be - no, I can't go there)

[Snarklepuss]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

Daphne is the daughter of Dr. Oz.  I can't stand his smarmy self so I was sort of predisposed to dislike her when she started on The Chew.  Back then she was very young and entitled and thought she knew everything because she'd written some little cookbook for students when she was in college.  She was into healthy eating and very annoyingly smug about it.  I loved The Chew at first but stopped watching it after a year or so because Daphne bugged me so much.

SO..... Fast forward a few years.  Daphne is older, more mature and married with children.  I find her far more tolerable, even likable now.  She's not a chef or even a cook but she's spent years learning from Michael Symon and Mario Batali so I can respect her opinions.

Really?  She still bugs me for all the reasons you pointed out in your first paragraph.  I have not seen much change in her, in fact now I see her as more of a know-it-all even when paired with someone who is at least as and in some cases far more accomplished than she is, often talking over them, contradicting them and getting side-eye for it (I recently saw it with Sunny Anderson) and she often gets center stage with lengthy comments that I as a much older, more experienced person in the kitchen see right through as sophomoric and reveal that she is far better at the BS than she is knowledgeable about food or cooking.  Sorry, I was probably waiting for a moment to spout off on that!

[spiderpig]

It's OK Snark.  We come here to...snark!!!  Isn't it fun, and isn't fun what life is all about?

If we all felt the same way, we'd all be fighting to the death over (insert object of desire *cough-Harrison Ford-cough*).

And you'd better not pick on Han, no matter what his piloting skills have been lately.  Well, I'll give you the stupid earring.

This show is the equivalent of whipped cream on top of a milk shake.  It's pleasant and nice, but not essential to our basic dietary requirement - that sinful creamy shake itself.  Plus we get to see Geoffrey goof around and act totally unlike his austere Chopped persona.

ETA:  I watched the ep and first impression was that Wes could be cast as an action hero in one of those Marvel Comics movies.  I liked Chloe from Hawaii and the other guy (Martin?) who seemed so laid back and focused on what he wanted to present.  The most interesting thing about the first woman was her real profession - art therapist.

Enjoyed the show as usual.

[Wings]

I don't watch Dr Oz but a friend of mine was a nurse in the heart unit at Columbia Presbyterian hospital where he works.  He is highly respected surgeon and an incredibly nice guy.  He is loved by all.  Knowing this I have always  I have always liked Daphne, and that probably stems from knowing about her father.   

8 hours ago, spiderpig said:

It's OK Snark.  We come here to...snark!!!  Isn't it fun, and isn't fun what life is all about?

If we all felt the same way, we'd all be fighting to the death over (insert object of desire *cough-Harrison Ford-cough*).

And you'd better not pick on Han, no matter what his piloting skills have been lately.  Well, I'll give you the stupid earring.

This show is the equivalent of whipped cream on top of a milk shake.  It's pleasant and nice, but not essential to our basic dietary requirement - that sinful creamy shake itself.  Plus we get to see Geoffrey goof around and act totally unlike his austere Chopped persona.

Love this description.  I will steer clear of Harrison, you keep you desires off Morgan Freeman and we are good to go.  He is getting too old for me now so I may change but I will keep you posted.  

[spiderpig]

8 minutes ago, wings707 said:

 

Love this description.  I will steer clear of Harrison, you keep you desires off Morgan Freeman and we are good to go.  He is getting too old for me now so I may change but I will keep you posted.  

Morgan will never be too old!!!  He will play the Voice of God and the bestest U.S. President ever throughout eternity.

I wonder if he cooks.

Meanwhile, Harrison's son Ben has gained respect as a chef in his own right.  I've seen him on a couple of food shows, and he has the same disarming grin and offhand charm as his dad (sigh).  I wonder if he'd agree to be a judge on this show.  He seems easy-going enough.

[Wings]

42 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Morgan will never be too old!!!  He will play the Voice of God and the bestest U.S. President ever throughout eternity.

I wonder if he cooks.

Meanwhile, Harrison's son Ben has gained respect as a chef in his own right.  I've seen him on a couple of food shows, and he has the same disarming grin and offhand charm as his dad (sigh).  I wonder if he'd agree to be a judge on this show.  He seems easy-going enough.

Morgan had a restaurant in Jackson MI but it was closed the day when we drove through.  There is NO way that town could support a fancy restaurant; it closed shortly after.   

[mlp]

Quote

 I have not seen much change in her, in fact now I see her as more of a know-it-all even when paired with someone who is at least as and in some cases far more accomplished than she is...........................

You know................ You're right.  I've noticed the same things you mentioned.  I'll emend my comment to "I find her more tolerable than I did in the early days of The Chew."

[Snarklepuss]

6 hours ago, mlp said:

You know................ You're right.  I've noticed the same things you mentioned.  I'll emend my comment to "I find her more tolerable than I did in the early days of The Chew."

LOL, you know, if you're talking a matter of degree compared to early Chew episodes, perhaps you're right and she is more tolerable.  I watched a few of those when it first came on the air and had to stop because I was working and couldn't keep up with it, plus despite liking everyone on the cast separately (except Daphne), something bugged me about the show itself.  I've never been able to figure out what that is.  I just happened to catch a few minutes of today's episode at my physical therapy and felt the same way.  I don't know, maybe too many chefs with strong personalities?  I can manage tolerating "The Kitchen", though, and that can also be annoying for the same reason.  So I really don't know what it is about "The Chew" that bugs me.  Perhaps it's the group dynamic?  Or Michael Symon's annoying laugh and super loud personality, which seems louder and more annoying on that show than elsewhere?  Or the fact that I can't completely wrap my mind around Clinton Kelly being on that show after over a decade of being a die-hard "What Not To Wear" fan, and having met him in person when I won a shopping spree with him at my local Macy's back in 2008?  I still can't figure it out.

[Lura]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 4:26 AM, wings707 said:

Every time I use my food processor I seem to struggle with getting the bowl on the correct way.   I have owned it for 30 years and use it often enough to remember! 

LOL!!!  Wings, that had me laughing because it sounds just like me!  Also, I think you have to be a certain kind of person to be able to pull off a successful con.  I'd be so nervous that I'd probably forget how to use a vegetable peeler! 

[Wings]

On 4/7/2017 at 9:30 PM, Snarklepuss said:

LOL, you know, if you're talking a matter of degree compared to early Chew episodes, perhaps you're right and she is more tolerable.  I watched a few of those when it first came on the air and had to stop because I was working and couldn't keep up with it, plus despite liking everyone on the cast separately (except Daphne), something bugged me about the show itself.  I've never been able to figure out what that is.  I just happened to catch a few minutes of today's episode at my physical therapy and felt the same way.  I don't know, maybe too many chefs with strong personalities?  I can manage tolerating "The Kitchen", though, and that can also be annoying for the same reason.  So I really don't know what it is about "The Chew" that bugs me.  Perhaps it's the group dynamic?  Or Michael Symon's annoying laugh and super loud personality, which seems louder and more annoying on that show than elsewhere?  Or the fact that I can't completely wrap my mind around Clinton Kelly being on that show after over a decade of being a die-hard "What Not To Wear" fan, and having met him in person when I won a shopping spree with him at my local Macy's back in 2008?  I still can't figure it out.

I feel the same way. I just don't like The Chew.  The food they make is not compelling either.  Michael and Mario make the same quick Italian dishes over and over, or it seems that way!  I do love Carla, she is one of my very favorite Top Chef alums. 

[spiderpig]

Patty melt episode.

Nothing particularly memorable about this one.  I can't even remember whether the dips were mandatory ingredients for the first or second challenge.

Still, it was a pleasant enough time-waster, and I was surprised about the English teacher.

[Wings]

1 hour ago, spiderpig said:

Patty melt episode.

Nothing particularly memorable about this one.  I can't even remember whether the dips were mandatory ingredients for the first or second challenge.

Still, it was a pleasant enough time-waster, and I was surprised about the English teacher.

I only remember that I was wrong across the board, I think.  Lol. Not even sure about that.  I know I was shocked the first eliminated was a cook.  Then we saw that he has a pizza place and bottles his sauce.  I keep, forgetting that the cooks don't necessarily know more than I do!  A personal chef is another iffy category. Most good home cooks could do that job depending on your client.  

[Snarklepuss]

On 4/14/2017 at 9:08 PM, wings707 said:

I only remember that I was wrong across the board, I think.  Lol. Not even sure about that.  I know I was shocked the first eliminated was a cook.  Then we saw that he has a pizza place and bottles his sauce.  I keep, forgetting that the cooks don't necessarily know more than I do!  A personal chef is another iffy category. Most good home cooks could do that job depending on your client.  

I know, I was fooled by that first cook too.  I think he fooled everyone.  I wonder if some of the cooks are asked to deliberately try to throw people off the scent.  I really couldn't believe some of the blatantly amateur moves he made.  Putting hamburger meat in a Kitchen Aid mixer was just unbelievable.

[spiderpig]

Potatoes!  I was pleased to see an executive chef from Felix Oyster Bar, where Mr. pig and I have warmed counter seats for many hours over the years.

I always enjoy a surprise con profession.  Concert pianist?  Who knew?

[Wings]

I swear I posted about this last show.  I even remember what I thought I said! 

This was an easy one.  I knew the Asian woman was a con immediately.  Casting loves to do that.  And it was easy to guess the others.  I can't even remember who they are now.  Old brain.  sigh

[spiderpig]

Tuna casserole and egg challenges.

Why didn't they have a mandoline in the kitchen for the eggplant?  They had a microplane.

Two questions for fellow foodies:

*Anybody ever use the Italian oil-packed tuna in a jar?  Is it really that good?

*Are duck eggs worth seeking out?  How do you use them?  Will scrambled duck eggs send you to the coronary care unit?

[Wings]

I was surprised that a tuna casserole threw them for a loop. It is my favorite comfort food and I make it when there is a reason for it.  Living alone, that doesn't come up much.  No cheese in it ever.  Make a roux, add sautéed onions and celery plus tuna and toss with egg noodles. Into a casserole dish and top with buttered bread crumbs.  

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.  What I do is drain the water off, replace with olive oil and let it sit over night and make tuna salad the next day, draining the oil as it came that way.  Makes a huge difference in texture and you don't need as much mayo.  

I know nothing about duck eggs.

I guessed one con and one cook correctly this week.