The Kitchen - General Discussion

[LazyToaster]

I didn't like the look of GZ's scrambled eggs - they were way to "wet" for me.  I don't want them hard like the other plate he had to show how not to do them, but somewhere in between those is how I cook my eggs.  Plus, I just didn't get the importance of using a pot instead of a skillet. 

[Mondrianyone]

All I could think of was that the pot kept the steam more enclosed, to help stop the eggs from drying out.  That said, I would gag on eggs that gloopy, although I'm always hearing that that's how the French insist on cooking them.  I can't remember ever having scrambled eggs in France, but I'd've sent them back if they were served looking like Big Bird's vomit.  Sorry, GZ.

That guest really seemed to be auditioning his brains out.  Did not like him at all, and the eggs didn't strike me as anything special.  It was a true delight to watch Sunny eat hers, though.  Who needs cutlery?

I would actually make that cocktail, and I think I will this summer.  It looked delicious.

[Irlandesa]

I never had scrambled eggs in France but I did have am omelette that seemed to be a mix between omelette and eggs over easy.  Very yolky.   It took a moment, tho.  

I know the way he did them was rightish but yeah, I won't make them that way by choice.

[J-Man]

Quote

I think its time to give this show a facelift. Maybe have three NEW hosts and reduce it to 30 minutes.

Wasn't that pretty much what they did with "The Kitchen Sink?" Which, by the way, seems to have vanished off the network, without any fanfare. Did they finally give up on trying to make it work? Was this Tregaye's swan song?

[JasmineFlower]

I realized watching today that though I like Marcella in general, I think this show works a lot better when it's the other 4. I don't know exactly what it is, possibly she tries to do things that conflict a bit too much with the others or she just tries too hard in general.

Unlike others complaining about Sunny above, if she's not on, I'm not watching. I enjoy Jeff a lot, I like Katie and I'm so happy she's back on a show that's going well after getting what I have always thought was a raw deal from Top Chef, and tolerate and grown to appreciate GZ's straight man approach, but I'm here for Sunny.

[Snarklepuss]

On 4/2/2017 at 3:29 PM, J-Man said:

Wasn't that pretty much what they did with "The Kitchen Sink?" Which, by the way, seems to have vanished off the network, without any fanfare. Did they finally give up on trying to make it work? Was this Tregaye's swan song?

Oh wow, I didn't even notice it had vanished.  Oh well, no great loss.  I watched a couple of episodes but got grossed out by Spike's hair and stopped.

On 4/8/2017 at 1:33 PM, JasmineFlower said:

I realized watching today that though I like Marcella in general, I think this show works a lot better when it's the other 4. I don't know exactly what it is, possibly she tries to do things that conflict a bit too much with the others or she just tries too hard in general.

I sort-of agree, but I think it's about chemistry and energy, and the others seem to "flow" better with each other when she's not around.  Plus I think 5 cooks is probably one too many.

I don't really think the show needs any major overhaul, maybe a few tweaks like having them tone it down a little.  Sunny and Jeff are just too freaking LOUD.  Plus just get rid of the stupid craft projects already.  I FF through most of those segments.

[Snarklepuss]

On 3/26/2017 at 9:42 PM, Mondrianyone said:

This most recent show, she practically fell on top of Katie while jumping halfway down the counter to grab some food that she'd demanded a piece of (and was very obviously ignored).  I don't understand how she thinks that any of this is a good look for her.  She seems to want to come across as bellowing, obnoxious, greedy, oblivious to how people perceive her.  She didn't used to be like this, so either she has some issues or this is her deliberately re-creating her image to be loud and tough and "street."  It isn't working.

Thank you, ITA and said something similar somewhere upthread.  Sunny seems to be suffering from "Food Network Over the Top Annoying" syndrome.  Even years ago the boards used to talk about how the stars would start off really likeable and end up these loud, braying, crass caricatures of themselves.  Sunny seems to want to come off like the mischievous little kid of the show.  I don't know if it's an attempt to upstage the others based on some kind of insecurity or she's being egged on to change her image by the producers, but whatever it is, it's not attractive.  I actually feel like she's been a little less obnoxious in the past couple of episodes but every time I think that she goes back to yelling at the top of her lungs, wearing black lipstick and sticking her fingers in other people's food and licking them, or snatching food that was intended for someone else, then shoveling it in her mouth like she's on "My 600 Pound Life".  It's just NOT attractive AT ALL and I wish she'd go back to being the way she was in the earliest seasons.

[LiveenLetLive]

I have this show on as background noise and don't pay close attention--but Maricela was pregnant again? didn't she just have a second son, and now she has an infant daughter?

[Westiepeach]

1 hour ago, LiveenLetLive said:

I have this show on as background noise and don't pay close attention--but Maricela was pregnant again? didn't she just have a second son, and now she has an infant daughter?

Yes. She just had her third child. She just came back last week. 

[LiveenLetLive]

16 hours ago, Westiepeach said:

Yes. She just had her third child. She just came back last week. 

She and her husband must have been in a hurry, LOL. Probably trying for a girl.....

[zenme]

Sunny was disgusting talking while eating her chicken sandwich. You could her her swallowing and smacking. You could her her chewing her food. So digusting. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, LiveenLetLive said:

She and her husband must have been in a hurry, LOL. Probably trying for a girl.....

Marcella is 38 so if she and her fiance wanted more than one child together, it's probably smart to work to make that happen sooner rather than later. That said, is an 18/19 month difference really considered close together? 

49 minutes ago, zenme said:

Sunny was disgusting talking while eating her chicken sandwich. You could her her swallowing and smacking. You could her her chewing her food. So digusting. 

I know. I found myself wondering if she has absolutely forgotten any training on how to eat and talk on TV.  I did laugh at the way she pointed out how she wouldn't consider the amount of butter Katie put on the bread a "generous" amount (or whatever Katie said.)  For what Katie was doing, I'd have to agree with Sunny. 

[MerBearHou]

I reallllllly want Marcella to go away. I'm so disappointed she's back. The show is much, much better IMO w Geoffrey, Sunny, Katie and Jeff.  FNPTB, please read this!! :)

[Mammalou]

 Katie's chicken recipe that she made at the beginning of the show looked awfully similar to Ina Garten's chicken and crouton recipe... just sayin'

[LiveenLetLive]

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Marcella is 38 so if she and her fiance wanted more than one child together, it's probably smart to work to make that happen sooner rather than later. That said, is an 18/19 month difference really considered close together? 

 

Oh OK, sounds quite sensible, my mother had her last child at 42--but there is no guarantee of fertility at that age, anyway, she must be happy with her family now. I don't mind her on the show, btw, but she is a bit bland.

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, Mammalou said:

 Katie's chicken recipe that she made at the beginning of the show looked awfully similar to Ina Garten's chicken and crouton recipe... just sayin'

Yes! I forgot to mention that because someone said "I've never seen that before" and I wanted to tell the they should watch more Ina.  Everyone can learn from Ina.

[Qoass]

Actually, if it's the show with Johnny Ianucciorwhatver making a carrot cake, that was a re-run from last year.  Please note that when monkey boy (don't watch enough to know his name) was talking about the contest, the deadline was early April 2016.

[bkathi]

On ‎4‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 11:52 AM, zenme said:

Sunny was disgusting talking while eating her chicken sandwich. You could her her swallowing and smacking. You could her her chewing her food. So digusting.

Has she pissed off the sound editor, or is this show so low budget that they can't do a second take or do any true editing?  That was just gross.  And she is better than that. 

[Gam2]

I'm not sure she is better than that.

[PepperPack]

On 3/14/2017 at 7:46 PM, Sue Lin Bee said:

I agree about Sunny being too loud and her wigs, lipstick, clothes not appealing. She is not a chef and it shows. I followed her on twitter and the past 6 months it seems like her attitude changed. She argues with people who respond to her tweets and is nasty to them. Paula Deen lost her show, but Sunny is very racist on twitter. She does not add any value to The Kitchen. She should be replaced. I like Jeff Mauro's energy. He and GZ are actual chefs with culinary training. Marcella is OK. Katie is not a chef. She and Sunny need to be replaced for this show to survive.

I agree with everything except Katie Lee being replaced. I love Jeff and GZ, Sunny could go and it wouldn't hurt my feelings. And I really didn't miss Marcella when she was gone. But I actually love this show and try to catch it either Sat or Sun

[Gam2]

This show is hit or miss for me. I don't like Sunny at all, tolerate Marcella, like Katie sometimes/not sometimes, like Jeff most of the time (except when he's acting like a 5 year old) and always like GZ, who's the only real, successful chef on this program. Why he's on here, I can't imagine because he and his wife have many great restaurants. I hate the craft segments! They're just stupid. That's all, folks.

[Mammalou]

Want to thank Katie Lee for sharing  the pearl of wisdom that snow peas are called snow peas 'because there are peas inside them". 

[Automne]

I also dislike the craft segments. It's "The Kitchen" not "The Craft Room" and honestly, the crafts are straight out of the Katie Brown Workshop: basic, ugly, and nonsensical. If there was going to be a crafty DIY segment, at least relate it to the kitchen: design trends, basic maintenance, replacing the backsplash, new cabinet handles, functional decorative touches, etc.

Katie Lee's voice inflection aggravates me. It sounds vapid and vacuous. Plus, her voice is exactly the same as a chef instructor nobody liked at the culinary school I attended.

[Irlandesa]

I'm surprised but I actually found yesterday's episode overall pretty worthwhile. 

Those pork chops that GZ made were simple but they were also appetizing and something I would like to try making.  I also appreciated Jeff pointing out that they look undercooked close to the bone but that is what they're supposed to look like.

I initially thought the "fried veggies" segment wouldn't be interesting but Sunny recommending a quick spritz of vinegar was interesting and I want to make the green beans that Katie made since I'm not someone who will fry things at home.

Jeff's veggie top pesto was something I had never seen or heard of before.  I'm not sure I'm adventurous enough to try it but I do feel a little guilty whenever I throw away these greens when I buy them from the farmers' market.

The less successful segments for me involved Vanilla Ice.  I appreciate that it's something different for the show but it was clear that the questions were so vague and the answers too big for one segment.

But the only two segments that truly made me groan were the churro cupcakes (basically just cinnamon cupcakes) and the green apple skin chips. 

[Yolo]

What in the hell does Sunny have on!???

[Spunkygal]

50 minutes ago, Yolo said:

What in the hell does Sunny have on!???

Looked like she threw a leopard jacket on over her pajamas. I might have worn that to Walmart, but not to host a TV show. I do appreciate that when Marcella took a bite of KL's turkey sandwich, she didn't start talking in mid-chew like Sunny does. She actually waited until she swallowed. I also liked the nail color that Marcella had on today. 

[Kathcart]

Quote

Sunny kept referring to Katie as Katie Lee. Yes, that is her name ... BUT Katie is her first name and Lee is her last name.

You know, I never thought about this. I just assumed it was one of those two-name deals like Patti Jean or Debby Sue. Huh. Well. I shall henceforth refer to her as Katie!

I strongly feel that if they are going to continue to produce a show that is so annoying and LOUD and irritating and snark-worthy, they should at least air it at night so it would not be unreasonable to consume a box of wine while watching/making fun of it. JMHO, of course :)

[KnoxForPres]

7 hours ago, Kathcart said:

You know, I never thought about this. I just assumed it was one of those two-name deals like Patti Jean or Debby Sue. Huh. Well. I shall henceforth refer to her as Katie!

I strongly feel that if they are going to continue to produce a show that is so annoying and LOUD and irritating and snark-worthy, they should at least air it at night so it would not be unreasonable to consume a box of wine while watching/making fun of it. JMHO, of course :)

It's reasonable to drink wine during daytime hours and watch FN. In fact this is how one of my best friends came up with best pimento cheese I've ever had. She watched 3 shows and they all kind of ran together and she thought it was one recipe (to this day we don't even know if PC was made that day)- true story!  So pop the cork and snark away!

[Mammalou]

Was surprised Katie made snarky comments about her marriage to Billy Joel!

[Westiepeach]

19 minutes ago, Mammalou said:

Was surprised Katie made snarky comments about her marriage to Billy Joel!

Wait. What? When???

[Mammalou]

58 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

Wait. What? When???

They had a celebrity party planner on.. Katie introduces her as saying this woman planned her wedding as well as GZ's wedding... she's like well GZ is still married, I'm not.. then something like we'll the wedding was beautiful but the marriage was not so much (I'm paraphrasing a little but that's the gist)

[Irlandesa]

It was shade but I just took it to be low level shade acknowledging that she's now divorced.  It was basically saying that the wedding was a success but the marriage...well it was what it was.  Which must have eventually gone bad considering they're divorced.

[J-Man]

So despite the failure of "The Kitchen Sink," they're still trying to make Tregaye happen. 

[Kathcart]

Poor Tregaye anyway. Be careful what you wish for when you sign up for Food Network Star: You might win! And then what?

Did she even ever get her 6-show deal? I don't think The Kitchen Sink was her show, was it? Food Network is in a pickle because they clearly don't really want these FNS winners or know what to do with them, but the competition is their highest-rated series every year, I think.

And here she was doing an in-show commercial for prepared chicken strips. No need to waste all that time cooking the chicken! "And now you just pull them right out of the package and slice them up ... boom boom boom boom..." LOL -- she said "boom" with every knife cut. I thought Tyler Florence had trademarked that.

[Maverick]

Yes The Kitchen Sink was "her" show (even though it was a pre-existing show.   The announced that's where she'd show up when she was crowned the winner   I think she made one apperance on it months after winning and a few months ago they tried a revamped version with her, Top Chef Spike (he ain't gonna happen FN so stop) and some off putting stranger.    It vanished after the first airing and was promptly cancelled.   I don't know why they threw her into this segment unless they're periodically burning off her 6 episode contract by making her do commercials GZ refuses to do.

[LazyToaster]

I'm not a Tregaye fan; but, man - she has to be disappointed. 

[J-Man]

Tregaye was on several episodes of "The Kitchen Sink" before they brought Spike on. Katie, Sunny, and Jeff were also on in various combinations. 

[Mondrianyone]

Just so I can say something positive about this show (for a change!), last week I made Katie's version of chicken roasted over bread in a cast-iron pan, and it was exceptionally good.  Less fussy than Ina's--no messing around making a pouch under the skin to stuff the herbs into (they just go into the cavity with everything else) and no prep a day in advance so you can chill it for 24 hours.  The meat was really juicy, and the skin was crisped to perfection.  One of my quibbles with Ina's chickens is that the skin often looks flabby and uncrisp, and I'd rather eat almost anything than flaccid chicken skin.  My husband loved it, too, and he can always find something to complain about.  So two thumbs way up for this one.

[Wings]

.

Edited May 10, 2017 by wings707

[Snarklepuss]

Tregaye was toned down last week and I actually didn't find her annoying.  But does she have a missing tooth?  I think the camera was trying to avoid it.  I kind of found myself wishing FN would find a place for her somewhere.   I think she would do well at hosting one of their umpteen kids competitions.  Or even a cooking show for a change!  Except avoid the pre-packaged pre-cooked chicken breast product placement, please.

[Mnemosyne]

Meh episode. But La Lucci "slapping" Sunny was worth the price of admission.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Mnemosyne

[Mammalou]

What was the purpose of having Susan Lucci there? She's awesome but they gave her nothing to do

[Westiepeach]

37 minutes ago, Mammalou said:

What was the purpose of having Susan Lucci there? She's awesome but they gave her nothing to do

Somebody had to slap Sunny.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Westiepeach
Thought of a better way to word it.

[Spunkygal]

35 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

Somebody had to slap Sunny.

I wish Jeff had also been in the line of fire. Marcella's engagement ring is gorgeous.

[Westiepeach]

3 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

I wish Jeff had also been in the line of fire. Marcella's engagement ring is gorgeous.

I know, right?

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Mnemosyne said:

Meh episode. But La Lucci "slapping" Sunny was worth the price of admission.

She also slapped Bobby Flay on Beat Bobby Flay.  I too was disappointed that she really wasn't given much to do.  I don't even know what she was there to promote. 

GZ's drink looked amazing.

[Gam2]

I didn't watch this show but can't believe that Susan Lucci was on a cooking show since she hasn't eaten a meal in 20 years. 

[Snarklepuss]

2 hours ago, Gam2 said:

I didn't watch this show but can't believe that Susan Lucci was on a cooking show since she hasn't eaten a meal in 20 years. 

Damn, you beat me to it!

[Spunkygal]

3 hours ago, Gam2 said:

I didn't watch this show but can't believe that Susan Lucci was on a cooking show since she hasn't eaten a meal in 20 years. 

She and Giada could be bookends.

[butterbody]

On 5/10/2017 at 11:12 AM, Mondrianyone said:

Just so I can say something positive about this show (for a change!), last week I made Katie's version of chicken roasted over bread in a cast-iron pan, and it was exceptionally good.  Less fussy than Ina's--no messing around making a pouch under the skin to stuff the herbs into (they just go into the cavity with everything else) and no prep a day in advance so you can chill it for 24 hours.  The meat was really juicy, and the skin was crisped to perfection.  One of my quibbles with Ina's chickens is that the skin often looks flabby and uncrisp, and I'd rather eat almost anything than flaccid chicken skin.  My husband loved it, too, and he can always find something to complain about.  So two thumbs way up for this one.

Thanks so much for posting this. I keep thinking about that caramelized bread soaked with chicken juice, and I am dying to try it but dont know why I am letting it intimidate me. I'm gonna do it this week!