The Kitchen - General Discussion

[Mondrianyone]

It is odd.  Usually they'll say something like, "She's off filming for whatever" or "He's a little under the weather today" when one of them is absent.  Nothing like that either time.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

It is odd.  Usually they'll say something like, "She's off filming for whatever" or "He's a little under the weather today" when one of them is absent.  Nothing like that either time.

Not always.  I know GZ has missed and they didn't say why.

It could be anything from a scheduling conflict to an illness but, because they film multiple episodes at a time, she's likely going to miss a few episodes in a row.

I don't think living in CA will mean she's leaving.   Marcella lived in CA most of the time she was on the show too.  Jeff lives in IL.  It's easy to do since they block tape.

[Coffeewinewater]

19 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Not always.  I know GZ has missed and they didn't say why.

It could be anything from a scheduling conflict to an illness but, because they film multiple episodes at a time, she's likely going to miss a few episodes in a row.

I don't think living in CA will mean she's leaving.   Marcella lived in CA most of the time she was on the show too.  Jeff lives in IL.  It's easy to do since they block tape.

Yeah you're right. I was thinking of Marcella leaving and I read somewhere that she got tired of the traveling back and forth,  but I also think it had more to do with her children. 

The show just isn't the same with just the 3. 

[Jaded]

[HyeChaps]

OMG  I was making a ham sandwich and when putting on the mustard, the phrase "crust to crust is a must" came out.

[MerBearHou]

8 minutes ago, HyeChaps said:

OMG  I was making a ham sandwich and when putting on the mustard, the phrase "crust to crust is a must" came out.

Hahaha same here — this phrase now comes to my mind every single time!

[LemonSoda]

Katie was going back and forth between Ca and NY for a while. Her husband lived out there, had work and she's been renovating her new NY homes. I'm kind of interested to see the new places because she seems somewhat more grounded now so it'll be interesting to see the decor. 

What's amusing is while flipping through a pet magazine at the dentist I saw Katie in a pet magazine. You could tell it was a phone interview because they kept calling the dog Vanilla. I felt silly for knowing the pug was named Fionula not Vanilla and how Katie's unique voice could make Fionula sound like Vanilla.

[Katherine Kegel]

I have been enjoying the show a lot, it seems like they all get along well and their real friendships translate well as they tease each other and have fun doing the show.  However, I am looking forward to colder weather recipes.  I don’t grill, and the summer brings so many grilling focused shows and recipes.  I wish they would include oven/stovetop instructions to make it easier to translate the recipes from the grill.  

[LemonSoda]

On 9/3/2019 at 6:12 PM, Katherine Kegel said:

I have been enjoying the show a lot, it seems like they all get along well and their real friendships translate well as they tease each other and have fun doing the show.  However, I am looking forward to colder weather recipes.  I don’t grill, and the summer brings so many grilling focused shows and recipes.  I wish they would include oven/stovetop instructions to make it easier to translate the recipes from the grill.  

I actually wrote them about that last year and received a weird response. I wrote that while I do own a grill I can't be bothered with it most of the time but there are millions who don't own one or due to renting can't have one so I wish the recipes had an alternative stove top or oven method the way many recipes do. The response I received was basically "from the response we get from viewers we don't do enough grilling shows" 

[outtahere]

The response you received was more than likely a response triggered on the word ''grilling".  In my experience with sending emails to corporate/business your correspondence isn't read but is instead handled by a computer.  This was my experience with one of the Senators in my state.  Judging by the response I got from his office it had nothing to do with the content of the email.  I had to enter something in the subject line and that was what triggered the response which had very little to do with my inquiry.  This had to do with emails but if you sent a letter they may have scanned it and then keyed on grilling as one of the trigger words in your letter.

[Mondrianyone]

Email is invisible.  They seem to pay a fair amount of attention to social media, so if you do Twitter or Instagram, you might want to try posting there. It has the advantage of letting other people see your issue, other people who may agree with you and like your post, which turns you into a group rather than just a lone crank.  Unless, of course, the show deletes posts that appear critical.

[Koalagirl]

Alex Guarnaschelli as a guest host on today’s episode. Katie was only on the first and last segments.  Alex added so much more to the show. While the others prepared their dishes she asked for more info as to how and why some steps were taken in order to enlighten the home audience.  She got along so well with everyone and the show was enriched by her being there. I’m hoping this was a test to see if they’ll add her into more shows, even if it’s not permanent.  

[Mondrianyone]

I was curious about this, too, since she seems to be on the show a lot more often.  I found this:  https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/food-network-chef-alex-guarnaschelli-1203180427/

Apparently it's part of her most recent contract.  Maybe there'll be more actual cooking when she's there, instead of dumping stuff out of a box or a can.

If it ever became permanent, I don't know how Sunny would cope, having to fawn over two Iron Chefs on a weekly basis.  👨‍🍳  👩‍🍳

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/5/2019 at 10:42 AM, Koalagirl said:

While the others prepared their dishes she asked for more info as to how and why some steps were taken in order to enlighten the home audience.  She got along so well with everyone and the show was enriched by her being there.

I realized that she was eliciting information, but I found myself muttering, "Shut up already."

Since this show doesn't actually give the recipes in enough detail to actually use them, I watch it more as entertainment than cooking. 

[chessiegal]

Looks like you can get most recipes on their web site.

[Mondrianyone]

58 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I realized that she was eliciting information, but I found myself muttering, "Shut up already."

Me, too.

It's weird.  I've always liked Alex, but her stint as co-host last week is what tipped the scales for me to finally take this show off my recording schedule.  I realized that it wasn't just Sunny reliably grating on my nerves--it was all* of them.  (*All four of them plus the strangely banished Katie.)

Not giving precise quantities on any of the recipes is how they force people to visit the website.  But as @chessiegal says, you can go there without having to suffer through the show, so I'll check that out instead.  Bye, Kitchen.  I really liked you, and then I really didn't.

[buttersister]

Hadn’t watched in a long time because of obnoxious hosts and dump recipes, but bed rest put me in front of daytime reruns this week. Katie’s voice still grates (shouldn’t that disqualify an on-air career?), Jeff still suffers from terminal camera mugging, Sonny, oy, Sunny, and I usually ignore Geoffrey unless he manages to present something of interest.  I can’t recall a thing they made.

Quote

If it ever became permanent, I don't know how Sunny would cope, having to fawn over two Iron Chefs on a weekly basis.  👨‍🍳  👩‍🍳

Since the Marketing Department “named” them “Iron Chefs,” her fawning is part of her job description. She’d likely be eligible for a bonus.

[bichonblitz]

On 10/11/2019 at 5:51 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I realized that she was eliciting information, but I found myself muttering, "Shut up already."

I always felt Alex G was a very good chef and a supremely annoying person. I remember when she had her own FN show. Good recipes but grating personality. 

[LemonSoda]

Katie did an Instagram live where she cooked one of her Cheat Sheets. In her natural voice her words kind of jumble like the Fionula/Vanilla thing I mentioned upthread.

However when not performing for the camera or putting on a persona, Katie in her own kitchen was a  joy to watch. She kept it simple, on the food, talked a little bit, no weird vocal changes or pretentions. 

[cameron]

The turkey that Alex cooked today looked pretty raw on the inside when she carved it up.

[Irlandesa]

In think Katie's pumpkin cheesecake was missing an ingredient.   Poor GZ whipped up that cream for no reason whatsoever. 

[MissT]

Alex’s mashed potatoes did not look appetizing at all.  Too runny as liquidy   She put way to much crap in them.  

Overall I thought the show was ok.   

[Spunkygal]

My arteries clogged just looking at Sunny’s Mac and cheese. Listen, I love Mac and cheese just as much as the next cheeseaholic, but ugh, that was not appealing to me. It had too much of too many cheeses. I use only gruyere and sharp cheddar. 

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

In think Katie's pumpkin cheesecake was missing an ingredient.   Poor GZ whipped up that cream for no reason whatsoever. 

I’ll admit I was losing interest by the time KL got to this recipe, but I thought the whipped cream was folded into the pumpkin mixture?

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I’ll admit I was losing interest by the time KL got to this recipe, but I thought the whipped cream was folded into the pumpkin mixture?

That would be logical as the no bake cheesecake I remember getting from this show involved folding in whipped cream.  But that's not what she did here.  She folded in "coconut whipped topping" in a tub.  So it looks like the dairy-free coconut version of cool whip.  GZ finished whipping what he was whipping and put a little bit in a bowl next to the cheesecake but they never really talked about it.

[StatisticalOutlier]

That turkey Alex was making.  At the beginning, it had a weird texture and reminded me of animals you see in jars in laboratories.  And I agree about the mashed potatoes, and chuckled at the attempted coverup by asking Katie Lee (I believe) if she's a fork or spoon person when it comes to mashed potatoes. 

But show?  You knew in advance what people were making, so there's no excuse for spelling it "jalepeño" in the chyron, especially if you're going to go to the trouble of getting the tilde for the n.

[bichonblitz]

On 11/23/2019 at 6:32 PM, MissT said:

Alex’s mashed potatoes did not look appetizing at all.  Too runny as liquidy   She put way to much crap in them.  

I can't believe she messed up mashed potatoes. They were so thin she just poured them in the bowl!  I also didn't care for GZ's big cauliflower head with a gazillion ingredients on it. Who has time to mess with that on Thanksgiving Day? So much for the Iron Chefs. And Katie running around sticking her fork in all the dishes to prove she's such a foodie and can stay so thin. Please, back off, girl. I thought except for Jeff they were all annoying including Alton. 

[Coffeewinewater]

Alex inspired me to use the cheesecloth.  I didn't necessarily make her Turkey,  I did a mixture of wine and butter with Turkey broth and dry brined it for 24 hours. And basted every 1/2 hour. The Turkey was the best I have ever cooked. Moist flavorful,  I'm still getting compliments about that turkey 😄. I had never used cheesecloth or dry brined. I always wet brined in the past. I made Jeff's mashed potatoes big hit and I loved that they were in the refrigerator read to throw in the oven when the Turkey was done.  Easy and less stress.

Alex is an interesting chef to watch. She's seems so at ease when cooking and I like that. 

Edited December 3, 2019 by Coffeewinewater

[Aunt Catfish]

Am watching the ep. "Pump Up The Joy" right now.  I'm having trouble getting past Jeff Mauro's mauve colored T-shirt covered with the palm tree jacket.   We should take up a collection for a gift card to Men's Warehouse or some place that sells actual menswear.  In other news; Sunny is wearing an actual grown woman's blouse.  Hope this is a trend.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

I'm just now watching the episode from week before last, and the details are fuzzy.  There was a guest chef or dietician maybe, talking about substitutions I think, but the main thing is there was a can of coconut milk involved, and at one point, Zakarian was totally engrossed in reading the label on the can, apparently completely forgetting he was part of a TV show.  Is it possible he's never encountered a can of coconut milk?  It sure looked like he was examining some sort of alien object.

[Spunkygal]

I laughed my butt off at the latest episode at how flabbergasted GZ was to learn about non-stick foil!!!  He really is special <smirk>.

[buttersister]

Heh, “GZ” is trying so hard to be enthusiastic about what his cast mates make. I miss his pretending to taste stuff or feigning the yum.

[bichonblitz]

Wow Sunny was high voltage today! They were all competing over who could make the cheapest yet tastiest meal on a family budget. Sunny was screaming because she thought she was going to win. Sorry, Sun,  you lost. Which of course made her even louder and more turned up over losing. 

Alex Guarnaschelli was on again and made stuffed peppers. So boring. GZ's omelet looked raw in the middle. It's very easy to make fried rice in the skillet so I don't understand Katie's sheet pan version. Sunny made chicken noodle soup with cumin in it. I guess that was supposed to be her surprise ingredient.  The only dish I liked was Jeff's tortilla pizza in the iron skillet. I will try that except with pita bread instead. Very lazy episode. 

[Spunkygal]

41 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

Wow Sunny was high voltage today! They were all competing over who could make the cheapest yet tastiest meal on a family budget. Sunny was screaming because she thought she was going to win. Sorry, Sun,  you lost. Which of course made her even louder and more turned up over losing. 

Alex Guarnaschelli was on again and made stuffed peppers. So boring. GZ's omelet looked raw in the middle. It's very easy to make fried rice in the skillet so I don't understand Katie's sheet pan version. Sunny made chicken noodle soup with cumin in it. I guess that was supposed to be her surprise ingredient.  The only dish I liked was Jeff's tortilla pizza in the iron skillet. I will try that except with pita bread instead. Very lazy episode. 

Yesterday I actually composed, but did not post, a scathing review of how loud and obnoxious Sunny was. She was over the top screaming. She scared Alex at one point. This show is boring but a time killer for me while on the treadmill or stair master. I quit watching for a long time, returned after Marcella left and Sunny had ramped it down a bit. But damn! She’s dialed it back up big time. “You know what I’m sayin’!” Or this one....”DO IT, DO IT!” I think I’m gonna have to step away for a while...you know what I mean? 

[Westiepeach]

18 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Yesterday I actually composed, but did not post, a scathing review of how loud and obnoxious Sunny was. She was over the top screaming. She scared Alex at one point. This show is boring but a time killer for me while on the treadmill or stair master. I quit watching for a long time, returned after Marcella left and Sunny had ramped it down a bit. But damn! She’s dialed it back up big time. “You know what I’m sayin’!” Or this one....”DO IT, DO IT!” I think I’m gonna have to step away for a while...you know what I mean? 

DO IT! DO IT!  😂 

[bkathi]

Sunny acts like a toddle - always wanting attention and has to win.  Too loud.  And who wants bone in chicken in soup?  I get that its cheaper and more flavorful but take a minute to shred the chicken off the bone before you serve it!

I still miss The Chew.  It had adult supervision that this show lacks.  😞

 

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, bkathi said:

Sunny acts like a toddle - always wanting attention and has to win.  Too loud.  And who wants bone in chicken in soup?  I get that its cheaper and more flavorful but take a minute to shred the chicken off the bone before you serve it!

I still miss The Chew.  It had adult supervision that this show lacks.  😞

 

LOL’d at the bolded. Someone should tell Sunny to use her inside voice. I bet she doesn’t get invited over for game night!  And yes, shred the chicken. It takes 2 minutes. Or do what I do and have tons of homemade chicken stock in the freezer so you get that rich, chickeny goodness whenever you want it.  

[roughing it]

4 hours ago, bkathi said:

I still miss The Chew.

Wouldn't it be nice if they could bring it back at least as a weekend show like The Kitchen? Air new episodes on Sundays so it wouldn't compete with the Kitchen.

[bichonblitz]

Alex G. was on again. Whyyyyy? Is she going to become a regular? She doesn't fit in with them at all. She's not loud enough, although she is definitely corny enough. 

[bkathi]

3 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Alex G. was on again. Whyyyyy? Is she going to become a regular? She doesn't fit in with them at all. She's not loud enough, although she is definitely corny enough. 

Katie Lee has said they shoot two episodes back to back - so I guess they kept her around for the second one?

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 1/28/2020 at 1:14 AM, bichonblitz said:

Alex G. was on again. Whyyyyy? Is she going to become a regular? She doesn't fit in with them at all. She's not loud enough, although she is definitely corny enough. 

But she never shuts up, so maybe she's making up in quantity what she lacks in volume.

[Gramto6]

On 1/28/2020 at 1:14 AM, bichonblitz said:

Alex G. was on again. Whyyyyy? Is she going to become a regular? She doesn't fit in with them at all. She's not loud enough, although she is definitely corny enough. 

I think I read on Foodnetwork.com that she is going to be on The Kitchen a couple of times a month. Added to her other appearances. I like her on the Kitchen, the others are so loud, she is a calming influence.

[buttersister]

Agree. I dislike Alex immensely, usually, but here she seems fine,  engaged, interesting. I'm pretty sure that's relative to the rest of the cast.

Edited February 6, 2020 by buttersister

[Irlandesa]

Did they say where Katie was today?

[Spunkygal]

5 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Did they say where Katie was today?

I think they said she’s under the weather.

[Gramto6]

Alex tweeted today that she will be on The Kitchen once a month. Seems some want her on more. 

[trudysmom]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Did they say where Katie was today?

And I was able to sit through the entire episode and only wish Sunny would shut up a couple of times.  😀

[Leilani]

Sometimes I don't like some of the odd blouses Katie wears, but you can tell the chemistry is off when she's missing.

I like Alex in other shows but she's miscast here and I haven't liked any of her recipes on this show so far.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Leilani

[Westiepeach]

3 hours ago, Leilani said:

Sometimes I don't like some of the odd blouses Katie wears, but you can tell the chemistry is off when she's missing.

I like Alex in other shows but she's miscast here and I haven't liked any of her recipes on this show so far.

I agree the chemistry is off when Katie is missing.

I disagree with you about Alex. I love her on The Kitchen and I think she brings a calmness. I would love to see her as a regular. YMMV.

[Kathcart]

Anybody see the episode on Saturday with the guests who were finalists (or something) in the Pillsbury Bake-Off?

It got pretty tortured there with the very quiet careful guests demonstrating their dishes, contrasted with HOLLERIN' JEFF MAURO and SCREAMIN' SUNNY ANDERSON. (In caps because that's how they talk whyyyyyyyyyy??) I am sure those women are perfectly nice women but compared to the usual hullabaloo going on on this show, they came off like slow whispering meek little lambs. It was kind of cringey.

At a couple of points during the two guests' demos, Jeff could be seen exchanging a kind of an eyeroll face at GZ or Katie. I wish they had edited that out. Viewers should not have seen that.

I just don't get the hollering. I think it's possible to have energy without hollering.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 2/9/2020 at 3:50 PM, Westiepeach said:

I agree the chemistry is off when Katie is missing.

Saturday's episode on sauces was just plain boring to me.  Katie wasn't there, which might have contributed to it.  But also, all three of them were cooking the entire time, instead of having some of them observe, so everything was about the preparation, and I think they're at their best when just chatting or offering up comments.