The Kitchen - General Discussion

[bichonblitz]

 

19 hours ago, Yeah No said:

And I don't buy that her kitchen is not "nice" enough to show on TV. 

  I'm not buying it, either. As we know, Sunny is working on a popular televised cooking show which has been running for years now.

Before that she had her own FN cooking show. I don't remember the name if it but it was pretty good. She's raking in the dough (no pun intended). I'm sure she can afford a very nice home. She's just a strange one. 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by bichonblitz

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, bichonblitz said:

 

  I'm not buying it, either. As we know, Sunny is working on a popular televised cooking show which has been running for years now.

Before that she had her own FN cooking show. I don't remember the name if it but it was pretty good. She's raking in the dough (no pun intended). I'm sure she can afford a very nice home. She's just a strange one. 

 

So who is the mystery person doing her camera work?  I never heard her mention this person.  As a matter of fact, I don't know who's taping Alex either. All of the camera people do a great job, though...wives, fiances, husbands, etc.

[Gramto6]

No clue who is filming Sunny  but I think there have been several references to the fact that Alex's fiance is filming her.

[chick binewski]

I have to say I may be more engrossed with Katie's kitchen mystery than Sunny's. It's hard to believe that blue cabinet/mirror-backsplash room was transformed into a pretty white kitchen. But it looked like there were trees showing through the window and Katie didn't want to show her pantry a few weeks ago so I'm leaning towards the Hamptons getting a remodel. Which, during a pandemic with a newborn is a feat.

That being said the wrapped turkey with croutons looked great.

[annzeepark914]

23 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

I have to say I may be more engrossed with Katie's kitchen mystery than Sunny's. It's hard to believe that blue cabinet/mirror-backsplash room was transformed into a pretty white kitchen. But it looked like there were trees showing through the window and Katie didn't want to show her pantry a few weeks ago so I'm leaning towards the Hamptons getting a remodel. Which, during a pandemic with a newborn is a feat.

That being said the wrapped turkey with croutons looked great.

Yup...I too think the Hamptons kitchen was remodeled. I was leery of the croutons until her husband said the same thing (he said they *didn't* taste of bacon grease but were buttery). That intrigued me. I wonder if I could get the same results placing a roasting chicken on the croutons? I only got to see Katie & Sunny as our daughter called. Think I can catch a repeat tomorrow at 1:00. I'm really enjoying this "new" show!

[chick binewski]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Yup...I too think the Hamptons kitchen was remodeled. I was leery of the croutons until her husband said the same thing (he said they *didn't* taste of bacon grease but were buttery). That intrigued me. I wonder if I could get the same results placing a roasting chicken on the croutons? I only got to see Katie & Sunny as our daughter called. Think I can catch a repeat tomorrow at 1:00. I'm really enjoying this "new" show!

Katie mentioned she keeps the croutons whole when using chicken in the recipe so I checked the FN site - the recipe's there. No bacon, which I'm trying to avoid anyway so I may give it a try. She serves it with a salad & mustard-based dressing which is a combo I love with roast chicken.

[annzeepark914]

21 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

Katie mentioned she keeps the croutons whole when using chicken in the recipe so I checked the FN site - the recipe's there. No bacon, which I'm trying to avoid anyway so I may give it a try. She serves it with a salad & mustard-based dressing which is a combo I love with roast chicken.

Now this sounds delicious! Thanks for the tip.

[bichonblitz]

On 11/10/2020 at 9:04 PM, annzeepark914 said:

So who is the mystery person doing her camera work?  I never heard her mention this person.  As a matter of fact, I don't know who's taping Alex either. All of the camera people do a great job, though...wives, fiances, husbands, etc.

She won't even mention that. Ohhh that Sunny, she's such a mystery.  Alex's fiancee films her, they even showed him doing so a couple of times same as Jeff, GZ and Katies spouses. I like when the spouses taste the food while holding the camera. It's cute. 

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

She won't even mention that. Ohhh that Sunny, she's such a mystery.  

Looks like "nunya business" applies to more than just her recipes!

[Cozytea]

15 hours ago, chick binewski said:

Katie mentioned she keeps the croutons whole when using chicken in the recipe so I checked the FN site - the recipe's there. No bacon, which I'm trying to avoid anyway so I may give it a try. She serves it with a salad & mustard-based dressing which is a combo I love with roast chicken.

The first time I saw chicked roasted on baguette was Ina Garten. She made it on the chew years ago ( no bacon). It looked amazing.  I believe Ina cut up the croutons and placed on a beautiful salad. It was a recipe out of one of her books. Katie's looked so good and juicy.  

What will Sunny do in the snow 😆? Idk why she's cooking outside but at this point its hilarious to me.

 Geoffrey's sweet potato also will be worth trying.  Yummy.

I'm making chicken thighs on baguette today. No bacon and idont have a whole chicken but the the thighs should work.

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Cozytea

[Ashforth]

31 minutes ago, Cozytea said:

I'm making chicken thighs on baguette today. No bacon and i dont have a whole chicken but the the thighs should work.

Chicken thighs should be fantastic for that. They have so much more fat and flavor than white meat.

[bichonblitz]

I doubt Jeff's chimichanga is made for a Thanksgiving meal replacement. It looks like all the ingredients are from left over  food. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, etc... where did all that come from if not from leftovers. C'mon now, Jeffie. Katie, Gz and even Sunny's meals looked really good. Although, you could roast those cornish hens and veggies in the oven. Still not getting her grill schtick. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by bichonblitz

[chick binewski]

On 11/15/2020 at 8:29 AM, Cozytea said:

I'm making chicken thighs on baguette today. No bacon and idont have a whole chicken but the the thighs should work.

 

On 11/15/2020 at 9:02 AM, Ashforth said:

Chicken thighs should be fantastic for that. They have so much more fat and flavor than white meat.

This may be more suitable for the Ina thread but one more recipe I've saved recently and been anxious to try. She uses thighs with potatoes in a skillet and it's difficult to remember when "pan juices" have ever sounded this appealing. 

[MerBearHou]

16 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

 

This may be more suitable for the Ina thread but one more recipe I've saved recently and been anxious to try. She uses thighs with potatoes in a skillet and it's difficult to remember when "pan juices" have ever sounded this appealing. 

Cannot wait to try those!!

[butterbody]

I've made Katie's chicken on a baguette, it's made in a skillet which adds to the crusty bottom and it's to die for!

If only all my stores weren't out of turkey breasts. That looked so juicy!

[Ashforth]

On 11/15/2020 at 4:33 PM, bichonblitz said:

I doubt Jeff's chimichanga is made for a Thanksgiving meal replacement. It looks like all the ingredients are from left over  food. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, etc... where did all that come from if not from leftovers. C'mon now, Jeffie. 

Chimichangas are gross no matter what is in them. IMO.

@Cozytea how did your chicken thighs on baguette turn out?

[Cozytea]

12 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Chimichangas are gross no matter what is in them. IMO.

@Cozytea how did your chicken thighs on baguette turn out?

They were delicious.  Seriously just wanted to eat all the bread myself lol. I used  lemon zest, garlic, and onion , thyme s&p olive oil and a splash of lemon juice on the chicken. Buttered the bread. It was fantastic.  I had butternut squash and kale topped  with dried cranberries and goat cheese .

It would make a great holiday meal. 

 

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, Cozytea said:

They were delicious.  Seriously just wanted to eat all the bread myself lol. I used  lemon zest, garlic, and onion , thyme s&p olive oil and a splash of lemon juice on the chicken. Buttered the bread. It was fantastic.  I had butternut squash and kale topped  with dried cranberries and goat cheese 

This all sounds so good. I'm going to make this. Did you buy the squash cut up & toss w/ the kale (& at what temp?)

[Cozytea]

23 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

This all sounds so good. I'm going to make this. Did you buy the squash cut up & toss w/ the kale (& at what temp?)

Yes, the squash was frozen cubes i just sauteed it in a pan with olive oil a lttle onion, garlic and kale. At the end i used a splash of veggie broth. I had Rosemary to throw in but i forgot about it lol.

Edited November 20, 2020 by Cozytea

[annzeepark914]

I missed the first half of the show today. Was Alex not on? I saw a promo of her new show so maybe that's why. GZ's gravy is intriguing to me...soy sauce? 

[Ashforth]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

I missed the first half of the show today. Was Alex not on? I saw a promo of her new show so maybe that's why. GZ's gravy is intriguing to me...soy sauce? 

You know, Alex wasn't on this episode. I didn't even notice, LOL. I wasn't paying much attention to most of it.

Katie's dressing looked good, but why Italian sausage? It seems like breakfast sausage, which already has sage and warm spices, would be better.

Of course, no dressing will ever be as good as my mom's. Cornbread/white bread, onions and celery sautéed in a lot - a lot - of butter, sage, parsley (I think she used dried parsley, oh my), salt, white pepper, some of the turkey drippings, chicken stock, bind it with an egg or two depending on your proportions. No meat or mushrooms or anything "fancy". The taste of my childhood.

[Toothbrush]

Alex wasn't on last week either. I don't watch any of her other shows but I like her on this show & hope she'll be back.

I like both sweet potatoes and spinach & artichoke dip, but they do not belong anywhere near each other. 

[annzeepark914]

20 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Of course, no dressing will ever be as good as my mom's. Cornbread/white bread, onions and celery sautéed in a lot - a lot - of butter, sage, parsley (I think she used dried parsley, oh my), salt, white pepper, some of the turkey drippings, chicken stock, bind it with an egg or two depending on your proportions. No meat or mushrooms or anything "fancy". The taste of my childhood.

It's during the holidays that wonderful memories of our moms' cooking our favorite meals really come through. I loved my mom's stuffing. She'd simmer various parts of the turkey with celery & onions, but I can't recall what she did with them! Loved the stuffing made with dried cubes of bread, seasonings, and of course, dried parsley. I bet fresh parsley wasn't available in November back then. 

[annzeepark914]

Something bad must've happened to Sunny in  a kitchen cause today, on Turkey Day Sunny's Way (a new show?), she's again on a patio, complete with grill & other portable appliances. It sort of looks like a studio, though, which is odd. *She's* odd!

[Ashforth]

52 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

It's during the holidays that wonderful memories of our moms' cooking our favorite meals really come through. I loved my mom's stuffing. She'd simmer various parts of the turkey with celery & onions, but I can't recall what she did with them! Loved the stuffing made with dried cubes of bread, seasonings, and of course, dried parsley. I bet fresh parsley wasn't available in November back then. 

She made gravy with the stock and the turkey drippings! My mom would dice the meat from the neck and gizzards, along with a boiled egg, and add them to the gravy. Never the liver! Mom hated liver so it was quickly disposed of. Now I think the liver would be a good addition (not long-cooked with the stock because that would make it bitter), but sautéed in butter, chopped up and added in.

[Ashforth]

8 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Something bad must've happened to Sunny in  a kitchen cause today, on Turkey Day Sunny's Way (a new show?), she's again on a patio, complete with grill & other portable appliances. It sort of looks like a studio, though, which is odd. *She's* odd!

Yeah, I just watched this strange show. Sunny was amped up to the max. I think it was to promote the Thanksgiving edition of Food Network Magazine, which Sunny guest edited. The FIRST GUEST EDITOR EVER. And the Ninja Foodi Oven.

I cringed at Sunny's cackling and screeching. I rolled my eyes at Aarti's last-minute cranberry sauce made of ingredients none of us have on hand. I laughed at the graphics for and and the viewer-dictated dressing that actually looked pretty good. The product placement for the Ninja Foodi Oven was front and center. There was more, but yeah. As it neared the end, I glanced at the TV guide and was shocked to realize that it was a thirty minute show. It felt like at least an hour.

FN must have built the set (sponsored by Ninja Foodi) so Sunny can continue to work outside her home. I know a lot of people think that's weird, but I respect her for drawing the line. She doesn't want to be filmed inside her home and she has stood her ground. Why she doesn't want to do that is a matter of curiosity, but not really any of our business. Though that won't stop us from speculating. That's our job 😄

Edited November 23, 2020 by Ashforth

[buttersister]

The Ninja Food Oven is usually an indoor appliance, but I've brought it out here. Thanks, Sunny, you putting up a tent soon to keep the snow off of that thing?

I liked that she featured other cooks and their recipes, although I also call bullshit on Aarti's Party Cranberry Sauce. Yeah, we're definitely going for diversity here and it's about time, but make it make sense.

[WritinMan]

Hey Sunny, when I have chicken soup, I don't want the chicken still on the bone so I have to pick it off making a mess out of the soup. OK? Thanks.

[Ashforth]

On one of the Thanksgiving reruns yesterday, they were in the studio. Katie was "making" a turkey but Geoffrey was doing all of the work - he used a dowel (wood rod) to separate the skin from the flesh, applied the spice rub, and was rubbing sage butter all over it when Sunny hollered something like, "get in those thighs!" and Geoffrey said, "Oh, I'll get in there" and they all started laughing or trying really hard not to laugh. Their facial expressions were hilarious. I did not expect sexual innuendo humor about prepping a turkey on The Kitchen. It was heartily amusing.

Now they need to roast a turkey while celebrating the neck and gizzard like this (spoiler tagged for the faint of heart):

Spoiler

 

[lambertman]

On 11/22/2020 at 11:53 AM, annzeepark914 said:

Something bad must've happened to Sunny in  a kitchen cause today, on Turkey Day Sunny's Way (a new show?), she's again on a patio, complete with grill & other portable appliances. It sort of looks like a studio, though, which is odd. 

Wasn’t that The Kitchen’s patio set, in fact?

[Irlandesa]

4 minutes ago, lambertman said:

Wasn’t that The Kitchen’s patio set, in fact?

That's what it looked like to me.  Considering she was the only one on camera, they were probably able to easier social distance for the taping. 

[Yeah No]

On 11/23/2020 at 9:53 PM, lambertman said:

Wasn’t that The Kitchen’s patio set, in fact?

It looked like The Kitchen's patio set with new fake brick walls to go with the fake outdoor grass carpet.  Also, it looked to me like it was filmed when the weather was still warm.  Right now she'd be out there in a parka for sure.  If she doesn't want to film in her house they should let her film solo from the indoor Kitchen set in the cold weather.  From what I read she lives very close to it anyway so it would be convenient.

[Gramto6]

It is so strange to me that she doesn't want to film in her home or who is doing the filming. All just so odd...

[Ashforth]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

It looked like The Kitchen's patio set with new fake brick walls to go with the fake outdoor grass carpet.  Also, it looked to me like it was filmed when the weather was still warm.  Right now she'd be out there in a parka for sure.  If she doesn't want to film in her house they should let her film solo from the indoor Kitchen set in the cold weather.  From what I read she lives very close to it anyway so it would be convenient.

Good point! Maybe that's what they're doing.

[annzeepark914]

16 hours ago, Yeah No said:

It looked like The Kitchen's patio set with new fake brick walls to go with the fake outdoor grass carpet.  Also, it looked to me like it was filmed when the weather was still warm.  Right now she'd be out there in a parka for sure.  If she doesn't want to film in her house they should let her film solo from the indoor Kitchen set in the cold weather.  From what I read she lives very close to it anyway so it would be convenient.

Why doesn't she just use a studio *kitchen*? It's winter in most of the country. How the heck many of her viewers does she think are running outside to cook her recipes on their grills esp at this time of year?  It's really looking absurd now. 

[MerBearHou]

My gut feeling is that Sunny is ashamed of her kitchen and the inside of her home — maybe it’s sloppy, maybe it’s not very polished or finished.  She also doesn’t seem to be proud to show who’s filming her.  The privacy angle is just a cover.  Which is fine.  She doesn’t have to show us her kitchen or her cameraman, but it sure does stick out compared to her fellow Kitchen chefs who’ve shown us their kitchens and camera operators, flaws and all.

[buttersister]

Heh, it's only going to get weirder if she doesn't go inside someplace. FN ran a feature about her kitchen (it's yellow) in 2013, so who knows if she's still in that house or it's not as modern as her peers' (that's how she likes it, nobody knowing). Whoever's handling the camera is very private, also. I don't begrudge her the privacy at all. But again, it's going to go from absurd to weird to maybe she's a crazy cat lady? 

[Gam2]

Not only is she cooking outside but she looks like she doesn’t even have time to do anything with her hair or makeup or clothes. Shape up a bit, Sunny. You’re on TV.

[Ashforth]

So, another Alex-free episode today...

I thought that Geoffrey's ham looked dry. And not like something that any average viewer would try. Hey! Set your ham on fire! On purpose! Flames two feet high! What could go wrong?

Sunny is obviously in front of a green screen with fake backgrounds. Why? More to the point, she made a cutting edge (in 2010) mashed potato bar for entertaining. Did she make the mashers in a Ninja Foodi device to keep that sponsorship going, or keep them hot in a crock pot? NO! She put them in... drum roll... an ice bucket. I am not making this up. 

Katie did a boring biscotti and Jeff did a strange tie-dye decorated sugar cookie. I thought his segment had promise as a fun thing parents and kids can do together in this difficult holiday season using premade sugar cookie dough and easily available icings, but it just turned out to be weird to me. 

GZ wrapped it up by making a tequila--based cocktail. Maybe FN figured that we all needed a stiff one by the end of this shitshow.

[annzeepark914]

Just watched today's show.  GZ's ham looked good. I wonder if you could put a little of that sauce *on* the ham while it's still baking? And Jeff's tie-dyed, ugly sweater cookies were funny, as were his comments. I had to hit the mute & read emails while the mashed potato concoction in cocktail glasses was prepared. I liked Valerie's cream cheese log. I was shocked to see her lick her finger yet keep on preparing it (I know she never touched the food with that hand, but still...)

[annzeepark914]

4 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

So, another Alex-free episode today...

I thought that Geoffrey's ham looked dry. And not like something that any average viewer would try. Hey! Set your ham on fire! On purpose! Flames two feet high! What could go wrong?

Sunny is obviously in front of a green screen with fake backgrounds. Why?

GZ wrapped it up by making a tequila--based cocktail. Maybe FN figured that we all needed a stiff one by the end of this shitshow.

Uh-oh...I forgot all about Alex. Wonder where she is??  Re: the green screen--I'd look at the background from time to time, thinking, "Why does it look like summer"...but then got back to my emails. That punch would've caused me to pass out. I'd like it with Prosecco & syrup, + garnishes. Re: GZ's fire? Fuhgeddaboudit. That's too scary for this cook!

[Spunkygal]

Yeah, in Sunny’s “backyard” you don’t hear one bird, one airplane or any outside noise! 

[Ashforth]

42 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I liked Valerie's cream cheese log. I was shocked to see her lick her finger yet keep on preparing it (I know she never touched the food with that hand, but still...)

Yes, then she put it on a cracker and bit into it and showered the log with spitty crumbs. YUM!

Despite that, I actually like Valerie's show and think she might be a nice addition to The Kitchen. This kind of feels like an interview process.

[Irlandesa]

Alex has said on Twitter that she'll be back soon.  I'm guessing they film these in bunches and she just had something going on the day/weekend they filmed these.  Or she was filming her Supermarket Stakeout episodes and didn't want to double up.  I imagine it's a lot of work. 

I couldn't care less where Sunny is filming her shows or why she won't show her kitchen.  She could film in a closet for all I care.  But I do think pretending she's filming outside is silly.  Just put her back in the studio like they did with her Thanksgiving special.  It'll put some people back to work.  With only Sunny, they'll be able to keep social distancing kind of like the way the late night shows have done it. 

I kind of loved GZ's ham preparation.  It was dramatic. I can't imagine many people doing it.  But I laughed at the image of how many disasters there would be if people did try.

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Sunny is obviously in front of a green screen with fake backgrounds. Why?

I don't think it's fake unless it's a film because the weeds behind her head were gently waving in the breeze.  Plus it looks like real outdoor light and I doubt she has sophisticated enough lighting to fake outdoor light like that.  Besides, if they were going to put a fake background behind her wouldn't they pick a better one than one with messy looking weeds coming out behind her head?  LOL

10 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Yeah, in Sunny’s “backyard” you don’t hear one bird, one airplane or any outside noise! 

You wouldn't hear that where I live either.  She probably lives in a very quiet area.

As far as explaining the fact that it's so green in her backyard, I am sure this was filmed several weeks ago when it was still relatively green and warm outside.  The weather was really warm here in the Northeast for a lot longer this Fall than usual.  It didn't really start to get cold until a couple of weeks ago.  I know they film these shows in chunks and I'm sure that all of these recent episodes were done a while ago.  They used to do that when they filmed in the studio too.  It always bugged me when they did barbecue episodes that aired in June with winter jackets on and breath steam coming out of their mouths - It was always obvious to me that those episodes were filmed months before airing.  This season Sunny was lucky to be able to film outside for longer, but I still wonder what she's going to do when it's inevitable that she has to film in the really cold weather.  Unless she's going to disappear for a while when Alex comes back and return in the Spring, or film solo indoors in the Kitchen studio.  It should be interesting to see how they work it out with her.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Yeah No

[albarino]

On 10/5/2020 at 11:23 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

You would think that as a mother, Alex would be concerned about her daughter unhealthy weight and help guide her with her eating habits.  She just seems to be getting bigger.

I think being overweight is an occupational hazard of being a chef.  I don't really like Bobby Flay but I'm impressed he runs marathons.  Actually, everybody on The Kitchen is of normal weight except Sunny and Alex.   However, I think it is cruel for a parent to allow any child to become obese.  Generally speaking, these children aren't shopping and cooking their own meals.  It isn't healthy and sets up longer tern consequences.  I think we can all agree on that.

 

[buttersister]

Quote

I thought that Geoffrey's ham looked dry. And not like something that any average viewer would try. Hey! Set your ham on fire! On purpose! Flames two feet high! What could go wrong?

This reminded me why I can’t stand Geoffrey on TV. His cute daughters had distracted me from that. The large flambé was ridiculously showy and dangerous for an average home  cook. He comes off as pompous and arrogant, although that’s partly fed by being an iron chef, which is a TV game show and marketing gimmick, dude. 

[annzeepark914]

17 minutes ago, buttersister said:

This reminded me why I can’t stand Geoffrey on TV. His cute daughters had distracted me from that. The large flambé was ridiculously showy and dangerous for an average home  cook. He comes off as pompous and arrogant, although that’s partly fed by being an iron chef, which is a TV game show and marketing gimmick, dude. 

I don't know much about him as I couldn't watch the show (except a few times--so loud!) until they started the new format. He seemed to be an ok guy, but I was surprised to hear him refer to the ham as an "Iron Chef ham".  That was pompous, for sure. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 11/28/2020 at 10:47 AM, Spunkygal said:

Yeah, in Sunny’s “backyard” you don’t hear one bird, one airplane or any outside noise! 

There was an earlier episode where the birds were making a lot of racket. 

 

17 hours ago, albarino said:

I think being overweight is an occupational hazard of being a chef. 

Just for the record--your post shows a quote from me, but what was quoted was actually in response to what I had posted. The attribution went wonky.

 

Contrary to most here, I still don't like this format.  And I noticed that Zakarian said a "quarter stick of butter" when he used what looked like a whole stick, so maybe he meant a quarter pound of butter?  I'm thinking that if they were all there watching, someone might have noticed and said something.  Not that they give the actual recipe anyway, but still.

[bichonblitz]

Setting your ham on fire? Ok. New low, show. New low. 

Sunny's mashed potato bar. Did she put hot sauce on top of her splendid concoction? Again, new low.