The Kitchen - General Discussion

[Koalagirl]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Sunny was indoors with the others this week.  I almost fell over.

Was that the Sunday show about kitchen hacks?  Somehow I feel that was filmed before quarantine. 

[FormerMod-a1]

On 1/24/2021 at 4:40 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Re: Katie's nachos... the waffle fries were a major turn-off for me. 

I can see using them as a chip replacement (can grab at like a chip), but that's assuming you need a chip replacememt, which I don't think you do.  She could have used tortilla chips.  But that aside, I don't think she used nearly enough cheese - there wasn't much cheese at all, at least not on the pan she pulled out of the oven.

[Irlandesa]

Alex's scones look really good to me but I had to laugh at when she pulled them out of the oven.  She went right up to Jeff and Geoffrey to waft the baked scone in their noses even though they're supposed to be six feet apart and don't even taste each other's food. 

 

[MerBearHou]

3 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

Was that the Sunday show about kitchen hacks?  Somehow I feel that was filmed before quarantine. 

Agreed.  Even though it said new, the setup seemed "filmed before quarantine".  Katie was there, etc etc.

[Cozytea]

On 1/18/2021 at 11:01 AM, Gam2 said:

How many times can Alex say “I love that .....” in one show? Too many times. I’m not sure that she’s even aware that she does it to the extreme.

I can't imagine the ugliness the ugliness thrown at her on social media.  She probably shouldn't read it but im sure she does.

This was about sunny being thin skinned idk how meesed up the quote. 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Cozytea

[chessiegal]

I follow Alex on Twitter and I've seen nothing but upbeat positive things. Maybe she scrubs negatives or blocks them. I haven't seen anything negative.

[Cozytea]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I follow Alex on Twitter and I've seen nothing but upbeat positive things. Maybe she scrubs negatives or blocks them. I haven't seen anything negative.

Sorry i was quoting a post about Sunny not Alex 🤷🏽‍♀️. I dont see the original post.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Cozytea

[Yeah No]

17 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

Was that the Sunday show about kitchen hacks?  Somehow I feel that was filmed before quarantine. 

Yes, I just took a closer look and what threw me off is that Comcast recorded it because it was listed as a "new" episode.  Obviously it was not.  I knew something was wrong about it.  I hate it when Comcast does that!

[Door County Cherry]

11 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Yes, I just took a closer look and what threw me off is that Comcast recorded it because it was listed as a "new" episode.  Obviously it was not.  I knew something was wrong about it.  I hate it when Comcast does that!

It did the same with me.  But that happens when there's no ep number listed with it.  All it had was a generic Season 20 or something like that but recent episodes are from S27.  

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, Door County Cherry said:

It did the same with me.  But that happens when there's no ep number listed with it.  All it had was a generic Season 20 or something like that but recent episodes are from S27.  

It said it was from season 27, which threw me off.  It was entitled "Weeknight Meals Part 2".  They were prepping veggies and making "cheat sheet dinners".  It looked like a more recent episode, which also threw me off.  I can usually tell when they're from earlier seasons.

[Fostersmom]

On 1/25/2021 at 12:48 PM, Irlandesa said:

Alex's scones look really good to me but I had to laugh at when she pulled them out of the oven.  She went right up to Jeff and Geoffrey to waft the baked scone in their noses even though they're supposed to be six feet apart and don't even taste each other's food. 

 

I didn't notice the scone wafting, but I did notice GZ seemed openly hostile to Alex last week. He repeatedly cut her off, ignored her, or basically dismissed her. Some people seem to have become more grounded and "human" during quarantine.... GZ has somehow become even more pretentious. 

I'm just assuming Sunny shows up once a month and tapes all of her bits at once. It's not like she's being part of an ongoing conversation. I don't blame her if doesn't feel comfortable in the studio with the rest, but the outside nonsense is just getting to be too much. It wouldn't kill FN to acknowledge the pandemic and just have her in another one of their studios down the hall. 

[annzeepark914]

I watched today. GZ & Jeff were really salivating over Alex's stuffed, French onion soup-styled burgers. Oddly, Sunny never made anything but she was bellowing out there on her faux patio. Katie made some sweet/spicy granola to put on her baked brie. Jeff made chili rellenos. GZ made some sort of cheesecake that looked burnt on top but he insisted it wasn't (ok, if you say so, Geez).  Alex's OTT burgers...I'm still thinking about them and imagining the yummy taste.

[HyeChaps]

Since coming back to the studio, they have not shared the dishes they make. Would it have looked really bad if Alex had picked up one of those yummy burgers with a spatula and put it on a separate plate for one of the guys?

[Maverick]

 I don't get that. People have been eating takeout since this whole thing began.  I know they're not wearing masks when they cook but 1) they're are on Chopped, Supermarket Stakeout and the other competition shows and the judges still eat.  And 2) a lot of the dishes they eat aren't prepared on screen. They're prepared in advance (by a staffer wearing a mask no doubt) and pulled from the fridge or oven. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

I really don't like the pop-up things at the bottom the screen advertising other shows, but the one for the puppy bowl was unfortunate.  The little furballs were probably puppies, but they looked like mice running around on Jeff's cutting board.

 

[Gramto6]

19 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I really don't like the pop-up things at the bottom the screen advertising other shows, but the one for the puppy bowl was unfortunate.  The little furballs were probably puppies, but they looked like mice running around on Jeff's cutting board.

 

I know! I found them very annoying. I have a pretty small screen tv so a lot of the ads don't even make my screen , but those puppies at the bottom were/are very annoying. And Martha Stewart at Puppy Bowl can just go away...please...forever!

Edited January 31, 2021 by Gramto6

[Irlandesa]

13 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

GZ made some sort of cheesecake that looked burnt on top but he insisted it wasn't (ok, if you say so, Geez).

Not only did he say so but the little text box that came on the screen when he started making it said so.  I do like things a little burnt so that looked delish to me even if they both were lying to us about how it was supposed to be.

I miss them eating each other's food.  GZ straight out said he was going to take a bite of her hamburger which I'm sure he did once the cameras were off.  So just show it so we can live vicariously.

[chessiegal]

Alex replied to a Twitter question about them not tasting each others food saying it was part of COVID protocol. Makes no sense to me, but glad to hear they have protocols they're following.

[Spunkygal]

I see that Sunny is getting “creative” again next Saturday.....Nunya Business Chili Cheese Fries is on the menu. Wow, I’ve never heard of that before! 😜

[annzeepark914]

28 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

I see that Sunny is getting “creative” again next Saturday.....Nunya Business Chili Cheese Fries is on the menu. Wow, I’ve never heard of that before! 😜

Oh geez laweeze...Sunny & her Nunya Business stuff again. What's the big deal secret about using store-bought bbq sauce (or store-bought anything) when creating something that tastes good? If it's delicious & memorable, who cares?

[Fostersmom]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Oh geez laweeze...Sunny & her Nunya Business stuff again. What's the big deal secret about using store-bought bbq sauce (or store-bought anything) when creating something that tastes good? If it's delicious & memorable, who cares?

Right? Even Ina talks about using store bought stuff to make life simple. I get the impression Sunny is well aware of her lack of cooking background compared to the others and tries to over compensate for it by being super defensive. I doubt many care. Jeff got there making sandwiches, so it's not exactly like they are all classically trained. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

What I don't understand is why Sunny uses pancake mix.  I don't cook and even I don't use pancake mix, because making them from scratch is so easy, and I know what's in it.

[Toothbrush]

I'm losing patience, even with only 3 of 5 in the studio. Alex, who ironically I didn't care for pre-COVID, is the only one I can take. She is engaging & enthusiastic, while Jeff is chewing the scenery, GZ is even more pompous, and Sunny's recipes are maybe a step above Aunt Sandy. Maybe. Stick her in another studio, instead of dumping a few things in a pot & grilling for a few minutes. I live in the deep south & we grill all year (except maybe August - way too hot), but I doubt anyone in NY/NJ is making pancakes or nachos on the grill at this time of year. If ever. Katie is fine from home. 

I am glad we are getting back to somewhat normalcy, but I enjoyed Family Style much more. 

[Yeah No]

On 1/30/2021 at 12:56 PM, Fostersmom said:

I'm just assuming Sunny shows up once a month and tapes all of her bits at once. It's not like she's being part of an ongoing conversation. I don't blame her if doesn't feel comfortable in the studio with the rest, but the outside nonsense is just getting to be too much. It wouldn't kill FN to acknowledge the pandemic and just have her in another one of their studios down the hall. 

I agree and have posted to that effect myself.  She's that afraid of Covid that she wouldn't even feel comfortable all by herself in a room down the hall?  That's just ridiculous.  I wonder what she's going to do now that we have over a foot of snow on the ground here in the Northeast and it doesn't look like it's going away any time soon.  In fact we have more predicted for Saturday!

[Spunkygal]

7 minutes ago, Toothbrush said:

I'm losing patience, even with only 3 of 5 in the studio. Alex, who ironically I didn't care for pre-COVID, is the only one I can take. She is engaging & enthusiastic, while Jeff is chewing the scenery, GZ is even more pompous, and Sunny's recipes are maybe a step above Aunt Sandy. Maybe. Stick her in another studio, instead of dumping a few things in a pot & grilling for a few minutes. I live in the deep south & we grill all year (except maybe August - way too hot), but I doubt anyone in NY/NJ is making pancakes or nachos on the grill at this time of year. If ever. Katie is fine from home. 

I am glad we are getting back to somewhat normalcy, but I enjoyed Family Style much more. 

My PBS station is airing the current season of Lidia Bastianich and she is cooking outdoors this season. Shockingly (not!), she is still finding ways to be creative and prepare interesting food. If Sunny and/or TPTB want her to continue with the outdoor shenanigans, they should watch a real pro like Lidia. 

I’ve said it and I’ll keep saying this, but this show is blessed with a Saturday morning time slot. I find more creative ideas on Pinterest, which I can’t believe I’m saying. 

[Toothbrush]

@Spunkygal - I am going to look into Lidia Bastianich. Thanks for the rec! 

[annzeepark914]

8 minutes ago, Toothbrush said:

@Spunkygal - I am going to look into Lidia Bastianich. Thanks for the rec! 

Lidia is a real deal Italian cook. Always a good cook, always a professional. 

[roughing it]

18 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Lidia is a real deal Italian cook. Always a good cook, always a professional.

and Grandmama (Lidia's mom) is a delight!

[Spunkygal]

58 minutes ago, roughing it said:

and Grandmama (Lidia's mom) is a delight!

I think she said she is 99! And she still makes appearances on the show! She looks great! 
 

Back on topic: at least with the hosts all spread out and two of them not in the studio, we won’t be subjected to any lame arts and crafts Super Bowl decorations or the group concocting some stupid food stadium where they pass it down the line and each of them adds some ingredient.

[Gam2]

6 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I think she said she is 99! And she still makes appearances on the show! She looks great! 
 

Back on topic: at least with the hosts all spread out and two of them not in the studio, we won’t be subjected to any lame arts and crafts Super Bowl decorations or the group concocting some stupid food stadium where they pass it down the line and each of them adds some ingredient.

Ha! I’d totally forgotten about the lame crafts that they don’t really know how to do and we don’t care about at all. When things get back to “normal”, please do not return the crafts segments!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Maverick]

 I find the food stadiums, 12 foot long sandwiches and use a ice cream cone for a unicorn horn cakes entertaining.  Not because it's something anyone over 8 would actually want to make but because it's fun to snark on ridiculous they are.  It gets bonus points for seeing exactly how mortified GZ is having to participate. 

[Ashforth]

12 hours ago, Maverick said:

It gets bonus points for seeing exactly how mortified GZ is having to participate. 

Well, there is that!

[chessiegal]

It seemed to me in the beginning The Kitchen was imitating The Chew, 5 permanent people, and the craft part was a take off on The Chew's Clinton's Craft Corner. Since The Chew is long gone, there's no need for that bit of copying.

[Cozytea]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

It seemed to me in the beginning The Kitchen was imitating The Chew, 5 permanent people, and the craft part was a take off on The Chew's Clinton's Craft Corner. Since The Chew is long gone, there's no need for that bit of copying.

I still miss the chew.

[bkathi]

15 hours ago, Cozytea said:

I still miss the chew.

Me too. 😞

[bkathi]

I can't judge Sunny for still being careful.  As someone who has not been able to social distance at work it is nerve wracking not knowing when you might be exposed.  Especially when some of her coworkers are likely flying.  

[Yeah No]

On 2/2/2021 at 5:31 PM, Spunkygal said:

My PBS station is airing the current season of Lidia Bastianich and she is cooking outdoors this season. Shockingly (not!), she is still finding ways to be creative and prepare interesting food. If Sunny and/or TPTB want her to continue with the outdoor shenanigans, they should watch a real pro like Lidia. 

I love Lidia.  Her new season premieres tomorrow in my area so I haven't seen it yet, but I would bet anything she's not standing outside in the middle of freezing cold Winter.  I'm sure she filmed her show before it got that cold outside.

57 minutes ago, bkathi said:

I can't judge Sunny for still being careful.  As someone who has not been able to social distance at work it is nerve wracking not knowing when you might be exposed.  Especially when some of her coworkers are likely flying.  

I am THE most careful person out there when it comes to Covid.  Obsessive, in fact.  I lost my father to this virus plus I am at least a decade older than she is and in a high risk group, so I take no chances and I certainly don't have a problem with anyone being careful.  But even I think she's being ridiculous.  Today there are so many ways they could make it possible for her to be indoors alone in a prep kitchen somewhere down the hall with virtually zero risk that IMO there is no excuse for her to be standing outside in 25 degree weather.  They could set up stationary Go Pro cameras and edit things to look fantastic.  Even if they wanted a camera person with her, don't tell me there isn't ONE PERSON on this earth Sunny would trust enough to film her in a prep kitchen all by herself, standing more than 6 feet away and dressed to the nines in PPE behind a glass or plastic partition and with a window open.  Geez, even Rachael Ray is having her husband film her every day for her show all by himself. 

If she's this afraid of Covid how does she live her life?  Does she shut herself up inside her house all the time and never set foot anywhere?  What about whoever she lives with?  We're assuming she lives with a man.  Is he hermetically sealed at home 24/7?  Even I have to bite the bullet and do some things I would rather not do, like when I fell and bruised a rib and had to go to the Dr. for tests, or when I had to go to my father's apartment yesterday one last time before it's sold and pick up the last mail in his mailbox.  I had to ride the elevator and walk through the hallway of his apartment house and talk to the doorman.  My husband drives a limo. for a living and since the pandemic he bought a stretch limousine with a completely separate sealed compartment from front to back which has completely separate ventilation too so they don't share air.  He doesn't have much work but he's done what he needs to do to do his job and remain relatively safe.  So given all that could be done I just can't with her.  She is acting like an idiot.

I'm sorry I don't mean to go off on you, I'm just really frustrated with her.😉

Edited February 5, 2021 by Yeah No

[Spunkygal]

@Yeah No, I extend my sincere condolences on the loss of your dad. I know how hard it is to lose a parent, or in my case parents, but I can’t imagine what it must have been like to lose your dad to the virus during the crap fest of 2020. Keep staying safe.

Back on topic, as you point out, I don’t fault Sunny for staying safe but there are many ways to accomplish that. Frankly, I wish that as each of the five host’s contracts expire, TPTB would rotate in fresh personalities. They are past their stale date for me. But the viewer snark is always fresh! 

[annzeepark914]

@Yeah No: I am so sorry to learn about your dad passing away.  Losing a parent is so hard.  Take care of yourself.🌷

[Yeah No]

37 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

@Yeah No: I am so sorry to learn about your dad passing away.  Losing a parent is so hard.  Take care of yourself.🌷

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

@Yeah No, I extend my sincere condolences on the loss of your dad. I know how hard it is to lose a parent, or in my case parents, but I can’t imagine what it must have been like to lose your dad to the virus during the crap fest of 2020. Keep staying safe.

Thanks, I really appreciate that!  

Edited February 5, 2021 by Yeah No

[annzeepark914]

Just had to turn off The Kitchen a few minutes early as Jeff is cooking up more hot dogs (his first go 'round had all the savory stadium flavors...I know Mr P914 would love them!) Oy. I loved Alex's beef empanadas.  Her secret ingredient of cream cheese had me drooling.  Sheesh...was that real snow falling on Sunny's patio? You could see her breath while she was speaking. I give up 🙄

Edited February 6, 2021 by annzeepark914

[rustyspigot]

I'm just ready for Sunny to get attacked by a polar bear at this point.

I like hot dogs, but I don't need to see it made for the tenth time.

[FormerMod-a1]

I didn't used to watch this often, so I didn't mind the hot dog.  In fact, I think I'm going to try that hot dog.  Split open and grilled, with queso and jalapenos - sounds like a great mashup of hot dogs and nachos to me.  :) 

I would love to try Alex's empanadas.  Yum!

Chili cheese fries - I like them but won't be making them. 

Did I miss what Geoffrey made? or was he there for them to make fun of?

[bichonblitz]

I've given up on trying to figure out Sunny's outdoor schtick but there is no excuse for her lazy, unappetizing, unimaginative recipes she's putting out there that are in no way needed to be cooked on a grill. Shame on Food Network, Sunny, and the producers of The Kitchen for airing this slop. 

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

Did I miss what Geoffrey made? or was he there for them to make fun of?

Actually, they were making fun of him for creating elitist gourmet foods at some chefs' stadium food competition (no idea when this took place). Alex was at the same competition and enjoyed teasing him about his grand creations. 

[Spunkygal]

So if Katie used store bought pizza dough for the pretzels, shouldn’t they have been Nunya Business Pimiento Cheese Pretzels?! 🤣 We didn’t get a good look at them. They were right out of the oven and she barely tore one open. Didn’t look oozy cheesy to me. Why not just bake off some of those bread doughsticks and dip in some slightly warmed pimiento cheese and forget the whole pretzel making. Side note: if you’re lazy like me and don’t make your own pimiento cheese, in some parts of the country, Walmart sells the Palmetto brand which has a slight kick. Makes an amazing grilled sammy and is also great on burgers. 

I wish I could get paid for looking as disinterested in my job as GZ does. I bet he is a riot to be married to. 

Dear Sunny, my local upscale hamburger franchise started making chili cheese fries about 40 years ago. Seriously, we would go there after bar hopping in my young, skinny days and dang, if those aren’t still the best chili cheese fries today! If you’re going to be outside on the grill, why not attempt to do something a bit more “grilly?” Why not do fajita meat, yet another burger, pork or even a steak? Why continue to do stuff that doesn’t relate to grilling? Or she could have done yet another flaming dessert out there. The area from my cooktop to my hood is not that high so I never cook with booze that needs to be flamed because I am chicken. But now that I’m talking about it, I would do it out on the grill. Or since she’s out in the snow, let her make some hot toddies. You’re welcome for those suggestions, FN.

I’d never make them but Alex empanadas looked pretty good and you can’t go wrong with a well cooked dog on a pretzel roll, so props to Jeff. 

[Kathcart]

Whoever is doing Alex's hair and makeup now that they are back in the studio is really doing her a disservice. She looks 10 years older than she is, and the makeup (and the terrible-color-for-her rust-colored sweater last week) make her look like she is having a hot flash. 
 

Outdoors Grilling Sunny —- I got nothin. Makes no sense to me. Although now that I think of it, if it keeps snowing she could present us with ideas for when we’re snowbound and the power is out.

[Gramto6]

When the snow started falling on Sunny, my first thought was FN WTF??? This woman may not get Covid, but could well end up with pneumonia if she continues to work outside. If she is  already medically compromised, working in the snow really sounds like a bad idea.

I noticed too that GZ didn't cook anything, what's up with that? This show just needs to ride off into the sunset/snow shower or get a new cast...

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, Gramto6 said:

When the snow started falling on Sunny, my first thought was FN WTF??? This woman may not get Covid, but could well end up with pneumonia if she continues to work outside. If she is  already medically compromised, working in the snow really sounds like a bad idea.

I noticed too that GZ didn't cook anything, what's up with that? This show just needs to ride off into the sunset/snow shower or get a new cast...

I think you're right about getting a new cast.  I think this group is out of ideas (and maybe so are their bosses at FN). So, maybe this group of cooks/chefs has run its course and they need a new chef/new show for Saturday morning.  Re: Sunny standing out there in the cold and snow? It's time to tell her get into a kitchen or hit the road.

Edited February 7, 2021 by annzeepark914

[FormerMod-a1]

15 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Actually, they were making fun of him for creating elitist gourmet foods at some chefs' stadium food competition (no idea when this took place). Alex was at the same competition and enjoyed teasing him about his grand creations. 

Yes, I know, hence the 2nd part of my question.  They made fun of him for that, they made fun of him throughout for his lack if sports interest/knowledge.  I just didn't know if he actually made any food on the show and I missed it.  Based on further comments it looks like he did not.  He was there just for them to poke fun at him, I guess.  :D