The Kitchen - General Discussion

[Yeah No]

I finally watched the last episode and saw something interesting behind Sunny.  There was a gap in the fake leaves on the top right side of the wood wall behind her and you could see the roof of a house or building in the distance.  It's definitely not the same building as behind the patio outside the set of the Kitchen.  So I'll bet they did actually build her a look-alike patio somewhere else, which also explains why none of the rest of the cast goes out there anymore.  She's still wearing sweatshirts so these episode could not have been filmed in the past 2 months because it's been consistently very hot out since early June.  In fact, here in CT we had the hottest June on record ever.  So these episodes must have been filmed no later than May or so.

[chick binewski]

FN if you're going to air one of the Jeff-hosted compilation shows in the regular time slot how about not showing the 8am repeat that includes one of the segments on the same day?

I'm thankful we didn't have to watch GZ pretend to accept Jeff's potato chip potato salad as an actual recipe.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, chick binewski said:

FN if you're going to air one of the Jeff-hosted compilation shows in the regular time slot how about not showing the 8am repeat that includes one of the segments on the same day?

I'm thankful we didn't have to watch GZ pretend to accept Jeff's potato chip potato salad as an actual recipe.

Potato chip salad? So glad I didn't watch. In a way, GZ & Alex, two Iron Chefs, are slumming by being associated with this show. If just those two were on (maybe with guest appearances by other chefs), and prepared good food (not OTT cutesy cheffy stuff), I'd definitely watch.

[buttersister]

Saw the bottom of the barrel today. Predicting Jeff’s future cardiovascular condition will be juxtaposed with that potato nightmare in a fashion similar to Paula Deen’s recipes when her diabetes came to light.

Or has The Onion started producing Jeff’s segments?

[Gam2]

Honestly, Jeff acted like he had found the cure for cancer when he was rhapsodizing over his potato potato chip salad. He actually showed us how to mix the potatoes with the mayo. He gets worse with his “cooking” with every show.

[Westiepeach]

I wish they would either just show repeats until the new season starts, or just show another show altogether. I hate the “Jeff Mauro Clip Show” thing they are doing. JMHO. 

[Maverick]

 I couldn't believe they were doing and Jeff's Clip Thyme Classics.   And this was the worst one yet.  He spent his entire between segments time showing us how to put potato chips on potato salad. Like, seriously?   One entire segment was devoted to showing us how to crush potato chips. "Don't get out your food processor!" Jeff advises us.  No, just put them in a Ziploc and pull out your rolling pin.  Or, you know, maybe just dump them from the bottom of the bag since half of it is already crushed to dust by the time in reaches your home.  And speaking of dust, that's what Jeff turned those into (presumably because he had an entire segment to fill).  How the hell was that going to add crunch.  Then he spends an entire segment on the four flavors of chips he's using.  Pringles can convey the same concept in a 30 second commercial.  The last segment was him putting the four flavor on chips in their respective quadrants on top of the potato salad.  And they took Aunt Sandy off for this shit?   She's much better to snark on and a helluva lot more fun at Halloween. 

[buttersister]

Possibly the least appealing part (so many!)—the godawful texture of the chips in the middle.🤮

[Gam2]

Again, I have to comment on how truly awful this show was. Is Jeff embarrassed by this act of his or does he really believe that this is informative information and a good recipe? This just makes me sad for him because I think he knows that this gravy train is about at the end of the track. Have some dignity, Jeff, and just walk away.

[maggiemae]

Jeff has one recipe to make and he makes this one? With potato chips of all things?

Come on!

I was with him on the salad recipe...I cook my potatoes that way for salad and add all the rest including the vinegar...except I use yellow mustard and a whole lot more of  it. Never a spoonful left.

[Gramto6]

Why is Jeff the host of these abominations? Wouldn't GZ or Alex be more qualified chefs to host a clip show and demo a recipe? Maybe they "noped" out after seeing the first few...

[Maverick]

 Has anyone tweeted Jeff about how ridiculous his recipe was today?

[Irlandesa]

These don't need a host.  I do find it funny that it's Jeff hosting this all the time since he's the only one who isn't local. (Except for maybe Sunny during COVID.)

[Yeah No]

I agree that Jeff dragging out that recipe and making the biggest deal out of putting some potato chips on top of potato salad was ridiculous and a little cringeworthy, but I guess I wasn't as offended by this as everyone else.  I figure this is a filler show to pad out the weeks while they're really on vacation or off doing other projects, so my expectations are pretty low.  Just airing repeats wouldn't compile certain types of recipes like side dishes into one show.  So I get it. 

I also wasn't offended by the idea of potato chip potato salad.  I first had it about 35 years ago when a friend just crumbled some chips over a party tray of deli potato salad.  It was so good I never forgot it.  But  he overcomplicated what is really the simplest thing ever.  Just crush the chips a little by hand over the top of the salad right before you serve it and call it a day.  Don't pulverize them, put them in a middle layer and let them get mushy.  Just yuck!

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

These don't need a host.  I do find it funny that it's Jeff hosting this all the time since he's the only one who isn't local. (Except for maybe Sunny during COVID.)

He probably filmed these all at once when he was still filming the new episodes.  I doubt he's hanging around the Northeast all summer.

[buttersister]

3 hours ago, Maverick said:

Has anyone tweeted Jeff about how ridiculous his recipe was today?

Holy crap, you made me look. 99k followers and all he does is pimp his gram, the show, D+. So lame, predictably. (No. Maybe that’s 99k bots?)🥴

[chick binewski]

17 hours ago, Gam2 said:

Honestly, Jeff acted like he had found the cure for cancer when he was rhapsodizing over his potato potato chip salad. 

 

16 hours ago, Maverick said:

And speaking of dust, that's what Jeff turned those into (presumably because he had an entire segment to fill).  How the hell was that going to add crunch.  Then he spends an entire segment on the four flavors of chips he's using.  Pringles can convey the same concept in a 30 second commercial.  The last segment was him putting the four flavor on chips in their respective quadrants on top of the potato salad.  And they took Aunt Sandy off for this shit?   She's much better to snark on and a helluva lot more fun at Halloween. 

I think Jeff's dramatic delivery & execution (quadrants!) was what put me over the edge. I get FN wants to produce a lot of content so every segment isn't going to be a winner, but I would have rather watched him make some kind of sandwich. 

And he was TOTALLY using chip dust! 

It does seem some hosts/shows are venturing into territory that Sandra Lee never dreamed of. We may have reached the point of no return when PW used tater tots for her steak frites.

[HyeChaps]

And yet, Jeff's segments from his own back yard were very good!

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 7/31/2021 at 3:34 PM, Maverick said:

No, just put them in a Ziploc and pull out your rolling pin. 

Ahem.  It's "zipper top bag," which has never been used in a non-TV-show setting, ever.

[Gramto6]

10 minutes ago, HyeChaps said:

And yet, Jeff's segments from his own back yard were very good!

I totally agree with that!

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

And yet, Jeff's segments from his own back yard were very good!

That's because he was able to grill outdoors.  Ever since they went back to the set Sunny is the only one allowed to grill outdoors and I think Jeff is feeling uninspired as a result.  The way he acted in this episode was almost like a cry for help...

[Gramto6]

12 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

That's because he was able to grill outdoors.  Ever since they went back to the set Sunny is the only one allowed to grill outdoors and I think Jeff is feeling uninspired as a result.  The way he acted in this episode was almost like a cry for help...

I think he feels very insecure in the situation he is in. They are trying to build him up as "host" for these god-awful clip shows, but to me he feels out of his element and lacking.  He could have built some sort of amazing sandwich. He is the Sandwich King after all, yet we get a weird potato salad with smashed chips inside it...🤮

[annzeepark914]

I wonder why the heck he can't be grilling while he's introducing the old episode clips? Jeff really was very good last summer, grilling interesting foods.

[Yeah No]

49 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

I think he feels very insecure in the situation he is in. They are trying to build him up as "host" for these god-awful clip shows, but to me he feels out of his element and lacking.  He could have built some sort of amazing sandwich. He is the Sandwich King after all, yet we get a weird potato salad with smashed chips inside it...🤮

I definitely think he's feeling underutilized and not allowed to do the stuff he really wants to do.  The vibe of the show is weird these days and the rapport feels forced between the cast since they came back to the set.  I wonder what's really going on there.

[Gramto6]

4 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I definitely think he's feeling underutilized and not allowed to do the stuff he really wants to do.  The vibe of the show is weird these days and the rapport feels forced between the cast since they came back to the set.  I wonder what's really going on there.

It really does feel like something is going on, the vibe is definitely off. I really don't like how they all seem to "pick on/criticize" GZ. If I were him I'd quit the show, he is the best chef there and there has to be something else for him to do.

[bichonblitz]

Even Fabio was annoying me. I used to love him. 

There are no words for Jeff's 4 flavor potato chip potato salad. 

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

Does anyone know if the hosts are the ones to decide what they're cooking?  I get the feeling that someone behind the scenes decides on the recipes and the hosts just demonstrate.  If that's the case, I'll give it to Jeff for trying to sell the sh** out of potato chip potato salad.  As someone who, 4 decades ago, put potato chips on her bologna sandwich, I am not offended by the idea of potato chips on potato salad but as others have said, you can't grind them to dust - you have to have big enough pieces to add crunch.

[annzeepark914]

And I thought I was the only one who put potato chips on a bologna sandwich as a kid 😁

[Westiepeach]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

And I thought I was the only one who put potato chips on a bologna sandwich as a kid 😁

I still do!

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, Westiepeach said:

I still do!

Y'know...they really add an interesting crunch!

[Maverick]

 Bobby Flay "crunchifies" the sandwiches at his burger joint...by adding potato chips to them.   Perhaps they should have had him come in as an expert to demonstrate that complicated recipe. 

 The hosts have to be given dishes to demonstrate at least some of the time.   There's things GZ has made that there's no way he'd make at home.   And some things like this week's faux watermelon are even done in house and come straight from Pintrest.  

[buttersister]

I dunno, I never thought I’d meet a potato salad I didn’t want to eat. I was putting potato chips in my tuna sandwich when I was nine.  Makes me wonder where this show is going—besides the obvious, nowhere or to hell in a hand basket. I understand this is the summer doldrums season, but it’s so lame and laughable (not in the good way), that to put these tired, over it people back on a kitchen set recycling recipes from Pinterest feels pathetic at this point.

[roughing it]

2 hours ago, buttersister said:

Makes me wonder where this show is going—besides the obvious, nowhere or to hell in a hand basket. I understand this is the summer doldrums season, but it’s so lame and laughable (not in the good way), that to put these tired, over it people back on a kitchen set recycling recipes from Pinterest feels pathetic at this point.

Well at least they are no longer doing those god-awful Pinterest craft segments!!  But I agree, these Pinterest recipes are just as lame.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 8/1/2021 at 9:29 PM, Gramto6 said:

He is the Sandwich King after all, yet we get a weird potato salad with smashed chips inside it...🤮

Did he put them in it?  I thought he put them only on the top, in four quadrants, one for each flavor of chip.  At least then I could scrape them off because I don't like most flavored potato chip (can't stand BBQ, for example).

23 hours ago, buttersister said:

I was putting potato chips in my tuna sandwich when I was nine. 

I eat tuna salad out of the bowl by using Ruffles chips as a fork.  It can be done with regular potato chips, but you have to kind of support them with your fingers so they don't break.  Ruffles work much better.

[Gramto6]

49 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Did he put them in it?  I thought he put them only on the top, in four quadrants, one for each flavor of chip.  At least then I could scrape them off because I don't like most flavored potato chip (can't stand BBQ, for example).

I eat tuna salad out of the bowl by using Ruffles chips as a fork.  It can be done with regular potato chips, but you have to kind of support them with your fingers so they don't break.  Ruffles work much better.

Yes he did. First a layer of potato salad and then the 4 quadrants of smashed chips and then the final layer of potato salad and another 4 quadrant layer of chips. I can't imagine the center layer won't be all soggy and nasty...

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 minute ago, Gramto6 said:

Yes he did. First a layer of potato salad and then the 4 quadrants of smashed chips and then the final layer of potato salad and another 4 quadrant layer of chips. I can't imagine the center layer won't be all soggy and nasty...

Eww, I missed that center layer, probably because each step was separated by a show segment and I wasn't that careful on my FFing.  I agree that the center layer would be soggy and nasty, so it's there only for the BBQ flavor, I guess.  No. Thanks.

[Westiepeach]

I have weird enough taste buds that I would probably try it. I would not layer it, however...that is too weird even for me (for the sogginess factor.) I do make my potato salad with both white potatoes and sweet potatoes, so I would enjoy another pop of flavor by crushing the chips and sprinkling it on top before serving. Husband, on the other hand... that would be a hard no for him.

[chick binewski]

On 8/5/2021 at 1:36 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I eat tuna salad out of the bowl by using Ruffles chips as a fork.  It can be done with regular potato chips, but you have to kind of support them with your fingers so they don't break.  Ruffles work much better.

As my palate has developed over the years I've moved from the Ruffles tuna shovel to Wavy Lays - I like the way the tuna rests in the ridges and it has a lighter crunch (I am completely serious here and don't understand why more people don't eat their tuna this way).

On 8/5/2021 at 3:35 PM, Westiepeach said:

I do make my potato salad with both white potatoes and sweet potatoes, so I would enjoy another pop of flavor by crushing the chips and sprinkling it on top before serving. 

Interesting - I had a potato gratin dish using both potatoes and it wasn't bad so I should look into this for salad.

I love fried shallots but to me the work is slicing them so I'm not sure how much easier microwaving would be.

Sunny's cod ended up looking ok - but what was she doing with that paintbrush?? She finally ditched it for a spatula but I didn't understand the point. 

Basically this seemed like a lazy show - again, I don't expect all the content to be stellar but give GZ something better to do than garbage pizza. I also didn't see how Jeff's tiktok pasta was that different, but I also don't think feta is a great melting choice and always wanted to try the recipe with a mild goat cheese & ricotta.

[annzeepark914]

GZ, an Iron Chef, was making garbage pizza? What a waste of talent. 

[buttersister]

Iron Chef is a made up promotional title for a TV series (originating in Japan--the mysterious food godfather once played Jean Valjean in a Tokyo production of Les Mix). So could  professional chefs Geoffrey and Alex demo more sophisticated recipes? Sure. On this show, leaving the others in the dust? Not happening.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 8/7/2021 at 12:21 PM, chick binewski said:

As my palate has developed over the years I've moved from the Ruffles tuna shovel to Wavy Lays - I like the way the tuna rests in the ridges and it has a lighter crunch (I am completely serious here and don't understand why more people don't eat their tuna this way).

One thing for sure--I never anticipated that my unsophisticated palate would be revealed by my preference in what to use for a tuna shovel.

[novhappy]

Omg I’m having a rough week but “tuna shovel” has made me laugh! Thank you!

[Fostersmom]

I haven't watched in a while, I've worked the last 4 Saturdays, but yeah, Sunny is seriously not outside the actual studio anymore. She's wearing a long sleeve coat today and not to be mean, as gained a noticeable amount of weight. I only saw her last segment with the rice noodles, which looked like her oil wasn't hot enough. 

[annzeepark914]

I watched a bit of today's show that I think is new. GZ's crab/cream sauce on pasta looked good, as did Alex's blush sauce on angel hair pasta. I'm going to look up both recipes & make them. Geez...wagon wheel bbq mac & cheese from Jeff included Velveeta. All topped by crushed bbq potato chips. Looked like a Sandra Lee special.

[Westiepeach]

I am definitely making Alex’s blush sauce pasta tomorrow. It really did look good! Plus I have some cherry tomatoes from the garden that I can use.

[buttersister]

Poor Sunny. Somebody gave her that Noodle News microphone and Fostersmom called it, frying oil not at temp. The reporting shtick was embarrassing but I liked her braid. Hope that paycheck is large.

Meanwhile, “inside,” it’s butter and cream time, except for Katie’s recipe that tried layering flavors. Jeff can get off my TV now and ha, Alex, I was watching to see if Geoffrey floured up that odd jacket, too. 

But ugh, the ad libbing. Geoffrey tastes something new each time he makes that dish and this time it was the lemon?! You never tasted the lemon before? Oy. 

Edited August 14, 2021 by buttersister

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, Westiepeach said:

I am definitely making Alex’s blush sauce pasta tomorrow. It really did look good! Plus I have some cherry tomatoes from the garden that I can use.

I just bought some cherry tomatoes today and am definitely making this tomorrow.  Except I'm going to use 1/2 and 1/2 instead of cream and just add less water.  Plus I'm going to add torn basil, because that's how I always serve a "rosa" sauce.  I haven't made one in a long time and was actually looking for a good recipe.

What's with Jeff lately and the crushed potato chips, LOL?  His new obsession?

Are they still airing stuff from the early Spring?  We've had the hottest summer on record - not even in the dead of night could Sunny be wearing that getup.  And no disrespect but it made her look as big as a house.  I have extra weight on me too but I wouldn't wear that.

[Westiepeach]

On 8/14/2021 at 1:01 PM, Westiepeach said:

I am definitely making Alex’s blush sauce pasta tomorrow. It really did look good! Plus I have some cherry tomatoes from the garden that I can use.

Quoting myself to update. I made this pasta, and I also added fresh basil from my garden. It is DELICIOUS! I high recommend it ~ if you are thinking about making it… do it!

[chick binewski]

On 8/14/2021 at 12:24 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Geez...wagon wheel bbq mac & cheese from Jeff included Velveeta. All topped by crushed bbq potato chips. 

Chips again! In front of other people! And I had just watched a repeat of Valerie's Home Cooking and she put chips on mac & cheese, too. Haven't these people heard of breadcrumbs? I love chips but is mac & cheese not salty enough on its own?

Apparently the new Pick on GZ shtick is for Jeff to repeatedly find ways to call him old whilst Alex cackles about it. 

I thought GZ's dish looked so good, and he's right - Pasta Grannies are amazing.  

[Gramto6]

I am so sick of Jeff and his inflated ego! I would really like to see him gone, followed by Sunny.  Katy has her moments but does present some good recipes. I think they should rotate guest chefs in the two places. Some from  SM and others working chefs like Maneet Chauhan, Dusty Estes, Marcus Sameulsson, etc. Let them show up once in a while to fill out the 5 chefs. This show needs something to freshen it up! Real chefs not mac and cheese/potato salad and crushed potato chips!

[bichonblitz]

4 hours ago, chick binewski said:

Pasta Grannies are amazing.  

I had a Pasta Granny. I can still remember her at our kitchen table making a well with the flour and beating the eggs in the middle. Her pasta would melt in your mouth. She also made home made ravioli. Nothing else like it on the planet. 

On 8/14/2021 at 12:24 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Geez...wagon wheel bbq mac & cheese from Jeff included Velveeta. All topped by crushed bbq potato chips.

I always wonder what GZ is thinking when he has to sit and watch that revolting slop.