The Kitchen - General Discussion

[Gramto6]

Alex look lovely today with the curly hair and the red was a good color on her.

[Leeds]

Nothing says "spring" like brisket, Alex.  Not.

(And why is she wearing a Halloween sweater?)

[Westiepeach]

2 hours ago, Leeds said:

Nothing says "spring" like brisket, Alex.  Not.

(And why is she wearing a Halloween sweater?)

I’ll give her a pass on the brisket situation. She did mention Passover and I think sometimes brisket is served at Passover? 🤷🏼‍♀️

[goldenpuppy]

Jeff and Sunny starting the show yelling and screaming over burgers was about as obnoxious as it gets !

[annzeepark914]

45 minutes ago, goldenpuppy said:

Jeff and Sunny starting the show yelling and screaming over burgers was about as obnoxious as it gets !

This is why I didn't turn it on today. Once she's back, the mega shoutin' begins. How can the other three (GZ, Alex & Katie, stand to be around them?)

[Gramto6]

I try hard to like this show but the hosts (mainly Sunny & Jeff) just grate on my last nerves. Their loudness and inane chatter talking over everyone just ruin it for me.

[Gam2]

I totally agree with how loud and obnoxious Jeff and Sunny are but many of us have complained many times and nothing changes. I can see the Geoffrey and Katie get tired of the nonsense. Alex bugs me because she’s always oohing and gooing over GZ and saying “I love that” about everything. I love that you add onions, I love that you stir that instead of just whisking it, etc. Even my husband, walking through the room, said “What the hell is wrong with that woman?”

[Gramto6]

Yeah, but maybe that is Alex's way of building up the other Iron Chef on the show w/out knocking the loud mouths...

[annzeepark914]

This show is lucky to have two Iron Chefs. 

[HyeChaps]

I saw an episode of Iron Chef America last night on the Cooking Channel.  This was before Alex became an Iron Chef.  She was acting as one of Geoffrey's sous chefs.  She had quite the attitude--talking back and being annoyed.

(P.S. The challenger won.)

[buttersister]

Quote

This show is lucky to have two Iron Chefs. 

Not so much luck as marketingpalooza, as FN airs both shows. And "borrowed" IC from a Japanese network.

[HyeChaps]

FYI:  The Iron Chef franchise is moving to Netflix.

https://movieweb.com/iron-chef-quest-for-an-iron-legend-everything-we-know/

[annzeepark914]

I never watch Iron Chef as I loathe the culinary competitions. But I do respect GZ & Alex for their exceptional training and skills. And I don't mind Alex's comments because I feel this show is watched by a wide variety of people, many of whom may be intimidated in the kitchen or just have basic cooking skills. They can benefit from her comments, or by what her comments prompt a fellow staff member to elaborate on.

[Koalagirl]

Alex’s mushroom burger must have been outstanding. Sunny ate the entire burger  and the others really dug into theirs. GZ’s oat milk budino also looked really good.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Koalagirl said:

Alex’s mushroom burger must have been outstanding. Sunny ate the entire burger  and the others really dug into theirs. GZ’s oat milk budino also looked really good.

I look forward to watching. I was half asleep.  But I always feel like GZ is making some kind of pudding when he's making a dessert even though it did look good.

[Leeds]

7 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

Alex’s mushroom burger must have been outstanding. Sunny ate the entire burger  and the others really dug into theirs. GZ’s oat milk budino also looked really good.

I'm not sure the fact that Sunny ate the entire thing is an indication that it was outstanding.

[MerBearHou]

After weeks of no Sunny, I thought The Kitchen looked too crowded today with her sitting there.  

[annzeepark914]

5 minutes ago, Leeds said:

I'm not sure the fact that Sunny ate the entire thing is an indication that it was outstanding.

Yeah...I checked out the recipe and noticed there's no instruction to clean out the gills (blech). 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Yeah...I checked out the recipe and noticed there's no instruction to clean out the gills (blech). 

She did say she intentionally left them in. She said removing them and peeling mushrooms is a "chefy" thing but not a required thing.

Edited June 5, 2022 by Irlandesa

[Leeds]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Yeah...I checked out the recipe and noticed there's no instruction to clean out the gills (blech). 

I hate to defend Sunny, but cleaning out the gills is a matter of personal preference/taste, not necessity.

[Gramto6]

Agree, I am a clean out the gills person, but I can see how others are not. To each his/her own.

[buttersister]

You guys are hardier than I am. I tuned in, saw Sunny and Jeff together. Sunny couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Click. Jeff’s worked my last nerve, it’s now a Mauro-free zone around here.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

You guys are hardier than I am. I tuned in, saw Sunny and Jeff together. Sunny couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Click. Jeff’s worked my last nerve, it’s now a Mauro-free zone around here.

Sunny could not get a word in? I didn't watch (knowing she was back) but Jeff must've been on a verbal roll to shut her out. 

[WritinMan]

Wow. I think The Kitchen has truly run its course in this current format.

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, WritinMan said:

Wow. I think The Kitchen has truly run its course in this current format.

What happened? I can't watch anymore, knowing Sunny (& even Jeff) will be present, bellowing away ☹️.

[WritinMan]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

What happened? I can't watch anymore, knowing Sunny (& even Jeff) will be present, bellowing away ☹️.

It was just such a boring episode. Nothing interesting was made and no one seemed to want to be there. At the end, Jeff and Sunny competed making food that did not look good at all.

Bleh.

[buttersister]

On 6/25/2022 at 4:44 PM, WritinMan said:

On 6/25/2022 at 2:14 PM, annzeepark914 said:

It was just such a boring episode. Nothing interesting was made and no one seemed to want to be there. 

That was my take awhile ago. Checking in here in case they refreshed anything. But they haven’t, so still not worth the time. I’m even past hate watching.😂

[MerBearHou]

This used to be a very enjoyable must-watch show for me.  I even went to watch a taping which was so fun and interesting.  But it has gotten to be unwatchable to me, due to Sunny and her look-at-me behavior and loudness (and her ugly Instagram comments to anyone who dares not treat her like an absolute queen — that’s where she shows her true colors because she will cut you like a knife).

I like Jeff a lot but he can get loud — it’s like Sunny’s energy is contagious to him and she gets him revved up.  They are not good for each other at all.  Therefore, I’ve pretty much given up on the show which I’m bummed about. 

Edited June 27, 2022 by MerBearHou

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 6/26/2022 at 7:01 PM, buttersister said:

That was my take awhile ago. Checking in here in case they refreshed anything. But they haven’t, so still not worth the time. I’m even past hate watching.😂

I don't know if it qualifies as "refreshed," but something different I've noticed is the camera swooping around that so many shows have started doing.  Or maybe they've been doing it forever and I'm just now noticing it because I've started noticing it elsewhere.

Whatever...I hate it.  I've stopped watching Trevor Noah's interviews because of it, and I like him a lot more than I like anybody on this show.

And they'd done product placement before, but Alex's little comment about the bourbon was like a hostage's statement.

[maggiemae]

They make the same thing over and over again, like hot dogs.

And I am so tired of their pet ingredients....fresno chilies, gogouchang, pickled red onion, etc

[chick binewski]

On 5/28/2022 at 2:29 PM, annzeepark914 said:

This is why I didn't turn it on today. Once she's back, the mega shoutin' begins. How can the other three (GZ, Alex & Katie, stand to be around them?)

On 5/28/2022 at 7:40 PM, Gramto6 said:

I try hard to like this show but the hosts (mainly Sunny & Jeff) just grate on my last nerves. Their loudness and inane chatter talking over everyone just ruin it for me.

I agree on Jeff & Sunny but I still don't know what I watched today.  It was the 400th episode and it's probably a challenge to be festive in an empty studio but yikes. I know they were trying to be celebratory but Jeff was shouting like a lunatic and Sunny had to keep shrieking when he was making that drink. Which was also a cringe moment for so many other reasons. I had to look away.

In this week's installment of Tell Me you Hate GZ Without Telling me You Hate GZ:  Sunny actually said that when Katie says something it's akin to advice but if GZ criticizes it's "condescending and judgment."  I'm actually surprised they didn't edit it out. 

[buttersister]

Thanks, chick binewski. *Deletes without watching*

I still like Sunny — definitely for comments like that!

Edited July 2, 2022 by buttersister

[Maverick]

 I only saw the drink segment and while Jeff was hella annoying, I had to laugh at the other hosts reacting to him.   They're used to working with him and his antics but even they were like "WTF is up with loon?"   I think he must have mainlined some Blue Curacao before taping.

 Would love to have seen Sunny's (accurate) dig at GZ.   He can be such a prissy bitch.

 FN really missed an opportunity with this show.  They have so many chefs they want to give exposure to and/or try to make happen (some deservedly some not so much) that after the first couple of seasons they should have rotated hosts.   Not all at once and not all of them.  They could have couple a couple as permanent hosts to anchor things but it would have kept things fresh to change 1-2 hosts every season or so.  

[Mondrianyone]

48 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

Sunny actually said that when Katie says something it's akin to advice but if GZ criticizes it's "condescending and judgment."  I'm actually surprised they didn't edit it out. 

I'm surprised she was able to pull her head out of his ass long enough to say anything at all about him, let alone something less than worshipful.

[annzeepark914]

Scheiss. I can't watch any more, thanks to the two big mouths. But I'm stunned that FN allowed that verbal knifing of GZ by Sunny. Are they hoping GZ leaves the show & this way they don't have to do anything to help him out the door?

[Irlandesa]

I liked looking back at earlier snafus.  I wish we had seen a picture of Alex's first appearance as well.

I thought the show was okay until they got to Jeff's drink.  That was a fucking mess from start to the end of the episode.  In about ten minutes we had:

• Jeff trying to show off. 
• The ice throwing where they kept missing after the first one. 
• Jeff spilling alcohol on Katie's dress. after he did that mouth thing.  It clearly must have sprayed all over because GZ did not look happy when he suspected he might have gotten blue curacao on his clothes thanks to Jeff's actions.  GZ can be uptight but I think all three of them had a right to be mad about that if they wanted to be.
• The decided to release confetti from above, scaring Alex because it was right above her and ignoring the fact that they had a burning candle below where the paper confetti was falling. I know it wouldn't have been a big fire but still.

Clearly they were going for festive but all they achieved is behavior which would make me think keys needed to be taken away if I saw it at a party.

[maggiemae]

Not even one recipe I would even consider...what an awful 400th episode to celebrate the 4th.

Sunny and Jeff are insufferable.

As is GZ...man, at least try and take 1 bite now and again rather than drink from your beverage. Makes me dislike him for not being a team player....just one bite. Yet he pretends to all for them but snooty as hell. And when asked if he makes  his "family" recipes for his kids or have they have had this or that he always says not yet, or no.

Guess no hot dogs or potato chips or good old fashioned potato salad or flag cake or ice cream cones or a slice of watermelon for them this weekend. Even with dill or chives.

[Gramto6]

As far as I am concerned, this show jumped the shark several seasons ago. Sunny and Jeff are unbearable, loud and bordering on rude at times. GZ is an Iron Chef so I can see why he kind of holds himself above the others, but Alex, also an Iron chef doesn't display the same "above the others" attitude. She just seems to melt into the background and let the "antics" go on without her. Katie is OK, and of all of them, she does sometimes make a recipe I might try to make.

I think the idea of having a few "regulars", GZ, Alex, Katie with rotating other chefs is a good idea. It would freshen up the show and get rid of the annoying loudmouths. FN could then try out lots of new chefs and maybe find some real stars.

[cameron]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I liked looking back at earlier snafus.  I wish we had seen a picture of Alex's first appearance as well.

I thought the show was okay until they got to Jeff's drink.  That was a fucking mess from start to the end of the episode.  In about ten minutes we had:

• Jeff trying to show off. 
• The ice throwing where they kept missing after the first one. 
• Jeff spilling alcohol on Katie's dress. after he did that mouth thing.  It clearly must have sprayed all over because GZ did not look happy when he suspected he might have gotten blue curacao on his clothes thanks to Jeff's actions.  GZ can be uptight but I think all three of them had a right to be mad about that if they wanted to be.
• The decided to release confetti from above, scaring Alex because it was right above her and ignoring the fact that they had a burning candle below where the paper confetti was falling. I know it wouldn't have been a big fire but still.

Clearly they were going for festive but all they achieved is behavior which would make me think keys needed to be taken away if I saw it at a party.

I had turned the show off before they go to this part and went back today to rewatch after the comments here.  Jeff really needs to be reigned in.  He thinks he is so funny.  Did enjoy watching him though when he was broadcasting from his own kitchen.  Maybe his wife kept him in line.

[MerBearHou]

To me, the thing is, Jeff IS funny, so likable, and very smart.  But he is truly like an over-sugared kid who gets more and more wound up, especially when his loud cohort Sunny is nearby, and when he crosses over the line of balance, he is TOO MUCH of a look-at-me guy.  Will Ferrell does the same thing.  When both guys find the balance of humor and smarts, they’re fantastic, but man, when they start hamming it up and get carried away, they ruin things.  

[butterbody]

Man, sunny was throwing some shade at GZ today while Alex was making those pop tarts. 

But I'm just here to say I finally broke down and made Ryan's pickled onions. They have made several appearances these past few episodes I just had to try them. They're in the fridge now. I'll keep you posted!

[Irlandesa]

I love pickled onions.  I don't think I've tried his but there's just something about them that brightens sandwiches and tacos.

One thing I really appreciate about Katie is her being humble in admitting that she thought she'd just make her children eat anything she prepared but she's finding it so much harder to do in practice.  Everyone at the table stated that when they were kids, they had no choice and had to eat whatever their parents prepared.  But the thing is, they probably didn't remember what their parents did with them at Iris's age. Or even how they modified their meals to serve the tastes of their families because it was just easier.

I love plain steamed broccoli now but  when I was a kid?  Cauliflower and broccoli were served with a melted slice of American cheese on top.  My parents certainly don't do that now that we're gone. It was just the way she knew she could get us to eat vegetables when we were younger.  Pork chops and apple sauce?  My parents will have it every now and then but it was almost a weekly meal when I was a kid because we liked the combo. 

If you asked me back then if my parents changed what they made to please the kids, I'd tell you no.  But looking back?  They probably did. 

[maggiemae]

On 8/13/2022 at 6:03 PM, butterbody said:

Man, sunny was throwing some shade at GZ today while Alex was making those pop tarts. 

But I'm just here to say I finally broke down and made Ryan's pickled onions. They have made several appearances these past few episodes I just had to try them. They're in the fridge now. I'll keep you posted!

I've been searching the foodnetwork for the recipe but couldn't find it. Do you remember the title? How did they turn out?

Thanks!

[Westiepeach]

9 hours ago, maggiemae said:

I've been searching the foodnetwork for the recipe but couldn't find it. Do you remember the title? How did they turn out?

Thanks!

Here ya go! https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/homemade-toaster-pastries-12567849

[annzeepark914]

My mom put homemade "Russian" dressing in  little cups. We dipped steamed asparagus in it. My aunt made a cheese sauce for chopped broccoli: diced cheddar, some of the cooking water & Seasonal. 

[maggiemae]

12 hours ago, Westiepeach said:

Here ya go! https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/homemade-toaster-pastries-12567849

Thank you Westie...but I was referring to Ryan's pickled onions. 

[Westiepeach]

59 minutes ago, maggiemae said:

Thank you Westie...but I was referring to Ryan's pickled onions. 

Sheesh. I’m so sorry! I saw pop tarts and just zoned out!

[chessiegal]

I thought I saw Katie Lee in a Revlon hair dye commercial, and thought, oh, probably just someone who looks like her. But, no, it really is her with this chyron -

Katie Lee

Chef, Author

Okie dokie then. 🤣

[annzeepark914]

16 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I thought I saw Katie Lee in a Revlon hair dye commercial, and thought, oh, probably just someone who looks like her. But, no, it really is her with this chyron -

Katie Lee

Chef, Author

Okie dokie then. 🤣

Yeah...anybody can qualify as an author. But a chef?  Wouldn't she have to approve the chyron before this ad was aired? 🙄

[Mondrianyone]

There don't seem to be any rules or even guidelines as to who gets to be called a chef, but the title is thrown around with wild abandon. Guy Fieri even calls high-school kids who compete on GGG "chef." I don't know if Katie had to approve the description on that commercial, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't object to it. They all seem to love having it applied to them.