The Kitchen - General Discussion

[imjagain]

Boxed chocolate cake mix baked around a store-bought apple pie, y'all!

Around the holidays, I watched some show (can't remember who or what show,) they baked a store bought pumpkin pie inside a cheese cake. I thought why not just make pumpkin cheese cake, but what do I know?

I would never think to put a pie in a cake. But I don't really care for cake.

Edited August 10, 2014 by imjagain

[Iboatedhere]

I don't have children (or particularly like children) so this show was extra lost on me but I laughed when Jeff tried to get the kids to cheer for him and he ended up being the only one doing it. Genuinely laughing with him, not at him.

[LazyToaster]

I love chocolate cake and wouldn't run from apple pie, but they don't have to be put together. Ick.

[imjagain]

I don't have children (or particularly like children) so this show was extra lost on me but I laughed when Jeff tried to get the kids to cheer for him and he ended up being the only one doing it. Genuinely laughing with him, not at him.

I missed the show.

I have children and love my children but I can't stand to watch kids cook on TV. Something about it is, just not appealing to me.

[chessiegal]

Good grief, this show sucks. I caught the last half of the tomato episode at the gym this morning, and the OTT enthusiasm for everything that was made by anyone is really awful. Sunny was wearing a terrible wig that made her look like she should have been wearing a clown uniform. Ridiculous show.

[Linnee]

Sunny wasn't wearing a wig. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed.

[Tahitigirl]

I must be hair-obsessed today. First I watched Ree on Pioneer Woman and thought her hair would surely drag through her BBQ chicken more than once, thinking a ponytail or haircut would be in order. Then, for the first time in months, I watched The Kitchen only to be assaulted with the view of Sunny's two-toned mop wig. In what universe does that look good? And then I realized GZ had the Kewpie doll curl at the top of his forehead...doesn't exactly fit with his personality. Normally I don't even notice what people wear or how they style their hair; it's simply not important to me. But this level of ridiculousness couldn't be ignored.

[hielandfoodie]

What was Katie Lee wearing today and who does her hair? Positively awful. Can't stand these loud women. I come away with a headache from all the shouting on this show.

[LazyToaster]

You know, I think this could be a good show if they would just dial it back - a lot. They are kind of cute together but the yelling, yikes! I don't know why they do that, it must be producer driven.

[Snarklepuss]

I don't know why Food Network expects all their stars to yell.  Geepers, we can hear them, they're in a studio, not outside in an amphitheater with no microphones!  It could be me but they seem louder and louder every week.

[WaitForMe]

Can't stand Jeff. He thinks he's sooooo cute and I hate the way he talks out of the side of his mouth. I have no words to describe Sunny's embarrassing floppy moppy "wig". She oughta get her money back on that thing or use it to mop the floor.

[hielandfoodie]

Jeff behaves like an immature frat boy. Not attractive.

[WaitForMe]

Jeff behaves like an immature frat boy. Not attractive.

Yeah, this morning he said he's going to "de-thaw" some ravioli. What an ignorant dork. And all the yelling!! Can't they talk in a normal voice? I guess not.

[Iboatedhere]

Don't think I would try Sunny's 'hack' about making grilled cheese in a sideways toaster. I've heard horror stories about people trying it and their toasters catching fire/exploding. Just use a pan, people.

[LazyToaster]

Did anyone else notice Katie Lee's shirt or sweater, I swear it had what looked like eyes or eyelashes right over her breasts. Very weird!

I did like the stir fry segment.

[Notmuchofacook]

I enjoy this show. I don't care for Katie. She needs to unhinge that jaw of hers. I like some of the hacks they share. Defrosting the steak was interesting. I purchased a heavy aluminum teflon griddle a while back, and the use and care insert said to defrost meat on it. I tried it (not with a pot of warm water on top) and it totally works. I use it all the time now to defrost stuff. It's pretty amazing.

[imjagain]

I found the aluminum pan for defrosting very interesting.

I went and looked around online and, even lining a pan with aluminum foil speeds up defrosting time.

Edited September 14, 2014 by imjagain

[Notmuchofacook]

Seriously, imjagain, the defrosting is pretty dang fast! I didn't buy the griddle for that(I didn't even know about it), but it's my go-to defroster these days and does not change any of the food properties. Try the aluminum foil and let us know how that works.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Notmuchofacook

[chessiegal]

If I have frozen food that is not sealed, I put it in a sealed bag, put it in cold water, and it is defrosted in 30 minutes. Sealed frozen food is just submersed in cold water. Easy peeseey.

[Brooklynista]

I missed the defrosting trick. Please share as I always forget to take something down from the freezer before I go to work.

[Suck It Trebek]

Marcela announced a week or so ago that she is pregnant.

[chessiegal]

Marcela was never on FNS.

[imjagain]

Marcela announced a week or so ago that she is pregnant.

Do you have a link? I can't find it anywhere.

Eta: Found it.

Congrats to Marcela. I didn't even know she was seeing anybody.

Edited October 18, 2014 by imjagain

[Uncle Benzene]

Geoffrey Zakarian dressed up as Guy Fieri is GOLD. GOLD, Jerry!

[Aliconehead]

Well she announced it on the show this morning

[LazyToaster]

That was awesome with Guy dressed up as Guy. So funny, and he tried to stay in character. LOL

[mlp]

I stopped watching The Kitchen because, as much as I like Jeff, Geoffrey and Sunny, I couldn't take any more of Marcella and Katie Lee and all the OTT oohing and aahing about everything and the clapping by a non-existent studio audience.  I did watch the Halloween show though, mostly to see Geoffrey Zakarian dressed up as Guy Fieri.  Too funny.  I'd love to know how that big tattoo on his arm was done and how long it took.

Edited October 26, 2014 by mlp

[Maverick]

I'd love to know how that big tattoo on his arm was done and how long it took.

 

It took about ten seconds.   It was a long sleeve shirt printed with tattoos.

[mlp]

 

It took about ten seconds.   It was a long sleeve shirt printed with tattoos.

 

Really?  I didn't get a good enough look at it apparently.  Sure fooled me.

[bosawks]

I think I finally figured out what Katie Lee does that makes my teeth hurt. When she isn't the focus of the segment and when she's trying to look like she's paying attention the look on her face is actually that of someone listening to a long, boring story told in an other language.

Edited November 2, 2014 by bosawks

[Uncle Benzene]

I think I finally figured out what Katie Lee does that makes my teeth hurt. When she isn't the focus of the segment and when she's trying to look like she's paying attention the look on her face is actually that of someone listening to a long, boring story told in an other language.

 

In Katie's defense, that's often what it feels like for me too.

[rustyspigot]

Oh, Nancy Fuller. You can be completely obnoxious, but you expect others to be mannerly to the hostess? That explains everything.

[pandora spocks]

Jeff behaves like an immature frat boy. Not attractive.

 

 

Whenever he tastes something, Jeff's grunts remind me of Tim Allen's shtick in his standup comedy routines about men being pigs.  Perhaps Food Network should provide him a trough to make him feel at home.

Edited November 10, 2014 by pandora spocks

[Maverick]

Oh, Nancy Fuller. You can be completely obnoxious, but you expect others to be mannerly to the hostess? That explains everything.

 

 Because it can't be said enough, Dear Food Network: Pleas stop trying to make this woman happen.  Also, Dear Nancy Fuller: I do not relate to you.  Also, stop acting like you're Martha Stewart with you tips on forks and napkins.  I've seen your parties on the show and the cackling and copious amounts of 'GiGi Juice' do not scream party etiquette.  

[imjagain]

I have never really had a problem with Nancy Fuller. I kind of forgot about her show to be honest.

Wow, was she obnoxious on the Kitchen. When asked why the show was a success, she said, because of her! I could not believe it. Not the fresh and easy food? No her, I don't think so Nancy. I'm not sure what else she talked about, because I ff through the rest of her segment.

[LazyToaster]

I didn't care for Nancy on The Kitchen either, so I'm not defending her, but I think it would be hard to know how to act and converse normally in that super energized atmosphere. It is almost embarrassing how crazy worked up they get - all the time. So strange and IMO so unnecessary.

Edited to fix spelling.

Edited November 15, 2014 by LazyToaster

[mlp]

 

It is almost embarrassing how crazy worked up they get - all the time. So strange and IMO so unnecessary.

 

That is exactly why I stopped watching the show.  I couldn't stand the ridiculous level of enthusiasm about every. single. thing.

[Pickles]

How did she go from having an affair last year with the British chef guy and now she is pregnant with her agent's child? I just don't get how you can be so deeply involved with two different people in such a short time frame.

[chessiegal]

I watched the end of today's show at the gym today. They were doing a segment on using pumpkin pie filling. Sunny did some kind of disgusting looking dip she called  a hummus with canned pumpkin pie filling. She said if you couldn't find tahini paste, just use sour cream. Sorry Sunny, if it doesn't have tahini paste, it's not hummus. Plus, who can't find tahini paste these days? I can get it in my generic chain grocery store.

[bosawks]

Katie wearing that crazy flowered crew neck sweatshirt has really softened my opinion of her.

[MerBearHou]

I absolutely love this show. It has grown on me tremendously and I'm loving the chemistry of the 5 hosts. The segments are generally informative and fun and I feel like every show is packed with good stuff. I love the humor and warmth and exuberance of Jeff M; love the elegance and kindness of Geoffrey; love the gentle spirit of Marcela; love the joy of Sunny; like the cool vibe of Katie Lee (she is my least fave but I can tolerate her more now). It seems like they genuinely enjoy each other and if the show didn't have the energy of Jeff M, it would be way too bland. No, he doesn't need to turn it up a notch but his zesty humor is an important part of the show. His improv background and quick cleverness come in very handy. The Kitchen has become my weekend "appointment" tv and I'm surprised to be saying that!

[tabloidlover]

I absolutely love this show. It has grown on me tremendously and I'm loving the chemistry of the 5 hosts. The segments are generally informative and fun and I feel like every show is packed with good stuff. I love the humor and warmth and exuberance of Jeff M; love the elegance and kindness of Geoffrey; love the gentle spirit of Marcela; love the joy of Sunny; like the cool vibe of Katie Lee (she is my least fave but I can tolerate her more now). It seems like they genuinely enjoy each other and if the show didn't have the energy of Jeff M, it would be way too bland. No, he doesn't need to turn it up a notch but his zesty humor is an important part of the show. His improv background and quick cleverness come in very handy. The Kitchen has become my weekend "appointment" tv and I'm surprised to be saying that!

 

I have to agree ,MerBearHou.  When the show first began, I couldn't get through an entire episode.  Now, it is TIVO'd every Saturday.  The banter has become more natural and I find it pretty enjoyable.  Katie Lee is my least favorite as well, and I wish they would leave her off of a segment or two (instead of Jeff disappearing).  Jeff and Geoffrey have a great  ease together and it is fun to watch. 

[jcbrown]

I saw a little bit of an episode this weekend where viewers were ostensibly asking questions. Someone asked how to maximize the space on their holiday table and Sunny answered by talking about elevating dishes and whatnot. But what she described would use EXACTLY the same amount of space elevated that it did on the tabletop--rather than in any way answering the question--and the other hosts acted like she had just solved cold fusion. No.

[chessiegal]

I saw part of the show at the gym today. It would be so much better if they just demonstrated stuff and didn't act like they had just shown a dish worthy of a James Beard award. Less is more.

[Uncle Benzene]

Dare I say, a new low? Mauro with an "icebox cake" made of THREE layers of Pop Tarts™ stacked with chocolate and marshmallows in between.

 

Yo Sammmwich King™... come on, man!

 

Also, because it just can't be said enough... Sunny, please find your indoor voice. ASAP.

[NikSac]

I hadn't watched this in awhile but just caught up on the "Game Day" episode in prep for the Superbowl.  It's weird, the hosts were all kind of growing on me for awhile there but in this episode they annoyed the crap out of me. Sunny was screaming, Marcela was way over-pronouncing a bunch of words, Jeff was being extra cheesy, Katie was mostly just eating everything in sight. I think GZ was the only one that didn't bug me. He looked like he was having fun with the ridiculousness of it all.

 

Also, show and hosts... we get it, Marcela's pregnant. You don't have to make some massive deal out of it constantly. Hand her the soda water instead of the "Five O'Clock Somewhere" drink or whatever but it doesn't need to be pointed out every.freaking.time. I think it was meant to be sweet originally with the co-hosts caring about her, especially when she was in that "is she pregnant or...?" phase, but I think it's gotten really old.

 

I admit I've been sick, so maybe I was just extra irritable this time around. Or maybe it's Superbowl mania... hopefully next week's better.

Dare I say, a new low? Mauro with an "icebox cake" made of THREE layers of Pop Tarts™ stacked with chocolate and marshmallows in between.

 

Yo Sammmwich King™... come on, man!

 

Also, because it just can't be said enough... Sunny, please find your indoor voice. ASAP.

 

Yeesh, glad I missed that one! Totally agree on Sunny. I like her a lot but I want her to turn it down from volume level 11 most of the time.

 

Hopefully 2015 (post-"Game Day") will be a better year for all of us, and The Kitchen. ;)

[imjagain]

I hadn't watched this in awhile but just caught up on the "Game Day" episode in prep for the Superbowl. It's weird, the hosts were all kind of growing on me for awhile there but in this episode they annoyed the crap out of me. Sunny was screaming, Marcela was way over-pronouncing a bunch of words, Jeff was being extra cheesy, Katie was mostly just eating everything in sight. I think GZ was the only one that didn't bug me. He looked like he was having fun with the ridiculousness of it all.

Also, show and hosts... we get it, Marcela's pregnant. You don't have to make some massive deal out of it constantly. Hand her the soda water instead of the "Five O'Clock Somewhere" drink or whatever but it doesn't need to be pointed out every.freaking.time. I think it was meant to be sweet originally with the co-hosts caring about her, especially when she was in that "is she pregnant or...?" phase, but I think it's gotten really old.

I admit I've been sick, so maybe I was just extra irritable this time around. Or maybe it's Superbowl mania... hopefully next week's better.

Yeesh, glad I missed that one! Totally agree on Sunny. I like her a lot but I want her to turn it down from volume level 11 most of the time.

Hopefully 2015 (post-"Game Day") will be a better year for all of us, and The Kitchen. ;)

I think they do it so they don't hear from wackos online, questioning if pregnant Marcella is drinking. Think about all those crazies out there and all they want to do is jump on something.

It's kind of like when I hear chef/cooks on shows say "OK, now I'm going to mix this with my very clean hands". I'm always well duh of course you washed your hands.

But I'm sure people go crazy on places like Facebook about dumb stuff like that.

I remember they talked about it on the Chew.

About the game day show, that huge how ever many layer dip looked gross.

[NikSac]

I think they do it so they don't hear from wackos online, questioning if pregnant Marcella is drinking. Think about all those crazies out there and all they want to do is jump on something.

It's kind of like when I hear chef/cooks on shows say "OK, now I'm going to mix this with my very clean hands". I'm always well duh of course you washed your hands.

 

But I'm sure people go crazy on places like Facebook about dumb stuff like that.

I remember they talked about it on the Chew.

About the game day show, that huge how ever many layer dip looked gross.

 

You're probably right re: the pregnancy thing. I would've hoped that making it such an obviously different color would be enough, but maybe not. Quite a few years ago my very pregnant friend tried to buy a case of beer for Superbowl Sunday and the clerk refused to sell it to her, then lectured her. She was getting it for all the people coming over, not for herself! She said it was thoroughly humiliating though.

 

Yes I agree that whatever-layer dip looked nasty. More isn't always better.

[mlp]

 

.....................in this episode they annoyed the crap out of me. Sunny was screaming, Marcela was way over-pronouncing a bunch of words, Jeff was being extra cheesy, Katie was mostly just eating everything in sight. I think GZ was the only one that didn't bug me. He looked like he was having fun with the ridiculousness of it all.

Also, show and hosts... we get it, Marcela's pregnant. You don't have to make some massive deal out of it constantly.

 

All that is why I mostly stopped watching this show.  I like Sunny but not the constant volume.  I like Jeff for a lot of reasons but I hate the class clown stuff.  I've never liked Marcela and I liked her even less after she had an affair with Paul Hollywood, a married man.  (Yes, I know he was equally guilty but I'm talking about her here.)  Now she's pregnant by someone else she's not married to.  I don't want to hear about it.

[Uncle Benzene]

I agree about the 50 layer dip. It would make for good "wow factor" but as a practical matter, it would be damn near inedible right from the start, not to mention once it's about half gone. Hell, just imagine the last few bites of a standard plate of nachos. It's reduced to a puddle of cold, nasty goop that nobody wants. Now imagine about 10 pounds of that, after everybody's scooped off the first two or three inches at the very top.

 

And for that matter, it's probably gross right from the start. By the time you get it all assembled, it's been sitting out at room temp for probably an hour. The beans and meat get cold, the lettuce wilts, the sour cream liquifies, the tomatoes bleed out, it all ends up a(n admittedly visually impressive at first glance) room temp box of otherwise tasty stuff that's been rendered virtually inedible. Let alone after it's been sitting out for several hours and the remainder of it has gotten all mixed together from people dipping (and double-dipping, etc.) Blech!

 

That's the kind of thing you enter into some kind of stupid competition at a county fair, where you know most of it will go to waste, but you don't care because the initial "wow factor" gets you some sort of trophy. But even at a relatively large home "Big Game™" party, you may impress in the beginning, but by halftime, the general assessment will inevitably turn to disgust. Not even remotely worth it.

 

Other random thoughts... Geoffrey Zakarian is just a lovely guy. He's just so damn fun. Before this show, I'd have had him pegged as a your typical pretentious, buttoned-up guy who would turn up his nose at anything less than "fine dining." How wrong I would have been. He's a hoot, and I wish I could hang out with him on a daily basis. Mauro is a goofball, but he's my kinda goofball. He can be a little much at times, but most of the time, he's just enough for me. I think he's genuinely funny, and he can genuinely cook too, when production isn't making him do ridiculous Semi-Ho type crap. I like him a lot.

 

Marcella doesn't bother me NEARLY as much as Giada with the selective pronunciation of words. There can be a fine line between authentic and just pretentious, and unlike Giada, Marcella falls on the right side of that line for me. It helps that I absolutely LOVE Mexican, and holy crap has everything I've ever made based on one of her recipes rocks my face. She seems like such a sweet, genuine person too. I really enjoy Marcella. 

 

I really, really WANT to like Sunny. And I used to, back in the early days of Cooking For Real. On The Kitchen though, she's just so very obnoxious. Between all the constant YELLING(!!!) and the overly-boisterous laughter and the frequent "Sassy Black Lady" interludes, it's just WAAAAY too much. Also, while I understand that there's surely a kernel of truth to all of it, considering her extensive military history, she's got a bit of a "been everywhere, done everything" vibe these days that I find grating. Texas? Been there, done that! North Carolina? Oh I know all about that, girl! New Orleans? My town, sister! Germany? Lemme tell you about when I was over there! (And on and on like that. And on, and on, and on.)

 

And Katie? My goodness is she beautiful, in my opinion. And she seems sweet too. But I just can't with the nasally voice. I wish I could, but I can't. She also gives me whiplash with the kale smoothies one minute and the Velveeta dip the next. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that, I guess. And I suppose she comes by the whole "I grew up in a trailer park in West Virginia, but now I'm Big City Cosmopolitan Beautiful People" honestly. I don't know though, there's just something about the whole "quinoa and spam" schtick that doesn't work for me.

 

Overall though, I guess I do enjoy the show. Hell, I continue to watch it every week. So I've got that going for me. Or something. It's just still so very rough around the edges, in all kinds of ways. Not the least of which being "chocolate cake from a box with a store bought apple pie inside" and "pop tart smores napoleon" and other such nonsense. Hey, show, quit with that shit already. There's a reason Aunt Sandy will continue to be a running joke until the end of time.