The Kitchen - General Discussion

[Spunkygal]

On February 3, 2018 at 12:07 PM, chessiegal said:

That's disappointing. Thin skinned much?

Wow, I've lurked a bit on her social media since I read these comments and, no kidding, she is so defensive and quick to smack people down. She will often respond in all caps and if someone does try to be constructive and say, "hey I like you but...." She doesn't want to hear it. I don't know if she has a self-esteem issue or what but she can get rude and nasty to posters who are not rude to her. Granted, there are rude posters, but when you are in the public eye and expose yourself to social media, you have to grow a thick skin and chalk the rude people up to the fact they are probably trolling. 

[roughing it]

6 hours ago, Westiepeach said:

Now she is going to amp it up and say it all the time just to piss you off!

Especially if she looks right into the camera as she says it.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 2/1/2018 at 6:26 AM, bichonblitz said:

Quote

I literally just signed up for this forum just so I can join in on the rants about Sunny's incessant use of the word, "moment". Oh my good gracious, she is going to drive me to drink. I have almost stopped watching the show because it is so annoying and useless.  What gets me though is that she is clearly VERY intelligent - during her meatloaf segment alone she used the words "verdant" and "edification" - properly (as far as I know, at least haha)

Many chefs use both these words. Rachel Ray uses "verdant" often. So, as far as being intelligent I beg to differ. Sunny uses them because she has heard the words many times before. 

I do think Sunny is relatively intelligent.  I don't think anyone on this show is a dummy.  But I posted about "edification" upthread, and disagree that she used it correctly, which makes me wonder whether other chefs are also using it incorrectly.  I actually transcribed what she said:
 

Quote

 

[W]hen Jeff asked if she sprayed the bundt pan, she said, "Yeah, so it's non-stick but go ahead and butter or spray it just so, you know, for edification, 'cause what's going to happen is after this parbakes, I'm going to flip it out and then top it."

Edification?  What the hell?  I can't even imagine what word she was actually looking for.  She went on to "explain" why it needed to be buttered, but I think it's a huge stretch to think her "edification" was a way to introduce that.  Frankly, I don't know what it was.

 

Can someone tell me what I'm getting wrong?

 

On 2/3/2018 at 12:25 PM, tabloidlover said:

Geoffrey didn't eat anything today!  When Jeff's Patty Melt was passed down, he ate the pickle off of the plate, no bite of sandwich.   Disco fries he claimed were promised to Katie Lee.   Milkshake atrocity at the end?  No taste from it, he just held it up.    Now that I'm typing this, I'm thinking he might have tried the coleslaw.   Anyone else notice this?

What I noticed was that he put salt and pepper on a dish before he even tasted it.  He watched it being prepared and maybe he just knew that it needed salt and pepper, but I still think it's a little presumptuous.  He did make a comment about how the salt and pepper were just sitting there, but I don't think that's a reason to use it without tasting the food first. 

[bichonblitz]

Jeff looks like Jimmy Fallon. Cute.

[Mondrianyone]

26 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I do think Sunny is relatively intelligent.  I don't think anyone on this show is a dummy.  But I posted about "edification" upthread, and disagree that she used it correctly, which makes me wonder whether other chefs are also using it incorrectly.  I actually transcribed what she said:

Quote

W]hen Jeff asked if she sprayed the bundt pan, she said, "Yeah, so it's non-stick but go ahead and butter or spray it just so, you know, for edification, 'cause what's going to happen is after this parbakes, I'm going to flip it out and then top it."

Edification?  What the hell?  I can't even imagine what word she was actually looking for.  She went on to "explain" why it needed to be buttered, but I think it's a huge stretch to think her "edification" was a way to introduce that.  Frankly, I don't know what it was.

Can someone tell me what I'm getting wrong?

With what I do for a living, sometimes I spend all day trying to intuit what words an author really meant to use, as opposed to the ones they did use.  Sunny used this word completely incorrectly.  The closest I can come is that she meant something like "reinforcement"--i.e., reinforcing the nonstick finish with butter or cooking spray so there was no chance the food would stick when she went to unmold it.  I think she was confusing "edification" with "fortification" (which would also be wrong, but it's edging closer to what she wanted).  She was having a vocabulary moment, if you will. 

Taking off my mind reader's turban now.

[Sweedish Fish]

At first I thought she was trying to be cute by making a play on the word 'education'.   Then looked it up.

 If something is done for your edification, it is done to benefit you in some way, for example by teaching you about  Intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement; enlightenment.

[Maverick]

 I think she going for 'as a precaution,' a left turn at Albuquerque and ended up at edification.   

[mlp]

I didn't see this but, just from reading the quoted part, I thought she was telling Jeff that her explanation was for his edification which would make sense if a bit pompous.

[StatisticalOutlier]

42 minutes ago, mlp said:

I didn't see this but, just from reading the quoted part, I thought she was telling Jeff that her explanation was for his edification which would make sense if a bit pompous.

I threw that out as a (remote) possibility, but the rest of what she said had nothing to do with explaining why this non-stick pan also needed to be buttered: "'cause what's going to happen is after this parbakes, I'm going to flip it out and then top it."

[Gam2]

I don’t understand why Sunny would be so thin skinned and rude to people who send her messages by Instagram, Twitter, email or whatever. Why in the world would she intentionally alienate viewers of her show? Perhaps these commenters might have something constructive to offer? Perhaps she could learn something from them? I do remember one time, after a number of us had commented on her awful lipstick and nail polish, that she opened the show with Katie and the first thing Katie said was “Sunny, I just love your lipstick.” Huh? What’s that got to do with a cooking show? Obviously, they were responding to viewers comments. If you don’t care what others say about you, why are you so offended and rude to people who might one days watch your show or buy your cookbooks?

[LazyToaster]

Latest episode -- Valentine's Day -- what the heck was GZ  wearing?  A hoodie under a plaid sports coat?  I thought the others looked fine; but, not sure why he did that.  

Edited February 11, 2018 by LazyToaster

[Mammalou]

1 hour ago, LazyToaster said:

Latest episode -- Valentine's Day -- what the heck was GZ  wearing?  A hoodie under a plaid sports coat?  I thought the others looked fine; but, not sure why he did that.  

With a pocket square no less!! Sunny’s wig looked a little off kilter to me 

Would make GZ’s pasta any time.. so easy!

[LazyToaster]

I agree!  That pasta looked really good.  I didn't notice the wig - probably because I couldn't take my eyes off that sweatshirt/sport jacket combo!  Ha!  I thought the heart shaped cake was way too much trouble - but, I'm not that big on making desserts.  

[Irlandesa]

I'm really curious about the brownies with Chex Mix.  I could see everything working well in brownies except for the rye chips.  I do love saltiness in my sweets.

[bichonblitz]

7 hours ago, Mammalou said:

Would make GZ’s pasta any time.. so easy!

His pasta dishes always look so simple and delicious with the freshest of ingredients. 

I would have loved to have seen him make that ice cream heart cake mess Katie made. That would have been hilarious! I wonder if he tells the producers what he will and will not do on the show. And they listen. He is an iron chef after all, as Sunny likes to point out a gazillion times an episode. 

Edited February 12, 2018 by bichonblitz

[MissMel]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm really curious about the brownies with Chex Mix.  I could see everything working well in brownies except for the rye chips.  I do love saltiness in my sweets.

According to the comments on the recipe, it's not good.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/snack-mix-brownies-4655464#reviewsTop

 

"This is terrible. Those little pieces of bread become all pasty and glumpy mess. It doesn’t even taste good. I watched you all make this on the show and you were raving about how good it was.   I don’t know what you all were eating but it wasn’t this mess. "

        "Ugh, this was horrible!  I should have known when it said, "sponsored by Chex Mix" in the bottom left corner.  This was a pathetic attempt to combine two good things, but the result was a mess with terrible texture.  Don't waste your brownies!"

Edited February 12, 2018 by MissMel
link

[StatisticalOutlier]

Sunny did it again.  As she drizzed the sandwich, she said, "A little bit of olive oil for edification."

I thought maybe she thinks it has something to do with oil, because last time used "edification," she was using nonstick spray on a nonstick pan.  So that's kind of like "oil," but that time it was for extra slickness, and this time the oil is for taste.  What does she think "edification" means???

I noticed it last week, and again this week, that Katie Lee pronounces "put" like "putt."  "I'm going to putt it in the pan."  For most people, "put" rhymes with "foot," but with her it sounds like a golf putt.  Probably regional, since she's not the only one I've ever heard say it, but now I'm noticing, to my chagrin.

But when she said she was a millennial I about fainted.  Billy Joel was married to a millennial?  Yep, she's 36; became an adult around 2000.  And married Old Man Joel about 10 seconds later.  I mean, I knew there was obviously an age difference, but wow.

[Mammalou]

I don’t think Katie qualifies as a milennial Any more.. sorry Katie! Think that came to an end for her 2-3 years ago. If she’s a milennial I should start collecting Social Security lmao (and I’m in my 40’s)

I could not believe the misuse of ‘edification’ again!!! This could be her new ‘moment’ 

recipes did nothing for me this week. Using mugs is so Pinterest to years ago

also why have Sasha Cohen on for the drink segment so they can have her add a garnish..

[Spunkygal]

I think she misuses "edification" when she is referring to "gilding the lily" or something like adding a cherry on top. On yesterday's show, she used it when topping off the sandwich ingredients with olive oil as if it was a special unctuousness. Does that make sense? I will look at her social media to see if anyone has mentioned this and if she bites their head off! 

[Irlandesa]

23 minutes ago, Mammalou said:

I don’t think Katie qualifies as a milennial Any more.. sorry Katie! Think that came to an end for her 2-3 years ago.

Milennial is less about a specific age and more about a generation defined by those born between 1978 and 1994 (although years will vary depending on the source.)  Katie was born in 1981. She'll be considered a Milennial even if she lives to be 100.

[Mondrianyone]

29 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

I think she misuses "edification" when she is referring to "gilding the lily" or something like adding a cherry on top. On yesterday's show, she used it when topping off the sandwich ingredients with olive oil as if it was a special unctuousness. Does that make sense? I will look at her social media to see if anyone has mentioned this and if she bites their head off! 

This is what I said when the question was first posed.  I think she thinks that edification has something to do with reinforcing some flavor or ingredient by adding more of the same, like oil on top of an already oily avocado or nonstick spray to a nonstick pan.  She's not stupid, but she's also not smart enough to flip open a dictionary and make sure she knows what a word means before she starts using it totally incorrectly--on national TV.  I think she's attracted to fancy, shiny words and phrases, partly because she thinks they make her seem smarter and more sophisticated.  But they have exactly the opposite effect when you use them wrong.

I'm not gonna go to her Instagram and edify her, though.

[Gam2]

When someone on this show misuses a word, not once but twice (or more), someone on that show needs to tell her that she’s not using that word correctly. Many people watching the show will know that, write about it or comment on it. It’s really doing that person (Sunny) a favor to tell her so that she doesn’t continue to embarrass herself on national TV. I’ve always thought that Sunny thought she was a lot cuter, funnier, smarter, more well traveled and erudite than she actually is. I’ve decided that as much as I’ve tried to like this show, I just cannot watch her anymore. I do like GZ because he seems to know how to cook and is certainly successful but it’s a no go for me anymore. 

[chessiegal]

I think it's up to the producers (if they know) to tell Sunny she is using a word incorrectly. However, if they did, and she bit off their heads like she did to a poster here, maybe they've decided to let her be a fool.

[WritinMan]

11 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I thought maybe she thinks it has something to do with oil, because last time used "edification," she was using nonstick spray on a nonstick pan.  So that's kind of like "oil," but that time it was for extra slickness, and this time the oil is for taste.  What does she think "edification" means???

Maybe she means "lubrication."

Heh.

[Gam2]

Perhaps the producers have decided to let her continue to embarrass herself but it also makes them look like idiots on their own show. They could easily hire another person who’s actually a real chef or someone who is attractive to look at or someone who can make food that real people would choose to cook/feed their families/feed their friends and someone who doesn’t YELL all of the time. From my mouth to the producers’ ears.

[Qoass]

Quote

She's not stupid, but she's also not smart enough to flip open a dictionary and make sure she knows what a word means before she starts using it totally incorrectly--on national TV.  I think she's attracted to fancy, shiny words and phrases, partly because she thinks they make her seem smarter and more sophisticated.  But they have exactly the opposite effect when you use them wrong.

You mean like in the Snowed In episode when Jeff was tossing shrimp in a sauce to coat them and Sunny blurted out, "Inertia!"?

Edited February 20, 2018 by Qoass

[Mondrianyone]

3 hours ago, Qoass said:

You mean like in the Snowed In episode when Jeff was tossing shrimp in a sauce to coat them and Sunny blurted out, "Inertia!"?

I just saw that!  (Though I couldn't make it through the whole show.)

That random shout of "Inertia!" (what . . . ??) reminded me of a story my friend used to tell.  She went to a bar mitzvah, and the band was playing the old instrumental "Tequila."  Except at every place in the song where the musicians were supposed to yell "Tequila!" the bar mitzvah boy would instead yell "Bar Mitzvah!"  But at least that made some sense in context.  So if she ever loses this gig, she could show up at bar mitzvahs and yell "Inertia!"

I'm also starting to wonder if Zakarian isn't paying her to say "Iron Chef" at least once per show.  Maybe there's a sliding scale:  She gets 20 bucks for every "Iron Chef," 10 for each "Mandolin Hands," and 5 each for either "He's so dapper" or "Golden Palate."  She can't be doing all that for free.

[Qoass]

I think she meant that he was keeping the shrimp in motion but inertia actually means the opposite.

[MerBearHou]

Inertia got to me and I deleted my post for edification. ;)

Edited February 21, 2018 by MerBearHou

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, Qoass said:

I think she meant that he was keeping the shrimp in motion but inertia actually means the opposite.

I think you're right that she was referring to keeping the shrimp in motion, but that actually is kind of what inertia means, like keeping something in orbit.  At least "motion" and "inertia" are related terms, unlike "oil" and "edification."

[WritinMan]

When she yelled that, wasn't Jeff flipping the shrimp in the pan? If so, that's really how you flip/toss food. You give a quick back and forth motion with pan and let the food's motion (inertia) do all the work.

[bichonblitz]

Sunny did absolutely no cooking this episode. What exactly is she being paid for? Maybe there wasn't enough time because of the Bake Off segment but I just thought it strange. 

I did have to laugh when GZ was making the stroganoff and took the lid off the pot with the plain noodles in it and Sunny started making weird growling noises. Over plain noodles! She reminds me of a little kid that will do/ say anything just for that little bit of attention they crave. Sunny is entertaining, if for nothing more than the snark value. 

Edited February 25, 2018 by bichonblitz

[WritinMan]

Wait...did I miss something? GZ's guilty pleasure is "gourmet" licorice out of a bag? GZ, you rebel!

[Westiepeach]

The only one I really related to was Katie’s popcorn confession. If you are the only one eating out of the bowl, go crazy. Lick the bowl. Extra ranch powder? I’m in!

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, Westiepeach said:

The only one I really related to was Katie’s popcorn confession. If you are the only one eating out of the bowl, go crazy. Lick the bowl. Extra ranch powder? I’m in!

I feel like ranch powder would be too strong but it did resonate me.  (Although I don't lick the popcorn, I just use real butter so the Parmesan sticks to it.)

I have to admit, though, that Sunny's concoction appealed to me more than it should have. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I have to admit, though, that Sunny's concoction appealed to me more than it should have. 

Unless he's a great actor, I think Jeff feels the same way.  I took some cookie dough to a cabin one time and discovered that it had only a microwave and not a regular oven, and made the cookies in the microwave and they were surprisingly good.

I thought it was sweet that Katie and Sunny were hugging when they came back from commercial.  I like to think that they actually like each other.  In that vein, GZ is really starting to grate.  He's become such a buzzkill, just as everybody else seems to really be enjoying themselves on the set.  Katie sitting there eating her ranch popcorn or whatever--it was like we were in her living room.

 

13 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Sunny did absolutely no cooking this episode. What exactly is she being paid for?

If she never did anything but the play-by-plan for the tool takedowns, it would be sufficient to justify her salary in my eyes.  She's so gifted at that.

 

Quote

I did have to laugh when GZ was making the stroganoff and took the lid off the pot with the plain noodles in it and Sunny started making weird growling noises. Over plain noodles!

Well, he did say buttered noodles.  And I have to admit that I love buttered egg noodles.

[butterbody]

I must admit, I made that cookie dough IMMEDIATELY and topped it with some salted caramel ice cream. Holy Moly. This is why I'm fat.

[VioletNevermind]

These hosts are more insufferable with each passing week.  I thought it would improve with Marcela’s departure, but . . . no.  They all talk over each other and the dishes are incredibly basic.  If this show provides valuable cooking instruction, then my seven-year-old niece’s toy doctor set can help me to become a brain surgeon.  You might say I’m having a stabby moment.

[Irlandesa]

I actually liked the casserole theme, although weighing them was silly.  I want to make GZ's dish.

I have to share something scary, though.  I think Sunny's use of 'moment' is spreading.  I was watching The Chew yesterday and they had on a guest associated with Master Chef Jr. and Milk Bar.  She was talking about mixing things into her chocolate ice cream like pretzels... etc. to create 'moments.'  Oy.

[Mammalou]

Since when does a cake or Jell-O shots equal a casserole?! Just because you’re making it in a 9x13 doesn’t make it a casserole...

[Gam2]

I broke my own rule and watched the casserole episode today. While Katie was putting her casserole together, GZ would hand over each ingredient as she needed it. Sunny was running her hands through the bowl of rice, over and over, until GZ picked it up to pass to Katie. Then Katie USED it in her dish! Sunny knew exactly what she was doing because she saw the camera on her. I swear she does this kind of thing just to make us all crazy and to make us comment on her actions. What a tool!

[Mondrianyone]

I think at one point she scratched her neck under her wig and then put her hand back into the bowl of rice.  I'd call that a Board of Health moment.

[VioletNevermind]

17 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

I think at one point she scratched her neck under her wig and then put her hand back into the bowl of rice.  I'd call that a Board of Health moment.

I just had a “wake the neighbors with my laughing moment.”  Hilarious!

[Lura]

I didn't mean that Stephanie didn't deserve a BIG payout from Bobby.  She sure did, IMHO.

In the long article I read about Katie and Billy, it said that his drug problems escalated throughout their marriage until she couldn't put up with it anymore.  At several points, he was literally so broke, having spent all his money on drugs, that he had to borrow from a friend in order to afford to go on tour.  The whole marriage sounded like a mess.

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, Gam2 said:

I broke my own rule and watched the casserole episode today. While Katie was putting her casserole together, GZ would hand over each ingredient as she needed it. Sunny was running her hands through the bowl of rice, over and over, until GZ picked it up to pass to Katie. Then Katie USED it in her dish! Sunny knew exactly what she was doing because she saw the camera on her. I swear she does this kind of thing just to make us all crazy and to make us comment on her actions. What a tool!

The ONLY redeeming thing about this situation was that Sunny was the only person who ate the casserole. But, yes, that was gross of her to play with the rice. And Sunny sure is competitive. I thought she'd burst a vocal cord screaming each time a casserole was weighed. All for a pair of gold oven mitts. Wow.

Loaded baked potatoes are one of my favorite things to eat. I have made many a meal of just a loaded baked potato and sometimes a small salad. But I don't want a loaded baked potato dip. Even the dip queen that I am, I can't even think of the best dipping item to use for it...certainly not a potato chip. Yuck to a tortilla chip or a cracker with baked potato dip. Raw veggies? I don't know. I can think of many other ways to use leftover mashed potatoes (which is rare in my house.) 

And I'll say it again, GZ seems so checked out to me. I don't blame him. Just show up and laugh all the way to the bank.

[bichonblitz]

Sunny said "moment" 4 times in this episode. 

Who has ever cared how much a casserole weighs? And whose weighs the most? How juvenile. 

Valerie Bertinelli on once again. Making a cake from a box. I can't with this show anymore. 

18 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

And I'll say it again, GZ seems so checked out to me. I don't blame him. Just show up and laugh all the way to the bank.

That has got to be the only reason he puts up with this show. The bank. 

[WritinMan]

20 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

The ONLY redeeming thing about this situation was that Sunny was the only person who ate the casserole. But, yes, that was gross of her to play with the rice. And Sunny sure is competitive.

It was rude, but they swapped the casseroles, putting the one they prepared in the oven and pulling out a baked one. But let's be honest, she probably played with that rice too.

[finnzup]

She is a scene stealer, that's for sure!  How about when  she said to Katie the spices are so good, "they are flourescing on my palate" and Jeff doesn't miss a beat and says, "Wowzers, that's a big word!!"  omg, and GZ's body language looks like he's recoiling from Sunny, sitting on the edge of his seat trying to escape her screaming obnoxiousness, lol.

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, WritinMan said:

It was rude, but they swapped the casseroles, putting the one they prepared in the oven and pulling out a baked one. But let's be honest, she probably played with that rice too.

Ick! I forgot about that! Blegh!

[chessiegal]

I doubt any of them made the swap out casseroles - that's what backstage kitchen staff is for.