S14.E05: Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

[tvfanatic13]

In the quickfire, did they even show all of the dishes? I thought they only showed the top and bottom 3, and not, for example Casey. Did I totally tune out?

[cooksdelight]

@biakbiak, I agree. Maybe one day they'll have a kosher challenge and we'll finally see.

13 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

In the quickfire, did they even show all of the dishes? I thought they only showed the top and bottom 3, and not, for example Casey. Did I totally tune out?

No, they didn't show everyone's dish. I noticed that as well.

Edited December 30, 2016 by cooksdelight

[hkit]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

 

 

Exactly what @Sugarbaker said. The Quickfire Challenge was all about thinking on your feet & figuring out what needs to be done without a lot of directions. It was completely logical for him to point out how he had successfully gotten around an obstacle that came up IMO.

Totally get that, but my observation was about the timing. Share it when presenting your dish when you know it's awesome, or at the judge's table. But bringing it up during the Sniff n' Sneer is just giving Tom something else to look for in terms of off flavors and textures. 

[susannot]

I adore cole slaw, and I want to make Brooke's pineapple slaw.  I suppose you just replace the sugar in the cole slaw recipe with some grated pineapple.  Anyone remember what else Brooke put into her cole slaw?

[theatremouse]

4 hours ago, chiaros said:

I don't feel like looking at the episode again (on my DVR) but - since this would not be a spoiler anymore as the episode has aired - Emily Hahn in a "Talking Head" on the trailer for this episode (I posted about it here) said she was surprised that adding vinegar (she also added salt) to the beans "somehow made them 'seize up' ".

Which makes her kind of dumb for a pro chef. I'm not a very good cook but even I know you don't salt beans early or exactly what she described is what happens. She's just making herself look bad left and right in a way that cannot only be editing.

2 hours ago, LuciaMia said:

The lack of basic flour seems bizarre. More tampering?

They knew they would not have access to the pantry for this. When he was looking for flour he was looking in their Whole Foods bags, so I took that to mean he/they forgot to buy any when they went shopping and/or he just assumed someone would have some for some reason and he'd be able to grab it. Didn't seem tampered at all, but I suppose since we were saved from the usual scene of teammates screaming at each other about one being sure they bought something, or another insisting they told someone else to buy something for them when it's determined they have none of an item, this read a little more ambiguous than what we usually see in a "missing ingredient" moment on this show.

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

Which makes her kind of dumb for a pro chef. I'm not a very good cook but even I know you don't salt beans early or exactly what she described is what happens. She's just making herself look bad left and right in a way that cannot only be editing.

That actually isn't true, no. 6 on common food myths. Vinegar and other acids do make them tough. 

[chiaros]

31 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

That actually isn't true, no. 6 on common food myths. Vinegar and other acids do make them tough. 

Yes.  As has been said, "salt making beans hard" is not true, while acid does. What I reported in my posts was what Emily Hahn said, where she said "vinegar and salt"; so what I did was focus on the vinegar and mention that she also said she added salt in her Talking Head statement in the preview of the episode.

[cooksdelight]

I've never in my life added vinegar to raw beans during the soaking process. Or cooking. That's when I knew she was in way over her head. Emily should have gone on Hell's Kitchen where it doesn't matter if you know how to cook or not, but you are still on TV.

[rho]

3 hours ago, LuciaMia said:

I was a little perplexed when the judges complained about the losing teams dishes; not so much for their flavor but because they weren't like the traditional bbq side dishes. In so many of their other challenges, they've been exerted to do their own spin on something. 

I think it also had to do with the fact that everyone's dishes were disgusting and didn't compliment each other. Everything was derivative but not appealing and they all executed poorly. Brooke didn't serve a traditional slaw but it was yummy and the judges couldn't stop raving about it. If they had chosen as a team to do something different that pulled their dishes together, I think it would have been a different story. And I'm not sad to see Sylvia go. That potato salad looked like inedible, and I'm not a fan of the traditional mayo version either. Red potatoes with a little dill and mustard would have been a million times better.

[CatWarmer]

On Katsuji's restaurant website, he shows a line of spice blends that includes Bacon Chipotle.  It would be interesting to know what he puts in that blend to keep it kosher, or even why it's included in Mexikosher.  But I agree that considering how much tref he's used on Top Chef, it's crazy for him to claim ignorance of a pig now.

[Wings]

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I wasn't suggesting his restaurant wasn't kosher he just frequently mentions he is a kosher chef and then never makes kosher dishes even when  the challenge doesn't require him to use non-kosher ingredients. Many people seem to think that being Kosher limits you so if he is going to keep mentioning that he is a kosher chef it would be nice if he showed off those skills.

Keeping kosher is not a skill in itself.  It is about keeping dairy and meat separate including dishes, pot and pans, flatware, everything.  You cannot use the same vessel to cook, serve or eat meat if dairy has been prepared in it, and vice versa.  Some go as far as having 2 dishwashers.  No pork, lobster and other scavengers.  

There is more to it but those are the basics.

Edited December 30, 2016 by wings707

[Jesse]

Bacon Bits, Bacon Salt, etc., are typically vegan, as far as I know. It's mostly smoke and salt, not actually pork. 

[xaxat]

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I wasn't suggesting his restaurant wasn't kosher he just frequently mentions he is a kosher chef and then never makes kosher dishes even when  the challenge doesn't require him to use non-kosher ingredients. Many people seem to think that being Kosher limits you so if he is going to keep mentioning that he is a kosher chef it would be nice if he showed off those skills.

I'm not sure cooking kosher is an option on this show. First of all, his ability to ensure that his ingredients are kosher certified  is really limited (and non-existent in the quickfires) and the kitchens they cook in are almost certainly not set up for kosher food handling (separate areas, pots/pans/ sinks for milk products and meat). 

[biakbiak]

9 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Keeping kosher is not a skill in itself.  It is about keeping dairy and meat separate including dishes, pot and pans, flatware, everything.  You cannot use the same vessel to cook, serve or eat meat if dairy has been prepared in it, and vice versa.  Some go as far as having 2 dishwashers.  No pork, lobster and other scavengers.  

There is more to it but those are the basics.

Yes, I am away that they wouldn't actually fully Kosher but he doesn't even attempt to make dishes that could be made kosher, he mixes dairy and meat and uses shellfish.

[Rammchick]

The basic tenet of kashrut prohibits "seething the kid in its mother's milk".  That's why meat and dairy are kept separate.  As wings707 said, certain animals are considered unclean and not eaten.  And even the way the meat is slaughtered and prepared is part of it.  That's what kosher salt is actually for, to draw the blood out of the meat.

Growing up, my mother's aunt lived in the same apartment building as we did and she kept kosher.  Not only were there separate plates, but separate dish towels and separate dish soap.  It was special kosher soap, in fact, made of coconut oil and colored red for meat and blue for dairy.

Edited December 31, 2016 by Rammchick

[theatremouse]

Because he's not Jewish and doesn't keep kosher himself. It's just his business. In the context of this episode the mention of his restaurant being kosher was more to me relevant to "how are you unfamiliar with what's in a pig's head?" Well, he doesn't use it in his everyday work so it's easier for him to not be familiar with it. Clearly he eats pork and can cook it in general, but perhaps in his prep to be on the show ended just shy of expecting to have to cook a whole hog and thus the gap in his knowledge about the gland thing hurt him. I'd put Sheldon's lack of familiarity with baking biscuits on par with Katsuji's not knowing about that gland. I didn't think he brought up the kosher aspect as an excuse or as a preference of how he'd rather be cooking. It was just context for why he doesn't have as much experience cooking beans with pork. Although he probably would've made it easier on himself if he just made beans in a way more similar to what he usually does, at the same time, in a hog-centric challenge, I thought it was an OK idea that he did want to use it in there for flavor. He just screwed it up with the butchery.

Edited December 31, 2016 by theatremouse

[GaT]

2 hours ago, hkit said:

Totally get that, but my observation was about the timing. Share it when presenting your dish when you know it's awesome, or at the judge's table. But bringing it up during the Sniff n' Sneer is just giving Tom something else to look for in terms of off flavors and textures. 

True, I can see that.

[wallflower75]

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Emily doesn't know how to cook. I'm convinced of it now, she didn't now how to cook beans. Every bag contains directions on the back. You soak them overnight, discard the water and slow cook them the next day. I soak mine for 12 hours. Maybe Emily was a line cook with someone telling her exactly what to do. And when she talked back, she kept getting fired. I'm not sure why she's on this show, she's not doing much to redeem herself.

She didn't know how to use a pressure cooker, she can't cook beans...yeah, I'm leaning towards that opinion myself.  Maybe it isn't just the attitude that got her fired from three restaurants.  And as for the "poor me, why didn't I get any sympathy while Brooke's over there getting hugs"--erm...can we go back to that attitude you were so proud of in the first episode of the season?  Could have something to do with it, just sayin'.

The quickfire introduction was silly, but here's hoping that now they've had a challenge focused on biscuits that we won't hear about them any more.

True confession time: I hate Carolina-style barbecue, because I'm not a fan of vinegar or mustard.  Which pretty much means that none of the food in the elimination challenge appealed to me, even before hearing about mushy potato salad, funky and sour beans, tasteless slaw, and a barbecue sauce that combined both of the traditional Carolina-style barbecue flavors.

It does seem like the rookies aren't on the same level as the veterans.  Like someone else said, I don't know why they just didn't have a complete All-Stars season--unless the producers wanted the veterans to stand a better chance of winning.  But surely there are plenty of former contestants who could be considered cannon fodder like Amanda who would've jumped at the chance to come back.

As for the birthday curse--I found it interesting that they showed Stefan in Season 10, because he wasn't eliminated on his birthday.  He brought up the curse, and his birthday took place around the disastrous Pike Place challenge which could've seen every contestant ousted, but he survived the curse.

And Sheldon... :( :( :( 

Quote

Sniff n' Sneer

hkit, you should trademark this.  Seriously.  I will always remember it whenever I see Tom skulking about the kitchen during prep.

[meowmommy]

4 minutes ago, wallflower75 said:

3 hours ago, hkit said:

Sniff n' Sneer 

hkit, you should trademark this.  Seriously.  I will always remember it whenever I see Tom skulking about the kitchen during prep.

Someone would be crying trademark infringement.  TC's pass through the kitchen's been called Sniff 'n Sneer about as long as the show's been around.

[wallflower75]

1 minute ago, meowmommy said:

Someone would be crying trademark infringement.  TC's pass through the kitchen's been called Sniff 'n Sneer about as long as the show's been around.

Aha.  Clearly I need to get out more.  My apologies to the original trademark holder.  *slinks off to corner*

[cooksdelight]

OT for a second, but if you want a good southern BBQ sauce in a bottle, try Sauer's. Made in Virginia, it is my very favorite.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of cohesion in the choice of side dishes. It's like some of them forgot where they were, or what their main dish was. Cole slaw is a must. Some type of salad, potato salad being the first choice. Hush puppies. Baked beans, made the correct way. And since this was filmed in the summer, corn on the cob with a knockout butter seasoning would have been a star on the side.

[howiveaddict]

14 hours ago, hkit said:

For the salad, I grew up in a household with 2 parents who disliked mayo, so we always had a hot, vinegar based potato salad. My mom called it "German potato salad". No idea if it was German or not, but I had a lot of childhood flashbacks during this episode.

German Potato salad is  sweet and sour based made with vinegar. No mayo. It can be served hot or cold.   It was my father's favorite.  They serve it at quite a few restaurants here in southern Indiana.  I prefer mayo based potato salad but, German is good also.  My hubby doesn't like German. Once we went to Florida and he asked the waitress if the potato salad was German kind.  She looked at him like he was nuts.

Here in Southern Indiana we put sauce on our barbeque.  In Western Ky, just over the river, they call it dip.  This area is known for Barbeque.   This is one of the few Top Chef  challenges, that I could have made any of the sides.  

Edited December 31, 2016 by howiveaddict

[MaggieG]

14 hours ago, SuzWhat said:

Oh, Emily. She says "no one is comforting me as much as they comforted Brooke".  This after she just got done saying to Brooke "I hope you don't blame me for the failure".  Brooke then said "no it was all my fault".  Of course, people are going to provide encouraging words to Brooke.  This tells me a lot about Emily and I don't like it much.  

This is was the first thing on my recording so I don't know if it was the start of this episode or end of the last.  

Yeah, I don't like it either. It's probably because nobody likes you Emily. Brooke's slaw looked delicious. As did her biscuits

[OoogleEyes]

15 hours ago, hkit said:

 

For the salad, I grew up in a household with 2 parents who disliked mayo, so we always had a hot, vinegar based potato salad. My mom called it "German potato salad". No idea if it was German or not, but I had a lot of childhood flashbacks during this episode.

Yup, me too. I actually prefer it.

[racked]

Brooke is a total MVP this season and it's great to watch. I would have liked to taste Jims hash though they were all raving so hard about it! He redeemed himself a bit from the bad biscuit fiasco. 

Katsuji's beans sounded disgusting but Sylvia's potatoes looked way worse. That team was at a disadvantage though with three chefs seemingly (?) unfamiliar with the concept of a southern BBQ altogether and Amanda didn't seem capable of explaining it to them. Or maybe bossypants Sylva wouldn't give her a chance to.  

Getting stressed about Sheldon. He has such a great attitude for a reality tv show contestant. 

[Eliza422]

12 minutes ago, OoogleEyes said:

Yup, me too. I actually prefer it.

I like both! Basically, if it has potatoes in it I will eat it!!

[FormerMod-a1]

Sylvia said the potatos had a salsa verde on them but it all looked brown.  I guess they sat too long or got too warm or something.  And tasting bad is the worst, and they sound like they were horrible.

[NYCFree]

The losing team has three people who didn't grow up in the United States. I think that leant to a slight disadvantage in this particular challenge.  It's like they were trying to make up what they thought of the meal, without really experiencing it.  It's like if I were to try and recreate an Oktoberfest meal, I would be winging it totally and based on stereotypes without any actual understanding.

Improperly naming things really can get a diner irrationally upset. And by irrational, I mean it's kind of out of proportion to the "offense."  I once ordered "trifle" as dessert on a cruise.  What came out was jello with some fruit in it with a little bit of whipped cream.  It was fine jello, but I make trifle and that was no delicious custard dessert with bits of cake/sponge with fruit, jam and whipped cream.  It turned into a ridiculous kerfuffle when I ordered another dessert and mentioned to the waiter "that's not really trifle."  I wound up explaining myself to the head waiter, then the maitr'e d'hotel.

[OoogleEyes]

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

Someone would be crying trademark infringement.  TC's pass through the kitchen's been called Sniff 'n Sneer about as long as the show's been around.

As well as "cheftestants" which goes way way back to the ol' TWoP days.

[Rambler]

12 hours ago, Pickles said:

I did not pay much attention to how they split up into teams for the BBQ challenge, but is Emily trying to attach herself to Brooke because she knows she is a better chef and Emily could just be carried along? It just seemed that way to me, but maybe I am wrong. I just do not like Emily at all. How could her beans not have been cooked, when they had hours and hours to prepare the meal? Wouldn't any chef know how to cook beans?? I wonder if the others on her team were doing an eye roll.

Actually Emily didn't have a choice since she and Sylva were the only ones left without a team and Katsuji said to pick Sylva because Emily "complains about everything". Probably nobody wanted to be on Brooke's team because she had immunity and if her team was on the bottom there would be a better chance of going home. John and Sheldon were OK with being on Brooke's team because as John said they were both with her in season 10 and trusted her.

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, Rambler said:

Actually Emily didn't have a choice since she and Sylva were the only ones left without a team and Katsuji said to pick Sylva because Emily "complains about everything". Probably nobody wanted to be on Brooke's team because she had immunity and if her team was on the bottom there would be a better chance of going home. John and Sheldon were OK with being on Brooke's team because as John said they were both with her in season 10 and trusted her.

I think John and Sheldon, particularly Sheldon, wanted to be on Brooke's team because they know she is a great chef and they are friends.

[Sandlapper]

There are actually 4 BBQ regions in South Carolina -- mustard, vinegar, tomato, and ketchup.  

[easypeasy]

Well, you learn something new everyday,  I never knew there was a nasty tasting gland in pig cheeks.  I could take Sam or leave him, but I could see him geeking out over that hog roast if he'd made it this far. I was rooting for Sylvia, it was fun watching her experience unfamiliar American cuisine and sometimes reimagining them in an Italian way. She started the season strong and seemed to be building momentum until last week, but that potato salad looked a mess. Considering she said she wanted to avoid the heaviness of mayo, I was surprised that the dish looked so sodden, and then for Gail to describe it as slimy....Eww.

I'm gonna need less Emily talking heads. One thing Katsuji is right about is that she always seems to be whining about something or someone.

[theatremouse]

17 minutes ago, Sandlapper said:

There are actually 4 BBQ regions in South Carolina -- mustard, vinegar, tomato, and ketchup.  

Isn't ketchup just tomato+vinegar (plus sugar)?

[pinguina]

I was puzzled by the way that Emily made the beans.  I've been making them since I was six!  My mom would by a big sack of beans.  My brother and I would sit at the table and "clean" them.  By that I mean take out pebbles and small rocks that got caught in it.  Then we would "wash" them at least three time to get off dirt.  We would let them soak for at least three or four hours, dump out the water, and finally put them on the stove to cook for about three hours.  Around the middle of the cooking we (my brother and I) got to add salt with my mom's supervision.  Never actually measured the salt, just put it in.  I was six (!) and my brother was eight and I think our beans would have been better than Emily's.  We never would put vinegar in them!!

Also why would Emily say that everyone comforted (isn't that the word she used?) Brooke and not her?  Didn't their team win??

[sourpickles]

First off, as much I as enjoyed this episode, there was no reason for it to be longer than usual, especially since we seemed to be way short on judging time.  But.......BBQ!!!!  Too awesome.  I'll try to organize my thoughts here, but I've said it before, I don't do so well when thinking and typing at the same time, so if you can follow me, great!  I'm with the band in terms of Katsuji.  He's best in small doses, funny for a minute, and the bow ties annoy me.  He can go.  And should have for bad beans.  Either Sylva or him (he?).  Sylva.  Acted a bit of an ass, and frankly, the hoisin (REALLY?  That is some strong stuff!)/ketchup add, my GOD.  Just no.  It's BBQ blasphemy.  If he did that on his own, then boo.  If everyone else knew and didn't stop him, then hiss.  Obviously the sauce was so off that the meat temp, overcooked or not, didn't factor in.  Mr. Pickles was watching with me and even he commented "there's no real leadership on this team".  So true.  Amanda.  I guess it was edited out but I am the only one that noticed she wasn't even mentioned in tableside critiques or judging?  Why?  The rest of that meal must have sucked extremely for her tasteless slaw not to merit a mention.  Didn't get the mac and cheese drama with John but that was obvi a set up for him to win, which I call BS for a BBQ challenge.  That's sad.  And does he have more hair now?  Maybe Katsuji annoys me so much that I'm warming to John.  Emily.  Cry me a river, sweetie.  Casey.  I don't mind her, but Mr. P. was watching his first epi and said "hey, don't I know her?  She looks familiar, like she's been here already".  So yay, Casey.  He can't remember breakfast, but you've got it LOL!  Sylvia misstated her potato salad, but I was sad to see her go, liked her.  I feel like she was always bending the challenge to fit her though.  Didn't they used to get a sheet of rules or something?  Maybe they should have had one explaining Southern BBQ.  I too found the finger sticking gross.   Brooke is killing it.  Sheldon's sideline wasn't necessary.  He was most likely going to come back and frankly, that was the fastest treatment ever.  I've experience with that sort of thing so..........I just don't think it had to be in there.  And I haven't even touched the biscuits and how appalling it was that so many hadn't a clue.  Blathered on too long already so I'll head off for now.....hungry, maybe a  late dinner?

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, pinguina said:

Also why would Emily say that everyone comforted (isn't that the word she used?) Brooke and not her?  Didn't their team win??

No, she was talking about the Trash fish challenge and they were in the bottom with Emily thinking she might be going home. Katsuji won that challenge.

[pinguina]

Thank you, biakbiak!  I knew I hadn't seen it on this challenge.  Totally forgot the fish challenge from last week!

[sourpickles]

OH!  And as a total aside, was that Kwame in the bartending section this week?  I'd forgotten already how cool he was.  And Kristen last week, was it?  I'm liking this TC flashback, though I have no idea what it's for...................

[bluepiano]

13 hours ago, snarktini said:

That team really tanked. All 4 dishes got lousy reviews for their flavors, well beyond not being "traditional" southern barbecue. They didn't support each other at all.

That may be the first time I can remember a 4 person team in which every single dish was a fail. There's almost always at least one dish out of the four that gets a good or at least passing grade. No suspense about the losing team.

With all the dishes getting slammed, the judges could've sent any of them home. I agree with a previous poster that they were not sending Katsuji home if they had an alternative. However bad her "potato salad" was, I'd still rather eat that than beans cooked in pig's head sauce, including glands. Yuck.

Sorry to see Silvia go. It's rare there's a Top Chef contestant from another country, and she seemed like a nice person. But I can't feel too badly for a woman who at 26 has two restaurants in Brooklyn and is about to open a third. Makes me think she hooked up with some wealthy backer. In any event, it certainly is an American success story.

Edited December 31, 2016 by bluepiano

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

It's rare there's a Top Chef contestant from another country, and she seemed like a nice person.

It's really not that rare this season has four, two veterans (Shirley and Katsuji) and two rookies (Sylvia and Sylva) Otto, Elia, Stefan, Fabio, Mark, Mattin, Kuniko, Bart, Lizzie, Nina, Janine, Frances and a few more from Puerto Rico which is culturally different, i am sure i am missing a few but all moved to the States as adults.

[Giselle]

Do the contestants know the main city where they will be competing beforehand? If so one would think they would read up on the food history and commit to memory a few basic regional recipes. 

[dleighg]

6 hours ago, sourpickles said:

OH!  And as a total aside, was that Kwame in the bartending section this week?  I'd forgotten already how cool he was.  And Kristen last week, was it?  I'm liking this TC flashback, though I have no idea what it's for...................

an ad for tequila

[StevieRocks]

11 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

OT for a second, but if you want a good southern BBQ sauce in a bottle, try Sauer's. Made in Virginia, it is my very favorite.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of cohesion in the choice of side dishes. It's like some of them forgot where they were, or what their main dish was. Cole slaw is a must. Some type of salad, potato salad being the first choice. 

I know, right? Cooks, you've got me drooling with YOUR menu--especially the corn on the cob and hushpuppies! I love Jim<?>, but dang, I would've expected a full-on, quintessential BBQ feast from the "Executive Chef of 'Bama"! 

[lh25]

23 hours ago, jackjill89 said:

Good point, except that it invites the judges to taste your dish wondering if they can detect something different. 

That makes sense, but that also risks them detecting something different and then wondering what went wrong.

[Sandlapper]

13 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Isn't ketchup just tomato+vinegar (plus sugar)?

Pretty much.  But each region is defended passionately.

[Canada]

Completely OT, but Sheldon's back problem story this episode really irked me due to a long-standing pet peeve I have with people being conned into getting back surgery!!  Most people with back problems are not helped by surgery; it may help in the short-term, but long-term, they just end up with even more problems.  I've met so many people who've had their lives ruined by back surgeons!!  Go see a good physiotherapist or registered massage therapist instead and work on any issues you have that are contributing to the back problems.  *rant over*

I'm not surprised Sylvia went home.  That salad, by any name, looked revolting.  The guest judge was right when he said that, if he saw something on the table that looked like that, he wouldn't touch it.  As an aside, it was kind of cringe-worthy how xenophobic the judges sounded when discussing potato salad.  There's no mayonnaise??!??!!  How shocking!!!  But we have expectations!!!!

Poor Katsuji... shitty food this week and then John gives him no credit for the xanthan gum save.  *sniggers*

[ProudMary]

11 hours ago, Giselle said:

Do the contestants know the main city where they will be competing beforehand? If so one would think they would read up on the food history and commit to memory a few basic regional recipes. 

This.  A thousand times.
I also think that it's made easier when the cheftestants know that they're competing in one of the smaller cities.  If the competition is being held in NY, Chicago, L.A. or any of the more cosmopolitan cities, there are going to be food influences from all over the world so it's harder to pin down exactly what they should be studying for; but cities like New Orleans and Charleston?  It's pretty damned evident just what they're going to be expected to cook!  Every single chef heading to Charleston should have had a basic recipe in mind for shrimp and grits, biscuits, she-crab soup, Frogmore Stew (Lowcountry Boil), catfish, fried chicken, oysters, black eyed peas or other types of beans, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, hush puppies and barbecue.  A quick Google of "Lowcountry SC cuisine" brings up much of what I've just listed.  We're only five episodes in, half of those have already been in play and several chefs have had no idea what to do with several of these Charleston staples!  It's mind boggling.

[pastafarian]

2 minutes ago, Canada said:

Completely OT, but Sheldon's back problem story this episode really irked me due to a long-standing pet peeve I have with people being conned into getting back surgery!!  Most people with back problems are not helped by surgery; it may help in the short-term, but long-term, they just end up with even more problems.  I've met so many people who've had their lives ruined by back surgeons!!  Go see a good physiotherapist or registered massage therapist instead and work on any issues you have that are contributing to the back problems.  *rant over*

I'm not surprised Sylvia went home.  That salad, by any name, looked revolting.  The guest judge was right when he said that, if he saw something on the table that looked like that, he wouldn't touch it.  As an aside, it was kind of cringe-worthy how xenophobic the judges sounded when discussing potato salad.  There's no mayonnaise??!??!!  How shocking!!!  But we have expectations!!!!

Poor Katsuji... shitty food this week and then John gives him no credit for the xanthan gum save.  *sniggers*

 

Don't know about "most people", but I had a neighbor who loved to play tennis.  His back made it hard to play, so he got talked into surgery.  Now he doesn't play at all. Problem solved?  Also why though I've been recommended for back surgery, I resist till I'm an invalid.  

I don't feel bad for Katsuji AND we don't know if John gave him credit, only that it wasn't shown.

[jackjill89]

11 hours ago, Giselle said:

Do the contestants know the main city where they will be competing beforehand? If so one would think they would read up on the food history and commit to memory a few basic regional recipes. 

Yes! And...if you've EVER watched Top Chef, you think these cheftestants would commit some basic baking recipes to memory and try to make something out of some crappy canned goods just for practice. It's a competition and you know there will be twists!