Chopped 2017: That Dish Was Just Offal

[mlp]

I don't mind the dessert round but I do wish the PTB would invest in a second ice cream machine and also more frying baskets.  Chopped is supposed to be about the food, not a competition for equipment.  Also, the one machine needs to be cleaned between uses which puts anyone who wants to use it second if there's time at a further disadvantage.  

Another thing that bugs me................... I've been watching Chopped for years and, almost every time the chefs walk up to the chopping block, I can see at least a couple of them looking at the floor where there must be something showing them where to stand but there doesn't seem to be anything there.  I always look for some kind of mark or light or shadow - something.  It must be something the camera doesn't pick up or I'm missing it.  Every time.  

[spiderpig]

I wonder a lot about what goes on behind the scenes too, mlp.  I read/saw something about how they use 17 cameras to film an ep.

Talk about limited equipment - do you remember when the firefighter and the grandma fought over a grill pan?

[spiderpig]

In response to the title of this thread, how do most of you pronouce "offal"?  Is it "awful" or "oh-full"?

I harken back to Mrs. Bridges in Upstairs Downstairs, who mourned about having to serve awful during WWI food shortages.

[Bastet]

21 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

In response to the title of this thread, how do most of you pronouce "offal"?

äfəl

Edited to say: On second thought, maybe ôfəl is more accurate; I'm not terribly good with the nuances.  Either way, close to "awful," thus the pun.  I've heard it with the long O, but that's not how I learned it.

Edited March 19, 2017 by Bastet

[spiderpig]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

äfəl

Thank you for that.  Lately I've heard a ton of nose-to-tail chefs referring to "oh-full" and I was questioning my sanity.

[mlp]

Quote

I read/saw something about how they use 17 cameras to film an ep.

If you ever watch Chopped After Hours, you can see a lot of that.  There are cameras and producers everywhere, sometimes just a foot or two away while they film close ups.  It looks like it would be hard to function with all the commotion but I guess the judges are used to it.  It's probably a lot harder for the contestants.  I've noticed while watching Chopped Junior that they're showing more of that kind of thing off and on.

[meowmommy]

Maybe they should have a Very Special ep where they have the same four basket ingredients in all three rounds.

[Christina]

4 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Maybe they should have a Very Special ep where they have the same four basket ingredients in all three rounds.

I haven't watched in a long time, but I would watch that! Great idea!

[Bastet]

Heather strongly resembles my favorite vet tech, so I was rooting for her from the beginning, especially when she asked the woman who cut herself in the appetizer round if she was okay as soon as time was called. 

Forget the burnt meatballs and slimy okra, the color of the sauce in Sophia’s appetizer looked thoroughly unappetizing – like pale Pepto Bismol.  The more I heard from her, the more I disliked her, so I was glad Heather’s food almost always looked better to me and I could continue to root for her.  Happy to see her win.

Carolina’s steak in the entrée round was even more unappetizing looking than Sophia's appetizer, so no surprise to see her go that round despite the delicious sauce, but I'd have sure loved to lose Sophia a round earlier.  I really did not like her.

[mlp]

Quote

I'd have sure loved to lose Sophia a round earlier.  I really did not like her.

Amen to that.  She was thoroughly unpleasant and had no self-awareness.  I was surprised they didn't chop her for the burnt meatballs.  Or the nasty looking sauce.  I was also glad that Heather won.

[Hockeymom]

I actually cheered when Sophia lost!! How can a chef say they don't care when people don't like their food? Isn't that kinda the point of being a chef? To make food people like.

As far as the "empire" goes, I think it was two restaurants. Bobby Flay has an empire. Two restaurants does not an empire make. I would almost guarantee that there are people and protocol in place who have been there for years. She is not single - handedly running two locations. There are managers, accountants, contracts, suppliers, everything. I'm sure her dad set her up to succeed. In the kitchen, there's a sauce guy, a sous, a grill guy, a fry guy, etc. The menu probably hasn't changed in forever, so sauce guy is still using the same recipes. Sure, they may do specials that she creates, but basically, she's just plugging in to an existing framework. That's why successful restaurants don't fall apart when the chef changes. They have core menu items that hit the high notes, and add new things to keep it interesting.

I love when she said "I didn't come here to make friends. I came to win." So, A) No one asked to be besties,  B) You only ever compete against yourself, and C) It is possible to win and be gracious.

She listened to daddy tell her she was the brightest bulb in the box far too long. There is a difference between arrogance and confidence. Confidence is freedom, arrogance is an anchor.

By the way, I loved the Mexican girl! (I can't remember her name - I couldn't remember Sophia's either until I saw it posted above.) She was so nice. I hope some viewer donates to her community garden.

One more thing, I was blown away when LaCrosse chick said she never had a steak until she was 18! And that because mom had trouble putting food on the table, she had either chocolate chip cookies or chips and salsa for dinner some nights. So many questions here. If grocery money was so tight, why spend it on cookies? A dozen eggs cost the same.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Hockeymom

[Rammchick]

It was obvious that Sophia was getting what I call the asshole edit.  She was thoroughly arrogant at every turn, and I was glad she didn't win.

On another note, I hate when Jeffrey carries on about how expensive ingredients are.

[Hockeymom]

44 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

the asshole edit

Ha! I love that!

[hookedontv]

3 hours ago, Hockeymom said:

As far as the "empire" goes, I think it was two restaurants. Bobby Flay has an empire. Two restaurants does not an empire make.

Thank you hockeymom! This was everything. Should have been a drinking game: take a shot each time Sophia says "empire!" Sophia truly was unlikeable. Plus she served the judges burnt meatballs. Maybe if you cared if people liked your food or not, you'd be a better chef. Just sayin'...

[nutella fitzgerald]

I liked Sophia's talking head that was literally "I hope someone forgot an ingredient so I can win." It just seemed like the producers got mixed up and fed her a line that was supposed to be delivered by a wide-eyed 9-year-old with some type of jaunty accessory on Chopped Junior.

[meowmommy]

Competing dead dads.  Someone needed to up the stakes.

2 hours ago, nutella fitzgerald said:

I liked Sophia's talking head that was literally "I hope someone forgot an ingredient so I can win." It just seemed like the producers got mixed up and fed her a line that was supposed to be delivered by a wide-eyed 9-year-old with some type of jaunty accessory on Chopped Junior.

See, in my dream competition, someone's going to cut themselves near the end of the round and another competitor will rush over and plate their food for them.  Or someone will look at what's on the competitor's plates with a minute to go and whisper, "You forgot the snickerdoodles."

Just once, when there are four female competitors, no one will mention it.  Or if they can't resist the urge to demonstrate a firm grasp of the obvious, it's because the three judges are also women.  Were Alex and Amanda unavailable?  I'm also thinking that if chefs expect to be taken seriously, they might not refer to themselves as "girls."

Edited March 22, 2017 by meowmommy

[xaxat]

Jeffery has been spending too much time under the tanning lamp. 

[StrictTime]

Chopped has hit the bottom of the barrel this season.  None of the chefs I've seen so far have been even slightly impressive.

[Koalagirl]

I disliked Sophia so much that I'm tempted to go on Yelp and put in a few negative remarks about the food in her restaurants. 

[backformore]

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 10:49 AM, Rammchick said:

On another note, I hate when Jeffrey carries on about how expensive ingredients are.

I agree for the most part, and I generally hate when they talk about "respecting the ingredients"  or anything similar,  but he was right about the Burrata cheese.  it's got an outside tough layer, and an inside cream that bursts out.  You can't just blend it with other stuff, you destroy it.

[Hockeymom]

2 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

I disliked Sophia so much that I'm tempted to go on Yelp and put in a few negative remarks about the food in her restaurants. 

Just kidding, right?

[Koalagirl]

1 hour ago, Hockeymom said:

Just kidding, right?

Of course I'm kidding.  I wouldn't actually do something like that.   I wonder what she thinks after watching that episode back.  

[Hockeymom]

4 minutes ago, Koalagirl said:

I wonder what she thinks after watching that episode back.  

She's probably thinking how great she looks on TV.

[MajorWoody]

On 3/23/2017 at 9:59 AM, Koalagirl said:

I disliked Sophia so much that I'm tempted to go on Yelp and put in a few negative remarks about the food in her restaurants. 

But she told us she doesn't care what people think of her cooking!!!!!

Seriously, that episode had to have had the four worst cooks in quite some time. There was never a clear cut winning dish in any round, and there were also several in each round that could have (and probably should have) been chopped. Including both dishes in the finale. In fact, all three remaining chefs should have been chopped after the 2nd round, and they could have had the judges goof off for the last 20 minutes.

Also, no one commented on Marcus' faux pas. Just two minutes after Heather invokes the sob story about her mom struggling, her miserable childhood, and having never tasted a steak until age 18, here comes clueless Marcus with his "Use your happy childhood memories in your cooking", causing the tough girl to break down in tears. That was a cringeworthy moment. 

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, MajorWoody said:

Also, no one commented on Marcus' faux pas. Just two minutes after Heather invokes the sob story about her mom struggling, her miserable childhood, and having never tasted a steak until age 18, here comes clueless Marcus with his "Use your happy childhood memories in your cooking", causing the tough girl to break down in tears. That was a cringeworthy moment. 

It might have sounded awkward, but he speaks from experience.

[spiderpig]

C'mon, guys - we all secretly love it when they cast thoroughly unlikeable characters so we can rearrange the seats on the Obnoxious Bus.

I like Marcus, but what was with the pink/blue getup he was wearing?  Whenever he got camera time I immediately thought of the '90s curtains in our downstairs bathroom.

Empress Sophia's meatballs were beyond burned - they were cremated - and sitting in that gloopy sauce.  My cat said "This is all kinds of no" and went to visit his box.  Jennifer's dish may not have highlighted the ingredients sufficiently, but at least it looked edible.

I really wished Carolina hadn't messed up her steak so obviously that she gave Sophia additional time to smirk and bloviate about her own wonderfulness.

[mlp]

Quote

 

I like Marcus, but what was with the pink/blue getup he was wearing?

Every time I see Marcus and his outfits, I remember a magazine feature about him that I read once.  The author had a word for his style which I gathered was something to do with fashionable black men in Harlem but I've never been able to remember the word.  It wasn't something I'd ever heard before - or since.

[MajorWoody]

3 hours ago, spiderpig said:

 

I like Marcus, but what was with the pink/blue getup he was wearing?  Whenever he got camera time I immediately thought of the '90s curtains in our downstairs bathroom.

Empress Sophia's meatballs were beyond burned - they were cremated - and sitting in that gloopy sauce.  My cat said "This is all kinds of no" and went to visit his box.  Jennifer's dish may not have highlighted the ingredients sufficiently, but at least it looked edible.

 

That was my thoughts regarding that horrendous outfit he was wearing. Looks like something a Times Square pimp circa 1972 would frown upon for being too outlandish.

Regarding the burnt meatballs, that was one of the numerous mistakes in every dish and every round, in what might go down as the worst three rounds and worst 9 dishes to ever have been served in a single episode of Chopped. No one deserved to win, especially the Legend In Her  Own Mind , Keeper of the Empire, Sophia. 

[iggysaurus]

Ha! I'm so glad everyone hated Sophia as much as I did. She was smug and insufferable. The "I'm not here to make friends" line on any reality show is beyond cliche, not to mention obnoxious. And wanting someone to forget an ingredient so you can win is the epitome of poor sportsmanship. Real winners win on their own merits. So glad Heather won, she deserved it.

[Finagler]

I just watched the episode that had the chefs from diners.  One was the Pop Shop chef.  I had hoped she would make it to the end but she got cut in the second round.  For anyone that may be in the Collingswood, NJ area, I would recommend stopping in to eat at the Pop Shop.  It reminds me of a 50's style diner- checkered tile floor, music, a bar area to eat, etc.   I have visited the Pop Shop, it has great food and ice cream.  They really do have over 30 types of grilled cheese sandwiches. I tried the lobster mac n cheese when we visited a few years ago and found it to be delicious.  

http://www.thepopshopusa.com/collingswood-menu.html

[Wings]

20 hours ago, Finagler said:

I just watched the episode that had the chefs from diners.  One was the Pop Shop chef.  I had hoped she would make it to the end but she got cut in the second round.  For anyone that may be in the Collingswood, NJ area, I would recommend stopping in to eat at the Pop Shop.  It reminds me of a 50's style diner- checkered tile floor, music, a bar area to eat, etc.   I have visited the Pop Shop, it has great food and ice cream.  They really do have over 30 types of grilled cheese sandwiches. I tried the lobster mac n cheese when we visited a few years ago and found it to be delicious.  

http://www.thepopshopusa.com/collingswood-menu.html

I have had lobster mac and cheese twice and I found it a waste of lobster even though it was not Maine lobster. 

Grilled cheese is a favorite of mine, if not made with individually wrapped fake cheese, of course.  Diners sometimes do that.   

[ZoqFotPik]

On 3/27/2017 at 10:16 AM, mlp said:

Every time I see Marcus and his outfits, I remember a magazine feature about him that I read once.  The author had a word for his style which I gathered was something to do with fashionable black men in Harlem but I've never been able to remember the word.  It wasn't something I'd ever heard before - or since.

Sapeur?

[mlp]

Quote

Sapeur?

The word doesn't look familiar but it was a few years ago and that may be right.  I read the article and the pictures accompanying it sure look like the style Marcus affects even though he was born in Ethiopia, not the Congo.

[Darth Nigel]

Well, every time we see Marcus and his outfits, either my wife or I comment "Marcus is trying out for Doctor Who again"

[roseslg]

I've run into Marcus at the gym and on the streets and you always know it's him based on what he's wearing.  Let's just say, I've never seen anyone in Harlem dress liked him.   I kinda like it though.  I work on scholarships and one of our Ethiopian grantees has it on his bucket list to eat at Red Rooster.  I tried hard not to comment.

[Nysha]

On 3/22/2017 at 6:42 AM, Hockeymom said:

One more thing, I was blown away when LaCrosse chick said she never had a steak until she was 18! And that because mom had trouble putting food on the table, she had either chocolate chip cookies or chips and salsa for dinner some nights. So many questions here. If grocery money was so tight, why spend it on cookies? A dozen eggs cost the same.

 

Free food boxes from food banks and churches tend to be high in canned and snack food, at least in my area, because the local stores donate their almost-out-of-date and close-to-stale stuff. 

[AZChristian]

22 hours ago, Nysha said:

Free food boxes from food banks and churches tend to be high in canned and snack food, at least in my area, because the local stores donate their almost-out-of-date and close-to-stale stuff. 

We volunteer one Friday a month (fresh food day) at our local food pantry.  While there are lots of fresh fruit and veggies, but you're right - the Friday after Easter also included tons of leftover Easter cookies, cupcakes, etc.  Those are the things that would be left in our clients' pantries after the fruit and veggies are gone.

[spiderpig]

Another basket ingredient I'd never heard of - matambre.

This episode looked a teensy bit different than usual in terms of direction and editing - the opening and the uncovering of the cloche to be specific.

Anyway, every time James was on camera I was thinking Kiefer Brett Sutherland Favre.  Couldn't help it.

[Wings]

Mothers and sons episode was saved by Tom's mom, Donna!  I loved her!  What a sharp witty woman.  The other moms not so much.  Maybe the camera put them on deer in headlights mode.  Nice for a change.  I did want to eat Chrismothers polenta.  Damn that entire dish looked good.  I don't usually want to eat many efforts from this show.  

[nitrofishblue]

Boy was I pissed off at the ending of the show last night. Just as they ended the tasting and went into the judgement to declare the winner, the stupid Civil Defense warning came on flashing across the top of the screen. The sound was muted so you could get the warning. I didn't get to hear a word of the judging because of this. I mean why mute the sound. We can read the scroller and after the fourth repeat of it I was ready to throw something at the screen.

[xaxat]

I'm glad Chef Frida won. A big chuck of my extended family served in the military, so from the beginning, I was rooting for her. 

One thing that annoyed me was that they didn't show the Pentagon during her intro. Sure, the monuments in DC are more dramatic, but she doesn't work at the Lincoln Monument.

[awaken]

So, dogfish really needs a new name!  It may be a wonderful piece of fish, but the name made me nauseous.  

Chef nicholas of French laundry fame was expressionless. 

[spiderpig]

About the June 27 ep with the lamb kabobs and Cornish hens.  Anybody ever had olive oil cake?  I don't know, but it sounds gross.

[Jaded]

I don't really like olives so an olive oil cake seemed absolutely icky to me. I was so glad that chef that kept going on about her "staff" every other sentence. It's like she wanted everyone to know that she was such a good chef that she had/has people working under her. I would have liked her otherwise. I liked the last two who were left so it was nice not to be rooting against anyone because of over the top obnoxiousness. 

[Rammchick]

The light olive oils don't taste or smell like olives.  I would think that would be preferable in a dessert recipe.

[Fukui San]

I've had Olive Oil cake. It was fine. The olive oil taste is subtle. It's not too sweet and very moist. Kind of in the neighborhood of a cornbread more than, say, a supermarket white cake. 

ETA: Just want to add that it's not a shock dish. It's not there to be provocative. It's just a sweet dish that uses a usually savory element, like Carrot Cake or Zucchini Bread.

Edited June 29, 2017 by Fukui San

[Jaded]

That damn baby crazy lady just had to win. Ugh. 

[GaT]

Note to show: Never, ever, EVER have an adult chef who uses the word "weenies" again.

[Fostersmom]

I cringed for Cleveland when she repeatedly kept saying weenie. I've lived in Cleveland my whole life, no one uses that word. And her sob story of growing up starving, yeah, I don't even know what to make of that one. I know that town, my college roommate and still really good friend was from there, her parents still live there, and while it's not the richest place around, it's surrounded by enough cities and jobs your kids aren't starving. They might get free lunches at school, but that to be their only meal is more of a parenting issue than a economical issue. Apparently her hot dog shop closed over a year ago, the reviews weren't all that great and it seems she was more interested in kitschy crap than actually doing business. I'm actually having dinner with said friend tonight, I've got to remember to ask her about this chick. 

Other Cleveland guy annoyed me too, but at least he can cook. I didn't see any dish from any chef that blew me away though. 

Did anyone else catch Alex's stank face when guest judge was prattling on at the beginning? Alex looked like she was ready to scream or throw a punch. 

 

ETA... apparently FN didn't care her place closed and just loved her that much? Why? 

Edited July 5, 2017 by Fostersmom

[cooksdelight]

Here's your answer:

Quote

The Weenie A Go Go queen has been trying to launch a food show of our own that focuses on flea markets, fairs and festivals.

I doubt her sob story is true, she looks too polished. And she wants to be a TV star. Please....