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S15.E02: Smile and Say Mise

FormerMod-a1

By FormerMod-a1
in Top Chef

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ratgirlagogo

ratgirlagogo

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:
5 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

. I suppose the Blue Apron dinners aren't so bad, at least you don't have to cook for yourself after cooking for others all day and night.

You still cook with Blue Apron, they just provide the recipes and the ingredients. I think this is the first episode they sponsored but the winner of the last two seasons has created a recipe for Blue Apron after they won.

Blue Apron is also in serious trouble as a company. They just fired a bunch of people and switched CEOs.   Weren't they filming TC over the summer? That's when their stock prices were plummeting after they launched their IPO in June.  And all these meal-kit services are expensive:

ttps://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/18/this-is-blue-aprons-biggest-problem.aspx

From the above linked article:  

Quote

 Blue Apron's biggest problem, and the biggest problem for the meal-kit industry in general, is pricing. These services are far more expensive than grocery shopping, despite marketing that says otherwise, and per-serving prices are in the same ballpark as a typical meal at a fast-casual restaurant. You're paying restaurant prices, but you still have to cook. It's the worst of both worlds.........

 

..........Blue Apron's marketing no longer emphasizes value as much as it used to, but the company still touts value as a key selling point. In its IPO filing, the company said: "We believe that our meals offer compelling value when compared to purchasing similar ingredients at grocery stores in the amounts necessary to recreate a given week's menu after taking into account costs related to delivery and food waste."

I don't need to add up ingredient costs to know that these claims are bunk, or at the very least misleading, and neither does anyone who cooks at home even semi-regularly. Blue Apron's family plan, meant for a family of four and priced at $8.99 per serving, costs $36 per meal. If a family of four paid that much for every dinner for one year, it would cost about $13,125.

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Thumper

Thumper

5 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Blue Apron is also in serious trouble as a company. They just fired a bunch of people and switched CEOs.   Weren't they filming TC over the summer? That's when their stock prices were plummeting after they launched their IPO in June.  And all these meal-kit services are expensive:

ttps://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/18/this-is-blue-aprons-biggest-problem.aspx

From the above linked article:  

 I haven't ordered any of these yet, but I have been tempted.  For those of you who are "foodies" (sorry!) it may seem a waste, but for those of us who would like to try some new dishes but wouldn't know where to start or don't want to buy all the ingredients at a store, it's a nice service/convenience.  Better than what we would normally cook at home, but someone else has done all the "deciding" and buying for us. 

  • Love 4
Snarklepuss

Snarklepuss

13 hours ago, chiaros said:

For that matter, I believe there was an episode of a cooking show where the host demonstrated that soaking western button mushrooms in water for a while did NOT result in their taking up water, as had been popularly thought, contradicting the folklore that washing mushrooms was a no-no because it "diluted and washed out their taste" by absorbing water.

I may be out of touch, but over the many past years of my eating out in many places in USAmerican restaurants, both high-end and lower-end, I don't recall eating peeled mushrooms.

Odd.

I know about the Good Eats episode, but Jacques Pepin has always claimed that washing mushrooms is OK as long as you do it right before cooking and dry them if you want them to brown.  He is the only TV chef I have ever seen do a little carved design on mushroom caps.  I have seen it in restaurants a couple of times but rarely and decades ago.
 

11 hours ago, susannot said:

I'm so jealous!!  Please report in drool-worthy detail .  Chef Tyler' cross-dressing Julia habit made me love him even more.

I will!  I confess I am developing a little fan girl crush on him as a result of this show, which is baffling me because I have known the guy for years and that's never happened until now!  And that's despite the fact that I get to hear stuff about him 3rd hand from my friend's daughter so I am aware he is a human being and not perfect. 

Snarklepuss

Snarklepuss

6 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Blue Apron is also in serious trouble as a company. They just fired a bunch of people and switched CEOs.   Weren't they filming TC over the summer? That's when their stock prices were plummeting after they launched their IPO in June.  And all these meal-kit services are expensive:

ttps://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/18/this-is-blue-aprons-biggest-problem.aspx

From the above linked article:  

The problem I have with Blue Apron is the reviews indicate a lot of problems with wrong orders and spoiled food, plus difficulty cancelling.  Plus I personally like to be more in control of what I eat.  It's like when I went on Jenny Craig years ago and after a few weeks got tired of the food.  Also my life is not always that predictable in terms of whether we are together at dinnertime and I'm sure on a plan like this I'd often feel tied down to cooking stuff at least one of us didn't feel like eating on days neither of us felt like like cooking.  And that's in addition to the high price compared to just doing it yourself.   I think it's an idea that works better in theory than in practice. 

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VintageJ

VintageJ

21 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:

Rewatching now.  The right chef was eliminated.  Adrienne first suggested the dish.  She wanted fish!!  And suggested the zucchini, cheese & fish pairing. 

Claudette then piped in with this:  "We'll give it a light cure, and then I'll smoke it.  Cold smoke it".  A bit later, Claudette kept asking Adrienne about smoking, she clearly didn't know what she was talking about, and didn't smoke the fish properly.  IIRC, she also waited too long to get the smoke started.

Thank you.  I felt she was trying to blame Arienne for the failure when I remembered her suggesting smoking it.  Then Arienne was clearly surprised and miffed  that she didn't know how to cold smoke the fish.   She seemed to be throwing Arienne under the bus so I was glad to see her leave.  And then she still did not seem to get it as she was packing her knives.

  • Love 9
Wings

Wings

(edited)
18 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Yeah when Tom mentioned that the lamb was raw, Padma said she ate all of her raw lamb, though that was on the lamb dish that was inconsistently cooked so maybe her piece wasn't as rare as Tom. 

Speaking of Padma inhaling the lamb,  she had quite an appetite this episode and even took Chef Greek God's cracker!

Hers must have been cooked properly.  I watched her change plates with Tom on one occasion because her steak was a little too rare.   Ian made clams and fideos on his season.  She LOVED them and polished off what was left on everyone's plates! 

She is a vegetarian in RL and probably watches what she eats carefully so lets loose here.  She said she gaines about 12 pounds every season.   

I loved watching her take that cracker.  Cute. 

Edited by Wings
  • Love 1
MarylandGirl

MarylandGirl

10 hours ago, Thumper said:

 I haven't ordered any of these yet, but I have been tempted.  For those of you who are "foodies" (sorry!) it may seem a waste, but for those of us who would like to try some new dishes but wouldn't know where to start or don't want to buy all the ingredients at a store, it's a nice service/convenience.  Better than what we would normally cook at home, but someone else has done all the "deciding" and buying for us. 

We've tried a bunch of the meal boxes, and Blue Apron was one of my least favorite--food showed up warm the one time, and the second time (they gave me credit for it), something was leaking in the box. For value, I think it really depends. Sunbasket is one of my favorites right now, and they use all organic and non-GMO ingredients. Organic food can be quite pricey, so I think it's worth it. Also a big fan of Marley Spoon (which Martha Stewart is involved in) and Home Chef--i subscribe to all three then just pick the one with the menu I like most each week. (Ones we've tried and canceled for various reasons have been Plated, Hello Fresh, Terra's Kitchen, and Green Chef). They've helped us get out of a cooking rut and also eat a bit healthier. What we need to start doing though is use the recipes they've sent us and buy our own ingredients, now that we know we like them.

On the topic of the episode, I was also disappointed by how they did the mis en place this season--I like it better when one person is responsible for each item. And I swear, my knife skills at chopping shallots were better than some of them! I was also mystified by the mushroom peeling--sure, if I'm using Portabellas, I'll "degill" them (bottom part), and I'll destem all mushrooms, but no peeling...Just wipe with damp paper towel and rinse briefly.

  • Love 4
Wings

Wings

18 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Just caught up on this ep.

Bruce has really faded into the background.

I was disappointed that Tu messed up royally on the lamb.  I still like him.

Although Laura/Denali's restaurant looks great, she still bugs me.  My fault.  She reminds me of Greta von Susteren.

I could live on bread and cheese, so this ep was for me.  (Channeling Homer Simpson - "mmm...cheesecheesecheesecheese...")

Yes I see that but she looks like someone else or a number of people that have that specific and kind of strange face.  It is bugging me. 

djlynch

djlynch

On 12/14/2017 at 10:22 PM, Bastet said:

I love the mise en place relay and look forward to it every year.  Aren’t there usually more ingredients (or fewer cheftestants) such that each person has a different ingredient?

Seems like what I remember in a lot of years is that they did it as three or four teams of four (so 12 or 16 chefs) with one ingredient each.

On 12/14/2017 at 10:41 PM, cooksdelight said:

I love the bears!! Those paw gloves were priceless!!

As a 6'4", 300+-lb, hairy gay dude, I'm just amused that "bear" has reached the point where three apparently-straight guys with that body type are comfortable using it for themselves on national television (four, perhaps, since something was said about Brother being one of the bears after he ended up on the quickfire team with them.)

  • Love 13
HavartiHead42

HavartiHead42

2 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Laura reminds me of sad sack Emily from last season.

Yes, not so much physically as they both have kind of a flat affect. They don't look like they could ever tell a joke or even laugh at anyone else's. 

So far, a small price to pay for how great this season has been. I've even watched LCK.  In past seasons I would just read the thread.  I'm sure I'll grow to loathe the eventual winner.

  • Love 4
biakbiak

biakbiak

18 minutes ago, djlynch said:

Seems like what I remember in a lot of years is that they did it as three or four teams of four (so 12 or 16 chefs) with one ingredient each.

As a 6'4", 300+-lb, hairy gay dude, I'm just amused that "bear" has reached the point where three apparently-straight guys with that body type are comfortable using it for themselves on national television (four, perhaps, since something was said about Brother being one of the bears after he ended up on the quickfire team with them.)

5 since Tom has also embraced his bear fandom.

  • Love 4
susannot

susannot

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

5 since Tom has also embraced his bear fandom.

Yes!!  I remember J-Mo who used to recap Top Chef hilariously on TrashTV.  He was of the bear demographic and first introduced me to the bears' love for Tom.  He was especially hilarious in recapping Top Chef Masters Season Two when he took an inexplicable dislike to Marcus Samuelson and always portrayed him in drag with long mascara caked eyelashes.

 

Does anyone know if J-Mo is blogging anywhere else these days?

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carrps

carrps

On 12/15/2017 at 11:46 AM, Calamity Jane said:

Then there's Tom and "seasoning," by which he always means salt - he prefers food more heavily salted than other judges do.  Tastes do vary, but some judges never seem to acknowledge that.  

A friend of mine ate at his Craft in Century City (Los Angeles), and she said it was like eating at a salt lick.

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Snarklepuss

Snarklepuss

4 hours ago, djlynch said:

As a 6'4", 300+-lb, hairy gay dude, I'm just amused that "bear" has reached the point where three apparently-straight guys with that body type are comfortable using it for themselves on national television (four, perhaps, since something was said about Brother being one of the bears after he ended up on the quickfire team with them.)

I guess they're just secure in their sexuality, LOL.  Actually, women have been using that term for their men of that body type for a long time independently of the gay definition.  I started calling my hubbie that almost 40 years ago before the term even existed in popular usage among gays.  And I haven't stopped, despite knowing the gay usage of the term. 

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Happytobehere

Happytobehere

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On 12/14/2017 at 11:22 PM, Bastet said:

Claudette blaming Adrienne was odd, since it seemed the parts of the dish they hated most were those she’d suggested and executed.

Claudette is delusional and duplicitous.  She clearly was the one who wanted to cold smoke the fish (I guess this was Adrienne’s fault), yet she didn’t know how to do it (Adrienne is clearly at fault because she didn’t teach Claudette to do something Claudette suggested doing).  Adrienne had to stop what she was doing, the only part of the dish the judges liked, to give Claudette step-by-step instructions on Claudette’s suggestion (Adrienne was clearly at fault for n ot doing everything, while Claudette tooted her imaginary horn).  She even goes out claiming she is better than so many others and Adrienne should have gone because Adrienne was the problem.  Heck, we even see her blaming Tom for kicking her out of the competition during the LCK promo and having to be told by Tom that he was not responsible for her demise.  — DELUSIONAL.

Claudetter then clearly tried to throw Adrienne (who had said nothing negative about what Claudette brought to the table, even though she clearly could have) under the bus claiming that she had other ideas that Adrienne didn’t like and Adrienne forced her to make this dish,  in an effort to save herself, even though it was clear that her contribution to the dish was what was not liked. — DUPLICITOUS 

Needless to say, I hope Claudette is set packing from LCK as well.

  • Love 28
VintageJ

VintageJ

1 hour ago, Happytobehere said:

Claudette is delusional and duplicitous.  She clearly was the one who wanted to cold smoke the fish (I guess this was Adrienne’s fault), yet she didn’t know how to do it (Adrienne is clearly at fault because she didn’t teach Claudette to do something Claudette suggested doing).  Adrienne had to stop what she was doing, the only part of the dish the judges liked, to give Claudette step-by-step instructions on Claudette’s suggestion (Adrienne was clearly at fault for n ot doing everything, while Claudette tooted her imaginary horn).  She even goes out claiming she is better than so many others and Adrienne should have gone because Adrienne was the problem.  Heck, we even see her blaming Tom for kicking her out of the competition during the LCK promo and having to be told by Tom that he was not responsible for her demise.  — DELUSIONAL.

Claudetter then clearly tried to throw Adrienne (who had said nothing negative about what Claudette brought to the table, even though she clearly could have) under the bus claiming that she had other ideas that Adrienne didn’t like and Adrienne forced her to make this dish,  in an effort to save herself, even though it was clear that her contribution to the dish was what was not liked. — DUPLICITOUS 

Needless to say, I hope Claudette is set packing from LCK as well.

So much this.  You explained it much better.

  • Love 2
VintageJ

VintageJ

I’m glad (can’t remember his name) didn’t listen to Mustache Joe and instead choose to use the chocolate he had originally planned to use in his dish.  Really glad the judges loved it.  It really irritated me when Mustache Joe tried to get him to change his dish after they had discussed it and tried to change his dish in the grocery store, talking about we need to discuss this.  Who elected you executive chef?  That’s for restaurant wars!  

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Blonde Gator

Blonde Gator

5 hours ago, VintageJ said:

I’m glad (can’t remember his name) didn’t listen to Mustache Joe and instead choose to use the chocolate he had originally planned to use in his dish.  Really glad the judges loved it.  It really irritated me when Mustache Joe tried to get him to change his dish after they had discussed it and tried to change his dish in the grocery store, talking about we need to discuss this.  Who elected you executive chef?  That’s for restaurant wars!  

Chris Scott.  He has an easy name, it's just hard to remember!  I was really happy he stuck to his guns, too.  He's doing interesting food that we've not seen before.  Have him picked as one of my favorites this season.....but other than Snerdly Whiplash, there really are no villains.  I even like Carrie, who looked so of out-of-her-depth in the first episode, but she seemed so genuinely pleased to "represent" in her home state, I was really happy for her.

Lura

Lura

(edited)

I'm LOVING this season!  But would somebody mind straightening me out?  Which one is Laura?  And what is the name of the female chef from Alaska?  I had the feeling that some of the others resented her for her "talk" at the end of a long day of hard work.  I can't quite figure her out.  On the one hand, she can be very likeable, and on the other hand, I find her irksome, almost as if she's an old maid schoolteacher, trying to get everyone in line.

I like Adrienne, but does anyone think she mentions working at Le Bernadin (sp) often enough?  :)

I've cooked for a long time, but I still don't know enough about cheese.  I'd be more than happy to learn more if that hunka cheese chef were willing to teach me!  Drool!

Edited by Lura
Hit "edit" by mistake.
Fex

Fex

On 12/15/2017 at 0:41 AM, Bastet said:

Yeah, well, he also hates the combination of fish and tongs, so I feel free to dismiss him whenever he acts like a nitwit. 

It was interesting to hear commentary from more than one judge that the usually verboten cheese and fish combination wasn't bad or even worked, but the other aspects of the dish sunk it.  Most of my liked seafood/cheese combinations are of the non-fish seafood variety, but I think there are rare occasions in which fish and cheese can happily co-exist in a dish.  So it was interesting, and maybe even gratifying, to see the problems with that dish not be the ingredients, but the execution.

I just got around to watching tonight. I thought I might not enjoy it, b/c I can't eat cheese at the moment (hopefully it's temporary!), but it didn't bother me at all! Phew!

I don't understand the judges problem with fish and cheese... smoked salmon and cream cheese is not only a thing, but a super common thing! And the dish in question was (supposed to be) smoked fish. I have also had some really delicious stuffed crab that involved cheese, but I don't know if that's common - we got it from the fisherman.

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Blonde Gator

Blonde Gator

11 hours ago, Fex said:

I just got around to watching tonight. I thought I might not enjoy it, b/c I can't eat cheese at the moment (hopefully it's temporary!), but it didn't bother me at all! Phew!

I don't understand the judges problem with fish and cheese... smoked salmon and cream cheese is not only a thing, but a super common thing! And the dish in question was (supposed to be) smoked fish. I have also had some really delicious stuffed crab that involved cheese, but I don't know if that's common - we got it from the fisherman.

Lobster Mac & Cheese.  It's a thing, apparently, although I have issues with wasting tasty lobster on an already perfect dish.

  • Love 3
candle96

candle96

On 12/15/2017 at 0:30 PM, WendyM said:

Unfortunately, I wasn't surprised because the Bravo website spoiled the loser by showing her in a screenshot of Last Chance Kitchen. Thanks, Bravo! It's not like you didn't have...I don't know...maybe three other LCK contestants? Oh well.

Agreed. I've been using the Bravo app on my Firestick, which, for some reason, is promoting all the LCK episodes and not the actual show. I had to scroll all the way down to the bottom to find the actual show episodes, so I knew who was going home before I even started. Thanks for nothing, Bravo app.

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