Masterchef (US) - General Discussion

[SHERMDOG]

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

I was happy with Grant winning. His dishes were cohesive, reflected his background and were plated modern but not trendy. I haven’t liked Jennifer throughout the competition but her dishes looked good if a bit dated. 

I didn't like Jennifer from day 1! No idea why? She just annoyed the heck out of me.

Especially with her squealing etc. ..lol

I love you cake!? Barf!

[Ancaster]

42 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

He was babbling about one ingredient exacerbating the other ingredients. I think he meant amplify, not exacerbate. At least he hasn't called anything unctuous tonight.

Maybe he meant accentuate?  Who knows.  He is a mind unto himself.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Ancaster

[Ancaster]

Ooh, I did not need to hear Jennifer's husband-with-an-unfortunate-combover being described as an Italian Stallion.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Ancaster

[Ancaster]

Did anyone else notice that when Aaron waved his tattoo bedecked hands over Kennedy's Jackson Pollack inspired dish, you couldn't tell where one started and the other ended?

[candall]

I don't think Kennedy's error of dense cake was any more egregious than Grant's undercooked egg yolk raviolo.  They all noted that both the pasta AND the egg yolk needed more cooking and then shrugged it away, while they were aghast at the texture of the cake.  "Like a bagel!"

They noted that the pork tenderloin was a bit simple for the circumstances and commented that rabbit as a competition protein is a risky proposition that they hadn't seen attempted before.

To me, Kennedy's was the more creative menu, took more chances and used the more advanced techniques.  I disagree that trout followed by rabbit is not a natural progression.

 

But Grant surprised me with the sophistication of his sauces and it's nice that Mr. Bobblehead won the big reward in front of his adoring wife and little boy.

 

Jennifer seemed to score a lot of points for being able to boil a lobster.  And speaking of which, do you not have two seconds to give that creature a knife-chop to the brain before you drop him in to boil?

[AZChristian]

4 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Did anyone else notice that when Aaron waved his tattoo bedecked hands over Kennedy's Jackson Pollack inspired dish, you couldn't tell where one started and the other ended?

YES!!!!

[jabRI]

I thought the finale was fair.  Grant was more consistent throughout the courses, both Jennifer and Kennedy had issues they couldn't overlook.  Still like Kennedy, hard to be in her shoes and going on national TV, good for her.  Not judging her identity, just meant that she seems a bit shy and not one to put herself out there for the world to see.

[potatoradio]

Did the judges watch a Game Show network marathon or something before the finale? Because why else was every other word "jeopardy?" The "jeopardy" in that dish....the "jeopardy" with that protein.....you can really tell so and so overcame the "jeopardy" with that spice....GAH! There was no jeopardy involved here, folks, except the poor lobster not killed humanely and maybe we should be a titch concerned about Kennedy talking excitedly about how her plate would like you just splatted a freshly killed bunny on it! 

(And it did...which....no....artfully constructed recreated slaughter will still gross me out and make me too guilty to eat).

What WAS the blue smear on her app plate? At least, it looked blue on my teevee. 

Also, can we have an option to watch the show with an "active voice, word-salad condensed" subtitle crawl? "The idea of the texture of Jennifer's venison is a real jeopardy." "The spice by way of the braised fennel really exacerbates that memory lots of people have when eating cactus on Tuesdays." Aaron...come ON...did you agree to babbling idiot being your persona in your contract?

Oh, and Joe? I looked up "acidulous" because I just never know with you guys whether you're inventing words or using them correctly. It means "somewhat acidic or harsh." So....were you saying the acidity of ingredient X balanced the jeopardy of ingredient Y or were you saying that the dish needed more acid or were you saying that the dish had too much acid or....I'll never know. 

This finale of MasterChef brought to you by the words acidulous, jeopardy and the phrase "spice by the way of...." 

Oh, right...I didn't really have a horse in this finale, so fine, yay Grant. Though I will never willingly eat medium or medium rare pork, beer braised fennel sounds interesting. Pssssst.....beer and food have been a thing for a while now?

I was hoping I wouldn't have to see the giant picture of Whitney of "sshhhhhhank you" skank whisper, non-deserving winner. Whew. Did not.  

[jabRI]

2 minutes ago, potatoradio said:

Though I will never willingly eat medium or medium rare pork

Yeah I walk away from pink pork.  And Jennifer's venison still looked bloody to me when she cut into it.  

[fishcakes]

I'm just glad it's over. Of the final three, Grant would be my pick to win, but I don't think those three were necessarily the best of the season. We were repeatedly told how so many of the earlier boots were "middle-of-the-pack," but how would we know? They were flat out ignored until the judges decided it was time for them to go. A lot of weeks, we didn't even see what James, Kolby, MD, Charles, or Reagan were making. They were just used as background.

[seacliffsal]

Going into the episode I really didn't have a favorite.  But, by the end of the episode I was really hoping that Grant would win.  Kennedy lost me with her 'feminine' and 'masculine' dishes.  For someone who views herself as uniquely rebellious I was surprised that she was purpetuating gender stereotypes.  And, I don't understand how the appearance of a blood splatted plate makes it 'masculine.'  At that point I really wanted someone other than Kennedy to win.  And, for whatever reason, I have not been a Jennifer fan throughout the season so am glad Grant won.  However, I really think that Wayne should have been in the finale and would have liked to have seen Kolby and Brynn there as well.

Although not a chef, I do think that Joe knows food as does Gordon.  I often think that Aaron tries too hard to sound knowledgeable-he absolutely does know the food that he creates/cooks, but I feel that he doesn't necessarily have the overall food knowledge that I think Gordon and Joe have.

[jabRI]

5 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

However, I really think that Wayne should have been in the finale and would have liked to have seen Kolby and Brynn there as well.

Agree totally, they showed a lot of skill and a lot of heart.  Was over Jennifer a long time ago.

[Taeolas]

On 9/16/2023 at 10:36 PM, snarts said:

Gordon "how long for 3 salmon, 1 filet?" Team "7 minutes" Gordon "I want it in 5" ...later, Gordon "This filet is raw, STOP RUSHING" 🙄

Going back to the HK ep...

I think when Gordon's giving unreasonable times, it's a test for the chefs (whether on MC or HK), to push back at him to show they know what times are actually needed and that they aren't fudging the times to give themselves more wiggle room. If they mutely agree to the times, then he knows to double check the dishes and can go into the undercooked rant. If they push back and say "no I need X minutes" then they might get a "what have you been doing?" rant but they dodge the undercooked rant if they actually do it right. 
 

It did seem that he was going easier on the MC's than he does on the HK chefs. Maybe a bit harder than usual for MC, but no where near t he same sort of pressure HK chefs get put under. I suspect it will probably become a regular MC challenge in seasons to come in any case, so you might as well get used to it. 

[Ancaster]

1 hour ago, fishcakes said:

I'm just glad it's over. Of the final three, Grant would be my pick to win, but I don't think those three were necessarily the best of the season. We were repeatedly told how so many of the earlier boots were "middle-of-the-pack," but how would we know? They were flat out ignored until the judges decided it was time for them to go. A lot of weeks, we didn't even see what James, Kolby, MD, Charles, or Reagan were making. They were just used as background.

Are you kidding me?  These are The Best Home Cooks in the Country, or so they keep telling us.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Ancaster

[mertensia]

Jennifer's dessert sounded very boring, though delicious. At least Kennedy and Grant's don't sound like something I could get Applebee's.

[candall]

Assiduous, maybe.

[Msample]

2 hours ago, Taeolas said:

Going back to the HK ep...

I think when Gordon's giving unreasonable times, it's a test for the chefs (whether on MC or HK), to push back at him to show they know what times are actually needed and that they aren't fudging the times to give themselves more wiggle room. If they mutely agree to the times, then he knows to double check the dishes and can go into the undercooked rant. If they push back and say "no I need X minutes" then they might get a "what have you been doing?" rant but they dodge the undercooked rant if they actually do it right. 
 

It did seem that he was going easier on the MC's than he does on the HK chefs. Maybe a bit harder than usual for MC, but no where near t he same sort of pressure HK chefs get put under. I suspect it will probably become a regular MC challenge in seasons to come in any case, so you might as well get used to it. 

Anthony Bourdain mentioned cooking times in his book, with a line something like " I'd yell for the dish to get to the pass, but the line cook would look at me, snarl, and keep stirring til it was ready " . He then got called out on it on TOP CHEF, it was hilarious. Goto 2:50

 

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, I, for one, never gonna, gonna, ever, ever eat Bambi or Bugs Bunny!

[Ancaster]

17 hours ago, AZChristian said:

He was babbling about one ingredient exacerbating the other ingredients. I think he meant amplify, not exacerbate. At least he hasn't called anything unctuous tonight.

You must have missed Gordon (mis)using it to describe someone's salmon, possibly the crispy skin, it was unclear.  Good job they don't work in the restaurant industry.

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, Ancaster said:

You must have missed Gordon (mis)using it to describe someone's salmon, possibly the crispy skin, it was unclear.  Good job they don't work in the restaurant industry.

Actually, I did hear that, and was so shocked that I backed up my DVR to confirm it. Then I turned off the TV, curled up in a corner and cried myself to sleep.  (Not really, but I sure was shocked. )

[Ancaster]

1 minute ago, AZChristian said:

Actually, I did hear that, and was so shocked that I backed up my DVR to confirm it. Then I turned off the TV, curled up in a corner and cried myself to sleep.  (Not really, but I sure was shocked. )

I'm happy to share my chocolate if you like; it's great for mitigating the inevitable Masterchef watching blues and doesn't leave you looking blotchy.

[AZChristian]

50 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

I'm happy to share my chocolate if you like; it's great for mitigating the inevitable Masterchef watching blues and doesn't leave you looking blotchy.

I'd happily accept that if it's dark chocolate.  Good for high blood pressure! 

[Ancaster]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

I'd happily accept that if it's dark chocolate.  Good for high blood pressure! 

Will the red ones be okay?  You can have the caramels too if you like, too sweet for me.  Or do you prefer a bar?  How about Ritter Sport with nuts - that's healthy.

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Ancaster

[chicagofan]

Mmm...Lindor. Aren't the blue ones dark chocolate? My personal favorites are the seasonal ones around Christmas - white chocolate peppermint, peppermint cookie and snickerdoodle. And I'm open to sharing.

[Ancaster]

19 hours ago, jabRI said:

I thought the finale was fair.  Grant was more consistent throughout the courses, both Jennifer and Kennedy had issues they couldn't overlook.  Still like Kennedy, hard to be in her shoes and going on national TV, good for her.  Not judging her identity, just meant that she seems a bit shy and not one to put herself out there for the world to see.

Apparently she's very active on social media.

[jewel21]

I found myself rooting more for Jennifer in the finale. I liked her appetizer better (I hate eggs so Grant's raviolo grossed me out) and I thought her entrée looked nicer than Grant's, although in terms of proteins, I prefer pork and don't like venison. I also thought her dessert looked better as well. Although, at the end of the day, I didn't mind that Grant won. He seemed like a nice guy. Kennedy annoys me so I wasn't sad she didn't win. Her appetizer did look pretty but the rabbit dish with the splatters looked gross. Plus, I don't like rabbit. Her dessert looked fine.

[Drogo]

The outside of the “masculine” rabbit dish looked like something I would find growing between the paver stones on my patio.

Count me in on not knowing what makes food feminine or masculine. Though somehow, I do feel strongly that chicken noodle soup would be non-binary.

[Ancaster]

9 hours ago, chicagofan said:

Mmm...Lindor. Aren't the blue ones dark chocolate? My personal favorites are the seasonal ones around Christmas - white chocolate peppermint, peppermint cookie and snickerdoodle. And I'm open to sharing.

You're right.  It should be the other way around - blue = dark, red = milk.  Anyone who keeps kosher will understand my confusion.

Anyway, you are of course free to enjoy whichever ones you like but I'm afraid I never get the minty ones for they are an abomination on the face of the earth.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Ancaster

[AZChristian]

11 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Will the red ones be okay?  You can have the caramels too if you like, too sweet for me.  Or do you prefer a bar?  How about Ritter Sport with nuts - that's healthy.

I'm easy.  Any/all of the above.

[candall]

I'll take all those nasty white chocolate ones in the gold wrappers than no one else wants!

[jcbrown]

6 hours ago, candall said:

I'll take all those nasty white chocolate ones in the gold wrappers than no one else wants!

Just leave a few for me, please. Especially if they are the holiday peppermint bark white chocolate ones.

[Ancaster]

7 hours ago, candall said:

I'll take all those nasty white chocolate ones in the gold wrappers than no one else wants!

I think these are my favorite, but I'm generous with my virtual chocolate, so I'll share.

(This is reminding me of an old Jeopardy thread that turned into contributions for a potluck!)

 

[bluepiano]

On 9/21/2023 at 2:37 PM, Ancaster said:

You must have missed Gordon (mis)using it to describe someone's salmon, possibly the crispy skin, it was unclear.  Good job they don't work in the restaurant industry.

In addition to the multiple misused words cited by others, Joe said that the gelato in Grant's dessert "deserved accommodation." By which I assume he meant it needed its own hotel room. Fitting that for the finale the judges were in peak form.

I was glad Grant won. Of the three finalists, I felt he was the one most about the food and not self-glorification.

Question. When you go out to dinner, do you care if the chef is creating food that's an expression of their identity, or "personal journey," or do you just want it taste good? Especially at "Michelin star" restaurant prices. By the end of the show, I was so tired of Kennedy relating all her dishes to herself. (And I thought the rabbit dish looked disgusting, but then, I'd never eat rabbit).

I admit to being one of those hypocrites who eats meat but doesn't like the idea of hunting. But I still thought that between Kennedy and Jennifer's husband, there was way too much discussion on this show about killing, butchering, and maiming living creatures. 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by bluepiano

[Lurk]

I was so afraid that Kennedy or Jennifer would win. I think they were leaning towards one or the other of those 2 the whole season. I thought it weird that Kennedy didn't wear the hat, had her hair all fixed up and makeup done..... then she smacked that red glop on the plate and got it all over herself (and I noticed some splatters on Grant's back too). I hate when cooks on these shows splat stuff on the plate. I'm not a fan of goopy sauces and such anyway. I feel like all the little "artsy-fartsy" droplets and schmears of sauces and purees is unnecessary and unappealing.

[seacliffsal]

And, even with all of the 'blood' splatter on her plate, Joe still told Kennedy that she was, indeed, and artiste....  I know art is subjective, but I would never want to eat a dish that looked like Kennedy's rabbit.

I, too, think the producers and judges had another winner in mind (and I think it was Kennedy) but that mistakes/missteps were too obvious so they went another way.

[susannot]

21 hours ago, Lurk said:

I was so afraid that Kennedy or Jennifer would win. I think they were leaning towards one or the other of those 2 the whole season. I thought it weird that Kennedy didn't wear the hat, had her hair all fixed up and makeup done..... then she smacked that red glop on the plate and got it all over herself (and I noticed some splatters on Grant's back too). I hate when cooks on these shows splat stuff on the plate. I'm not a fan of goopy sauces and such anyway. I feel like all the little "artsy-fartsy" droplets and schmears of sauces and purees is unnecessary and unappealing.

Kennedy's slaughtered rabbit plate was the grossest, most disgusting thing I have seen on any Master Chef final.  I hope the show is getting a lot of backlash.

[Chyromaniac]

On 9/14/2023 at 4:41 PM, Daff said:

They actually do, but it takes a wealthy entrepreneur to get it to them. 

I live in the same area (Des Moines, IA) as Grant, and actually I used to work with, I guess, his dad - the older guy in the suit in the finale.

Anyway, this is somewhat accurate.  Des Moines doesn’t have a ton of seafood restaurants - but I believe that at least the most high-end one flies its product in daily from the coasts (and yes, it is owned by a wealthy entrepreneur).  Some of the others are also seafood markets, so they must get stuff shipped in as well.  Otherwise, the rest may be shopping at the same places I do- but to be fair, grocery stores here generally have seafood that is as fresh as basically anywhere that isn’t Pike Place or Fisherman’s Wharf.

in any case, whatever our seafood situation may be, we certainly have a ton of breweries.  I’m actually curious which one Grant works for- many of them have taprooms, so maybe he can become an on site food vendor.

[Daff]

Sorry, white choc is an abomination. Might as well swallow a spoonful of sugar with added fat.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Daff

[mertensia]

I know they do it to pad out the number of episodes, but I really don't care about the auditions.

[GHScorpiosRule]

You know, Jeet (the first Milliennial who made it through), not everyone watching will know what gajar ki halwa means! And the guest judge repeated it. When you can explain that rabri is thickened condensed milk (I loathe it actually), then how about saying that gajar ki halwa is carrot pudding? That is one of my favorites. gajar is hindi for carrot and halwa is pudding. But at least Jeet actually cooked from scratch! The one from last season-mideast-trying to showcase gulab jamun as some kind of fusion donut with other sweets as her signature dish? Clearly store bought. You cannot cook gulab jamun in 30 minutes. It takes at least an hour.

Though from the beginning, I was hoping the Sikh was one of the would be contestants. I think he may be Jeet's brother.

At first I thought Anna (Ukraine immigrant mother of two girls-who are absolutely cute and gorgeous) was exaggerating some weird accent, but then the longer she spoke, I could hear that it was an Eastern European accent.

I also like Si, the Vietnam refugee, and Mike, the last dude.

But please. SPARE me the sob stories! I don't want or need to be manipulated like that.

Joe was actually...not an asshole last night. But surprise, surprise! Aaron said no to most of the Millennials!

[fishcakes]

All the "my generation is the best!" talk might drive me away this season. That kind of thing is so tiresome, and how does it even apply to food? It was obnoxious enough last season with the geographical teams, but that at least made some sense in that there are geographical food differences/trends in the U.S. But this season the show would have us believe that only millennials use air fryers and boomers do what? Churn their own butter, I guess.

The only contestant I liked was the Vietnamese guy and his plate was the only one that looked remotely appetizing to me. It wasn't particularly special, but it looked like something that I'd want to eat. Everything else just looked bad.

[GHScorpiosRule]

19 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

But this season the show would have us believe that only millennials use air fryers and boomers do what? Churn their own butter, I guess.

😂

[Colorado David]

lol Joe again gets to be the 'no' man. its getting tired and predictable. i am glad the show is back tho.

[eel2178]

13 hours ago, mertensia said:

 I really don't care about the auditions.

 

1 minute ago, Colorado David said:

 its getting tired and predictable.

Especially after that 4minute intro showing the chosen contestants in the competition. We already knew who was going to be selected before they'd even cooked anything.

[eel2178]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

please. SPARE me the sob stories! I don't want or need to be manipulated like that.

We also already know that the contestants have already been chosen by the producers, so the whole "watch me cook" and "gee, I loved it" is all a moot point. The pre-selected contestants could pour store bought gravy over an army boot and still get on the show.

For some inexplicable reason, the producers think that a good sob story is reason enough to put someone on every reality show. Talk about being out of touch with your audience! 

[mlp]

4 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

though from the beginning, I was hoping the Sikh was one of the would be contestants. I think he may be Jeet's brother.

Same.  I wondered who he was.  They never said.

4 hours ago, fishcakes said:

But this season the show would have us believe that only millennials use air fryers and boomers do what? Churn their own butter, I guess.

LOL!  I don't mind the auditions but I hate the noise level.  All the cheering from the audience and the running and hugging and jumping up and down seems way overblown for a cooking venue.

Has Joe always had an earring?  I never noticed before.  It seems at odds with his personality.

[tinkerbell]

4 hours ago, fishcakes said:

All the "my generation is the best!" talk might drive me away this season. That kind of thing is so tiresome, and how does it even apply to food? It was obnoxious enough last season with the geographical teams, but that at least made some sense in that there are geographical food differences/trends in the U.S. But this season the show would have us believe that only millennials use air fryers and boomers do what? Churn their own butter, I guess

Yes, I hate the "generations" theme. I don't think people make food with the thought of representing a generation. And I don't like stereotypes of age groups. They don't apply across the board.

Besides, someone born in 1980 is Gen X, while someone born in 1981 is millennial. Do they have different styles of cooking? Different appliances, ingredients, spices? It's so silly to force people into categories by age.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I think this is like bringing in Oliver in the last season of The Brady Bunch. Are the ratings sinking? So they have to come up with these absurd themes?

All I know is if Jeet makes raita (yogurt and cucumber side dish, or it could be tomatoes) down the line, Aaron better not be saying Raieeeeeetha. It makes my ears bleed.  Dude should know how to pronounce it. Plus Spanish and Hindi are so similar, there is no EXCUSE! It's pronounced Rai-THa.

Edited May 31 by GHScorpiosRule

[Tango64]

Somebody help me out here with the would be contestant from Long Island, Lexi the witch with the fake eyelashes, terrible vegan loaf, and picturesque mother and grandmother. I know for certain I’ve seen her on some other show but I can’t remember where.

Does anyone else remember?

[mlp]

I've seen Lexi a couple times..  The only one I remember for sure was a cookie baking show.  I can't think whether it was a Halloween show or a Christmas cookie show that she made witchy cookies for.  She's one of those who just wants to be on TV.  I was relieved when she was rejected.

I sort of think she was on Chopped once but I could be wrong about that.