divalasvegas

Well, upon reflection and especially in light of the most recent comments posted here, I've lost any and all sympathy for the Scotts. To be duped by a self-serving, opportunistic friend is one thing; to be a willing participant on your "special" day is quite another. If indeed, as has already been suggested, they agreed to this chirade for socio-political reasons--maybe to promote acceptance of same sex unions--then they may have created the opposite affect since by accepting Colicchio's offer they have trivialized and cheapened what should have been the sincere and joyful union of two people in love and rendered the whole ceremony anything but special. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Scotts on Bravo in the near future with their own crappy reality show cashing in on their new-found and undeserved fame. I still feel sorry for how the contestants were treated/abused in the making of this episode including Napoleon, er, I mean Stephen.

After reading the comments posted by StephMac and jgm upthread about the wedding challenge--great recaps from both of you BTW--and also because I managed to miss this episode (I'll have to catch the rerun at some point), I decided to check out Colicchio's blog on this episode. I cannot emphasize enough how thoroughly disgusted and appalled I am by his comments which included: If they were indeed given only one hour to purchase the ingredients, how the Hell were they supposed to "source" the salmon? Does anyone have any idea on how much time they had between creating the menu and making the trip to the supermarket? Okay someone has already asked the question which begs to be asked again: WHAT THE HELL WAS COLICCHIO SMOKING? Dude, put the pipe down for goodness' sake and check into the nearest rehab! What professional caterers that he knows of actually prepare for a reception for 100 people in this manner? And as for the wedding cake, which from the photo I saw on the Top Chef website, I thought it looked pretty damned good given that none of these people are pastry chefs. Also, isn't the wedding cake usually prepared by a professional bakery and not the caterers? Well for me the moment of truth would be that anyone would do this to a "friend" on his special day. For someone of the supposed experience of Mr. Colicchio to promise a great meal given the absurd limitations HE imposed on the chefs is beyond ludicrous. When I first heard about this particular challenge, I really couldn't fathom that he and his cohorts meant that this was going to be a real reception, for a friend no less. I wonder if Scott had any idea that he and his guests were going to the butts of a truly bad reality tv joke? Mr. Colicchio, how tacky, low class and sad. Colicchio's Wedding Reception Comments

I hope I'm posting this request in the right place. I quickly scanned all eight pages of this cook-off which is most impressive. Tonight I would like to attempt to make Cincinnati-style chili for which I'm having a major craving. This style of chili was discussed here and there was a recipe for Skyline Chili posted by mizducky. But between this recipe and the tons of those I saw on the internet there's a great deal of variation. The only consistent ingredients to all of these recipes is ground beef and salt. Depending on the recipe, the other ingredients mentioned are as follows: Crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, beef stock, beef bouillon cubes, worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, cider vinegar, white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, garlic, onions, green pepper, celery, chiles of various kinds or none at all, chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, coriander seed, cloves, black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, chopped unsweetened chocolate or unsweetened cocoa powder, and on and on. I've got approximately 2 lbs. of 80/20 ground beef that I'm willing to experiment with but I just need some guidance on which ingredients/proportions should be used for 2 lbs. of ground beef. For instance for that amount of meat, I've read through several recipes calling for both one bay leaf and five bay leaves, for there to be anywhere from 1/4 tsp. to a tbs. of cinnamon, for a tbs. of chili powder to 1/3 cup. I know that this isn't supposed to be a very spicy chili and should be rather loose in consistency. Any insight on reproducing this style of chili made by early Greek immigrants to Ohio? I've had this in restaurants a few times and would appreciate a homestyle recipe or even a knock off restaurant recipe. Many thanks.

Thanks jgm for saying this. Exactly, this is tv, so called reality tv which I can't believe that I'm watching, but I am nonetheless. It's amazing that the Stephen-haters here (some of whom are probably the same people who worship Gordon Ramsey who I personally cannot stand) don't get that. Stephen's the guy you love to hate, but I also think that he-- this may be really shocking to some of you, so hold on to something sturdy--is possibly playing to the cameras. Gee do you kinda, sorta think it's possible that's he's going all out in the overbearing obnoxious sommelier department so that he will be kept on week after week and perhaps parlay his onscreen persona into bigger and more lucrative things? Duh. And before the Gordon Ramsey lovers fire up their keyboards about how accomplished and brilliant and talented he is and therefore has the right to treat people like shit because of those attributes let me be very clear that I don't approve of the Stephen's condecending attitude but I do believe he will go far and that he should and probably will learn to tone down his need to educate people and talk down to them. I mean, he has no chance whatsoever of winning this so-called competition and I think he knows it. He's only 24 years old people and has a lot of learning and living to do. Gordon Ramsey on the other hand is 50 plus years old and is still a gigantic tool IMHO and a very rich, famous, and successful one at that. Oh, and before I forget: my name is divalasvegas and I STILL like Stephen.

Interesting. So they're repeating the same crap. Tony I remember when I saw your interview and then the rest of the show that, well, they just didn't fit together. However, if there's any shame associated with those responsible for this I don't think you have anything to squirm about. Probably those who really need to hang their heads think this was must see tv at its finest.

I saw a show on Fox with this exact same name years ago. I seem to remember them mentioning Kitchen Confidential and Tony Bourdain being briefly interviewed. It's been a long time since I saw that show but I believe that he reiterated some of the topics in his book such as not selecting items from a menu that included hollandaise sauce, when not to order fish, etc. Mostly it was a "caught on tape" type of show exposing people in stand alone restaurant kitchens and chain restaurants doing nasty things to food and to their subordinates. Some of it was silly, some of it was truly disgusting and disturbing as I recall. One standout was a "chef" blowing his nose into plates before they were sent out to the FOH to somehow get back at his boss. Another was a real asshole of a head chef being both verbally and physically abusive to his kitchen staff most of whom appeared to be Hispanic immigrants. A real pig. Yet another was in a chain doughnut place I think where an employee was shown handling food after she had handled money without washing her hands. That was bad enough. However she then went on to relieve an itch placing her hands under her pants and scratching very near her "nether regions" shall we say and once the itching was done went on to handle food again. Ugh, got to stop remembering this, getting increasingly nauseus. Grub did any of the above appear in the show? Also, did this look somewhat dated? I believe I saw this show in the late nineties.

I just have an idea: you may want to call Yank Sing and see if they do mail orders. They just might... Yank Sing's website including phone numbers ← Thanks so much Det. Tracy, er, Ah Leung for the information. I've emailed their sales and marketing representative. Their website indicates that their products can be found in stores all over the US, but if there aren't any convenient to me at least can place an order, if necessary. As for the prices, if they are as delicious as you describe, I think they'd be worth every penny. Of course since I was on their website I just had to check out their menu and thanks to you, now I'm starving!!!

Like they show in some movies... I played Dick Tracy and went back to the original digital and blew it up: The brand name you sought is "Flying Goose Brand" (not duck ). That's hard for me to tell. Yank Sing Chili Pepper Sauce is widely available in the Asian markets in both Northern and Southern CA (99 Ranch and others). I have no idea if they made it to the East coast or elsewhere, but I think they probably did. ← Thanks for your detective work Ah Leung. Duck, duck, goose anyone? Actually I found a link to a company that sells Flying Goose products. Looks yummy: Flying Goose Products Online Unfortunately this website is for ordering large quantities of products by stores only and not for individuals. However, I still found it useful/educational to see the vast array of sauces and other products one might find when shopping for Asian ingredients. I guess I'll have to do a bit of investigating of my own for those other sauces here on the "left coast." Thanks again. Edited for additional comments/clarification.

Thanks for the hot sauce/condiment tour Ah Leung. That aisle sounds like heaven indeed. I look forward to your evaluations of the different brands and the how you use them. I have a question about the sriracha sauces depicted. I recognize the one with the rooster on the label (the company is Huy Fong?) But I'm intrigued by the other bottles of sriracha you photographed with the different colored caps and different flavors with the duck on the label. I've never seen these before. Do you know the name of the company that makes those? Also are the sauces that you prefer the most -- Yank Sing Chili Pepper Sauce and Yank Sing XO Sauce -- widely available across the US or are they only available on the west coast? Anxiously awaiting your next installment.

Hello, my name is divalasvegas and I like Stephen. God help me, but I do. I think he's probably equal parts intelligence, dedication and good old fashioned bullshit. If he can just figure out how to speak to people and not at them, he'll go far. I've been trying to play catch-up with this show which, like many others here astounds me, since I basically loathe reality tv. However, I think Harold has the best chance for winning. I like the looks of his food and his style (and he's not exactly hard on the eyes either). I especially appreciated his "whatever" attitude about accompanying Chodorow to Cannes, especially contrasted with Dave's reaction as if Jesus Christ Himself had requested his presence at the second coming. That was truly priceless. Someone upthread mentioned him (Harold) complaining a lot, but what I find endearing about him is that after he's bitched and moaned, he gets on with the task at hand. I admire Lee Anne's take charge attitude and willingness to take responsibility for her food and her decisions. I think she's Harold's main competition. I'm a bit weary of the ridiculousness of challenges such as doing a restaurant opening in 24 hours which included constructing a menu, shopping, prepping and cooking all of the food, deciding on the theme/decor and purchasing all of glasses, plates, etc. Stunts like this have very little to do with determining a top chef and is really all about giving the folks at home a rollercoaster ride of drama. Given that, I thought both teams did rather well given the constraints. And BryanZ it's not just Stephen's persona and the way he dresses, it's that WALK of his! I mean really.............. how many endless hours in front of the mirror did he have to put in to perfect that damn walk? Makes me think that name "The Bubbling Orgasm" is best suited for the way he moves rather than that dessert on his website. Work it Stephen! Work it baby!

Hello all. Well I think I've finally reached my personal mac and cheese nirvana. This was absolutely the best mac and cheese I've ever made. However, warning: mac and cheese purists look away! The reason why will become apparent shortly. I did a combination recipe using this one from Paula Deen: The Lady's Cheesy Mac That's not me being especially polite to Ms. Deen, that's the actual name of the recipe. I also used (this is where the purists should avert their eyes) andiesenji's tip to use a can of Campbells Cheddar Cheese soup. I must admit that I was skeptical about using this product. I normally make a roux, then a bechamel, then add a ton of grated cheese. As I have a problem with standing for long periods of time this process has always been, both literally and figuratively, a real pain. I used a one pound box of Barilla mixed shapes pasta: penne, shells, and the corkscrew shape (rotini?). Definite keeper. I followed Paula Deen's recipe using medium, sharp, and extra sharp cheddar cheeses. I also upped the cheese to about 4 cups or so. I then added the said can of cheddar cheese soup plus extra whole milk. This was hands down the most delicious mac and cheese ever and the easiest approach to this recipe--creamy, super cheesey (in a good way), this stuff even tastes good cold. Thanks a bunch to Paula Deen (I knew that when I comes to packing as much dairy as humanly possible into one dish, Paula was definitely my gal ) and to andiesenji for the tip.

I saw the Peru episode last evening. Beautiful people, beautiful country. I appreciate how through his words/observations Tony is able to make one feel like they're with him through the good (Machu Pichu and the very knowledgeable lady guiding him), the bad (sipping on some local yucca concoction fermented using human saliva; I actually got queasy watching that) and the ugly (well at least Tony pointing out that the farmers featured weren't living some idyllic close to the earth lifestyle; he told the ugly truth about how hard it is for them to eke out a living for themselves and their families). I thought the comments at the beginning of this episode by a local woman who recognized him as "the guy who eats strange things and suffers" was hilarious. And once again Action Guy didn't let us down. Yes Tony goes swimming with the pirahnas WITH A HUNK OF RAW MEAT IN HIS HAND! A note to Mrs. Bourdain: I think it may be wise to make a substantial increase in your life insurance policy on your husband. Did anyone else notice that his ever present cigarette was mostly absent? I'm sure that being 11,000 feet above sea level had something to do with it.

I think you're dead-on mizducky about this show being must see train wreck tv. As for your challenge to name additional "celebrities" here goes: Vanilla Ice (hey, even his name is food related) Downtown Julie Brown (haven't seen her in eons; someone that annoying needs to be on this show) Flava-Flav AND Brigette Nielsen (shockingly, I think they broke up ) Mr. T ("I pity the fool who touches my zucchini!") Lil' Kim (hurry up since she's headed for the Big House soon) More suggestions anyone?

I hate that jarring sensation too! It's even worse with claypot steamed chicken with rice - there are always bone shards in the rice! Don't get me wrong - I love the taste of the rice, mixed with the chicken fat & sweetened soy sauce, and tender chicken, but I wish they would debone the chicken first... ← Those bone shards that you hate chocomoo brought to mind that I have the same reaction to crunching down on a piece of hard pasta or rice. I know that in some cultures--I believe Persian is one of them--the crunchy rice at the bottom of a pot of rice is very prized; but it only racks my nerves. Also, as for my stray egg shell phobia, does anyone else get creeped out when they see someone on a cooking show crack an egg on the side of a mixing bowl or if the camera does a close up and there's a piece of eggshell floating in the bowl? I actually cringe when I see that even though it's food that I'll obviously never ever taste. Same goes for when I see one of them juice a lemon over a bowl and proceed to drop in and leave the seeds. Ugh. I hate accidentally biting into one of those as well. Wow, I guess I have a lot these "peculiarities." On the upside, however, I have managed to deal with crunching down on a piece of whole spice such as a cardamom pod in certain Indian dishes without totally freaking out, so I'm at least making some progress.

Shaya I share your revulsion at seeds but not tomato seeds: raspberry seeds. Can someone, anyone here please tell me how you get through a dessert or any other dish including raspberries and avoid those horrible seeds lodging themselves in your teeth? I've tried crushing them against my tongue and just swallowing without chewing but at least one always gets stuck in one of my teeth and drives me insane until I can dislodge it. Reminds me of the horrid crunch of a bit of stray egg shell (another food phobia). Love the flavor of raspberries though. It would be a gift from God mizducky if plastic was substituted in ALL wooden stick bearing foods. Plastic would be quite acceptable and safe. And freshherbs your aversion to the hard edges on toasted bread comes close to my similar phobia against round cereal like Cocoa Puffs, Corn Pops (corn flavored rocks), etc. Same nerve shattering roof-of-the-mouth sensation. Actually when I eat cereal it has to soak for a while because of that very aversion to cereal that's uh too crunchy.

Like you GG and Taubear the wooden stick thing, both figuratively and in reality, sets my teeth on edge. One of the most singularly unpleasant eating experiences. Other "phobias": - Being in the presence of someone "misusing" ketchup such as pouring it on eggs or grits. I can bear someone adding ketchup to steak, but only barely. - Being in the presence of excessive food swirling where the offender proceeds to whip his/her plate into one huge mass of food. - Having certain foods touch each other. For example, for the typical Thankgiving meal lineup it must be turkey, then mashed potatoes, followed by stuffing, cranberry relish, a little space then whatever green vegetable is being served. AT NO TIME MUST THE CRANBERRY RELISH TOUCH THE POTATOES NOR CAN THEY EVER BE EATEN TOGETHER! Whew.

These videos are great! I'll definitely try the potato trick. The crab meat removal trick looks both entertaining and efficient. One unsaid tip however was to start with freshly cooked, hot or warm crab since I've found that the cooler crab gets the harder it is to get out of the shell, at least for me. Now are there any Japanese tricks for a quicker, easier way to get the meat out of the body of the crab? I use the Eastern Shore crab picker method.

You have to consider yield. A bone-in wing is only 54% edible, while a bone-in breast is 80% (source: USDA Argricultural Research Service Nutrient Data Laboratory). Using your prices, breast meat (and skin) is $4.61/lb; wing meat (and skin) is $4.98.But I think divalasvegas is on the right track. You'll never get enough fat into a breast to make up for what's in a wing. They're 9% and 16% fat, respectively; remove the skin and separable fat from a breast (something that's impossible to do with a wing), and the fat content drops below 2%. So you have to make it up with moisture, and a brine can do that for you. As for cooking technique, I'd deep fry. There's some science that says that the fat in yolks attracts fat from the cooking medium, so if greasy is really what you're after, find a recipe that includes egg yolks. They'll also increase richness, and batter can carry some seasoning -- again, substitutes for the missing fat. ← Thanks for doing all that math Dave the Cook. I never considered the fat percentages nor the percentage of edible meat. Your deep fried suggestion sounds delicious. I think we should challenge scott123 to a chicken breast cookoff using several of our suggestions and see which one he likes the best.

Wow, consider yourself lucky scott123 that chicken wings are more expensive than chicken breasts where you live. I went to Safeway online to double check and currently found (Purdue brand) whole chicken wings at $2.69/lb. while whole chicken breasts on the bone were $3.69/lb. Anyway, are you trying to get the same texture as buffalo wings or are you just going for succelent, juicy chicken breasts? If it's the latter, I think you should just pan fry them in a cast iron skillet, Southern-style. The main thing that I've found in making the chicken breast as well as the other parts tender and juicy is to do a soak with buttermilk. Only a couple of hours would make a difference, but I think overnight is best. Then remove them from the buttermilk and drain/wipe off the buttermilk with just enough moisture to hold whatever seasoning you use, then dip in flour--just regular all purpose flour, then pan fry. BTW, the chicken breast is normally my least favorite part of the chicken; at least it was before I started using a buttermilk soak as part of the preparation. Also, I recall a fried chicken cookoff on an episode of Martha Stewart Living. It was just between her and a woman from Kentucky. Their styles were pretty similar with only a couple of exceptions. One thing Martha did was that she preceded her buttermilk soak with an all salt water brine of the chicken. I haven't tried that yet, but I think I will since it would probably make the chicken even tastier. You can also season the buttermilk before putting in the chicken. I saw this done a few years ago on a public broadcasting cooking show called Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields (he has a corresponding book which can be found on Amazon). He added sliced or crushed garlic, onions, herbs, hot sauce, and other seasonings to the buttermilk for extra flavor before frying. Good luck.

Hello again Rochelle. I'm sending out healing thoughts to that right arm of yours. I saw a product demonstrated on one of the home shopping channels that specifically addressed mixing using only one hand. Here's the product: Multi-Angled Mixing Bowls Essentially the lids double as a non-skid base for the bowls that prevents slippage on your countertop and also allows one to angle the bowl for mixing without using the other hand to stabilize it. As maggiethecat, tejon, and highchef mentioned upthread in a short while you'll be doing a lot of one-handed cooking once the little one arrives, so I think these bowls may come in handy (no pun intended) long after your arm heals and life with baby begins.

Rochelle I'm so sorry to hear this and join everyone here in wishing you a speedy recovery. As you know, I am mobility impaired, mostly involving not being able to stay on my feet for a great length of time so I understand a lot about having to figure out different ways of doing things. Your situation is of course different from mine, but I have a few suggestions. 1) I'm sure as a professional chef/instructor and do-it-yourself home cook you are used to prepping fruits and vegetables in a way that make sense for the recipe: mincing, dicing, julienne, thin slices, and so on. Unfortunately, the last thing you need after breaking your right arm is slicing your left hand. At this point I think you'll have to concentrate on recipes that call for the kind of rough chopping and slicing one would get from a food processor. 2) Using a food processor, how about rough chopping/slicing vegetables all at once to be used throughout the week for things like soups, stews, braises, chili, etc.? After each batch of the usual suspects--onions, mushrooms, celery, carrot, fennel are chopped then hubby or someone else could put these in freezer bags (even better if you have a vacuum sealer for this) for use during the week. Since many fruits don't freeze well or hold up in the fridge for very long, use the food processor for those that do: oranges, lemons, limes and leave the peeling and slicing of other fruits that you'll be using immediately to helpers. Depending on how agile you are, you can probably take care of berries yourself. 3) As others here have suggested, the only safe recipes for you can be those that you can do safely with your left hand: stirring, some stir fry, maybe sauteeing. I'm sure there'll be more sage advice for you here coming your way soon. Take care.

It's already aired here on our local public broadcasting channel, WETA. And yes it was a part of a fundraiser. But who cares? It's Julia! I just happened to catch her while channel surfing. The one I caught was "The Lobster Show" with Julia being as charming and informative as ever. I remember that she's the only chef on tv that ever explained that there was meat in the body cavity of a lobster and of course demonstrated how to extract it. I'll always miss, admire and adore her.

Thanks so much for the feedback sizzleteeth. Only 16 days!? I just knew that you were going to say that you were there for severals weeks or even a few months. You seemed pretty fearless in your wanderings. Had you been to India before and did you have a guide/guides in each area? Although my knowledge of India is next to nil, I was definitely surprised that you would say there was meat everywhere; completely opposite of what I had assumed. Though you didn't mention it in your response to my questions, I noticed while perusing your photos that you were even served pork chops there. Eating dough balls cooked directly on the cow dung coals? Tony Bourdain has nothing on you.

Beautiful images sizzleteeth. I'm still making my way through them and enjoying them immensely. I do have a a few questions. First of all, how long were you in India? You sure did cover a lot of ground. Also, you visited so many different regions could you describe what the cuisines are like in each region? As I flipped through your photos, you mentioned cooking classes and some truly standout meals. Could you please provide more details about those classes and meals? BTW, a co-worker recently returned from a trip to India (Mumbai). Interesting heritage as she is half Indian, half Syrian but, as she has been teased profusely, looks Latina! Anyway, one of the things she said upon her return was that any one who doesn't like vegetables needs to visit India because if they still don't like vegetables after a visit there, they never will. Agree?

Thanks for getting us those recipes TAPrice. After reading (and re-reading) them it brings back just how delicious looking/sounding his dishes were. As money driven as FTV is, I can't understand why they haven't jumped on creating an ICA cookbook. Probably because of their low opinion of the culinary skills of their target audience they believe that such recipes would be above their heads. If not a cookbook then at least they should do what you did and contact each chef's publicist so they can post the recipes on their website. Thanks too Sandy for your info on Lester Holt. But I especially appreciate your dish on Bryant Gumbel. THE MAN HAS A CHEESE PHOBIA!? I always knew there was something off about that guy.