annabelle

I'll out myself as a hater of all things food truck. If Roy Choi thought they all sucked, then there were no losers in that QF. Choi's POV is the most bizarre fusion of disparate cuisines I think I've ever heard of: Mexican/Korean? No.

Say! We live in different house together, Smithy. My corner cabinet is just like that, sans kitty cats.

Those ice avalanches can be bad news, too. Smithy, does your home have cleats on the roof to break up the snow blanket? I had them on my houses in PA.

I wasn't trying to be provocative with the question, I just think that's probably the case. Jacques' old so I'd expect him to be old school about the ladies' getting their feelings hurt. And he's French.

Smithy, we have the same set up in our corner cabinet: large lazy susans in the lower cabinet and smaller lazy susans in the upper cabinet. I keep my spices in the upper cupboard (I have them alphabetized because I'm like that). I wish we had pull-out storage. Is that a Kohler faucet? It looks like mine, but I have a different sink made of a compound of some kind and extra deep. We got rid of our old porcelain sink when we did the granite countertops. Great blog! I love your well behaved cats, too.

I'm wondering if the judges would have made the same request of Nick if the other chefs had been men? Pretty sexist, to my mind.

Nice! And here I was just going to have my wall unit oven suffer a tragic accident, such that it would require replacement. I like your idea better, though!

Another of my goals is to sweet-talk hubs into buying me a convection oven.

I don't care who I'm cooking for, even if it's just me, I want it to look and taste good. I peel my broccoli and asparagus, too.

Haven't they done that in the past? Not sent someone home, I mean. Nick would have been a fool to give up his immunity for some foolish notion of "honor". And, Carlos is still a dick.

Agreed, Tri2Cook. It's one of the reasons I don't watch any cooking shows other than Chopped now and again. I remember when they tried to teach you to cook properly. Not in 30 minutes or for $10. Time hasn't compressed since the 70s.

I guess I'm alone in my quest for uniformity.

RR did always pitch herself as a regular gal, so I cut (see what I did there?) some slack. The reviewer was teh one who set me on my heels by calling her knife skills "second to none". Just no. Mine aren't as good as they used to be, but they are better than RR's. I enjoy watching the British Master Chefs shows since they showcase a great deal of technique. American television cooks call sloppy plating "rustic" which is fine if you're cooking at home or for a diner. Not so much when you want $100+ a cover at your restaurant. Also, I never want to watch anyone cook another pizza, hamburger or bowl of pasta on a cooking show. Ever.

For sure. I was reading a review ages ago about Rachael Ray's show and the author was praising her knife skills as "second to none." Uh, no. Chopping vegetables to pieces with a chef's knife, mostly into odd shaped chunks, does not equal "knife skills". If RR busts out some garde manger work, turned mushrooms and the like, then we'll talk.

Thanks for the memories, Lisa! How in the world that kid ever made it on the show is mind-blowing. I was practically in tears (not literally) watching him waste all that meat. Who can forget old whatshername that spent forever dicing a bowl of onions in a challenge? Huang stole the day with his mad cleaver skills on the chickens for the other team. I still fear my Chinese cleaver, but that episode gave me new respect for it.

I'm continually stunned by the lack of butchery skills possessed by tv chefs. I've seen more mangled fish, confusion about which cut comes from where, non-removal of silver skin, inability to deal with offal. Hell, most of them can't disjoint a chicken let alone bone one out.

Geez, dcarch. We get it. Yes, David. I have noticed that it is the "celebrity" chefs who most hack away and show no skill. These folks reside at Food Network.

Looking forward to it!

Minnesnowta?

I gave the George Foreman Grill to my son when he moved out. Problem solved!

I don't see any dog tracks. That space between the decking the railing could be for pushing snow off the deck. That's a pretty good drop in the property from the angle of the shot.

Katie Meadow, I want your pudding steamer.

Congratulations, Patrick! Show us some pictures when you get a chance, please.

Well, it's not here in Flyoverlandia. Peter the Eater in Newfoundland, maybe?

Porthos, get Barbara Kafka's "Roasting". It is the best: lovely pictures and wonderful recipes. It covers a lot of mains, but has a big section on vegetables, as well.