Chopped

[Reignking]

I'm enjoying the show; this last week, the appetizer round had:

Chicken wings

Soba noodles

Celery

String cheese

and 1 other ingredient

I enjoy it because sometimes you'll see things you never would've thought of -- one chef deboned the wing and stuffed it with the cheese.

Two chefs turned out dishes so horrible that they wanted to boot both. Both of them cooked the chicken wing, put it on top of the soba noodles, and placed the celery and cheese on the side because they couldn't think of what to do with it. Absolutely pathetic.

[Pierogi]

Is it me, or are the combos of ingredients become less, shall we say, *esoteric*?

Tonight, for the dessert, it was chocolate chips, dried strawberries, rice crispies, and I think maybe marshmallow creme? The 4th ingredient was certainly something that went with the others.

Come on. Even I could create a dessert out of this, and I have like zero creativity.

The entree selection was kielbasa, fingerling potatoes, pepperoncini and tarragon. Even though I don't think the tarragon goes with kielbasa, I still think I could've pulled something together out of that.

Same for the ap. Shrimp, peanut butter, apples and something I don't remember, but it wasn't out of left field. Like all the cheftestants, I thought Asian, maybe a curry over an apple slaw/chutney.

When the series started, it was like "Which one of these things is not like the others" where you'd sit there scratching your head thinking about how they'd use that oddball ingredient.

I figure if *I* can come up with something that sounds passable, certainly anyone who has any professional culinary chops can do the same. The thrill was in the ringer. Now that that's gone, well, it's just another bad FN program.

ETA: The dessert cereal was actually Cocoa Puffs, not Rice Krispies. And because I can never remember if *dessert* has 1 or 2 "s's".....

Edited March 25, 2009 by Pierogi (log)

[ChristinaM]

Has anybody got any idea where us poor deprived UK peeps can watch this? You tube is hopeless (though v. good for other things)?

[Terrasanct]

I'm not sure why I'm still watching this, maybe because there are so few good shows in the summer.

I'm watching the episode where the dessert has purple sweet potatoes, the most recent one.

One chef served a messy plate and I thought chef Guarnaschelli was going to vault over the chopping block and beat her senseless. What's with all the glaring? This woman is eating food for a living and she can't get the sour look off her face?

I'm just hoping some competition will call for lemon and sauerkraut as ingredients to justify her expression. Do you think she's aware of how she comes off?

[WK2]

I'm not sure why I'm still watching this, maybe because there are so few good shows in the summer.

I'm watching the episode where the dessert has purple sweet potatoes, the most recent one. 

One chef served a messy plate and I thought chef Guarnaschelli was going to vault over the chopping block and beat her senseless.  What's with all the glaring?  This woman is eating food for a living and she can't get the sour look off her face?

I'm just hoping some competition will call for lemon and sauerkraut as ingredients to justify her expression.  Do you think she's aware of how she comes off?

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I always thought they must have been telling her to glare. I'm not sure why, though.

[DanM]

I am mildly curious what type of impact this show has on the careers of the contestants. I would not be surprised if some of a people who crashed and burned in the first round or made a really stupid sanitation mistake might lose his or her job over it.

Dan

[TimmDavis]

I am mildly curious what type of impact this show has on the careers of the contestants. I would not be surprised if some of a people who crashed and burned in the first round or made a really stupid sanitation mistake might lose his or her job over it.

Dan

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I highly doubt it. I look at it this way, anyone can win on any given day. Some days you have it, some you don't. Now if this were say a Black Box to get you a new gig, then maybe. But it's TV, and just being on the FN is going to be a boost to some of these people even if they don't win.

[Hard H2O]

I am mildly curious what type of impact this show has on the careers of the contestants. I would not be surprised if some of a people who crashed and burned in the first round or made a really stupid sanitation mistake might lose his or her job over it.

Dan

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I highly doubt it. I look at it this way, anyone can win on any given day. Some days you have it, some you don't. Now if this were say a Black Box to get you a new gig, then maybe. But it's TV, and just being on the FN is going to be a boost to some of these people even if they don't win.

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The time allowed doesn't give much margin for error. One screw up early on and they are done.

I am sure that under the glare of the lights and with the time constraint it is different than in a restaurant kitchen. I am sure that an emplyer would be able to see that and realize.

How many times has someone come in with undercooked poultry and when called on it they brush it off as the way it should be cooked or the judges are to old school for the work of the chef. The attitude of some of the young punks they have on would be more of a red flag to me.

I like the ones who own up to their mistakes. I like the ones who do not get all defensive in front of the judges.

It is funny when you have three judges saying a dish is over salted or has too much pepper and the chef insists that it is perfect.

It never ceases to amaze me when these chefs are given a hunk of meat that, even a novice like me can see, will take longer than the time limit to cook through and they still insist on cooking it whole or in big pieces. They are surprised when they carve it that it is pink in the middle.

[oakapple]

I am mildly curious what type of impact this show has on the careers of the contestants. I would not be surprised if some of a people who crashed and burned in the first round or made a really stupid sanitation mistake might lose his or her job over it.

←

I have not heard of chefs losing their jobs over this. It's just a contest. People realize that under the pressures of a contrived, time-boxed challenge, a chef might not give his or her best performance. If anything, I suspect that even the losers are better off for having done the show.

I do find the judges needlessly condescending. I'd love to see what Geoffrey Zakarian could do under these conditions.

[scubadoo97]

It never ceases to amaze me when these chefs are given a hunk of meat that, even a novice like me can see, will take longer than the time limit to cook through and they still insist on cooking it whole or in big pieces. They are surprised when they carve it that it is pink in the middle.

I was thinking the same thing when that big hunk of meat was put in to roast in the oven. And a consumer oven. What are they thinking?

[emilyr]

Ok, I'm watching with my mom right now and we were debating who was going to win. This seems like a really close episode. It's down to the last judging and they cut to commercial after building a bit of a climax and getting you guessing. So what's the first commercial of the break? A promo for next week's show with the winner of this week's. Blah. Makes me not even want to watch the last 6 or 7 minutes.

[Tri2Cook]

Dredging this up because they just showed the episode with the school lunch ladies competing and, although it's not new, I'd never seen it before. I have to say this was probably one of the finest moments on the show in my opinion. Yes, it was edited towards trying to tug at the heartstrings because there was an agenda behind the theme but it was awesome to see these ladies who do what they do for little money and pretty much no thanks or recognition compete with no snarkiness, no whining, no excuses, no complaining, no ego. Just big smiles and kind words for each other. They all seemed genuinely happy to be there even as they were eliminated. I found myself not even caring that the dishes weren't on the same level as what I'm generally used to seeing (when it goes well) on the show. They were giving it their all. Anyway, this can return to the depths now. Just wanted to say I enjoyed it.

[heidih]

Dredging this up because they just showed the episode with the school lunch ladies competing and, although it's not new, I'd never seen it before. I have to say this was probably one of the finest moments on the show in my opinion.

I did see that fairly recently and was also impressed with both the skills and attitudes.

As noted earlier by others, the ingredient combos are at times not just bizarre but over the top silly with the use of packaged products. Around Halloween it was one hideous candy in the savory baskets after another.

[johnnyd]

Portland, Maine, chef Melissa Corey takes the $10k last Tuesday with the following:

Corey’s appetizer mystery basket contained escargot, Calvados, pickled jalapenos and Chinese longbeans. Corey sauteed the escargot with garlic and shallots, then deglazed them with the Calvados and placed them on a grilled baguette. She served the snails with a side salad of spinach, the pickled jalapenos and Chinese longbeans. The salad was dressed with some herbs, extra virgin olive oil and some of the pickling liquid.

The entree mystery basket contained ground lamb, Stilton cheese, Chinese eggplant and birch syrup.

Corey made lamb meatballs stuffed with the Stilton and served them with a ragout of eggplant, capers and tomatoes. On the side, she had flatbread with more of the Stilton, some sage and the birch syrup, which is the reduced sap of the birch tree.

For the last round, Corey made a garnet yam rice pudding with coconut water and Thai basil, and a brittle made out of roasted noodles.