Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Recap Roundup - Top Chef Seattle Episode 9

A Just Recompense has got to be spot on with this observation on the dinner guests: "Two hundred 'superfans' (the sound guy’s cousins, someone Tom picked off the street last week, the hunky busboy Padma took a shine to at the Space Needle) are on hand to serve as customers."

Minxeats on the Elimination Challenge premise: "Using the Kindle Fires (because Internet juggernaut Amazon needs advertisement) nearby, the cheftestants will watch a memorable scene from one of the previous nine seasons. They will use that scene as an inspiration to create a healthy version of the dish in question, and the winning dish will be bastardized into a future Healthy Choice Café Steamer. I think 'Café Steamer' is such an unfortunate name. To me it sounds like a euphemism for something someone would leave in a toilet at Starbucks. (And wouldn't local Seattle business Starbucks make a better sponsor?)"

Eater on the Quickfire judge: "The guest judge on this week's Quickfire Challenge is a stranger to our cookpetitors. They mumble, 'Who is that?' Padma introduces Bob Kramer, a 'Master Bladesmith.' I did not know that 'Bladesmith' was a thing. Why not just 'Blader'? Doesn't it sound much more natural to say that Bob Kramer is a Master Blader? "He is one of the finest Master Bladers in the country, and though at this point in his life he does not Master Blade as frequently as he used to, people pay upwards of 500 dollars an inch every time he Master Blades.' Bob Kramer worked in kitchens for ten years, and then he 'got sucked into the world of making custom knives.' Oh yeah, don't get me started on the world of custom knives. It's an infamously addictive world, and not a day goes by we don't hear another tragic story about a young professional vacuumed into the vortex of the glamorous custom knife world. Once a man has discovered Master Blading, it's hard to get him to stop."

Carol Blymire for the Washington Post on miso: "Not one of these dishes looked or sounded appetizing to me, and way too many of them incorporated miso. I don’t know about you, but I feel like miso is the lazy cook’s way to 'add flavor' to a dish. Dazzle me with something new and interesting. Know how to use salt and use it well. Cook with good product and make it taste the best it can. But don’t be lazy and throw miso into everything because it adds umami or deepens flavor. It doesn’t. It tastes like you added miso."

Allie is Wired on why John is the Most Hated Chef This Season: "The rest of the chefs are relieved to hear they are safe. They also get the details on John’s 99 problems/excuses. He stands by the pots being to blame for his awful risotto and exclaims: 'I’m pissed! I shouldn’t have to cook again. It was the pots!' I guess they really want to make sure we find him completely repulsive…John then grabs all of Lizzie’s dill that she agreed to share and then repeatedly leaves the oven cooking her meat open as he complains about her 'pushing him around' and constantly 'bitching' about his lack of common courtesy in the kitchen. He then goes on to say she should be thanking him for sharing the pickles. This guy is an incredibly sad human being."

Grub Street on healthy: "Speaking of potpies, Kristen wants to make a 'healthy' chicken potpie. Josie wants to make a healthy dish, too, since her job is teaching people how to eat wisely. Meanwhile, Brooke talks about being depressed, becoming overweight, and then losing the weight. Why all this talk of healthy food? I think it’s because our sponsor is Healthy Choice, the leading provider of food that’s not only nutritious but comes in brightly colored boxes."

HitFix on complicated: "Once the sharp, shiny objects are put away, Padma explains the ridiculously complex challenge. There will be three elimination rounds with three teams of three. For the first round, the chefs will have to sharpen dull knives. The fastest two teams move on. Next, the teams have to tourne fifty potatoes. In the third round, the winning team splits up and each chef competes individually. The chefs must then each break down and french a rack of two rabbits. The first chef to finish the rabbits gets immunity and a Bob Kramer blade. I really think it takes Padma longer to explain the challenge than for us to see it."

Posted on AllTopChef.com

2 comments:

MoHub said...

Where's Mary Alice?

theminx said...

On the Baltimore Sun site, I assume. The post wasn't up when I prepared this post, and I have better things to do than check back repeatedly.