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Hell's Kitchen Recap 5.3

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:00:53 -0800

Last night's episode of Hell's Kitchen was very interesting. Ironically, it was both one of the most disgusting challenges and one of the most glamorous episodes. I can't imagine being the losing team - their punishment was so revolting that I felt sick watching them - and I envied the winners, who took an extravagant trip to Santa Ynez wine country via private jet. To read my opinions of the episode (spoilers ahead!), and share your thoughts, read more.

Would the two-part beef cut identification challenge have intimidated you?
Can you imagine how tired the chefs must have been? If I were operating on three hours of sleep, I wouldn't be able to think straight either! (I still, however, wouldn't have pulled a Lacey and labeled the front of the cow with the "bottom-round" cut.)
Which team have you been rooting for: red or blue? Which seems stronger to you?
Would you have done what Robert did and given up your wedding plans to be on HK?
Eating cow kidney, tongue, and liver after cutting apart a cow would have made my stomach turn, too. Would you have gotten sick like many of the girls did?
I think steakhouse vet Giovanni deserved to be nominated for his poor performance on the grilling station. Was getting rid of Charlie the right decision? Should Seth have gone home instead?
Who are the sharpest cheftestants? Which ones are your favorites?

If you didn't catch the episode, here are my favorite quotes from the show:

Gordon, on Seth: Where's the off button?

Colleen: Chef Ramsay's the arrogant, vicious attack dog.

Andrea, on Lacey: Oh, I sure have a bitch switch, and you f*cking hit it ever f*cking time . . . Couldn't Lacey have fell and twisted her ankle?

Gordon, on too-rare steak: It's still walking, that f*cking beef!

Robert, on the blue team: We've been on top of the world. It's time to get some humble pie.

Gordon, on Seth's ruined fillet: What are you going to do, get Daddy to buy you a new one?

Photos courtesy of Fox

Have You Ever Shucked a Scallop?

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:45:01 -0800

On last Thursday's episode of Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay showed the chefs how to shuck scallops. I found the brief lesson to be incredibly informative, as I'd never shucked a scallop before. Have you?

Photos courtesy of Fox

Hell's Kitchen Recap 5.2

YumSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:36:54 -0800

Last night was only the second episode of Hell's Kitchen, but I already feel disappointed by the turn of events: My favorite contestant went home. To hear what I thought of the show (warning: spoilers ahead!) and share your two cents, read more.

Did it surprise you that Coi apologized to Lacey?
How could you not laugh out loud when Colleen fell into putrid-smelling crate while bobbing for scallops?
I learned a lot from Gordon's scallop shucking 101. Have you ever shucked scallops?
Don't you wonder how Gordon selects people to sit out and/or to do dinner service?
Were you half expecting someone to cut himself during the shucking challenge?
Have the producers honed in on all of Lacey's bad moments? Only three of her six scallops passed, and she got the brunt of Gordon's beef - but just one out of 10 of Paula's made the cut! Does she have no work ethic, or simply not enough self-confidence? If it were you dealing with Lacey, would you have taken the Carol approach or the Ji approach?
Did you think it was creepy that Seth knew so much about Gordon's personal life?
Why would Gordon have Robert take the ferry to Catalina Island, only to have him turn around and go right back?
Do you think Colleen really is a cooking school teacher and owner? How is that possible?
Were Colleen and Lacey the right people to be up for elimination? What about Carol? Don't you think she came down a little too hard on Lacey, and not enough on herself?
Were you shocked when Ji sent herself home?

If you didn't catch the episode, here are my favorite quotes from the show:

LA, on scallops: I have no experience with scallops. I didn't know they came in shells.

Lacey, on shucking scallops: If the people on earth that ate scallops saw the scallop like that, they wouldn't eat 'em.

Gordon, realizing no one in HK had ever shucked scallops: Un-shucking-believable!

Gordon, to Colleen: You frazzle my mind. Every time I look at you, I think headache.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Hell's Kitchen Recap 5.1: 16 Chefs Compete

YumSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:00:45 -0800

We recently introduced you to the contestants on the new season of Hell's Kitchen, and many of you said you were excited to watch the season premiere. After watching the first episode last night, it's safe to say that this season, there'll be lots more of Gordon Ramsay in store. To hear my first impressions and discuss the episode (warning: spoilers ahead), read more.

Don't you wish the show told you which restaurants the chefs came from?
It bugged me when Lacey presumed others think, "Here's another pretty girl trying to be a good cook." Did her comment get to you as well?
Isn't it strange that Colleen didn't get high marks for her dish and isn't trained formally as a chef, yet she charges so much money to train other people how to cook? Wasn't it awkward when she offered to serve Gordon a bite? And what was up with him not being able to pronounce her name?
Did Gordon make the right decision by choosing the winning team based on dining room service?
Is it just me, or does Lacey seem immature, Seth like a Gordon groupie, and Giovanni mean, unskilled, and a little shady?
Was Wil stupid or respectable by nominating himself for elimination?

If you didn't catch the episode, here are my favorite quotes from the show:

Gordon to Robert: This dish is clumsy. Like you.

Gordon on Colleen's signature dish: You seriously charge $300 to teach people how to make that crap?

Giovanni on cooking: It was an easy way to get a girl to my house. Instead of taking them out to dinner, I could bring 'em home . . . then you move on to the next level.

Lacey, on the girls' canned team name: Not everyone wanted "Spice Rack," because not everyone has a spice rack.

Seth on Gordon calling him "Forrest": [Insert Forrest Gump accent] Gordon and I will be like peas and carrots once again.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Will You Watch Hell's Kitchen 5?

partysugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:45:06 -0800

The new season of Gordon Ramsay's cooking competition, Hell's Kitchen, premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on Fox. Are you excited? Will you be watching?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Meet the Contestants of Hell's Kitchen Season 5

partysugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:30:23 -0800

Although it doesn't begin until January 29th (at 9 p.m. on Fox), I've got the inside scoop on the participating contestants of Hell's Kitchen Season 5. Sixteen aspiring chefs will have the chance to win a "head chef" position at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The only thing that will stand in their way is the formidable Gordon Ramsay. Interested in getting to know the contestants? Start clicking. Photo Courtesy of Fox

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Hell's Kitchen - 3.5 Recap

partysugar — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:01:18 -0700

While nobody burned in hell on last night's episode of Hell's Kitchen, there was plenty of the usual mayhem. Dishes were burnt, Gordon was angry, and the Hell's B*tches (the loving nickname to the all-female team) were back in full force. Forgive me if these recaps have started to sound a little like the Hell's Kitchen narrator, but I just can't help it... For the first time in Hell's Kitchen history, the teams cater a wedding as their challenge (hmm... sounds strangely like the first episode of the Next Food Network Star). To see what happened when the contestants created a meal for the most memorable day of one lucky (??) couple's life, read more

The teams are brought by SUV to Bristol Farms where Ramsay informs them that they will be catering a wedding the following day. Each team has $100 and 30 minutes at the grocery store to create a tasting menu of three dishes: an appetizer, a fish, and a meat dish. Back at the kitchen the teams are given an hour to prepare their 3 dishes for the bride and groom, who are coming in to taste and choose the wedding reception menu.

Melissa takes it upon herself to become the leader of the red team. Instead of leading, she rudely bosses the girls around, doesn't allow Bonnie to answer any questions and second guesses Julia's ability to properly cook duck. In the end, she is the one who overcooks the duck and declares it unfit for the bride and groom to taste. The bride and groom prefer the boy's crab appetizer to the girl's dessert-like brie/strawberry/puff pastry dish and the girl's fish over the boy's. Melissa throws a tantrum stating that the girl's duck should not be presented to the bride and groom. Ramsay overrules her and poor Jen is left trying to describe a plain, overcooked duck breast.

The boys win a trip to a day spa while the girls are left to transform Hell's Kitchen into a beautiful wedding. Melissa is super condescending and the girls, myself, and anyone watching begin to despise her. On the day of the wedding, she really screw up by oxidizing and over-cooking potatoes, causing tension between her and Rock and accidentally spilling all of the girl's sabayon into the water bath. Not even Ramsay can take anymore of her behavior, puts her in her place and demands that Jen lead the red team.

The girls are the obvious losers and Ramsay asks Jen to nominate two of her teammates for elimination. She picks Melissa and Bonnie. When Ramsay calls Melissa forward and asks her to remove her chef's coat, he shocks them all by handing her a blue coat and telling her she will be cooking on the boy's team now. Bonnie is sent back to the line as Ramsay leaves us all anticipating what will go down next week, when we once again meet in Hell.

There were tons of good Ramsayisms and here are my top 5:

You're standing there acting like a jumped up little cave woman... now do as you're told.
Bloody well done, you won hands down.
When was the last time you had a massage? Never? Make sure you keep your pants on.
Shut the f**k up for 30 seconds and you might learn something. Now stop being a stubborn little b*tch and move your ass.
Oh piss off you little sabotage.

Usually I think Ramsay is too mean, but his cave woman nickname for Melissa was right on. What is up with her hair? And what on earth is on her chin, does she have a goatee??

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Let's Dish: Hell's Kitchen 4.5

partysugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:16:09 -0700

Last night on Hell's Kitchen things started to heat up. The chefs clearly showed signs of stress and low morale. They competed individually, each making their own gourmet pizza. The girls won the challenge for the third week in a row, beef wellington was finally mentioned - I was beginning to wonder if Ramsay had taken it off the menu, the dinner service was completed, and Ben looked like a donkey, again. To discuss all of this and more, read more.

I was surprised at how well the chefs did during the gourmet pizza challenge. I thought it was going to be another signature dishes disaster. Now let's talk:

Do you think they had to make their own pizza dough? Or did Ramsay provide each chef with premade dough?
Does anyone know what a ding-a-ling is? Where is this term from? Petrozza called Matt one and I found it insanely funny . . .
Why can't the boys work together?
Wasn't it ironic when Ben - who has a mohawk - was making fun of Louross' mohawk?
Were you surprised by Vanessa's decision to leave Hell's Kitchen?
Petrozza's meat-slicing trick: gross or acceptable?
In your opinion, who is a better chef, Rosann or Christina?

In case you missed it, here's the best of Gordon Ramsay!

On gourmet pizzas: You take something ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary and serve it for an extraordinary price. This is my white truffle pizza. Who would have thought there could be a $200 pizza?!
On Matt's crappy eggs: Ugh, they're like implants!
On Rosann's mashed potatoes: They're like piss cream, what is that? I don't know when you are going to think about waking up, but I hope it's soon. Can you stop tapping and do something? She gets confused over a f***ing vegetable. Rosann: not good enough!
On Jen's comment that she has the power to control her status in the kitchen: Let me just tell you something, that's my f***ing job chef!
On Rosann's performance in the kitchen: Madam, you completely screwed your team!

Finally, did anyone catch the very end of American Idol? Ryan Seacrest hilariously introduces Gordon Ramsay as the "nicest chef on TV."

Photos courtesy of Fox.

Hell's Kitchen - 3.1 Recap

partysugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:50:18 -0700

Last night Fox aired the third season premiere of "Hell's Kitchen", hot shot British chef Gordon Ramsay's reality show. It was my first experience with Hell's Kitchen and what a memorable, yet traumatizing, experience it was. Why anyone in their right mind would volunteer to go into Hell's Kitchen is beyond me. You couldn't pay me in Dior handbags to put up with the condescending, rude, and completely disrespectful behavior and attitude of Ramsay. Sure he is a world renowned chef with Michelin stars and acclaimed restaurants, but in my opinion, no amount of fame, fortune, or success should grant you the right to poorly treat, profusely curse, and yell at people you hardly know. This of course, is the entire premise behind Hell's Kitchen. Twelve contestants have joined Ramsay in the kitchen for a chance to be the head chef at a new Italian restaurant in Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa in Vegas. Unlike Top Chef or the Next Food Network Star, in this competition the contestants have to cook in a real kitchen for real people. To see my thoughts on last night's episode - including my top 5 favorite Ramsay quotes - just, read more

The show begins with Lord of The Rings type music, a voice over, and the contestants being driven to the kitchen in large black SUVs. The 12 competitors, equal parts male and female, are greeted upon arrival by the restaurant's maitre'd, Jean Philippe - whose accent sounds oddly fake to me. Ramsay appears on a balcony like the Wicked Witch of The West and orders the crew into the kitchen requesting them to prepare a signature dish or as Ramsay says, "you on a plate". Time's up and Ramsay lavishly opens one platter after another asking the creator of the dish to kindly step forward and explain their dish. He hates all but two or three of the dishes; giving compliments to the attractive, long haired Melissa and to Eddie, the guy with a growth-stunting kidney disease (why do reality shows always have a token odd contestant???).

Next they are separated into two teams, the boys versus the girls, and are told that they will cook in the restaurant's kitchen on opening night. An hour goes by and neither team can get an appetizer ready, the girl's fail miserably to fry an egg and the boys' pasta, according to Ramsay, "tastes like gnat's piss." Brad takes the lead for the boys and things look up as they start to crank out 29 of their 50 appetizers. Julia, the short order cook, has a breakdown because the girls ignore her and don't let her attempt to fry an egg. Aaron, the big Asian cowboy, cracks and starts to cry after he can't temper eggs for ice cream and has cooked the chicken until it is dry and inedible. In the end the boy's run out of chicken and lettuce, and the girl's never catch their stride. Ramsay shuts Hell's Kitchen down and the customers leave angry, unfed, and hungry.

Ramsay declares the girl's as the night's losers, although both teams performed poorly. Melissa is asked to nominate two members of her team for elimination. She nominates Tiffany, the girl who couldn't fry an egg if her life depended on it, and Joanna, the feisty African-American girl who picked a fight with just about everyone but Ramsay. In the end Tiffany was justly eliminated.

In case you missed it here are my top 5 favorite Ramsay quotes from this episode (I recommend reading them aloud in a growling tone with a British accent):

"Where's your horse? I've never met an Asian cowboy... you are one chunky monkey, aren't you? How big are your f**king fingers?"
"Your pasta is like glue."
"Sir, would you mind wiping the snot off of your face before we have chicken and snot?"
"Ladies I've never seen girls b*tch so much... it was just evil and twisted hell's b*tches!"
"Touch that egg! It's like a plastic silicone implant!"

Finally, does anyone know where I can find a recipe for chicken fried chicken penne???

Who Is Your Favorite Food Reality Contestant of 2008?

partysugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:45:24 -0800

What would the food industry be without reality TV food competitions? 2008 was filled with interesting characters, odd-ball personalities, and plenty of heat in the kitchen. We covered the three main shows: Top Chef, Next Food Network Star, and Hell's Kitchen. While we love Stefan and Fabio from Top Chef 5, we thought to be fair, the poll should include only contestants from completed seasons. So as part of our ongoing Best of 2008 coverage, tell us: which cheftestant is your fav?

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