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Top Chef Recap 5.10: Super Bowl Chef Showdown

partysugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:30:40 -0800

The outcome of last night's Top Chef surprised me: I was certain another cheftestant was going to go home. Did you catch the competition? Quaker Oats was the obvious sponsor of the quick fire challenge and the chef, Scott Conant, of New York City's Scarpetta acted as guest judge. What did you think of the Super Bowl themed episode? To discuss in more detail (warning: spoilers ahead), read more.

What did you think of the anti-climatic quickfire challenge? Were you surprised Stefan won the quickfire?
Is this season so boring that Bravo had to bring back old cheftestants?
Are the all-stars really stars? (I only remember the season 4 cheftestants)
How could Jamie not know what to make for San Francisco? She is representing SF!
Were you as happy as I was to see Andrew and Spike?
Carla: crazy or cool?
I was confused by the crowd judging. Did they get to taste the food?
When Carla said, "a 20 minute gumbo? It's going to be a little bit daunting." All I could think about was Rachael Ray. She could definitely make a good gumbo in a mere 20 minutes.
Does warm ceviche sound appetizing to you?
Were the judges right to send home Jeff?

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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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Is Food Network's Chopped a Ripoff of Top Chef?

partysugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:15:09 -0800

If you watch Food Network on a regular basis, you must know - by the bombardment of promotional commercials - about its new culinary competition, Chopped.

The show, which is described as a series that "challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets 'chopped' until the last man or woman left standing claims victory," is hosted by former Top Chef judge, Ted Allen. Although Chopped does not air until Tuesday, Jan. 13 (at 10 p.m.), many feel the show is a complete ripoff of Top Chef.

After watching the promo video, Eat Me Daily declared that "Food Network is totally trying to mimic Top Chef's more professional veneer, especially in the light of the more amateurish low-budget feel of the Next Food Network Star."

Spurred by the Internet's backlash against Chopped, Ted Allen has taken to his blog to defend the series. To find out what he had to say, read more.

Following a long, detailed description of each episode Allen states:

There also is a culinary straightforwardness about this show that I find really satisfying, and particularly appropriate for a company called Food Network. There is no sleep deprivation, no "Big Brother" house full of bunk beds and cameras, no booze-fueled personal drama (as much as we all love the brainwashing and catfights on that certain show I used to judge). There are no team or catering challenges. Best of all, there is no product placement, so you never see passionate lovers of good food being forced to use packaged convenience junk thanks to Kraft/Altria/Exxon's sponsorship.

I'll admit when I first heard about the show, I wondered if it would be too similar to Top Chef. What do you think about the competition's resemblance? Is Chopped a cheap, made-for-the-masses knockoff?

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A Peek at the Food and Wine Classic Cook-Off

partysugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:00:09 -0700

The most hyped part of the Food and Wine Classic is the culinary competition that takes place on the last day of the festivities. The Classic Cook-Off pits the reigning Top Chef winner - this year it was Hung - against master French chef Jacques Pepin and his BFF Jean-Claude. The chefs were given a whole salmon, a bunch of ingredients leftover from the previous day's demos, and 18 minutes to create a dish and a cocktail. While Hung created a delicious-looking salmon and a frothy coconut-milk cocktail, the Frenchmen wowed the crowd with their salmon appetizer, salmon entree, wasabi cocktail, and souffle dessert. To catch a glimpse of the competition, check out our exclusive video below!

For more pictures of the cook-off challenge, including images from the second competition that featured Michael Symon and Tom Colicchio vs. Roy Yamaguchi; and a look at the celebrity chefs who were in the audience, read more.

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59 1/2 Hot Dogs in 12 Minutes

YumSugar — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 03:58:19 -0700

Even if you're not a competitive eater enthusiast, I'm sure you've probably heard of Japanese champion Takeru Kobayashi. You've probably seen him on the news because he holds just about every record and award for competitive eating. I say just about every because this past weekend Kobayashi's record was smashed by 22 year-old Joe Chestnut of San Jose, California. During the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship in Tempe, Arizona, Chestnut devoured 59 1/2 hot dogs (plus buns) in 12 minutes. The previous record of 53 3/4 was set by Kobayashi at last year's Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York. At the same event, Chestnut actually came in second with 52 hot dogs. Something tells me that this means FACE OFF at this year's 4th of July event. Either way I'm flabbergasted, I just don't understand how anyone can pack away that many hot dogs.

To check out video footage of last year's hot dog battle, read more

Source: Fox News and AP

Do You Enjoy Amateur Cooking Competitions on TV?

partysugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:50:38 -0700

The other night I turned on the Food Network to find yet another Food Network Challenge with some random chefs facing off for a money prize. While I enjoy reality culinary competitions like the Next Food Network Star or Top Chef, I'm just not interested in watching no-name amateur chefs run around trying to create something. I prefer to watch a professional or celebrity chef in a more educational program. How about you?

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Food Network's New Show Is Not About Competitive Eating

partysugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:51:22 -0700

Yesterday the Internet was abuzz with rumors about the Food Network's new competitive eating show.

However, I spoke with a source at the network today, and she informed me that, contrary to gossip, the Food Network is not filming a competitive eating series. According to PR manager Lisa Krueger, the show is more like a culinary version of The Amazing Race. Called Eat the Clock, Krueger says it will feature "two teams who will race through a variety of culinary hot spots and compete in challenges for the ultimate chowhound smack-down." Apparently the words "ultimate chowhound smack-down" were mistaken for competitive eating.

While I find competitive eating to be quite disgusting, a show about it has the potential to be a hit. Still, I'm interested to see what Eat the Clock is about. Will you watch? Are you more inclined to watch if competitive eating were involved?

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Fruitcake Beats Kobayashi in Charity Eating Competition

partysugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:00:58 -0800

Takeru Kobayashi, once the unbeatable star of the competitive eating world, failed to break the fruitcake eating record last Friday. This isn't Kobayashi's first fall from grace: He was beat by Joey Chestnut in Nathan's Famous hot dog eating competition and the Krystal Square Off World hamburger eating championship.

To break the record, Koby had to eat more than 4 pounds and 14 ounces of fruitcake in ten minutes. He had never tasted fruitcake before and came just 6 ounces short, consuming 4 pounds and 8 ounces of the dense cake. While competitive eating may seem like an excessive, useless sport, this competition, held in Queens, was a charity event that raised money for the Food Bank of New York City.

Although the majority of you are done with competitive eating, would you think differently of the sport if every competition supported a charity?

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Sally Winslet Is an Award-Winning Onion Pickler

partysugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:45:58 -0800

Looks like Oscar nominee Kate Winslet isn't the only award winner in her family. The British actress's mother, Sally Winslet, affectionately known as the "Queen of Shallots," is an award-winning pickler. Yesterday Sally won the annual onion pickling contest at her local East Reading pub, the Retreat. This is the third year in a row that Sally's pickled onions won the competition. Upon accepting her title, Winslet explained what made her onions so special:

There are a lot of good onions here. I just boil up the spices with sugar and when the balsamic vinegar is cold I pour it over the onions.

Over the past six months, pickling has become incredibly popular, and Anna Winslet, Kate's sister and Sally's daughter, who was on hand at the competition, couldn't have put it better when she said, "Everyone should be a pickler." No word on Kate's pickling skills, although she is known to be an enthusiastic, yet accident-prone cook.

Are you surprised to learn that Winslet's mother is an award-winning onion pickler? Do you pickle?

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Student Dies in Eating Competition

partysugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:15:52 -0700

Last week, a student in Taiwan died during a steamed-bun-eating contest. The 23-year-old was participating in his university's annual eating contest, an event that featured 60 students split into 30 teams of two. The student couldn't stop vomiting and fell unconscious during the competition. Although he was rushed to the hospital, it was too late. The cause of the death remains unclear, but some believe he choked to death.

At a time when American major league eating competitions are gaining popularity, I hope the news of this death will force people to wake up. Is a competition involving overeating - in a world where people starve to death - really necessary? What do you think of the news? Are you sick of hearing about eating contests?

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