But the difference between a good Creme Brulee/Flan and a shitty one can be tremendous. I cook the damn things, even have my favorite recipe jotted down, and as much as I’d like to say that they are always perfect, they’re not.
And I prefer the carmel sauce layer to the hard sugar shell, personally.
I burned the hell out of my finger during the Great Flan Experiment of 2004 (or was that 2005)? You’ll get no flan love from me!
I didn’t watch the first two seasons, so maybe Ramsey has changed, but I seem to recall all the hype about Hell’s Kitchen talking about how brutal and cruel he was to the contestants. That was a major point brought up…he was mean. In the three episodes of this season so far, honetly, I haven’t seen that. I mean, he’s got a temper, obviously, and is pretty foul mouthed, but I haven’t seen any outright cruelty. He yells at them if they mess the orders up, and even more so if they try to lie to him or cover it up, but I don’t think that’s unreasonable. He even seemed to go out of his way to worry about Aaron’s health, even sending him to lie down instead of doing the preliminary task and having him do the less strenuous fish deboning last week.
So, has he softened this season, or is his “meanness” just hype by the people at the Fox marketing department?
He was never what I would call brutal or cruel. He’s demanding, blunt, and tempermental.
Fox marketing pretty much. He wasn’t any different last season (I saw most of that one, and that’s all I’ve seen). Yeah he’s a prick in the kitchen, but he knows what he’s doing and he’s not just being a tempermental diva.
But has Fox called him brutal or mean? I’ve never seen it.
I keep wondering what kind of a reception Jen will get when she heads home to her pastry chef job, as well. She may have just panicked and done something unutterably stupid in the heat of the moment, but I agree that it will probably have lasting repercussions for her.
Regarding poor Aaron, I must take exception with those who say he is just a wuss. Without knowing the nature of his disability, it is unfair to judge him. IANA health care professional, but one of my co-workers whose father died of complications from diabetes agreed with me that pretty much all the symptoms he displayed–including the cramping, emotional distress and mental fuzziness–could be attributable to some kind of blood sugar problem. I am sure that there are other conditions that would account for them, as well.
As far as Aaron’s age goes – what of it? Is the implication that someone his age (48, actually, not 50) shouldn’t dream of making it big, or is it that his age somehow makes his supposed wussiness more egregious?
Maybe it was a little harsh, but I’m pretty much over sympathy for people who choose to put themselves in situations that they know they can’t handle. Especially reality shows. Aaron, the producers, and ol’ Gordo himself knew the dude had no chance in hell of competing for the restaurant. Hell’s Kitchen is in its third season now, so there was plenty of evidence about how… hellacious the show is.
I’m 35 and I question if I could keep up with all of the humping of the potatoes, waking up at 5 am, etc. of the show. And yes, being 48 would suggest that common sense might prevail. He know’s he’s a little on the frail side; why exacerbate your health issues by going on the show? The producers are interested in watching you crash and burn because it makes good TV. Let some other sucker take the bait. Nobody’s drafted to be on reality TV, and if you know you’re going to look like a goob, perhaps it’s an opportunity best passed up.
Now if you’re 48 and in great shape, go for it. If anything, I would have a smattering of sympathy for Eddie who was eliminated last week. He seemed to be able to keep up, and Rock’s jackassery led to him getting the boot before Aaron, which was bullshit.
I’m cheap and eat at Waffle Houses in town or on the road. Watching the cooks is very interesting. They get hit with all sorts of orders and most cook the orders without looking at tickets, exactly along the lines of what GR does during the show. You have to be able to cook multiple types of foods, timing everything right and going from memory on the order.
If she were running a kitchen would she need to cook every single item or simple make sure her line cooks were getting the food out on time? I don’t know because I’ve never worked in food service but I would imagine that being able to run the kitchen is given the most weight.
Julia really rose to the top during breakfast. She ran her group then took over the men. GR even asked her if she was in over her head and agreed when she said no. Clear favorite at this time.
This is a great question and point. A Chef de Cuisine needs cooks under him that can actually cook, will uphold standards, knows recipes, and exhibits leadership. That is what this contest is about. It’s a forge in fire and passing of the proverbial knife, the sigil of the culinarian. Ramsey only expects what he would give, and that can be a tough order. The best chefs have experience, but a flair makes the great chefs. She is a reliable Chef and with the office and time she will probably exceed. Most cheflieness is a plodding, unwavering, work ethic and practicality… not haute.
Or, in other words she would have to entrust the line cooks with her food and be certain of their chops. She would ultimately be responsible for the food whether she cooked it or not… if she wins she will have the same roll as Ramsey. Chefs entrust their staff with the food, and they prove their mettle. She knows what that’s about… the question is can she lead and inspire good cooks like herself. And my answer is, she should have their respect with her ability.
See, the other contestants all have line cooks or prep cooks like her serving under them… they know they can’t match them in time and experience on the line so they have to out pretense them. They feel that she is literally beneath them in the hierarchy of “prestige”.