# Worst Cooks in America 01/03/10 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614 "2010-01-04T13:56:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/21 "2010-01-12T14:23:49Z")
> [@Angel of the Lord](#): > > they’d instructed the students to write the recipe down. The students didn’t do that, it seems, and so were totally lost. It’s likely that they took notes, and didn’t copy as instructed. But why would you write down the recipe if you think it’s going to be written on the chalkboard for you? Why wouldn’t you spend your note-taking time writing down other stuff that you need to know instead? I didn’t think it was fair that they took away the recipe without telling them beforehand that that was going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/22 "2010-01-12T14:43:59Z")
I just want “Velma” to get some new eyeglasses. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/23 "2010-01-12T16:09:00Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > But why would you write down the recipe if you think it’s going to be written on the chalkboard for you? Why wouldn’t you spend your note-taking time writing down other stuff that you need to know instead? I didn’t think it was fair that they took away the recipe without telling them beforehand that that was going to happen. Oh, I agree; it was a totally dick move. And, honestly, it’s a crap way of teaching. I mean, these are supposed to be people with zero skills; functionally, if they’re gonna cook something, they’re gonna have a recipe in front of them. That being said, I thought that they’d said to write the recipe down. Again, it goes to slavishly following directions and example. And, you know, providing the requisite amount of Reality Show Drama ™. ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/24 "2010-01-12T16:10:51Z")
> [@jali](#): > > I just want “Velma” to get some new eyeglasses. Ha! And Amy Winehouse-wannabe needs to tone it down, too! Did anyone else read somewhere that a female contestant tried to sue Chef Anne for sexual harrassment? This was a few weeks back, and since I hadn’t seen the show, I didn’t pay much attention. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/25 "2010-01-12T16:31:56Z")
> [@hellpaso](#): > > Did anyone else read somewhere that a female contestant tried to sue Chef Anne for sexual harrassment? This was a few weeks back, and since I hadn’t seen the show, I didn’t pay much attention. It doesn’t seem to have been a contestant on the show, [it was some of her former employees](http://n.newsclicker.com/?idFOD=foo4434F9pfrQ4rimination). ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/26 "2010-01-12T16:40:36Z")
The recipes: [Steak teppanyaki](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/new-york-steak-teppanyaki-recipe/index.html) [Teppanyaki scallops](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/teppenyaki-scallops-recipe/index.html) [Pan roasted duck breast](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pan-roasted-duck-breast-recipe/index.html) [Pork Milanese with warm autumn salad](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/pork-milanese-with-warm-autumn-salad-recipe/index.html) All of them are rated Easy on Food Network’s site. > [@gotpasswords](#): > > And the challenge was insane. How many home cooks will ever cook on a flat-top grill unless they take a job at Benihana? True. I’m surprised nobody got seriously burned. I think that’s what would happen if I tried cooking on a flat-top grill. ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/27 "2010-01-12T17:03:45Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > It doesn’t seem to have been a contestant on the show, [it was some of her former employees](http://n.newsclicker.com/?idFOD=foo4434F9pfrQ4rimination). Thanks for the quick response, Anne. And thanks for the recipe links! ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/28 "2010-01-12T21:13:49Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > And the challenge was insane. How many home cooks will ever cook on a flat-top grill unless they take a job at Benihana? > > I felt sorry for the one who nicked herself and broke down sobbing because she couldn’t let the chef taste it. Compare this to _Chopped_, where the name is apt - more than once, chefs on that show have hacked into their fingers and bled all over the studio and still served up a dish without a moment of doubt. That contestant breaks down sobbing at least twice per episode. I went from feeling sorry to being annoyed. ---
**Author:** ![BKReporter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@BKReporter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BKReporter)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/29 "2010-02-07T15:24:35Z")
Did anyone watch the finale? I missed it last weekend, but caught the rerun yesterday. I’m surprised Rachel won, as the judges didn’t really seem to have that many good things to say about her dishes. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/30 "2010-02-07T16:45:37Z")
I liked this show. For once, they showed amateurs making easy-to-avoid mistakes instead of great chefs or aspiring chefs who cook using ingredients I can’t even pronounce. I’m not a great cook, so watching others fail teaches me a lot more than watching a master at work 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/31 "2010-02-08T17:47:32Z")
> [@BKReporter](#): > > Did anyone watch the finale? I missed it last weekend, but caught the rerun yesterday. I’m surprised Rachel won, as the judges didn’t really seem to have that many good things to say about her dishes. I did. I was happy to see her win. I can identify with “sloppy but tasty” cooking. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/32 "2010-02-08T17:56:26Z")
I’m still cackling at Rachel’s appetizer for one of the dishes. She made [charosets](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charoset) and then topped it with _ham_. I was torn between the simultaneous giggling ew and the chutzpah of it. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/33 "2010-02-08T18:39:47Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > I’m still cackling at Rachel’s appetizer for one of the dishes. She made [charosets](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charoset) and then topped it with _ham_. I was torn between the simultaneous giggling ew and the chutzpah of it. She did something similar earlier - (the horseradish thing that wikipedia identifies as “Maror”) on her bruschetta. Anne didn’t seem to recognize what she was doing at all - and kind of paled at the list of ingredients. And I think I remember something else non-kosher about that too, but I’m not certain. In the end, I still didn’t like the show. I would rather see them turn into good home cooks, rather than restaurant chefs. The former is more useful and practical. And I’d rather not see them get “tricked” that wasn’t pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/34 "2010-02-08T20:30:53Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > She did something similar earlier - (the horseradish thing that wikipedia identifies as “Maror”) on her bruschetta. > Anne didn’t seem to recognize what she was doing at all - and kind of paled at the list of ingredients. And I think I remember something else non-kosher about that too, but I’m not certain. Maror is a “bitter herb”, often horseradish. It and charoset are associated with Passover. Bread, including bruschetta, is of course not kosher for Passover. It seems kind of weird to pair things that are so iconic of Passover with bread in a dish. It would be kosher at times other than Passover (well, without the ham), but it would be odd. A combination of sweet and savory is not too uncommon in Ashkenazic Jewish food. It is, however, not an immediate hit with every American adult who tries it. Another newbie cook’s mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misery_Loves_Co)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/35 "2010-02-08T21:20:52Z")
Crap - a spoiler on a thread dated 1/3/10 would have been nice, ya think? I’ll try to forget that, now. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614/36 "2010-02-08T21:55:28Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Maror is a “bitter herb”, often horseradish. It and charoset are associated with Passover. Bread, including bruschetta, is of course not kosher for Passover. It seems kind of weird to pair things that are so iconic of Passover with bread in a dish. It would be kosher at times other than Passover (well, without the ham), but it would be odd. Ah - I found it on a blog - it was a blend of horseradish, cinnamon, apples, and _prosciutto_ - on bread. Those first three were what triggered that it had something to do with Passover for me (I’m not Jewish, but I knew I’d heard those three ingredients mentioned close together somewhere before). And then I just completely laughed when she topped it with a nice slice of pig. I didn’t make the bread association - that’s even weirder. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america-01-03-10/523614.md?page=1)