Top Chef S3E03: Cooking by Numbers

[Agatha Mystery]

I didn't see a thread for this, so hopefully I'm not duplicating.

Casey won the quickfire and immediately turned into a snob. She wasn't helping her team, and disappeared when they were plating their dish? I guess she was leaving all the work to them. Howie and Joey were right that the decisions needed to be left to them, as it was their butts. I think it's interesting that they all kissed and made up when she felt guilt and cried.

Not a bad episode. Hung is still Mr. Superior. :rolleyes:

[sharkster]

Not a bad episode. Hung is still Mr. Superior. :rolleyes:

He IS a legend in his own mind, isn't he? I (being the evil person I am) laughed when he got spanked in the quickfire challenge. Bwahahaha :p

[Jesda]

Hung is awesome, because he's such a prick.

[Agatha Mystery]

I'm sure t hat's why they chose him, due to his attitude. You've got to have people that will grate on each other. At least, that seems to be the pattern, like Real World.

[jradford]

He's fun to watch, but definitely oblivious sometimes. The whole "So creamy and sweet don't match? Ok..." followed by him smirking and saying "I had to call him out," was ridiculous. I'm guessing that Creamy and Sweet DON'T match if the Creamy tastes like crap.

Sorry to see whatshername go home. She was cute. It didn't seem like she got much airtime at all until this episode, though.

[pcguru83]

Sorry to see whatshername go home. She was cute. It didn't seem like she got much airtime at all until this episode, though.
Seriously. I thought I was pretty familiar with everyone on the show already, but she came as a surprise. She definitely hadn't gotten much airtime until this episode.

[Jesda]

I hate the hostess. She's plasticky, stuck up, and just repeats what the judges say.

Nice rack, butterface.

[jradford]

I hate the hostess. She's plasticky, stuck up, and just repeats what the judges say.

Nice rack, butterface.
A butterface? No way. She's got a hot everything, except she's a terrible host. Plus, I refuse to believe she knows anything about food.

[uncdrew]

A butterface? No way. She's got a hot everything, except she's a terrible host. Plus, I refuse to believe she knows anything about food.


Yeah, my wife says it's the most beautiful woman she's ever seen. I would require a lot more research to agree, but it's certainly a valid opinion.


Do you know who her husband (might be an ex by now) is? That was a shocker.

[gossamer88]

Why is it that when someone wins immunity and their dish is not up to par, they're coasting during the challenge? Meanwhile if you made a bad dish, you made a bad dish. And Tom saying why didn't they taste Casey's dish?! Why didn't the other team taste Camille's upside down cake!

[SoldOnTiVo]

Why is it that when someone wins immunity and their dish is not up to par, they're coasting during the challenge? Meanwhile if you made a bad dish, you made a bad dish. And Tom saying why didn't they taste Casey's dish?! Why didn't the other team taste Camille's upside down cake!

I think they're either thinking "I have immunity, so I can experiment" and the experiment fails.

or maybe they're just slacking off. :)

[Ruth]

All those desserts looked horrible. What on earth were they thinking?

[tem]

Padme is/was married to Salman Rushdie. I guess she got sick of the fatwas.

[MasterOfPuppets]

I thought Casey was surprisingly cute this episode.
I also thought mohawk boy was becoming rather stuck up with his whole "I've got big balls to experiment with dessert" stance.

[jradford]

I thought Casey was surprisingly cute this episode.
I also thought mohawk boy was becoming rather stuck up with his whole "I've got big balls to experiment with dessert" stance.
Dale (dale, right?) is clearly confident, but it was a stupid decision. If desert had been halfway decent, they WOULDN'T have given him credit for doing desert, they would have said, "I'm surprised you chose desert." It wasn't a ballsy choice, it was a weird choice. I did like that at the end he took some blame (maybe too much, it wasn't ALL his fault) for being the reason that whatshername got cut.

[Agatha Mystery]

I don't think he was completely to blame. They followed too easy on the desert thing.

And, seriously, who does pineapple upsidedown cake with cornmeal? Or, for that matter, for a group of gourmands? Pineapple upsidedown cake is an American tradition, and not upscale by any means. You'd have to do something wonderful with it (maybe some brany or congnac or something - maybe pound cake instead of yellow cake, but not cornmeal).

[GoHalos]

He's fun to watch, but definitely oblivious sometimes. The whole "So creamy and sweet don't match? Ok..." followed by him smirking and saying "I had to call him out," was ridiculous. I'm guessing that Creamy and Sweet DON'T match if the Creamy tastes like crap.


He's done this before (to the camera, not to the guest chef judge's face), where he said that the chef "clearly didn't understand the dish", or something like that. He is definitely delusional at times, but they have had one of his type on each season so far, just for the drama of it I assume.

[Jesda]

A butterface? No way. She's got a hot everything, except she's a terrible host. Plus, I refuse to believe she knows anything about food.

I'll concede that. Maybe its just the lighting.

[Agatha Mystery]

She is a terrible host. She also always wears sleeveless, or very short sleeved shirts. I find the scar on her arm distracting. It seems like she wears clothes that deliberately showcases it. If I saw a variety of clothing that hid it as well as showed it, I wouldn't think it was on purpose. It just seems that she's always doing it. It also seems to be the side that she always shows to the camera.

[GoHalos]

A butterface? No way. She's got a hot everything, except she's a terrible host. Plus, I refuse to believe she knows anything about food.

Just curious --were you around for season 1?

Padma is way better than the robot host of season 1 Billy Joel's daught... errrr.... wife Katie Lee Joel. Now she was a terrible host.

In comparison, Padma is a terrific host.

[WhiskeyTango]

She is a terrible host. She also always wears sleeveless, or very short sleeved shirts. I find the scar on her arm distracting. It seems like she wears clothes that deliberately showcases it. If I saw a variety of clothing that hid it as well as showed it, I wouldn't think it was on purpose. It just seems that she's always doing it. It also seems to be the side that she always shows to the camera.

I didn't even notice the scar until I watched this episode last night. I just thought it was a bruise or something since I had never noticed it before. Now that I know it's a scar, it's going to stand out to me every time she's on screen. :mad:

[Agatha Mystery]

I didn't even notice the scar until I watched this episode last night. I just thought it was a bruise or something since I had never noticed it before. Now that I know it's a scar, it's going to stand out to me every time she's on screen. :mad:
I noticed it the first episode, at least I think it was, where she dressed up in a dressy dress for the first elimination.

[Ruth]

She is *much* better than the first host. And she is lovely to look at.

The scar doesn't bother me. It's not like she is covered with tattoos by choice. In fact I kind of like to see women on TV who have imperfections and aren't pressured to cover them over with makeup or airbrushing. Real people have blemishes. She is still beautiful and I like that she has the confidence not to hide herself. Why should she have to be ashamed or hide a scar that isn't her fault?

[jradford]

Just curious --were you around for season 1?

Padma is way better than the robot host of season 1 Billy Joel's daught... errrr.... wife Katie Lee Joel. Now she was a terrible host.

In comparison, Padma is a terrific host.
No, I picked it up in Season 2. I don't hate Padma, I just think she's a bit of a robot, which is funny because I'm hearing that if Padma is a robot, the 1st host was an abacus.

Padma is great looking, and doesn't take much away from the show, in my opinion, so I can happily live with her.

[WhiskeyTango]

She is *much* better than the first host. And she is lovely to look at.

The scar doesn't bother me. It's not like she is covered with tattoos by choice. In fact I kind of like to see women on TV who have imperfections and aren't pressured to cover them over with makeup or airbrushing. Real people have blemishes. She is still beautiful and I like that she has the confidence not to hide herself. Why should she have to be ashamed or hide a scar that isn't her fault?

I don't think she should hide it or anything but now I'm going to notice it and it'll be like Fred Savages mole in Austin Powers..."Moley, moley, moley."

Anyway, I do think she's much better than the first seasons host. I still can't believe she was married to Salman Rushdie :eek:

[cmgal]

How did she get the scar?

[pdhenry]

How did she get the scar?Someone on another forum proposed that it was a motorcycle accident.
EDIT: Car accident when she was 14 (http://www.lakshmifilms.com/padma_lakshmi_press2.htm). She wears it as a badge of honor.

Doesn't any pro chef know that fresh pineapple interferes with gelatin setting? It wasn't powder vs. sheet gelatin; it was the pineapple.

[Ruth]

Doesn't any pro chef know that fresh pineapple interferes with gelatin setting? It wasn't powder vs. sheet gelatin; it was the pineapple.

Because of the acidity?

[cmgal]

Thanks pd. Interesting article.

[clreimers]

A butterface? No way. She's got a hot everything, except she's a terrible host. Plus, I refuse to believe she knows anything about food.

Her first cookbook Easy Exotic was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards at Versailles. She was host of the Food Network series, Padma's Passport, which is part of the larger series Melting Pot. She has also been a guest host on parts of the British culinary tourism show Planet Food, hosting the segments on India and Spain.

[pdhenry]

Because of the acidity?Some enzyme or other.

Google tells me it's bromelain (http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=113&id=835). It also says that you can destroy the enzyme by heating (which is why canned pineapple would be fine). Do I recall her working the stuff over the stove?

[Agatha Mystery]

Her first cookbook Easy Exotic was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards at Versailles. She was host of the Food Network series, Padma's Passport, which is part of the larger series Melting Pot. She has also been a guest host on parts of the British culinary tourism show Planet Food, hosting the segments on India and Spain.
One would think that she'd be better in front of the camera, then. She is the stiffest host I've ever seen on a show.

[GoHalos]

One would think that she'd be better in front of the camera, then. She is the stiffest host I've ever seen on a show.

Not trying to beat a dead horse or anything, but you must not have seen season 1 either, because Padma is WAY better in front of the camera than the original host, which should tell you something about the original host.

Padma is so much better than the first host, that I'm glad that she's on there, even though she isn't the best either.

[Agatha Mystery]

Not trying to beat a dead horse or anything, but you must not have seen season 1 either, because Padma is WAY better in front of the camera than the original host, which should tell you something about the original host.

Padma is so much better than the first host, that I'm glad that she's on there, even though she isn't the best either.
True. I haven't seen season 1. However, it still doesn't make her any good.

[ireland967]

It was interesting to see how Hung handles criticism - even Marcel was able to bite his tongue with comeback remarks, at least in public.

Today they announced Season 4 will be filmed in Chicago later this year.

[murgatroyd]

And, seriously, who does pineapple upsidedown cake with cornmeal? Or, for that matter, for a group of gourmands? Pineapple upsidedown cake is an American tradition, and not upscale by any means. You'd have to do something wonderful with it (maybe some brany or congnac or something - maybe pound cake instead of yellow cake, but not cornmeal).

You can do upscale desserts with cornmeal cake that has fruit in it. My local deli has it, with blueberries. It's quite good.

Pineapple is not the fruit I would choose. :p

And I agree that if you wanted to do upscale pineapple upside-down cake, you'd want to take the basic ingredients and fancy them up.

Pound cake is too heavy, nor is it especially high-falutin'. It is plain folks cooking, just as pineapple upside-down cake is.

The other problem is that you do need to be a good baker to have pound cake come out right -- it is not the cake I would recommend for a novice dessert maker.

Jan

[TivoDaddy]

I was laughing at Hung's attempt at foam....maybe he should get more tips from his buddy Marcel. :p

I'm surprised that neither Howie or Joey were booted. They have consistently been at the bottom with an occasional honorable mention here and there.

I'll take Padma any day, scar and all. :)

[Agatha Mystery]

You can do upscale desserts with cornmeal cake that has fruit in it. My local deli has it, with blueberries. It's quite good.

Pineapple is not the fruit I would choose. :p

And I agree that if you wanted to do upscale pineapple upside-down cake, you'd want to take the basic ingredients and fancy them up.

Pound cake is too heavy, nor is it especially high-falutin'. It is plain folks cooking, just as pineapple upside-down cake is.

The other problem is that you do need to be a good baker to have pound cake come out right -- it is not the cake I would recommend for a novice dessert maker.

Jan
Well, I'm not a baker. I was just throwing out ideas. I'd never think that cornmeal and pineapple would go together. I just figured that pound cake was more high-falutin' than a corn muffin.

[jradford]

Her first cookbook Easy Exotic was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards at Versailles. She was host of the Food Network series, Padma's Passport, which is part of the larger series Melting Pot. She has also been a guest host on parts of the British culinary tourism show Planet Food, hosting the segments on India and Spain.
That's all fine and good, but I don't think her food expertise is the reason she landed a hosting gig. She's obviously very interested in the art of food, but it still seems as though she's reading from a teleprompter or was fed the line.

Oh, and here is the rest of the entry that you cut and pasted, from wikipedia ;) :

Padma Parvati Lakshmi, Lady Rushdie (b. 1970) is a New York-based Indian-American model, actress and award-winning cookbook author. She is a graduate of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she majored in theater arts. Her first name literally means "lotus" in Sanskrit; Lakshmi is the name of the Hindu goddess of wealth.

She has been the host of the reality television program Top Chef since season two and an ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women. [1]

Padma Lakshmi was brought up as a vegetarian[2]. She has admitted that being raised vegetarian sometimes makes her "squeamish" when sampling other cultural delicacies. [3]

Her first cookbook Easy Exotic was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards at Versailles. She was host of the Food Network series, Padma's Passport, which is part of the larger series Melting Pot. She has also been a guest host on parts of the British culinary tourism show Planet Food, hosting the segments on India and Spain.[4]

Her second cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet is due for release in September 2007[5].

Lakshmi has a scar on her right arm above the elbow due to a car accident. It is about 5 inches in length.

On April 17, 2004 she married novelist Salman Rushdie in Manhattan.

On July 2, 2007 the couple filed for divorce.[6]

You also left out the part where she starred in Glitter with Mariah Carey. :D

[murgatroyd]

Well, I'm not a baker. I was just throwing out ideas. I'd never think that cornmeal and pineapple would go together. I just figured that pound cake was more high-falutin' than a corn muffin.

Nothing wrong with tossing out ideas -- and we basically agree that corn + pineapple was not a good idea.

And I love baking, but I can't say I'm good at it.

Jan

[Agatha Mystery]

Nothing wrong with tossing out ideas -- and we basically agree that corn + pineapple was not a good idea.

And I love baking, but I can't say I'm good at it.

Jan
I follow recipes well. :D I make some really great scones.


Inigo wanted to try making pound cake in the original way, after Emeril mentioned it once. A lb of butter, a lb of flour, a lb of sugar. :D

[murgatroyd]

I love pound cake. Especially with cheddar cheese, which grosses some people out.

Mmm. Scones. <drool>

Jan