Tag Archives: Top Chef

Titanic Musings;The Great Expedition, Motley Fool Does Titanic, and a Memorial for Harold Lowe

*The Great Expedition to Titanic had to depart early due to a hurricane but got some real neat photos of the wreck. And it showed the wreck still is quite visible demonstrating the decay rate is slower than some speculated.

*Over in Belfast a developer in the Titanic Quarter went after a man who put down money for an apartment but could not complete the deal due to being unemployed. Three years ago Neil Rowe put down money for a £265,000 apartment. Alas the poor economy cost him a job and he cannot get a mortgage. The developer though wanted him to pay the balance and took him to court arguing although broke he still owed the money. In simple terms, they wanted to the court to recognize he owed the debt but the judge turned them down. They can still seek damages if they choose.

*Motley Fool did an analysis of Premiere Exhibitions (the owner of RMS Titanic, Inc.) in light of the recent salvage award. They write: “In sum, we’re not sure exactly what PRXI is worth at the moment, although we think its pretty safe to say its worth a lot more than its current price (paraphrasing Buffett, you don’t need a scale to tell a man’s fat!). Seems like an easy lay-up that will likely generate an outsized return over the next six months with very little risk (and better yet regardless of what the general market does as a whole). That said, its possible an investment today may require some patience but given Sellers commitment to monetizing his stake in the near-term, the significant and undisputed embedded value in the titanic assets and the progress to-date regarding the company’s turnaround efforts, our guess is that good things will happen sooner rather than later.”

*Fifth Officer Harold Lowe of Titanic does not get a lot of notice and Maddie Mathews, a Harold Lowe16 year-old schoolgirl, thought that was wrong after seeing Cameron’s Titanic. So she launched a campaign to get Lowe, who also hailed from Wales, to be properly commemorated. She wrote letters to local councils and historical associations asking for their assistance. The town of Barmouth, where Lowe spent much of his youth, is setting up a committee and invited Maddie to sit on it. The purpose of the committee will be to erect a memorial in time for the 2012 centenary. Descendants of Lowe have been contacted and delighted by the news. Good work Maddie!

*If you saw Cameron’s Titanic, then you saw William Murdoch depicted as a coward. This bothered many Titanic enthusiasts and historians saying it was inaccurate. Scott Murdoch, a nephew of William Murdoch, demanded an apology for how the movie depicted his uncle. He got one from Scott Neeson, vice president of 20th Century Fox, who said it (the movie) never intended to show William Murdoch as a coward and any implication was inadvertent. Scott Murdoch passed away in August and was in his 90’s. RIP

On Non-Titanic:

*Top Chef Boring continues on to Singapore. They had to make meals in the final challenge that could be freeze dried and eaten by astronauts. The highlight was Buzz Aldrin, a man who has walked on the moon. Anthony Bourdain was there and actually criticized Ripert’s (who he calls Ripper) criticism of Ed’s dish as too complicated. There are critics of Ripert who say he is too bland or too exacting in his standards. He is much better than that walking cliché Toby Young. Young must have had flash cards to memorize dozens of totally useless cliches to throw out during his tenure on Top Chef. Michelle Bernstein put him in his place and his totally weird comment about wine and hairy armpits (which caused Tom C. to put his head down on the table in disbelief) probably was the nail in the coffin. Ripert at least is constructive in his criticisms. Bourdain would make a great judge (and has done well as a guest judge in the past) but he is too busy to be there full time.

*Top Chef Masters? Former cheftestants are back! Yes we will bring back some of the favorites of past seasons who flamed out at the end or near the end. Oh please tell me this is just some sick publicity joke. We do not need a season of former cheftestants battling out to see who amongst them is SECOND TOP CHEF (which is what they are since they were beaten). Perhaps for fun they ought to allow failed cheftestants from Chopped or Next Food Network Star to compete as well. Hey maybe that bankrupt gal from that New Jersey show could toss a table over as well. 😉

Top Chef Rules For Cheftestants

Okay so this is not related to Titanic per se (although gourmet food was served about the ship) but I happen to be a fan of Bravo’s Top Chef.  In watching the many seasons of the culinary contest, there are some rules that become evident that will either make or break a cheftestant on the show. So here are a collection of rules, in no particular order, for aspiring cheftestants. Obviously others may be added as needed. By no means it is inclusive; I doubt I thought of everything. 🙂

1. Going to culinary school goes far on Top Chef
It is a fact that on Top Chef that those who go to culinary school usually do much better than those who do not. The reason is that most cooking schools, especially the well known ones, teach a lot of important techniques that being self-taught you might miss out on.  A self taught chef can produce good food but is at a serious disadvantage to someone who has mastered the art and cooks like it is served in a fine upscale restaurant.

2. Never Over Salt! Ever!
Perhaps one of the biggest hits on a dish is to make it too salty. In most cases, it is a death sentence for the chef who prepared it. Usually they ask if you knew it was too salty. If you answer no, they question your palate. If you answer yes, they question why you sent out the dish in the first place. Either way it is bad and puts you on the top of the list to be eliminated.

3. Light touch on seasoning fine; Under seasoning bad.
If too much salt is bad, under seasoning a dish is just as bad. The result is bland tasting food that just needs that extra dash of something to zing it up. It is not as bad as oversalting a dish but if it is combined with lackluster presentation and food that ought to have been better, your now on the list to be eliminated.

4. Do not make something you have never done before.
One thing that sinks aspiring cheftestants is deciding to cook something they have never done before. Unless you are familiar with the ingredients, it is best you stick with what you know. Otherwise expect the judges to be very tough in making you defend the dish if it turns out wrong.

6. Check your food for doneness.
Serving raw seafood (unless sushi or a cerviche), raw poultry, or too rare a meat will get you a fast ticket to the bottom. Likewise overcooking will end you at the bottom as well. Never assume it is cooked right by merely looking at it.

7. Avoid complicated dishes unless you tie it all together.
All the components of a dish must go together. Do not, repeat do not, just throw things together and hope for the best. Judges will zing you hard for this and worse if it tastes bad.

8. Never put something on the plate unless it relates to the other components.
One thing that trips up a cheftestant is putting something on the plate that simply does not belong there. Slices of cheese or fruit ought to complement not stick out like a sore thumb.

9. Avoid funky or strange combinations UNLESS you know how to make it work right.
Butterscotch, peanut butter, strong cheeses have been the death knell for a dish and the chef who prepared it. Even if you know how to do it perhaps it would be best to let it pass on this show. Judges are finicky and picky about what they like and dislike. Certain sweet and peanut dishes are good dishes in their homeland but not necessarily in the Top Chef dining room.

10. The Classics Trap: Your dish must recall the original.
Top Chef often asks its cheftestants to take a classic dish and make it something new. What this requires is ingenuity and skill to remake or update it. Remember though it has to hearken back to the classic dish. This is especially true if you have to deconstruct it. All the components of your dish must line up with the original in some way.

11. Crispy good, soggy bad.
This has been the doom of many a meal on Top Chef. When the dish, like a corn dog, has to sealed up and taken elsewhere to be served the risks of it going soggy are high. Steaming occurs while it is enclosed making your once crispy food soggy. Failing to understand this bit of food science will put you high on the list to be sent home.

12. Make sure the dish you serve is as advertised.
A few seasons back one of the cheftestants cooked Coq au vin. The judges all loved it but there was a problem: it was not Coq au vin. The dish requires a rooster not just a regular chicken to be served. And since many of the judges were classically trained French chefs and knew what the dish was, they had to give the win to another cheftestant. Likewise one cheftestant called his salad “Waldorf” but the judges pointed out it was not even close to the classic (and not very good either).

13. Overconfidence and arrogance is a dangerous combination.
It seems almost a Top Chef axiom: those that are overconfident and arrogant end up tripping up along the way.

14. Be sanitary.
Thankfully (as far as we know) this has not been a large issue. However it goes without saying that if the judges see you being unsanitary in food preparation or serving they will zing you for it.

15. When cooking food that is a local specialty, make it fresh.
Chicago is known for its sausage. So if you are going to wow the judges and others, you have better make some delicious sausage of your own. Relying on store bought varieties, while safe, will not impress the judges who expected something more.

16. Never serve under-rested meat.
The proper resting of meat and poultry is important to insure that flavor does not run out when you cut into it. There is perhaps nothing more sad than to see a perfectly good piece of meat ruined by not properly resting it. There is also a corollary to this: always slice your meats with the proper knife and make sure you do it evenly.

17. Never butcher an already tender cut of meat.
Taking a tender lamb, for instance, and then butchering and cooking it wrong will infuriate the judges and send you home for wasting a perfectly good piece of meat.

18. If not sure, omit the drink
If not required to have either wine or alcohol as part of your dish, skip it. Sometimes it can work in your favor or add little to the dish. Worse is when the drink is so bad that even if the dish was good it sends you to Judge’s Table where they examine you for sanity.

19. Do not try to fool the judges by mixing cooked with undercooked!
Simply put, you are an idiot for trying this. If you think that mixing undercooked potatoes with fully cooked mashed potatoes will not be noticed, you deserve to go home for such a bonehead move.

20. “The oven was not working right” and other excuses.
Most professional chefs have had kitchen equipment go down on them. When it happens, they improvise around it. If your food was over or undercooked due to bad ovens, burners or anything but a genuine power outage it will not cut you much slack with the judges. They can all recite experiences of their own and how they got around it in a pinch (and served the meal to the delight of everyone).