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This is Fox formula reality television. It's all in the editing!!! But when the shock value wears off, it's all the same recycled nonsense. I've found that the ONLY way I would ever consider watching Hell's Kitchen is to DVR it ahead of time---give it at least a 15 minute head start--so I can fast forward through all of the "cliff-hangers" through all the commercials and back.
I'm a bit surprised at the "Prize" this year--running a restaurant in Canada for the Olympics? Then what? Strange that they're not handing out money as a prize anymore, isn't it? Maybe I'll just watch re-runs of Top Chef-Masters--it's a pleasure to watch REAL chefs compete (without all of the nastiness and venom).

Milk is not such a healthy food to begin with. I don't drink it at all (lactose problem since early childhood) and my husband only uses it for tea. We don't buy organic milk because it's just not worth it to us.

Remember when the Welch's spokesperson was Pebbles Flintstone?

Anyway, I respect Alton Brown and I really don't think he'd endorse something that he doesn't personally believe in. I'm allergic to concord grapes, so so grape jelly, jam or juice. If I wasn't, I would be influenced to buy it because AB says it's good for you. He was the person who actually explained WHY high fructose corn syrup is so bad for you. Ever notice them playing that "it's all good in moderation" commercial during Good Eats? I wish Food Network wouldn't support THAT!

The problem is, when cereals were made when we were little, they used sugar to do any sweetening that was needed. They use High Fructose Corn Syrup today and EVERYTHING I liked when I was a kid tastes overly-sweet to me now. I confirmed this recently when my husband bought Coke that was kosher for Passover--It has a yellow cap and is sweetened with sugar. It was delicious--and the first time I've actually LIKED Coke in a very long time. Besides, I'm convinced that if HFCS is not kosher, it MUST be bad for you!!!

Regional Italian food, without a doubt. Second choice REAL Chinese food--not the stuff you get here.

Does anyone KNOW what uni tastes like? Can sea urchin roe really taste that good?

I don't know if I'd send a hamburger back--at that point, I don't trust the cook. I'd just tell the waiter/tress and have her take it off the check. For example--I ordered the four miniburgers at Chili's that were supposed to be topped with apple smoked bacon, cheese and onions. Sounds good--everyone's doing "sliders" these days. What I ended up with was a DRIED out hamburger patty that was cut into four pieces with a little cheese on one of them. No bacon, no onions--what the he11? When I brought it to the waitress' attention, she didn't seem all that surprised--I guess they were out of mini-burger and were making do. No, I don't want to order something else--it will only be the same quality as the crap the cook already sent out. If the restaurant, whether it's a chain or not, LOSES money because they don't get a chance to "try again", they will make sure the food goes out right the first time! Most of the time, if you send something back what you get isn't all that much better, but you eat it anyway, pay for it anyway just to get out of the restaurant.

Nabisco on Route 208 in Fair Lawn, NJ used to always smell like freshly baked cookies--you just drive up 208 and want to hang your head out the window and breathe in!! We don't smell it as often or as strong as it used to be--they've probably installed better filtration--but I LOVED that smell!

The whole purpose of the pasta machine is to knead the pasta to the next level--I think you might get varied results (temp of room, equipment, dough). I've noticed that filo topped pot pies are extremely popular, albeit more difficult to make (or expensive). But, if you are in the NYC area and make a dynamite pot pie, you could do well. I was just at Whole Foods this morning--I'm still reeling from the prices. Ten dollars for a head of treviso? Crazy!

We throw it away or give it to the dog if it's something that's ok for him to eat. He's very picky though--if we don't like it, he probably won't either. And I HAVE thrown away food that made me feel guilty for wasting it, but I don't want to get fat on something that tastes bad! I eat very small servings of food I really like--I lost a LOT of weight that way. I'm NEVER going to eat anything that's not delicious (if I can help it). Cassaendra's right--life IS too short to be tortured over crappy food!

My husband learned to cook from the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls!! He still has his copy in a place of honor in our kitchen. For folks with fond memories, they've reissued it (with the original artwork). AB has done a few shows about cooking with kids (cooking with his "nephew"). All of his shows (or at least most of them) are on youtube and you can always download the recipes from FN. I figure AB is a good way to go because he goes into how to pick out produce, meat, etc. Before I watched GE, my husband did all the grocery shopping because he knew I didn't have a clue!

I make a big pot of chicken soup from chicken backs and wings (I buy whole fryers on sale and cut them up myself--so easy!), carrots, onion, celery and fusilli pasta--and that's more than just one meal.

For one meal, a frittata with peppers, onion, potatoes and eggs. I grew up with that and was blown away when Mario Balali made it on his show (reruns on Fine Living Network). And there's always the Italian peasant food I grew up with--pasta e fagioli (pasta fazool), escarol and beans, etc. Five dollars for two? Easy!

Vince really IS strangely compelling and I'm glad you guys included him here at Serious Eats. I'm so tired of Billy May's monotoned YELLING through the whole commercial, you just tune him out. When Vince gets on, you experience the guy in the middle of the mall, doing his demonstration for the tenth time that day and really doesn't care anymore--he just wants you do buy the damn thing so he can go home. He's really kind of entertaining himself, in a way. I was so happy to see him pick up another stupid product that I MIGHT just buy when I see it on the "as seen on TV" rack.

And yes, I've used one of those choppers and actually, they're OK for what they do, but I'd rather get out my Victorinox knife and my German mandolin from QVC (it was a GIFT--but it's damn good!)

A perfectly cooked porterhouse that's been dry aged--rare with a charred crust. Perfection! Short of that, a nice end cut of rib-eye--I love the combination of rare meat with char.