Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

cant keep straight what the h... she'd doing.

Just saw this show for the first time today. The fact that I went to the internet to look up Anne Burrell and found this blog is interesting. The fact that I am actually taking the time to post a comment is also interesting. (I think this might be my second post...ever...anywhere.) Anne definitely has a presence and she seems like a very knowledgeable chef. Yes, I was mildly surprised by the phrase, 'cooking the crap out of it' and calling onions 'sweaty'. But hey you know what, not that big of a deal. Believe me, I've heard much worse in a restaurant kitchen, having worked in restaurants for 13 yrs. And 'sweating' the onions is a chef term. Sweaty - not so much, but whatever, no bd. She had incredibly helpful tips i.e. supreming grapefruit - something I had seen before but did not know the term. Great! And also about how to clean the mussels and prep before steaming. Again, very helpful, especially for home viewers. That's why we watch, right? To learn secrets from a restaurant chef. I don't know if the show I saw today was a new or old episode, but there did seem to be a little nervousness which is completely understandable if you are new to the camera. It takes time and with experience, it gets easier. Regarding the set/styling - I honestly think you should put it a restaurant style kitchen, industrial kitchen, or a cooking school kitchen. The show is called, "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef". I think perhaps it would be a more realistic, natural setting for both her and the show itself. Also, dress her in a chef coat or something more simple. The bright colors seem to be forced by someone's vision of ' hey she's got personality - so let's amp that up and put her in really bright colors to go with her bright demeanor and spiky hair!' It's overkill. Her personality comes through on its own - no help needed. The bright wardrobe and garish set actually make the show look cartoonish. Which some people might read as Anne looking cartoonish. Let Anne do her thing and what she is good at. The talent is clearly there. Let her do her thing, get her bearings, and do what she is good at. I will watch again. I really hope the directors take all of these suggestions into consideration. Try an on-location shoot at a restaurant kitchen or her teaching to young chefs. In chef coat, on home turf. It would be interesting to see the difference in presentation. And good luck!

Sorry, but she's an IDIOT. Yes, she does have some professional cooking techniques (perhaps even worthy of sharing with others) BUT, her one dimensional personality is very off-putting. And note......she NEVER seasons with pepper...you know, just plain black cracked pepper. She uses just tons of salt and red pepper flakes. Annoying to watch her butcher dish after dish. I'd never hire her. Hope her 15 minutes is over soon!

Okay. So she isn't Giada DeLaurentis as far as charm factor is concerned, but she is a great chef and terrific instructor. I have made her bolognese sauce many times for many people and it never fails to elicit a response such as "Oh my GOD, this is the best pasta I have ever eaten in my LIFE!" Just keep doing what you do, Ann. I'll keep watching!

I love Ann Burrell!!!! I think she is very entertaining and fun to watch. I find her menu's easy to follow and I'm always eager to try them.
Don't change Ann you are the best!

Fair enough, Perky. Just don't be misled. If you knew this woman, you'd eat your words. You're probably right about my bitterness, though. I'll just let it lie there. Good luck to her. We'll all see how she gets on in the future.

Everyone's banging on here about Ann being a "Pro Chef", and how she's a great restaurant professional. What separates a Chef from a cook is the ability to lead a group of kitchen staff to believe in your food and produce it faithfully and consistently.
Ann was fired from Centro Vinoteca for making a real mess of the team there, both front and back of house. Her cooks didn't respect her and turned over at a rate you wouldn't believe. She was arrogant and offensive to the service staff, allowed no dietary adjustments, and peered out of her open kitchen, judging and belittling guests, and sniggering at peoples' dress sense or haircuts with her singular floor staff ally. She would not accept constructive criticism, preferring to send out sub-standard dishes than admit she's human and needs help from the experienced crew around her.
Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. The only secrets that this cook, who was fired from her last restaurant, could share, would be along the lines of how to lose friends, a clientele, a reputation for good food, the faith of an entire restaurant crew, and healthy arteries.
There is one, singular useful message that I take from Anne Burrell. Brown food does indeed, taste good, and I remember it every time I cook. As for anything else, let the sycophancy rest. Unless you haven't noticed, no-one's rushing to hire this "Restaurant Chef". Her reputation in this industry is completely shot.

When the open fridge was discovered I thought that they were about to reveal that as the episode's twist. It did seem contrived.

Knowing that this season was filmed in the summer - and not in real time - I've had a hard time believing the Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes, and this distracts me. In the Thanksgiving episodes one of the chefestants wished a Whole Foods cashier a "Happy Thanksgiving" and that just seemed weird. The AMFAR party seemed less Christmas-y than I expected, which was good.

Glad that Tom gave them all a slap on the wrist at the end. The chefs have to step up. The food has been boring. Is it bad that when I saw Melissa in the last episode I thought, "She's still there?" They don't seem to give her much screen time and it makes it look like she flies under the radar. What are the editors trying to tell us? Ariane, Leah and Jamie (token lesbian of the season) seem to get the most screen time out of the women. Carla and Radhika get screen time but less. The editors love the guys, especially "the Euros". Hosea is the "contestant with the sick father".

@austintxgirl: It wouldn't be the first time a reality show contestant competed while a family member was sick. A contestant on The Apprentice left mid-season to be with her mother, and I think there have been others. It's sometimes added to the narrative. I suppose that if his dad was really bad Hosea would be there.

Oh, and another thing. I enjoy it.

did anyone see next week's preview? they're sending home two people!

Totally agree with everyone here in that the dishes were totally uninspired and just plain BORING! Hopefully the next episode should be better because in the previews it shows Tom telling the cheftestants that they can cook whatever they want.

I also agree that the product placements are getting ridiculous. I thought it would stop with the Swansons broth and Glad products; boy was I wrong!

I predicted a win for Hosea in the beginning of the episode when he was talking to his sis about their dad who is suffering from cancer. Which brings me to another point...what is he doing on some reality show if his dad has cancer. Get home dumbass! Take care of your dad who has cancer! He told his sis non-chalantly on the phone that he'd be home in 2 weeks or something to check on them. I know there is probably more to it than that and a lot of editing goes on but Hosea came off like an unfeeling prick.

As an Indian-American I'm pulling for Radhika. I agree that the producers don't show her much doing the QF challenges. I totally found myself asking where she was and what she had made.

Yeah. I wouldn't put it past the producers to create drama by causing the fridge incident.

The product placement is annoying. I mean...it seems Martha only showed up so she could give out a copy of her cookbook to promote it. (seeing as she didn't stay the whole episode).

The food is going to be disappointing if the show becomes Top Caterer again. With the time limits set the way they are and the number of people being served, they can't help but settle for something that they can make enough of.

And Arianne must be amazing a cooking meat correctly or something. Cause it just doesn't seem that impressive unless the rest of them are grossly over- or under-cooking stuff.