It's nice to know that something I like so much is also very good for me!

Thanks, Phaedrus. Good article with 2 of my favorite chefs. I'd love to see the 2 of them team up to do a show, talking and cooking together.

If you have fresh rice you can let it cool in the fridge for a few hours.

How about Strawberry Short Snakes? There are lots of recipes on the web. While not green, snakes and Ireland/St. Patty's Day go together. You could always tint the whipped cream green, and who doesn't like strawberry shortcake?

Oops! Sorry... Thanks, gaffk!

This place looks pretty good - not at all surprisingly.

That was hilarious! His swipe at Dennis Leary's smoking was funny, too.

There was a correction added on 3/5 with the correct spelling of "Ramsey."
I think the 2 chefs who look happiest are Hung and Paul, two of my all time favorites. Voltaggio does look uncomfortable. Too bad. He's another of my favorites in terms of his food, if not his general personality.

I love Archer and had a great time watching "Bastard Chef" with my brother, who teases me about watching Top Chef. I was so glad to see the Eater clips! The whole premise, with "no reservations" worked into it, was marvelous!

So was I! He deserved it, the happy ukulele strumming menehune. :-)

Linda, Thank you so much for being such an excellent recapper!

I remember him having his mother and father on his TV show. I thought that was sweet!

Agree completely!

I was thinking along the same lines. Bottles of water from the store to wash hands, boil pasta, and steam veggies, etc. If they had sufficient advance warning that the water was going to be turned off, they could have filled empty bottles with tap water for hand washing, using fresh bottles of water for food.

She was born in Korea and adopted as a toddler by an American couple and raised here. She said she wanted to visit Korea to find out more about her culture which was why she was so excited the first time she won some money. As she kept winning and getting more money someone, I think one of the other cheftestants, but it might have been one of the judges or even on here, said she was going to have a very luxurious (or something like that) trip to Korea. She has also said that she doesn't cook Korean food because she never learned. That's why she called what she was cooking "white people Asian" and why I suggested she might take some cooking lessons at a Korean cooking school with some of her winnings.
I was just joking about the move to S. Korea. I think that if she lived there, she'd have a hard time since she looks Korean but acts and speaks American. Third generation Japanese friends of mine from Hawaii would come to visit me (I'm a haole) when I lived in Japan and people would invariably try talking to them in Japanese (which they didn't speak). Confusion and sometimes disappointment or anger would follow when they said in Japanese that they didn't speak the language, and I'd follow up in Japanese with a fuller explanation. People sometimes thought we were trying to play a trick on them.
Visitors are almost always treated very well in most Asian countries. I know the JTB has cooking schools listed that non-Japanese speakers can go to. A few sansei friends checked one of them out and came away quite impressed. I would hope that S. Korea has something similar, if only to share their culture with the outside world, and that Kristen tries some of them out. She can add to her already amazing repertoire and skill set.

Pot roast, carnitas, whole chicken, bread, shanks of any animal (usually veal or lamb, but goat is wonderful if you can get it), soups and stews, anything braised. I love my Le Creuset!

I was just saying that the world will be her oyster if she wins. Maybe she can just take some cooking classes in Korea while she's there checking it out.

I'd like her to come over here and open an Asian place in Hawaii with Sheldon. A restaurant that specializes in Filipino and Korean food would be such a blast! None of that "White people Asian" (or however she put it) food, though. The real deal! :-)

I've got the torches primed and ready to go if that happens!

Given his reception on Maui during his TC break, I don't doubt that the community will gladly pull the financing together. I just hope he does his version of Filipino food, because it sure looked good, and that he does it here in Hawai'i! If it's good and original enough he can spread out to NY and LA like Roy Yamaguchi did. :-)
I know they usually have former cheftestants as sous, I was mainly speculating on who would be in and wondering if they'd do it in their normal fashion since coking on a stage before a live audience is such a departure. I thought I saw Kuniko, too. I sure hope she makes it back for at least a final appearance.
I'm really looking forward to this!

Even with her timing issues, she got on top of it. Not at all like Chef Josie!

Oh yeah, I really loved Sheldon throwing that "Shaka" and telling them "Aloha" on his way out. He's got class. :-)

Who knew that Tom had mesmerizing blue eyes? It sure was fun, and intimidating, watching him expedite.

I thought this was a great episode but was so sorry to see Sheldon eliminated! Why he decided to show off newly acquired skills, and get out of his comfort zone, at such a critical juncture, and hold the dessert he was going to make in the finale instead of just busting it out is beyond me. As bobbert said, they should all have at least 3 deserts down cold.

Oh well. It would have been so wonderful for him and his family if he'd won and gotten the money to start his own Filipino restaurant. As John E. mentioned, Brooke already has 2 apparently successful restaurants. As much as I like all 3 of them, I was really hoping that it would be Kristen and Sheldon in the finale.

That finale looks wild! I kept flashing on those live cooking shows that Emeril used to do onstage when he was on the Food Network. I thought I caught a glimpse of Sheldon (or at least his beanie) and CJ in the preview. Maybe they'll have a bunch of the eliminated cheftestants acting as sous chefs. If I can't have a Hawaii kid as Top Chef, I'll be happy to have another woman win, and one who is a truly great chef from what we've seen.

I agree with you guys above who said that this looks like the best since Season 6. This is the first time that I wanted all 3 of the finalists to be declared winners and split the pot.

Now that it's down to Kristen and Brooke I'll be rooting for Kristen. With all the money she's already won she'll be able to live in Korea for a few years if she wants to. If she wins the finale she can open a restaurant there...

As always Linda Whit, great recap! This turned out to be a really good season!

If you're going to go the storebought route, I recommend Consorzio's Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar Dressing. It's delicious! Unfortunately I've moved and am having a difficult time finding it on this island.

Do you still have friends or other people who willingly come to your house to dine?
For allergies, medical, and religious reasons some people just can't eat certain foods. Some allergic reactions can be life threatening.
If it's a preference thing, let them go hungry, eat what's available, or bring their own food.
I have some vegan friends and it's easy to keep them happy. I can make 2 versions of salad, one using cheese and the other omitting it. I can roast veggies on the grill as well as meat and, for some vegetarians, chicken and/or fish along with the steaks, lamb leg, pork tenderloin, or burgers for the rest of us. They can have fresh fruit for dessert if they don't eat cake, pie, or cookies.
As someone else said, do you actually like your friends?

I'd completely forgotten the "no elbows on the table" rule - it's just so second nature and I can't remember the last time I even saw that. Chewing with your mouth closed is something that even some adults need to learn, though.

I read books when eating alone, and often with my brother or my late father when having lunch. But then, we're a family of readers. Dinner is always for conversation, and normal table manners (don't lick the plate, don't eat the mashed potatoes with your hands, use your knife and fork, say please and thank you, don't reach across people, etc.) are the same at home or in a restaurant.
NO cell phones, ever, though!

My late father always made Jiffy cornbread mix pancakes.

When I lived in Colorado there were always people with sunburns from spring skiing - clearly back in the days before sunscreen was invented.

+1 +1

I would love to see that entire conversation. People turning from badasses or stoners (or both) to chefs is an interesting topic and this isn't the first time it's come up on TC.

BTW, whatever happened to Extended Judges Table? This may have been addressed before and I just missed it, but I do wonder. I really enjoyed watching those videos and miss it.