Gordon Ramsay

Next Level Chef

Cooking

Chef Gordon Ramsay has another new cooking show on television. This time, Chef Ramsay is competing with Chef Nyesha Arrington and Chef Richard Blais to see whos team can produce the next level chef. Each taking turns to pick their team after the first competition.

The teams are randomly assigned to one of three kitchens. The top level is any chefs dream kitchen, fully equipped to meet their needs. They also have first dibs on the food that passes from floor to floor on a lift. The contestants have a mere 30 seconds to grab all they can to make their dish before the lift goes to the next level.

The middle level is a nice enough kitchen without all the bells and whistles. Probably nicer than your home kitchen. Chefs on this floor have second dibs on the food.

The bottom level is not nice by any means. The knives are dull and the Chefs have to make due with what little equipment they have. The big bummer is that they have last dibs on the food, usually the leftovers that are harder to cook with. They have to work harder to make their meals shine.

The famous chefs are mentoring the contestants hoping that one of their chosen chefs will win the competition and make them look good. Compared to the other cooking shows, this one may be a bit more stressful for the contestants, as they have hardly any time to come up with a meal plan and even less time to gather the ingredients. Throw in some unexpected twists or having to cook in the bottom level kitchen and the fact that the top chefs are competing and this could be a highly stressful situation, but fun to watch.

If you love cooking and like to watch Chef Ramsay’s other cooking shows then tune-in to Next Level Chef for even more cooking fun.

(Photo from: https://hollywoodlife.com/2021/12/07/next-level-chef-first-look-gordon-ramsay-preview-video/ -The key art for ‘Next Level Chef.’ (FOX) )

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Coconut Pancake Review

Book Reviews, Cooking

First off, I must say, I am not a super big pancake gal. I am a bit picky on my pancakes. I like them thin and crispy. I am also not a fan of maple syrup, never have been. While flipping through Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking cookbook, I came across a recipe for Coconut Pancakes with Mango Slices and Lime Syrup. The picture looked good so I thought I’d give them a try.

The recipe makes about 16 small pancakes. I was just making these for myself, so I cut the recipe in half and then in half again. It made about 4 – 5 pancakes this way, which was the perfect amount for my appetite. While I followed the pancake recipe, I did not use Chef Ramsay’s toppings of mango slices and lime syrup. Sorry Chef. I would probably be thrown out of the kitchen for this move, however I made the bold move of using my own toppings. I chose to top the pancakes with honey and chopped almonds. I would have used macadamia nuts as the topping of choice, however almonds were what was on hand.

The pancakes came together easily and I did add a mixture of coconut milk and water to thin the batter a bit. Chef Ramsay did say that water or coconut milk could be added to the batter if it was too thick after its fifteen minute rest. I preferred to add both.

The pancakes cooked beautifully in my cast iron skillet heated with canola oil. I cooked them for about two minutes on each side at a medium heat. After removing them from the skillet, I drizzled them with honey and sprinkled the nuts on top. They had nice crispy edges and were light and lovely. Oh my! I devoured these pancakes. They were the best pancakes I have had in a long time, perhaps ever. If not a huge fan of pancakes, give this recipe a try anyway. They are sure to change your mind about pancakes. https://www.gordonramsay.com/gr/recipes/coconut-pancakes-with-mango-slices-and-lime-syrup

As always, Happy Cooking!

My Take on… Gordon Ramsay’s 24 HRS To Hell and Back

Cooking

Season 3 of Chef Gordon Ramsay’s television show, 24 HRS To Hell and Back, aired last night and was it ever an eye-opener. Think a restaurant has to be clean and serve fresh food to stay open? Think again! After viewing an episode of 24 HRS To Hell and Back one may never want to eat out again.

The mission of Chef Ramsay in his show is to go “undercover” to a restaurant, taste the food, and then bring the lack of quality to the attention of all the diners in the restaurant. He then tells the diners to come back in 24 hours for a much improved experience. In the mean time, he gives the management and staff 24 hours to turn the restaurant around with help from himself and his staff. Chef Ramsay lets the staff know what needs to be changed in order to save their restaurant.

In the semi-truck that houses Chef Ramsay’s traveling kitchen, his chefs train the cooks at the restaurant how to prepare a new menu that has been made by Chef Ramsay. The wait staff is busy cleaning and gutting out the dinning area. Re-painting and decorating to make up-to-date changes to the restaurant. The kitchen is also being cleaned from top to bottom.

Chef Ramsay helps management see the changes needed to be made in order to have a functioning restaurant. He points out what is wrong and how to fix it, and he means business. If the changes are made and the restaurant keeps up with the new agenda, hopefully, the restaurant will be able to turn it’s self around and be profitable.

With the amount of filth in the kitchen, the disgusting sanitation habits, and the expired food that was being served in the restaurant on last nights episode, I may never eat out again! It was beyond GROSS! It really makes one wonder what is going on in the kitchen…

As a fan of Chef Gordon Ramsay, I would have to say this show is worth a view. Also, good for you Chef Ramsay, for helping these restaurants turn themselves around. My only question is…How are these restaurants remaining open and where are the health inspectors? I think I’ll be dining in tonight. Bon Appetit!

Egg Post Follow-up: Separating Eggs Using Your Hands

Cooking

Well, it did not take long for me to try my hand at separating eggs using my hands. My son found the perfect opportunity for me when he was making a Gluten Free Pancake recipe from Chef Gordon Ramsay. Knowing I wanted to try this he called me into the kitchen.

Of course I was ready to try this! Washing my hands in preparation for my latest challenge, I warned him that we may waste a few eggs (not really…I can not stand to waste food…I would just save and scramble them for breakfast tomorrow…) in the learning process. I got my bowls ready and cracked the first egg with one hand into the palm of my other hand. I caught the yolk nicely in my palm and let the whites drain through my open fingers into the bowl. Success! Can I do it again? I proceeded to crack the second egg into my palm and yes, success again!

Using the hand method to separate eggs.

How do I compare separating eggs using the hand method to that of the shell method? I actually prefer the hand method. Thanks Gordon Ramsay for this new technique! Why do I prefer this method? Obviously, since I love the one handed egg cracking method, this works for me. Using the shell method, if you do not crack the shell perfectly down the center, separating the eggs can be a little more challenging. The hand method is also faster, in my opinion, than cracking the shell and sending the yolk back and forth between shells until fully separated.

Now that I have found my preferred method of cracking and separating eggs, I think I will search for other kitchen techniques that I can improve upon. I know my knife skills could use sharpening.

Eggs…all They’re Cracked up to be and More

Cooking

A few years back I learned that there are more than one way to crack an egg. Really! Who knew? An egg can be cracked with one hand? Amazing!

I had been taught to crack an egg by hitting the egg on the side of a bowl and then, using two hands, carefully pull the shell apart. Voila, the egg is cracked. Then I found out that you can crack an egg with one hand. I was fascinated at this concept and having never tried it before set out to crack my first one-handed egg.

I watched some you-tube videos (my go to for all new attempts) and had the directions I needed to give it a go. Let’s just say it wasn’t as easy as it was cracked up to be. Not that it is super hard or anything, however, it does take a little practice. Once I got the hang of it, I never looked back. I was obsessed with the one handed egg cracking and got such a thrill out of my accomplishment.

Thinking I am now the egg pro, imagine my surprise when watching my favorite cooking show, Masterchef, Gordon Ramsay shows the contestants how to separate eggs using his fingers. What! You’ve got to be kidding! Fascinating! Apparently, the egg is cracked over the hand (Good thing I can crack an egg with one hand!) and the yolk is caught in the palm while the whites drip through the fingers and into a bowl. Wow!

So I checked out the Masterclass website and find out that I use the traditional method of separating eggs. But that’s not all. There are even more ways to separate eggs. There is the egg shell or traditional method, the slotted spoon method, the water bottle method, the funnel method, and the hand method as shown on the show. So my method is not wrong, it’s just not the only way to do it.

I think my new obsession will be learning to separate eggs with my fingers. Sounds messy, challenging, and exciting!