Top Chef Masters: New Hope for Hesitant Cooks

When I first heard about Top Chef Masters, Bravo’s new series based on the format of their fabulous Top Chef reality series, I was thrilled.  TCM was billed, perhaps not in these words, as Battle of the Masters.  And, as in all battles, there are losers and there are winners.  And, in Realityland, there can be only one winner.  Twenty-four professional chefs with some Seeeerious Credibility compete, which means that 23 of them…..Lose.  I thought to myself, what a fantastic way for home cooks to gain some confidence.  Even chefs who have been at the top of their game for years, ones with international reputations and cookbooks and restaurants in Los Angeles or Chicago or New York or San Francisco will occasionally Mess Up.  And it will be caught on film Forever.  This doesn’t excite me in a Train Wrecky sort of way, though.  I understand that my culinary heroes are people, too.  What does excite me is the subtle message that TCM subliminally transmits to us.  The message that even Culinary Icons have their Bad Days.  And if those guys can have a bad day and still run Extremely Successful Culinary Empires, why should home cooks, myself included, be intimidated by trying something new or cooking for friends?

I have watched the two episodes that have aired so far, and I am Loving It.  Here’s what I’ve seen so far:

The chefs are always respectful of each other.  I’ve not seen any bickering, whining, backstabbing or general immaturity from any of the eight chefs I’ve seen compete.  They are happy to see each other and view the competition as a healthy challenge–an opportunity to cook against respected colleages.
Chef Tim Love from Fort Worth, TX accidentally put all of his groceries from Whole Paycheck Foods in the freezer instead of the fridge.  Overnight.
Chef Tim used Cool Whip in a strawberry shake.  I rewound the old DVR so I could make sure that the Tub I saw him scooping from was what I thought it was.  It was.  Sigh.
Culinary giant Hubert Keller rinsed his pasta in a shower.
Chef Michael Schlow from Boston, MA served underbaked cake slapped on a plate with some broken peanut butter candies for his Quickfire Challenge.
Elizabeth Faulkner, the amazing force of nature behind Citizen Cake in San Francisco, served a puree that the judges thought tasted like baby food.
Chef Wylie Dufresne, whose NYC WD-50 is a Mecca for Molecular Gastronomy fans, over-reduced his Dr. Pepper sauce, and it solidified on the plate.
While the chefs sometimes became upset with themselves, they never were outwardly angry at or disrespectful to  their colleagues.
If Chef Suzanne Tracht were any more mellow while preparing Amazing Food, she would be asleep.
Several of the chefs in Episode 1 commented that being critiqued by Girl Scouts was a harsh and humbling experience.  Chef Schlow said it was good to be served a dose of humility.
Girl Scouts are harsh critics.  Very, Very Harsh.  So far for me, the Girl Scout Grilling has been the highlight.
All the chefs, maybe especially poor frozen groceries Chef Love, were flexible in their thinking and creative.  Still, some of the judges judged some dishes to be under- or overseasoned or under- or overcooked.
Time management is an issue for even the best chefs.
Chefs have no idea how to operate a microwave.  Chef Keller actually said that all he used his for is to dry his newspaper.  None of them knew how to turn it on or set the power levels or anything.  Awesome.
While some chefs let the F-Bombs drop left and right, and some ran around like crazy people, when it was time to present to the judges, they were calm, cool and in control. During judging, they always thanked the judges for their critiques; no talking back, no excuses.

So, that’s it.  I’m not sure if knowing all of this makes you feel any better, but it makes me feel better.  Of the eight chefs who’ve competed, two won their “heats” and will be back for the showdown of the final six, and six chefs lost.  They were told to go and pack their knives.  Again, awesome.

Next time I forget to thaw out my chicken stock before cooking, I’ll at least be able to say that at least all of my ingredients weren’t frozen.