The latest Throwdown with Bobby Flay

I don't know if you had an opportunity to catch the latest episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. It's absolutely priceless, and for an assortment of reasons. The chief reason is the real insight it provides into the character of this chef.

For the record, Feb 17th was the first airing of Throwdown Moussaka. Bobby was tasked to challenge the Greek Goddess of Moussaka, chef Diane Kochilas. This represented a problem because Bobby didn't even know what Moussaka was, much less how to make it.

Worse still, Bobby is on a loosing streak lately. His meatballs got squashed recently, and his Jambalaya throwdown was a defeat the dimensions of which he has never experienced: A rout from which no honor could be salvaged. Jambalaya king Emile Stieffel even warned Bobby that he was making mistakes in the prep of his Jambalaya. Iron Chef Flay just wouldn't listen.

Evidentially, these recent defeats caused Bobby to swallow his pride and actually admit that he didn't know what he was doing this time around. What do you do when you are an Iron Chef and you don't know how to make Moussaka? The answer is extremely straight-forward. Bobby called Michael Symon in for for a cooking lesson.

For those who don't know, Iron Chef Michael Symon is the winning-est Iron Chef (by percentage) in the history of the show. He happens to be one of the few dudes who enjoys my unqualified endorsement. Last time I checked Symon's record was 22-3. He's the John Madden of this sport. He is also happens to be the most impressive chef on either the Cooking Channel or the Food Network, especially now that Tyler is off the net. The culinary king of Cleveland also happens to be half-Greek.

As might be expected, Michael knew Moussaka very well... as in decades of experience with this subject. Michael gave Bobby one hell of a lesson on how-to. Bobby even offered to defer this Throwdown to Michael, but Michael didn't accept.

What happened next? The next thing you know, Bobby is executing a couple of trial runs with his two assistants. He mildly modified the recipe just a tad, adding black currants and some goat cheese. The next thing you know, Bobby is talking shit about already having defeated Michael Symon in this Throwdown. Now he just needed to take out Diane Kochilas.

I nearly rolled off the couch laughing. For those who don't know, Bobby is a Sagittarius. That kinda shit-talk is so Sagittarius, it's hilariously characteristic of the breed. I happen to have an uncle and a father who are both Archers, and they both like to cook. Now, while they have both shown me a thing or two about cooking, I have saved their skins several times, as they love to leave what they are cooking and go join the social event in progress. Nevertheless, they are full of braggadocio when the cooking is done.

The reality is his Virgo buddy saved his ass, but Bobby is happy to take all the credit. Incidentally, Michael Symon happens to be an excellent example of what it is to be a Virgo. I relate to the dude completely.

But I digress...

The next thing you know, Bobby is striding tall into Diana's domain and challenging her to a Throwndown... with great confidence. Now ain't that Sagittarius? 10 minutes ago he didn't know what Moussaka was, and now that he has had one lesson, he strides in to challenge the queen with confidence. So Sagittarius...

Dianna seemed properly surprised that this Irish Texmex expert knew something about Moussaka. He warned her that he has consulted with Michael Symon. She boasted that Michael Symon calls her for advice and information about Greek food.

Is that so, eh? We'll see who wins this throwdown.

In any case, the cooking process was very interesting. Diana deviated in several places from the key points Michael Symon made about the prep of a classic Moussaka. For instance, she chose beef instead of lamb. Symon says it's alright to use beef, but lamb is the classic approach. There were other wrinkles as well. Bobby smartly keyed his approach on Symon's advice.

Then came the judgement. One of the judges was a true Greek, and an older gentleman, with a lifetime of eatting Moussaka under his belt. When he bit into Bobby's... errrr... Michael Symon's Moussaka, he had a Ratatouille Anton Ego moment. He immediately said this brought back memories of his childhood. This Moussaka was exactly the way he liked it.

The die was cast. Bobby... err... Michael won the throwdown. So much for Michael Symon calling Diana for advice.

Folks, you can only give Bobby half a victory for this one. You have to give half-credit to Michael Symon. Symon set Bobby up for a victory when he probably would have taken his worst defeat ever otherwise.

The lesson I took from this episode is pretty cut-and-dried. If you have a tough culinary battle coming up, and you want to win, you better call Michael Symon.

Did the Food Network cancel my main man Tyler?

Over the last month or two, my favorite Chef Tyler Florence has become extremely scarce on the Food Network. You can no longer find him in his customary 8:00 AM slot week days, nor can you really find him anywhere else. This is very disturbing.

Of course, Tyler may just be on hiatus at the moment, recharging his batteries. Rumor has it that he has been opening a new restaurant in Mill Valley California, one of my several former addresses, and things have not been going well with the staff. These things may be pre-occupying him. We hear further rumors that he will be appearing as a judge on new season of "The Next Iron Chef".

On the other hand, there are rumors that his last mini-series (The Great Food Truck Race) belly-whop-flopped in the ratings, and the Food Network handed him the responsibility for the loss. I will admit that I thought it was a whacky way to introduce us to an interesting development in the food industry these days. The introduction to the Food Truck movement was actually a lot more interesting than the rest of the series.

Incidentally, I should mention that the Kogi truck was parked right out in front of a new Condominum complex in my neighborhood this morning and afternoon. I have been mulling over the options of buying into this over-priced joint for several months now. The appearance of the Kogi truck at this location was like an appearance of the albatross at sea. It was a sighting of the bird of good fortune.

I was quite pissed-off that it just too damn early after surgery for me to try out their unique Korean/Mexican fusion cuisine. Oh well... Some other time.

For those who don't know about the Kogi truck, it is probably the most celebrated food truck in all of Southern California. This team has been the subject of numerous pieces by NPR, PRI, the Food Network, and the Cooking Channel.

Roy Choi, the owner and executive chef, is absolutely hysterically funny in most interviews. I will never forget the time he described himself as a "Culinary gangsta; a straight-up street thug slangin' tacos out of the back of a truck in the hood!"

No shit, eh? But I digress...

Let's hope Tyler hasn't broken his dick introducing us to an assortment of culinary gangstas slangin' food out of the back of a truck. Let's hope Tyler gets back on the tube quickly with a new show and a new format.

Giada De Laurentiis

So, as you all know, I am big fan of the Foot Network. If I am not watching ESPN, or the NFL Network, I am watching the Food Network or the Cooking Channel. That's how it goes at my place.

As you all know, Giada De Laurentiis is the reigning Diva of the Food Network. With all due respect to Alton Brown, she is probably the most popular figure the network has ever had. If you walk into any Target, you cannot go past the cooking gear or the groceries without seeing her face at least 20 times. Here is just partial list of some of the things I have seen with her face and logo it.

1. Giada De Laurentiis Pasta
2. Giada De Laurentiis Pasta Sauce
3. Giada De Laurentiis Cookware
4. Giada De Laurentiis Cutlery
5. Giada De Laurentiis Cutting boards
6. Giada De Laurentiis Utensils
7. Giada De Laurentiis Cookbooks
8. Giada De Laurentiis Table sets

So forth and so on. Amazing... Giada has conquered the world. Not only this, but my buddy Colin is head-over-heals in love with her. I mean bat-shit crazy in love. He has been for several years now. It is just one of those crushes that just won't go away. He is a Cancer guy, and his Taurus wife really doesn't cook. Now you know the rest of the story. Do you remember what the Star Goddess had to say about this subject?

The funny thing is that I never knew Giada back in college. Neither did Colin. Why is that a strange thing? Giada happens to have a B.A. degree from UCLA in Social Anthropology. The date stamped on her diploma is 1996. The funny thing is that I happen to have a B.A. degree from UCLA in Anthropology 1995, although my focus was more biological. I was one year ahead of her.

I find it particularly strange that I never met Giada because Dr. Anna Simons sat on my B.A. Honors thesis committee. I was in her office regularly. What does Anna Simons have to do with this question? She was the reigning social anthropologist in our rather small department. Anna held the seat in Social Anthropology. Giada must have worked with Anna. I am surprised we never bumped into each other... at least I never noticed her. I think I would have noticed her.

Colin has chastised me several times over the past several years saying "Shame on you for not remembering Giada!" I usually retaliate by saying "See, if you had majored in anthro rather than history, you would have met Giada yourself." He turns grey-green like a corpse when I say this to him. Incidentally, Colin graduated from UCLA with a degree in history in the year 1997.

Of course, there is a the propofol problem, and the 89mm subdural hematoma Katy Perry inflicted on me, but since our first discussions on this subject predate my first knee surgery and the subdural hematoma, I am pretty sure we never met. This is not just a case of memory loss.

When Colin first brought her to my attention, my first impression was that she was a created media figure, a glam girl for the kitchen set. Nope. I was absolutely and completely wrong about that. Upon further review, I discovered that the woman has serious skills and more training than just about anybody on the Food Network.

Not only does she share a degree in anthro with me, but she shares a degree in culinary arts from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Paris France with many 9th degree black belts. Folks, that's about as good as it gets. You must admit, this is a pretty good block of training for what she does. Not only that, but the training shows.

She has not influenced me a lot, primarily because she loves to make cofections: Cakes, pies, cookies, candies, you name it. She spends a lot of time doing this. I can see and understand why she is the femme super heroine of our day. The girls must love watching her show. Still, I respect the remarkable skill and knowledge she brings to the stand mixer.

Her skill and technique should not surprise anyone. She has her Mercury in Virgo, just like me. The most brilliant people always do.

I used to jest that a degree in Athro from UCLA and $1.00 would buy you a 12 ounce can of coke. After seeing the way my fellow Bruin anthropologist has conquered the world, I may have to reconsider this saying.

By some flukish roll of the dice, today just happens to be Giada's 40th birthday. Strange that I sat down to finally scribble out this blog entry today. I've been considering writing this entry for several months now. In any case, my best wishes for a happy 40th birthday today. The malady struck me down almost 4 years ago now, and in a week or so I will be turning 44 myself.

Damn... how did we all get this old this fast?

Titanium Cutlery...?

So, after he delivered the magnum opus on the Cowboy Ribeye steak, I got interesting discovering just what cutlery Tyler Florence was using in his kitchen. Interestingly enough, the answer is: His own brand of Titanium blades... sort of.

Understand, he just introduced these items at the end of 2009. The overwhelming majority of his TV shows were recorded prior to this point. Ergo, you will see him cutting with a German Chef's knife almost all the time. Looks like a ducedly fine blade also.

Second, these blades aren't exactly titanium. They are titanium clad high-carbon steel. Most of the sharpness freaks believe high-carbon steel destroys everything in terms of sharpness. Well... I've got news for you. You need to have a look at Cubic Zirconia. Ceramic is a lot sharper than high carbon.

Evidently, the big problem with high-carbon is that it rusts, stains, reacts with food, leaves a little of itself in your food, etc. Evidently, cutlery theorists believe they can contain reactivity, staining, rusting, etc. by simply encasing or cladding, a cast high-carbon steel blade in Titanium. Titanium is not as impervious to the elements as Cubic Zirconia, but it is dramatically better than any other metal known to mankind.

I thought I saw Tyler wielding a ceramic black blade like mine recently, but such was not the case. It was one of his own Titanium blades.

In any case, he got me to buy in. I've been looking around for a high-carbon blade with Kullens on it to do some cheese & panchetta chopping. He's got it, and more. Further, the price is cheap. It's basically $40 per blade. At that price, I can't afford not to try it. Who knows, maybe they are fantastic.

Doesn't sound cheap to you? It is, trust me on this one. Ronco and Ginsu won't get it done... for long. I had those Ronco knives. I cut myself many times because it took a lot of thrashing force to get it done. All it takes is one slippery thrash and you are bleeding.

This is why I like Kyocera. Everything cuts immediately. Very little effort is required. Using good blades, your more like surgeon with a scalpel than a butcher with a cleaver. Shun has given me some good results. It will be interesting to pit Tyler's Titanium v. Alton's Shun.

Are you ready for a throw down?

I already know that these metal blades can't compare (in terms of sharpness) with Cubic Zironia. You need to conduct a serious study of edge width before commenting on this subject. Edge science is pretty straightforward. Edge width defines sharpness. A steep angle (15 or 16 degrees) helps, but it is the thinness at the razor's edge that defines how sharp it is. It is pretty easy to measure this exactly these day. You just point a circular red laser straight at the edge, and the width of the split at first refraction is your edge width.

Laser refraction measurements scientifically end the question of who is sharpest, but not who is best. You can still argue you want stainless steel for this reason, or Damascus for that, or high carbon steel for the next reason.

In any case, Tyler has convinced me to give his knives a shot at the title. Hopefully I will love them. I don't plan to open any tomato cans with them, as Bobby Flay does with his Shuns.

Tyler Florence won the home run derby

Wow... I just finished watch Tyler's ultimate cowboy-style ribeye steak episode! Oh my GAWD! Was it that good? In Texas they would reply with a SHE-YIT! That's like saying "foeget about it!" in Brooklyn.

Believe me, you have to see this to believe it. The steaks, the onion potato tart, the creamy swich chard, the garlic & herb breadcrumb garnish; it was strictly a masterpiece. My shirt was wet I was salivating to much. I have to try this who meal plan. It's just amazing. If you really want to blow somebody's brains out, invite said individual over for this meal.

Regrettably, a lot of women here on the West Coast resent the idea of a Cowboy steak. The sushi. I hate sushi. Its a girlee thing. They think it is femme to dress up and go eat sushi. Ergo, you would have to find a special candidate to wow her with this one.

The one and only quibble I will toss in there is that I like my steak medium well, not medium rare. As we all know, this is ultra-subjective, and just a question of cook time.

I especially like the fact that he used the cast iron pan and the mandolin slicer in this episode. Cast iron has become an obsession with me. I would have liked to see him pull out the one with the grill on it, but it would not have developed that good crust he spoke of.

The mandolin is one of the least-utilized pieces of equipment in the arsenal, and that's a shame, because it is really great at making perfectly uniform slices. In truth, highend food processors have stolen it's thunder. If you get a big wide-mouth unit, you can get the same effect even faster.

This one is not going to require much tinkering. You don't mess with perfection. This is pretty damn close to the perfect meal plan.

Enameled Cast Iron?

Lately, I have been looking into upgrading my cookware. I do a lot of cooking for myself. Pretty soon, I will have to cook all the time. When I have that Gastric Bypass surgery, there will be no more adventures out for eats for yours truly.

The educational courses I have already had warn us to forget about eating out for about a year or so after the surgery. There is no way it will ever work out. You will either have to carry out 80% your food, or you will throw up. In either case, you will be malnourished. You have to watch your micro-nutrients very closely when you have this surgery.

We have been warned they everyone throws up at least once. Sooner or later, your co-workers lure you out to McDonalds for a Happy Meal. Surely you can eat something as small as a child's happy meal, right? Nope. The grease will make you sick immediately. Remember, they bypass the upper intestine where that grease is processed. You will throw up violently, and then the mere smell of McDonald's hamburgers and fries will make you sick.

No more ventures out for food. Consider cooking for the rest of your life. It will workout better for you that way.

Well... if I am going to cook every damn meal, I intend to get the most out of it. I am going to do the gourmet thing. I am watching the Food Network now more than ever. I am mastering at least one new dish per week. This week I am cheating. I'm learning Alton Brown's apple pie.

Next week Paella. The week after that, engagement chicken.

This brings us back to the topic at hand: Enameled Cast Iron. Just what the hell is it? I am sure you all have seen old-fashioned black cast iron pots and pans. These are the ones traditional american settlers used to cook on the Prairie.

Enameled Cast Iron contains the same core black iron pot or pan. The difference is that they coat it with a robust layer of porcelain enamel. We're not talking about just any old enamel either. We're talking about the good stuff; the same material they make Glock handguns out of. The same material dentists use to make the most robust surgically implanted artificial teeth.

Why would anybody coat iron in enamel? First of all, you get the toughest non-stick surface you've ever seen. It's much more robust than Teflon, which is a cheap substitute. Second it is way more non-stick than Teflon. Teflon is easier to clean than Steel or Iron, but it still isn't easy to clean. Enameled Cast Iron usually wipes clean with a plain cloth. I'm not joking. I tried it. It's stupid easy to clean these things. If you hate washing the pots and pans, try this. It will take the surgeons 3 hours to get the smile off your face.

Just think of how easy it is to clean your toilet brilliant white. With a simple spray and a quick wipe, it's clean. Just think of what it is subjected too. This is what porcelain is capable of doing for you. Toilet porcelain is not good quality stuff either. This is cheap porcelain.

Second of all, enameled cast iron works with induction. I am going to have to write a piece about induction cooking soon. Suffice it to say that electrical coils and gas ovens are obsolete. You know that Viking Oven everybody used to want? Forget it. Totally outdated and outmoded.

Induction is a trip. You put you pot or pan on top of an electromagnet cranking waves at up to 1,800 watts. The electromagnet never gets hot. The pot or pan does. The pot or pan is the heating element. The entire pot or the whole pan becomes the heating element. It doesn't have one hotspot. Chefs who try it praise the amazing evenness of the cooking they get out of induction. They usually switch.

Now the problem with using electromagnets to heat metal is that you must use a metal that responds to magnetism. You have two options: Iron and Steel. No bloody Aluminum. No bloody copper. No bloody glass. This is a shame, to a certain degree, because copper has marvelous qualities to recommend it.

Enameled cast iron is iron. It works fine with induction. You'll love it.

There are some other reason to go with enameled cast iron: acid and base. Lime and Lemon are two very important ingredients in a lot of recipes. Oranges and tomatoes are also. All of these pack a corrosive whallop. They will degrade Teflon and Iron. Tobasco and hot sauces will rip these materials to shreds. Stainless steel is mostly immune if it is good quality stuff. Enameled cast iron survives just fine thanks.

For a guy like Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay, or Alton Brown the choice is simple: 18-10 Culinary Stainless Steel. They claim they don't like anything else, although everyone of these guys has at least one enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Every time they have to braise something, the enameled cast iron comes out from under the counter.

Some of the cooks on the Food Network have been making the switch to enameled cast iron lately. Giada DeLaurentis has been using this gear for her latest shows. She has good reason too. This is is really good gear.

So why the hang-up on stainless steel? There are some reasons, good and bad:

1. Stainless can take pretty extreme heat. This is presuming your recipe requires extreme heat, which is almost never. This also presumes your grill can produce extreme heat, which is almost never.
2. Alton Brown claims that you cannot make a pan sauce on a non-stick surface. He's mostly talking about Teflon. He's partially talking about Porcelain. You need sticky steel to produce all that good nasty brown stuff that makes a good pan sauce. I will admit: I like a nice pan-sauce, but I am not at all certain it is impossible to do with a porcelain surface.
3. Stainless is the traditional weapon of choice. A deep bias in favor of Stainless steel is bred into professional cooks who go to cooking schools. They demonstrate this bias every day on the cooking shows. The bias is passed on.
4. Steel heats faster than iron. Enameled cast iron takes longer to heat than regular iron. This is mostly a thing of the past. If you intend to use induction, this is not much of an issue. Enameled cast iron heats up very fast under induction.

Personally, I have gotten to the point where I have been convinced that enameled cast iron is the way to go. If you are going to get an induction cooktop, or if you have one already: Consider enameled cast iron.

So how did I discover enameled cast iron? Two pathways of research simultaneously converged on enameled cast iron. First, I was looking hard at induction cooktops. Second, I discovered this French brand of enameled cast iron cookware called Le Creuset at Whole Foods.

Le Creuset pots and pans sell for outrageous prices. The tags say $200 and $300 per piece for each one of these things. I wondered just why the hell rich people would be stupid enough to spend that kind of money for colorful cookware. Well, it turns out there are a few reasons. They claim these enameled cast iron pieces are so durable they will last for generations. Your grandkids can use them. Second, they work with induction. Third, they wipe clean with a paper towel. No need for the washing machine.

It turns out there are several more vendors of enameled cast iron out there in the world. There is a little Tennessee company called Lodge that has been in business for over 100 years that does this cookware also. They do it for a fraction of the cost of Le Creuset. They make good stuff also.

So I am going to buy a bunch of Lodge enameled cast iron and help Tennessee to recover from the flood.