I am so excited that Hell’s Kitchen is back! I am also excited that Master Chef is coming to the US with Gordon! But I will blog more about that another time! Let’s check out last night’s premiere! (Don’t be disappointed if you get more snark than fact at this point;)
Right off, the clips on what is coming up this season… I think I already know who the “stay at home” British mom is. I think she is also the girl he is kissing;).
So Ramsay “guarantees” a complete first service. 1) What does that mean? Do they get money if he is wrong;)? 2) I think he just can’t shut it down when he sick of them like her usually does. That is what ends service.
So signature dish time is always interesting. Sometimes they are the standard but the big issues and personalities usually jump out here. So Holly didn’t think she would have to come in and cook right off? That is the only reason I can imagine her in those 4 inch heels in the kitchen, the heels that caused her to wipe out.
He starts off with Tanya’s dish (sorry, we aren’t supposed to know that yet;) and loves it! Then he kisses her… And reveals that it is his wife. So they are doing a men vs women signature dish face off as the first challenge. Our pizza chef from Naples served pasta he didn’t make but the next guy who came up made his own pasta. Holly made halibut in a banana leaf and it was gross. Jamie served a Chicken Kiev with the toothpick still in it! Scott is already doing the big talking but Ramsay didn’t like his dish. Mikey came in with a Hell’s Kitchen tattoo. Luckily Ramsay liked his dish. Jason made grits and Ramsay said he was one of the few who could make them right. Andrew seemed a bit creepy talking about raising and butchering his own animals and eating them raw. It would have been fine if he said something about high quality meat can go into a tar tar but the way he talked… ick! Then men won the first challenge.
The prize this year is to be the head chef at Ramsay’s restaurant in the Savoy hotel in London. I hope this group is better than last years then.
Everyone heads to the dorms to start studying their menus. Then the fire alarms goes off. They are all being called for a video lesson. Then they go study and another alarm, which is because there is another video. It goes that way all night. Then the girls get woke up because their punishment is to cook the boys breakfast in bed.
Then service starts. Stacey starts off wrong with the scallops. The boys start off with problems. Salvatore burned shallots twice in a roll. Fran messed up the potatoes and then didn’t answer Ramsay’s questions. Benjamin was tasting and cooking with the same spoon. Things were not going well… I have to say out of it all, I feel for Maria. She got called on something being wrong and walked off and was laughing. I can so relate to that. I smile and laugh when I am nervous. The more tense some times the worse I get. But that got Maria, I think Jamie and Fran tossed for service (or at least that is what he told them). That got Milka pulled back in from table side salad service so she can cook.
Scott was trying to take over on the blue team. Mikey thought his own halibut wasn’t done but he took it up because Scott told him too. Ramsay happened to agree with Mikey and expressed that one quite loudly. I am not sure what Benjamin thought he was doing… he had stock in the pan but no rice for risotto. Salvatore was starting food in a cold pan. Then Ramsay tossed Benjamin and Salvatore out. When Stacey couldn’t tell him how long a dish would take, he tossed her out. Then Mikey served him raw halibut again and got tossed.
To combat the fact that there were only 4 red and 5 blue left, Ramsay joined both teams together. Ed had an opportunity to some off as a super star because he ran the meat station. So Ed ended up pretty much running the show. Then they were able to finish the service.
The women (red) team was considered the loosing team. So the girls had to go pick 2 to up for elimination. The girls bickered a bit but in the end they nominated Fran and Stacey. I think those were both solid choices. I find it interesting that Fran said she was a Kosher chef so she is learning about the shell fish. Ramsay ended up eliminating was Stacey. I think that was the right call. She struggled with every aspect of the fish station and wouldn’t let others really help her.
This was a good start to what is sure to be an intense season!
So I don’t know if I should call this a salad, pilaf, mixed bowl, or what. But this was my first official flour free and sugar free lunch! It was super easy and tasted pretty good. It was very filling and I only ate 1/2 of it at once. 
