Top Chef - S9E6 Last Chance Kitchen

Love the peanut gallery!

Whitney faces off against Chuy in an exotic protein burger challenge, elk vs. ostrich. Both burgers look simple, smart and tasty and Whitney takes it by a nose.

What I love, however, is the inclusion of the eliminated chefs! As the contestants cook, Andrew, Keith and Richie hang out, making observations, cheering them on, asking them questions, reminding them to get pans going... it's great! There's a little added insight from those who have recently been on the inside, and if helpful words from the sidelines end up conferring a slight advantage upon chefs who are more beloved/respected, that's kind of cool too. Here's hoping this isn't the last time we see this particular little wrinkle.

Also, that's Challengers 3, Incumbents 1 for those keeping score.

I've gotta say, this addition to the show has been a fun little diversion.

Discuss!

Comments

[Otter]

I think Keith should have a permanent job doing color commentary in the kitchen at all Top Chef events. Love it!

[anne]

Agreed, Otter. He was a wonderful presence.

[Libster]

Agree with both above. Keith was the best with the commentary.

I hope they continue the trend. My guess is that they will continue the trend with 3 in the peanut gallery. Where Andrew would fall off and Chuy would be added and so on and so fourth in order of appearance.

but my vote would be to keep Keith for the duration.

Whitney did really well with such a direct challenge. Make a burger from an exotic non fatty meat. I'm wondering if it's the more open ended challenges that get her in trouble.

[Duffy]

Might be that Whitney gets rattled cooking in a madhouse.

[garik16]

Was I the only one who felt they both - especially Chuy - cheated by adding so much other meat to their burger? Reminded me of the time that Lisa and someone else (Antonia?) hid their Polish Sausage with other sausage - you're given an assignment to use X Meat, USE X Meat!

[Skillet Doux]

garik16... you don't want to eat a burger that's made exclusively of ostrich or elk. Waaaaaaay too lean. You'd HAVE to get extra fat in there somehow. Of course, we don't know what their ratios were like. But including some of the fattier meat was absolutely, unquestionably the right call. And I've no doubt that's why Tom didn't bat an eye about the inclusion of pork. He knows what those burgers would have been like if they'd only used the meat they were given.

[Libster]

I agree they were going to have to mix it with something more fatty. When cooking with a gamey meat they tend to be lean, this is why I thought Whitneys inclusion of butter was also a good idea, and the fried egg on top. a bit messy but sure bring some moistness.

[mackenziep]

If using a fattier meat is a bit of cheat (and part of me thought it was, even though I knew it was going to be fine with Tom), I would have used the Aussie trick of using beet. Of course, that would have required the cooking and pickling of said beet unless it was OK to use ...gasp...! canned beets.

Now I want an ostrich burger with butter and pickled beet, blue cheese, on toasted brioche.

[Duffy]

Ack! Adding a fatty meat to a forcemeat is no more cheating than adding salt.

[ally]

mackenziep that sandwich sounds delicious!

i don't really think adding meat to meat is the same as adding salt to meat. i think the point of the people questioning addition of meat is that they could have added fat/flavor without adding additional meat, by adding lard or butter (or pickled beets?) or what have you instead. they're always talking about "bringing out the flavor" of the main ingredient. but of course that is interpreted loosely, and if it is tasty they don't seem to care.

but i agree it was within the rules, people add bacon to everything on this show, why not pork meat.

[Anon Man]

On the blending in pork. I know elk can be cooked a little on the rarer side, but I'm curious if ostrich can be cooked rarer. It is a bird, so maybe not. But, it isn't exacrtly a turkey, either. Anyone have any experience with ostrich? My only knock on using sausage would be that sausage usually has other flavors, which might have made it tricky to not overpower the ostrich.

I'll admit that the door to my heart lies on the otherside of an egg on top of a burger. I'm easy that way.

[Danielle]

This reminded me that the poor eliminated chefs have to hang out in sequestration for the duration of the taping, right? What the hell do they DO in there? Is it like a dream vacation of forced inactivity or is it unbelievably tedious?

[Keryl]

Is anyone else actually preferring the LCK to the main challenges?

I'm hoping they perk up the cooking, because it's been awfully dull on the main elimination challenges lately.

I'm at the point where I'm actively looking forward to the QF and LCK challenges, but not the main ones.

[sprugman]

I don't object to them adding the meat in this context -- both sandwiches looked delishous, but isn't the whole point of getting this kind of a burger -- ostrich, buffalo, whatever, to reduce the saturated fats? Seems kind of silly to then add them back in with a bunch of pork or butter or lard....

[DF]

FWIW, I sent an email to the chef who cooks my favorite ostrich burger, he insisted there isn't a need to add fat as long as it is clear that he is not attempting to replicate a beef burger. In part, he wrote:

"I don't add anything to the burgers other than salt and pepper and the
condiment served with it. We have always told people to order them as rare
as possible because of the leaness of the meat."