Questionable Skills of Cooking Show Hosts on Food Network

[rewebster]

Maybe it just might happen. Check this site out.

"ContactVIP.com"[/URL][/QUOTE]

"Payment Options

$3.95 - 7 Days Risk Free Trial(then $9.95/month)
You may cancel anytime online here "

 

[Evo]

Ok, I'll make some positive comments.

I love Alton Brown, his show "Good Eats" is a wonderful educational food comedy. Alton is not actually a chef, his background is a video producer that came up with an idea for a different kind of cooking show. He took some cooking classes then pitched his idea to the Food Network. Although his shows are great, he does occasionally get things wrong. Just ask turbo1 about knives.

The other day his show was about grits. His first statement was "grits and polenta are identical, only the name is different". No, yellow cornmeal and grits are not the same thing. http://www.solutions.uiuc.edu/content.cfm?series=3&item=280&Parents=0%7C28 And no southerner would ever boil yellow cornmeal in milk and call it grits, they'd be run out of town. I was horrified that Alton of all people would make such a mistake! He's my idol.

Well, a bit of googling turned up the fact that the show had edited out a crucial segment.

I wish to apologize to any and all southerners who might have caught our True Grits episode the other night. Why? Because a short but crucial scene got lost in the edit and I’ll be darned if I can find where I put it. The scene in question dealt with the issue of hominy grits which are not the same as plain old grits. Hominy grits are made from hominy, a form of dent or field corn which is treated with an alkali such as lye before drying and milling. The resulting chemical changes inside the corn manifest themselves in a gruel that never gets totally creamy. Hominy grits are in fact “grittier” than other grits. But they are not the only grits out there. Many reputable firms such as Bob’s Red Mill market the same product as grits and polenta. And they are technically right to do so. Well actually, they're wrong. Grits and polenta are dishes prepared from corn meal...so they really should just be selling corn meal but that's their business. <snip>

So, what are we doing? We’re fixing it of course. In fact by this time next week, Food Network will have replacement shows in their hot little tape decks.

This is the first time I’ve recalled a product for content reasons. It was a simple but negligent oversight on my part made worse by the thought that someone out there may suspect that I don’t know my grits … which is almost too much for me to bare.

Yours truly,

AB
November 5, 2004
Philadelphia, PA

posted by Alton Brown, 4:03 PM

http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season8/grits/true_grit_trans.htm

Alton Brown has exonerated himself. Unfortunately, Food Network is either still airing the wrong version, or I somehow missed the inserted correction.

 

[turbo]

Brown usually gets things right. His show on knife-sharpening was a rare example where he got it mostly wrong. His instructions on how to brine turkeys prior to roasting has resulted in some wonderful birds, and we have since applied that procedure to pork rib roasts (just had one tonight) with fantastic results. The secret to keep the pork as moist as possible is to dredge it in a mixture of flour, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper after you rinse off the brine. Roast the pork in a greased metal pan until it is browned, then cover lightly with aluminum foil and continue roasting until the center of the roast reaches 170 deg F. The juices and some of the coating will brown on the bottom of the pan. Use a metal pan so you can put in on a burner, dump in some water and boil the carmelized material off the bottom of the pan. Mix up some flour and water and stir it into the juices while boiling to make a nice dark gravy.

 

[Contrapositive]

I got a chance to try Alton's brownie recipe over the break and I was really pleased with them. Although, I deviated a little by adding a bag of peanut butter chips.

 

[hypatia]

Did you make enough to send some to all of us?

 

[Contrapositive]

Did you make enough to send some to all of us?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/119/299000164_4d7398dbf6.jpg"

 

[LightbulbSun]

This channel cracks me up.

Could they possibly have more people hosting cooking shows that have no background in cooking?

Bobby Flay, high school drop out that is dating the producer's daughter. This classless idiot has no place in the cooking world.

Emeril Lagasee. As his former boss at the New Orleans restaurant warned the new restaurant up north he escaped to (since it appeard, IMHO, that his lack of food knowledge and cooking skills were ending his career) that Emeril can't cook, but he loves to shmooze.

Rachel Ray, you've got to be kidding. I'd love to see her prepare a consommé, much less explain what it is.

Most of the "food personalities" have no culinary education, have no idea what they're doing, their scripts are handed to them and they plow through what their kitchen assistants have placed on the set along with teleprompters telling them what to do and say. Put in a real kitchen with no assistants or scripts, these people couldn't boil an egg.

My mother has a real culinary education and she could cook anything. I think she should have a show on the Food Network. But, as we all know, the only real reason why Rachel Ray is on TV is because she has a personality and she appeals to the lazy cook.

 

[Number2Pencil]

I knew Emeril lacked in the cooking department when I bought some Emeril brand items and they tasted horrible. Good Eats is the only cooking show that is entertaining to me. Well I take that back, Giada is entertaining but only for staring at cleavage.

 

[ZapperZ]

An organization in Japan is trying to start http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080129/lf_afp/lifestylejapangastronomy" with an "authentic" certification.

"We are not aiming at something like a sushi police aiming to crack down on inauthentic restaurants," said a member of the Organisation to Promote Japanese Restaurants Abroad, declining to be named.

"Our objective is to promote Japanese food, not eliminate Japanese restaurants."

This, of course, will not stop the "Americanized" Japanese food being served already in many Japanese restaurant. Still, it would be interesting for those of us who haven't been, or can't go to Japan often, to at least be able to go to a restaurant serving actual, authentic Japanese food, rather than the "local" version of Japanese cuisine.

Zz.

 

[Cyrus]

Chef Cyrus just made 4 pieces of toast, 4 eggs sunny side up, and 6 strips of bacon for lunch. Yummy. I should start my own show.

 

[Evo]

Chef Cyrus just made 4 pieces of toast, 4 eggs sunny side up, and 6 strips of bacon for lunch. Yummy. I should start my own show.

Can you babble endlessly while smiling and hold up a recipe box decorated to look like a baseball and in your bubbliest, perkiest voice exclaim "HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?

If you can't, I'll watch.

 

[Evo]

An organization in Japan is trying to start http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080129/lf_afp/lifestylejapangastronomy" with an "authentic" certification.



This, of course, will not stop the "Americanized" Japanese food being served already in many Japanese restaurant. Still, it would be interesting for those of us who haven't been, or can't go to Japan often, to at least be able to go to a restaurant serving actual, authentic Japanese food, rather than the "local" version of Japanese cuisine.

Zz.

I'd like to see some authentic Japanese foods. I think it's a good idea.

 

[Cyrus]

Can you babble endlessly while smiling and hold up a recipe box decorated to look like a baseball and in your bubbliest, perkiest voice exclaim "HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?

If you can't, I'll watch.

My food was supper yummy mmmmmmmmmmmm. Its delish. (isnt thata the stupid stuff these people say on tv) mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... yummy. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[turbo]

My food was supper yummy mmmmmmmmmmmm. Its delish. (isnt thata the stupid stuff these people say on tv) mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... yummy. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

You have managed to capture the essence of Rachael Ray, Cyrus. Another really infantile thing that grates on my nerves is when these idiots talk about "veggies", a word that might be OK for preschooler, but not for adults who profess to know how to cook.

 

[Evo]

You have managed to capture the essence of Rachael Ray, Cyrus. Another really infantile thing that grates on my nerves is when these idiots talk about "veggies", a word that might be OK for preschooler, but not for adults who profess to know how to cook.

Ack "veggies".

Jamie Oliver has a new show called "Jamie at Home". He uses vegetables, roots and lots of peppers from his own garden. He is all about the food, carefully showing how to prepare each item in a dish and why. He smoked some salmon and then drizzled homemade hot chili oil over it the other day, and then made a fresh chili pepper salza to go with it.

I'm going to make this dish, it sounds great. I got a great deal on a 10 lb pork shoulder, so I need to cut it in half.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_100311,00.html

 

[Astronuc]

Ack "veggies".

Jamie Oliver has a new show called "Jamie at Home". He uses vegetables, roots and lots of peppers from his own garden. He is all about the food, carefully showing how to prepare each item in a dish and why. He smoked some salmon and then drizzled homemade hot chili oil over it the other day, and then made a fresh chili pepper salza to go with it.

I'm going to make this dish, it sounds great. I got a great deal on a 10 lb pork shoulder, so I need to cut it in half.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_100311,00.html

Spicy Pork and Chili-Pepper Goulash sounds really good!

 

[turbo]

Ack "veggies".

Jamie Oliver has a new show called "Jamie at Home". He uses vegetables, roots and lots of peppers from his own garden. He is all about the food, carefully showing how to prepare each item in a dish and why. He smoked some salmon and then drizzled homemade hot chili oil over it the other day, and then made a fresh chili pepper salza to go with it.

Mmm! I love smoking fresh Atlantic salmon, and though I prefer to hickory-smoke it with a maple syrup glaze, I should consider punching that recipe up a little with some of my home-made hot stuff. I'm rationing the red habanero relish, now, but I have a lot of green habanero relish that I made at the end of the season, and I'm getting hooked on that pretty well. When I serve my smoked salmon cold as an appetizer, there is always salsa on the table, along with mustards, etc that find their way onto the Triscuits along with cheese, salmon, etc. That reminds me - I've got to put a couple of potatoes in the counter-top oven to bake. We've got left-over pork rib roast with gravy to eat tonight.

 

[lisab]

Do you smoke it yourself?

My hubby and I took up smoking for our 15th wedding anniversary (meats, not cigarettes!). We've had great success with chicken, moderate success with beef and pork. But the fish somehow doesn't seem to taste very smoky. Do you brine the fish before putting it in the smoker?

 

[turbo]

Yes, get a nice salmon fillet and brine it in the refrigerator for a few hours in a saturated solution of sea-salt and water. Rinse off the brine using cold water and let the salmon dry off in the refrigerator. This allows the development of a sticky film on the outside of the meat. I make a "boat" out of aluminum foil, oil it lightly, lay the fillet in it skin-down, and dust it with salt and crushed black pepper. Then I drizzle maple syrup over the fillet and put the boat on the top rack of my Brinkman smoker. I use a charcoal-fired smoker with LOTS of damp hickory chunks so it will produce a lot of smoke. Salmon doesn't have to cook too long, and you want to expose it to as much smoke as possible during that short time.

 

[glondor]

I remember several shows my mom and dad would watch when I was a kid. A lot of them were local shows, some of them made it (like martin yan, yan can cook) and some of them did not. The funniest one was a bbc production we would pick up on the cbc. Let me introduce the "2 fat ladies" .http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=cooking+show+2+fat+ladies&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

cannot remember if they could cook, however I seem to remember they were all over england and europe cooking up a storm. They rode a motorcycle Triumph thunderbird)with a side car. funny stuff. They were not perky.

 

[lisab]

What a funny picture! And yeah...they don't look perky...

 

[Evo]

Ace of Cakes

Ok, first show, ok, you make comic book style cakes.

Second show, ok, you make comic book style cakes.

Dear Gawd! You people make crappy comic book style cakes! STOP!

They can make fascimilies of characters, but they don't have the artistic expertise to pull off extraordinary cakes with refinement or detail.

A good example was the "Taj Mahal" cake. A flat, void of detail cake of the main structure. What was really horrible were the green colored corn dogs they used for trees. It was ugly, plain, no detail, and the "grounds" were pathetically comical.

Can we cancel this show, please?

I've seen incredible cakes and fine works of art in sugar. These people simply do not have the talent or ability to make works of art. Any hack can make these cakes with enough effort. I want to see talent, not effort.

 

[Evo]

I *love* Guy Fiero. He wasn't my favorite in the "Next Food Network Star" competition, but I didn't see the last segments where he won. They were right, this guy rocks.

He's funny, he actually knows his way around a kitchen, he puts on a great show and he makes "MAN FOOD". Got to give him credit for going for taste over gimmicks. Although that wimpy papaya show was sad.

 

[Moonbear]

I've seen incredible cakes and fine works of art in sugar.

There was some show, I think it was on Food Network, but might have been on one of the other channels, that had competitions of confectioners...they'd have to do this huge sculptures from sugar (looked like glass) or cakes, etc. Some were really badly done and would fall apart for judging (then again, the skill level required was amazing, so even a badly put together one was way better than what someone untrained could ever dream to accomplish), but some were GORGEOUS. There was always that tense moment as they had to carry the finished piece from the work table to the judging table (being able to move it was part of the judging criteria...people who really create things like this have to get them to the event where they are displayed without them crumbling).

If the show you're talking about is the one I think it is, yeah, it should be cancelled. How many times can you show how to cut out shapes from fondant to make a cake? I could make most of those cakes with ready-made fondant at my disposal.

 

[Evo]

There was some show, I think it was on Food Network, but might have been on one of the other channels, that had competitions of confectioners...they'd have to do this huge sculptures from sugar (looked like glass) or cakes, etc. Some were really badly done and would fall apart for judging (then again, the skill level required was amazing, so even a badly put together one was way better than what someone untrained could ever dream to accomplish), but some were GORGEOUS. There was always that tense moment as they had to carry the finished piece from the work table to the judging table (being able to move it was part of the judging criteria...people who really create things like this have to get them to the event where they are displayed without them crumbling).

Yes those take talent.

If the show you're talking about is the one I think it is, yeah, it should be cancelled. How many times can you show how to cut out shapes from fondant to make a cake? I could make most of those cakes with ready-made fondant at my disposal.

Yeah, it's that show. "ooh look, it's a cat", "oooh look, it's a hot dog", ooh look, it's a hamburger".

 

[~christina~]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080709011413AAZTLSC

1000 or more? It's for those cartoon cakes

http://bittenandbound.com/2008/02/1...es-and-his-charm-city-cakes-photos-and-video/
examples of his cakes..including that taj mahal with the corndog trees

 

[Evo]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080709011413AAZTLSC

1000 or more? It's for those cartoon cakes

http://bittenandbound.com/2008/02/1...es-and-his-charm-city-cakes-photos-and-video/
examples of his cakes..including that taj mahal with the corndog trees

Well, I'm starting a crummy cake company! christina, are you in?

Don't they look like green corn dogs? This was the same week that they had a candy Taj Mahal on a candy contest and the candy Taj Mahal looked like a photograph, it was stunning. All of the intricate design work on the outside was recreated, unlike the cake which is just solid white.

 

[Moonbear]

How much do wedding cakes cost nowadays? These should probably be in that same price range, since they're basically what you'd order as groom's cakes (though some look like they could be wedding cakes themselves...there are a few pretty ones in that second link aside from the outlandish ones). They're cool looking, but I've seen all I need to see looking at the photo gallery.

 

[~christina~]

Well, I'm starting a crummy cake company! christina, are you in?

Don't they look like green corn dogs? This was the same week that they had a candy Taj Mahal on a candy contest and the candy Taj Mahal looked like a photograph, it was stunning. All of the intricate design work on the outside was recreated, unlike the cake which is just solid white.

I'm in! If we get a show on the food network, we'll be FAMOUS!

They look like corndogs with green mold on them.

I missed that show.

 

[Evo]

Here's the chocolate Taj Mahal.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/saugus/archive/x1107265706/g258258a45df40631e1656bc818cc9ba8a946313b7a0f02.jpg

Actually, that Charm City Taj Mahal, looks doctored from what was on the show. It was just plain white fondant and the couple looked really disappointed when they saw it.

 

[Moonbear]

They look like corndogs with green mold on them.

To be fair, the real plants at the Taj Mahal really are shaped like corndogs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Taj_Mahal_in_March_2004.jpg

Though, if you compare them, they clearly weren't concerned with placing them where they are really located. The other bushes look like gumdrops. I've had nicer looking gumdrop bushes on my gingerbread houses.

 

[~christina~]

Here's the chocolate Taj Mahal.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/saugus/archive/x1107265706/g258258a45df40631e1656bc818cc9ba8a946313b7a0f02.jpg

Actually, that Charm City Taj Mahal, looks doctored from what was on the show. It was just plain white fondant and the couple looked really disappointed when they saw it.

That's nice. (chocolate one)
I'm not sure if this is the one I saw in a competition, but it looks familiar. Did the guy who make it have a hat on?

I would have liked to see their expression. The show always had people, ooing and aaahing over their cakes.

To be fair, the real plants at the Taj Mahal really are shaped like corndogs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Taj_Mahal_in_March_2004.jpg

Though, if you compare them, they clearly weren't concerned with placing them where they are really located. The other bushes look like gumdrops. I've had nicer looking gumdrop bushes on my gingerbread houses.

The color of the trees are wrong and there isn't any texture to the trees at all.

 

[wolram]

The best batter for fish, i guess you Americans have never tasted fish and chips cooked the old way, i say old way because fish and chips do not taste any thing near what they used to.
The fish used to be firm with a crip batter, not soggy and soft as served in fish and chip shops nowadays, i think they used lard to fry with then i may be wrong though, any ways up there must be a method to bring back the crispy batter.

 

[~christina~]

The best batter for fish, i guess you Americans have never tasted fish and chips cooked the old way, i say old way because fish and chips do not taste any thing near what they used to.
The fish used to be firm with a crip batter, not soggy and soft as served in fish and chip shops nowadays, i think they used lard to fry with then i may be wrong though, any ways up there must be a method to bring back the crispy batter.

My fish 'n chips are not soggy. Lard isn't good for your health either.

 

[WarPhalange]

Ugh, lard? No thanks.

 

[Evo]

Ugh, lard? No thanks.

Lard tastes best for frying potatoes.

 

[wolram]

I said lard, more beef dripping, far and away the best thing to fry potatoes in as Evo said, i am sure non of these fancy oils existed way back when.
We used to eat beef dripping sarnies.

 

[turbo]

Lard can be held at a much higher temperature without smoking than cooking oils and shortening. This means that they crisp the breading much better and more quickly, which results in less fat absorption into the breading, and a lighter, healthier meal. There is nothing wrong about using lard for deep-frying - it is a superior fat with a high smoke-point, and it got some really bad press from people pushing alternative fats that have more recently proven to be quite unhealthy for our cardiovascular systems.

 

[wolram]

Turbo, they do not bread the fish in fish and chip shops, they just have a thick gloopy batter they dip the fish in, years ago one could buy bags of scratchings ,the bits left over from frying but not now as i am sure the oil they use saturates the batter.

 

[turbo]

Turbo, they do not bread the fish in fish and chip shops, they just have a thick gloopy batter they dip the fish in, years ago one could buy bags of scratchings ,the bits left over from frying but not now as i am sure the oil they use saturates the batter.

Here in the US, we sometimes call batter "breading". Most deep-fried fish in the US has a batter of some sort. Clam-shops in Maine sometimes guard their batter recipes like gold. A friend of mine worked in a place that was famous for their fried clams, and his home-made fried clams are to die for. One secret is powdered mustard in the batter, though I never managed to pry the recipe out of him.

 

[Evo]

Oh dear.

I am watching the "National Chicken cooking contest" on the Food Network and some of the contestants were given their chickens breasts and these contestants are complaining that "these are HUGE, they are the BIGGEST chicken breasts I have ever seen, there is NO WAY I can cook something this large and have it done in time". Another contestant, "all around me I hear people pounding these HUGE OVERSIZED chicken breasts".

They show the "HUGE, OVERSIZED chicken breasts.



They are normal sized whole chicken breasts. Apparently these competitors have never seen a whole chicken breast, they have only worked with the store cut half breasts.

Uhm people, you cut the whole breast into two halves. OMG.

In case anyone here has never seen a whole chicken breast and how to cut them in two, here you go. Picture #6

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cutupchicken.htm

 

[~christina~]

Speaking of the Food Network, I heard that, chef Michal Simon is going to be doing, Dinner Impossible . I can't watch him do that of course, but in my opinion, I wouldn't watch the show with him doing the cooking. Is it his goatee? or his bald head? or is it that smirk that says, I know it all => http://www.wisdairy.com/AllAboutCheese/ChefAmbassador/images/MichaelSimon-med.jpg

I liked, chef Robert Irvine, even if he was a liar. It's not like he bragged about his fake resume during the cooking.

I remember that I was watching Pat and Gina from, Down home with the Neely's at my friend's house, and they were traveling around and trying sweet stuff in random stores, they're funny and work well together. I was drooling after I saw them try the ice cream from this organic ice cream store. They had, corn flavoured and basil flavoured ice cream! Yum!

 

[LowlyPion]

I liked, chef Robert Irvine, even if he was a liar. It's not like he bragged about his fake resume during the cooking.

Yes, but could you believe him when he said it tasted good?

His credibility was shot.

 

[~christina~]

Yes, but could you believe him when he said it tasted good?

His credibility was shot.

I didn't base his cooking on what he said, I based it on what the people who ate his food said.

 

[LowlyPion]

I didn't base his cooking on what he said, I based it on what the people who ate his food said.

Not to be too contentious here because I see those shows as entertainment, not that much to be believed to begin with, but as a producer/director of the show do you think you would air clips of people spitting out food and complaining about how bad it tasted?

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Oh dear.

I am watching the "National Chicken cooking contest" on the Food Network and some of the contestants were given their chickens breasts and these contestants are complaining that "these are HUGE, they are the BIGGEST chicken breasts I have ever seen, there is NO WAY I can cook something this large and have it done in time". Another contestant, "all around me I hear people pounding these HUGE OVERSIZED chicken breasts".

They show the "HUGE, OVERSIZED chicken breasts.



They are normal sized whole chicken breasts. Apparently these competitors have never seen a whole chicken breast, they have only worked with the store cut half breasts.

Uhm people, you cut the whole breast into two halves. OMG.

In case anyone here has never seen a whole chicken breast and how to cut them in two, here you go. Picture #6

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cutupchicken.htm

The other day I bought a tray of bonless skinless chicken breast steaks. I thought that there were going to be three or four in there but when I opened it up it was only TWO! If I had thought about it I would have halved them before I froze them.
I'm used to the size of chicken breast you get in a fast food place. Maybe they shrink quite a bit when cooked though.

 

[~christina~]

Not to be too contentious here because I see those shows as entertainment, not that much to be believed to begin with, but as a producer/director of the show do you think you would air clips of people spitting out food and complaining about how bad it tasted?

Okay well, I wasn't planning on actually attending a cookoff by him, so it doesn't matter to me. It's all entertainment, exactly like you said. The success of a show all depends on:
a) looks b) humour c) entertainment value

 

[Moonbear]

Oh dear.

I am watching the "National Chicken cooking contest" on the Food Network and some of the contestants were given their chickens breasts and these contestants are complaining that "these are HUGE, they are the BIGGEST chicken breasts I have ever seen, there is NO WAY I can cook something this large and have it done in time". Another contestant, "all around me I hear people pounding these HUGE OVERSIZED chicken breasts".

They show the "HUGE, OVERSIZED chicken breasts.



They are normal sized whole chicken breasts. Apparently these competitors have never seen a whole chicken breast, they have only worked with the store cut half breasts.

Uhm people, you cut the whole breast into two halves. OMG.

In case anyone here has never seen a whole chicken breast and how to cut them in two, here you go. Picture #6

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cutupchicken.htm

They must not know the difference between a chicken cutlet and a whole chicken breast. I caught part of that show, and didn't stick around to watch the rest. It was really lame. It's not even that hard to figure out where to cut the breast in half. There's a natural separation between the two muscles that make it up.

Edit: Oh, I just followed your link. You're talking about a whole vs half breast as in not divided from the breast bone yet. I was thinking they got the halves, but they didn't know why they were so thick...they can be split again into cutlets, which is often what stores sell as boneless chicken breast.

 

[Evo]

They must not know the difference between a chicken cutlet and a whole chicken breast. I caught part of that show, and didn't stick around to watch the rest. It was really lame. It's not even that hard to figure out where to cut the breast in half. There's a natural separation between the two muscles that make it up.

Edit: Oh, I just followed your link. You're talking about a whole vs half breast as in not divided from the breast bone yet. I was thinking they got the halves, but they didn't know why they were so thick...they can be split again into cutlets, which is often what stores sell as boneless chicken breast.

These were actually a whole breast with the bone removed, but it still has enough connective tissue that you have to cut it in two to get two halves.

This is probably a better explanation with pictures of cutting the deboned whole breast in two, but he's made a mess of boning that poor chicken.

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/123/Boning-Chicken-Breast

 

[turbo]

Where do these people come from? When I was a kid, we ate mostly egg-laying birds. Roosters were culled out when they were fairly young and still tender, and when the sitting hens became non-productive (they were often large by that time) we ate them, too. The old hens could be tough, unless you roasted them for hours in a very moist environment until the meat was practically falling off the bone. Since those birds cooked for a very long time, they were generally stuffed with stale bread and seasonings, with onions and some egg to make the stuffing bind better. The young birds were not often stuffed, but were roasted whole at a higher temp or were cut apart so they could be broiled or BBQ'd. The difference in size could be impressive. Apparently, these people have never handled chicken (as an animal) and have only dealt with the processed meat (already eviscerated, boned, and cut up). How did these people end up in a "National Chicken Cooking Contest" with that level of "expertise"?