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Please don't change the format as others have requested. It's a GAME. Yes, a competition to find THE top chef, but, you win some, you lose some.

I have found that the judges will bring into play the body of work when having to decide between two losers. I would rather they not be "required" to do so. Certainly in the early going, that would be extremely unfair, as nerves and getting used to a weird living situation could certainly cause some very bad days.

Further, not everyone does all food, all situations, etc. It's not fair to ding someone that sucks as desert cooking if they succeed at catering a 3 course meal for 100 by themselves. I think the point is to find the All Around Top Chef, and I support keeping the format as it is, leaving it to the judges to do their judging on their terms.

Hi Chef,
I love the show and am a Chef myself, and can't wait to see how whos food will reign supreme. I was wondering how to apply to become a contestant. I have worked with some of the best chefs in the country and have learned a great deal and would love to showcase my talents on Top Chef, it has been a dream of mine. I have worked side by side with Jimmy Schidt of the Rattlesnake club of Detroit, Susan Goss Of Zinfidel's of Chicago, Bob Kinkkead of Kinkead's in D.C. Johnathan Eisman, and Raji(god rest her soul) of Raji's in Memphis Tenn. And they have all said that I have a talent that should be explioted. If you could point me in the right direction I would be in your debt Chef. On a lighter note, has Bravo ever thought of a run off of top chef but featuring a Pro's vs Joe's Iron Chef type competition with top chef contestant winners or losers going in a head to head battle with challengers across the country?? Just a thought, would give the viewrs a different perspective, don't you think??

The glass artist's name is: Dale Chihuly!

Hi Tom, I have been a loyal watcher of Top Chef since season 1 and it is still my absolute favorite show!
while I am not a professional chef, I think that I could hold my own with anyone that has been on the show. Of course I do not have the diverse culinary knowledge that many of the contestants have demonstrated, I still believe that I can produce dishes that would be able to compete with the best of them.

Of course I realize that you probably get thousands of letters such as this, but I would gladly embrace the opportunity to prove myself equal to the challenge. while my dishes are not as sophisticated as many of those produced by the contestants, I feel that what I can put on a plate is as flavorful and as presentable as morer than the majority.

Of course I do not expect to ever hear from you, I will still continue to be a faithful watcher of TC and of yourself and the rest of the crew.

Respectfully,
Rob Bailey

PS. Padma is soooooo hot!

i just have to tell you,, that i have been bothered by something ever since TOP CHEF LAS VEGAS began airing!!!.. in the opening credits one chef is filmed rubbing his beard ,. while another{ i beleive his name is Hector} is filmed running his hands over his hair!!!!!! how ABSOLUTLY disgusting that a food professional would touch thier faces and hair with their hands while in their chefs coats!!!!.. and BE FILMED DOING IT!!!!!! YUK!!!!!!!

Would folks please post some alternative ideas to the dishes presented? Personally, I think Eli should have done TIGER prawns in ELEPHANT garlic with a spicy PEANUT sauce. That dish would have tasted great and from there he could have sold the concept. He would have needed to mention the circus elements over and over. Otherwise, people would have asked each other if they liked the Thai garlic shrimp.

I think it is important to note that Eli and Robin both had disastrous results in their attempts to incorporate inspiration; but, Eli plated his.

Kevin had the Mirage and served a light fish dish with citrus, mint and broth and never really sold the idea. It was refreshing and presented a drink within the dish. It was also a satisfying piece of protein for the guests.

For those future contestants with the brains to read all these blogs now, SELL your concept. I can get Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dressing up the block in Vancouver, BC. New York here means delis and thin crust pizza. Personally, I wish he had been the soup nazi instead. "No soup for you!"

LOVE LOVE LOVE the show and Tom you are the coolest! I look forward to your blogs each morning after the show. I wish I had discovered the blogs in seasons past and I agree with pother posters, there is a lot to be learned from your writing as well.

My thought...
I know chefs are sent home on the 'dish of the day' but realistically wouldn't it be truer to the title of TOP CHEF if chefs were to be judged on the 'dish of the day'. And then equally in their menu of work to date. You could have a wins, losses...ranking board and use that criteria after judging the dish of the day for a more authentic to the titile TOP CHEF elimination.

I must add though: it is inevitable that the final 3 are clearly the best, no doubt about it. But I'd like to see their body of work judged as well. Then there wouldn't have been a question about Robin (sweet woman, but out of comfort zone as I would be and I love to cook). And Jen would be in a better spot right now. She's having such a tough time beliveing in her abilities and natural creative talent now & it's getting in her way.

JMHO

Bring on more seasons...it's my fav show!

Just wanted to say I'm looking forward to tonights Top Chef.I wish all of them good luck, but my faves are Kevin, Bryan, And Jen if she can get back on track.

TOM - Amazing talent this season so where is the top judge Anthony Bourdain?? He is THE guest judge we so look forward to seeing. Waiting for him to critique the dysfunctionally competitive/sensitive Voltaggio brothers! Also I am confused as to why you keep mentioning how well Jen did early on. How is this relevant to a current challenge? You seem to be trying to influence the guest judge & also beating Jen down a bit. The premise has always been to judge only the challenge at hand. What's going on?

I have to say, I was disappointed to hear a respected chef like Tom Colicchio repeat one of the most often-repeated myths about medieval food, but this has already been well-covered by other posters. I'm a medieval re-enactor with an interest in food and cooking. I have to disagree with Syd, though, on exclusion of ingredients. Rice and pasta were both available during the medieval period. Rice was introduced through contact with Asia during the Crusades. Pasta dates back to Roman times. In fact, I have a copy of a recipe for macaroni and cheese that I believe dates back to the fourteenth century. Yes, medieval food was differently spiced, but not as much as it would seem at first. If it had been me, instead of beef, I would have used pork. A pork loin, split and stuffed with a mixture of dried fruit and spices, glazed with honey or mead and roasted actually reaches a good middle-ground, where it's reasonably authentic to medieval western European food, but still accessible to modern palates.

Tom, awesome blog and great show.

It seems like some folks don't get that many hours of footage are edited to create a show that will hold people's attention. Robin was always, always at the bottom regardless of how the footage was edited. She should never have lasted as long as she did.

Kevin is great. I'd take good tasting food any day over some fancy looking creation.

The V brothers are entertaining. I'd like to see them get into a fist fight.

In response to Harriet and anyone else that has commented on the chef's being rude - you obviously have never worked in a restaurant before. This is going to be an unpopular comment but it has to be said, most (not all) restaurant workers, line cooks & chefs are foul mouthed partiers so no wonder why we see the chefs being so rude and arrogant (in all of the seasons). I used to waitress many years ago and I remember all of the chefs yelling & screaming and making rude jokes and comments to the staff. And I'm talking high end restaurants. I know, not everybody falls into this category but many do.

I also remember having so much fun with them too; they were great to hang out with at the bars till the wee hours of the morning! It's a stressful career, they work hard and play harder and I give them a lot of credit for doing what they do. Hope I didn't offend anyone, just stating my opinion.

By the way, I'm a huge fan of the show and I look forward to Tom's blog every week!! Love, love, love you Tom!

UGGGHH! Some of these so called medievalists need to put themselves in a catapult and cut the rope! Seriously Tom, LOVE YOU. We can't know everything about everything that's tangentially related to our field of expertise.

Tom-
Thank God Robin has left the building, it's sooooooooooo over due. I'm still just in awe that she lasted this long. I'm sure she is a very lovely lady, but enough was enough. There was a lot of talent that walked through those doors before her time was up.

Love, Love, Love the show, you are all wonderful. Happy Holidays to the Top Chef Team.

Catherine from Seattle

Georgia Girl, are you serious? You DO know that these shows are now LIVE TV, they are pre-taped, when Padma was on last Thursday night she DID already know who will be in the top 2, but she never really gave anything away, not really. She was DULL but she didn't reveal anything. Georgia Girl, please tell me you get it???

tom i've been following top chef since season one and this is one of the strongest most exciting so far
one problem im having following the show is that the extra footage has become unavailable here in japan
is there any way we can alleviate this problem?

After reading this blog I started to look at the environment around me and was struck by an idea for a challenge for next season. I work at hospital that serves older adults (60+) and thought about the fact that by the time we're age 50 we have lost 50% of our ability to taste food (especially sugar/sweet receptors). That explains why I'll see patients putting jelly on mashed potatoes. I think it would be amazing to see Top Chef contestants use textures and flavors to create a tasty meal for seniors that's within their dietary guidelines. Just a thought!

Hi to all of Top Chef fans!

I for one have to say that I'm glad Robin is GONE. Is she really the caliber of "chef" that appears on this show? I read her bio and it doesn't seem that she completes anything she sets out to do. Does she have an MFA degree from University of Michigan? (I'm a U of MI alum and certainly hope she isn't - she's disgraced herself enough.) Why did the judges not give her the criticism that they discussed in deliberation? I was so tired of seeing them hold back and treat her with kid gloves. And the whole "cancer comment" issue was really taken too seriously. She played that pathetic card (no Vegas pun intended) and Eli probably only voiced what others were also thinking. I like this season's cast quite a bit (Kevin is really the star) and am glad that the finalists still remaining are serious about what they do. Mike didn't deserve to be eliminated before Robin, but he maybe was a bit too confident in the idea that he wouldn't go home. It is what it is.

Best wishes to the remaining chefs.

Love you tom! I'll be sad when this season is over.

You know, reading these comments is as interesting as watching the show. You can learn a lot.

I think someone's comment on the three times you are on the bottom you are out idea is a valid one...if you are consistently on the bottom, give someone one else a chance and let Lady Luck favor another contestant.

You know what competition I would like to see come back...I can't remember the season, but everybody bought for their dish and then they had to switch what was bought/groceries around and come up with thir own dish.....THAT I would like to see again. Would Mr "Bad mouth everybody Mike V" be able to be so creative , if he got, say...Robins groceries and still think his was the best dish?

Thanks for the comments Tom, yours are the first I read after watching the show.

Thank goodness for Kevin's good nature. Even Season Two's contentiousness doesn't compare to the mean-spirited arrogance of this seasons chefs. Michael V. says Tyler Florence is a "fake" chef who only plays one on TV. The mocking, disparagement of Robin is so unkind . . a regular lynch mob mentality. Robin is not appealing to me, but she was ill-treated by a group of "Upstart Roosters." Bad behavior is so boring; these chefs think they are re-inventing the culinary world. HA. NO ONE who suffers from a complete lack of humility will ever achieve his full potential for greatness. Emulate Eric Ripert and Tom Colicchio, not Marcel V. or SPIKE!

Like others said thanks for your extra comments about the show. If it were me i Don't think I would have sent robin home over the panna cotta but obviously I wasn't there so who knows? well I guess YOU know! hehe

Tom,

You're so adorable! You are obviously impressed with the V brothers style of cooking and it shows. You have an expression of pleasure on your face whenever you eat something particularly inspiring prepared by them. Based on your expressions, I can tell these chefs are not your typical run of the mill chefs. I love reading your posts, especially when you use words like esoteric. On a side note, you misspelled spicy. Not that it's a big deal, but I get a little crazy when people forget to drop the e. :)

To all of you defending Robin. You all seem to forget that it's not always about taste. It's also about creativity and willingness to take a risk. Eli took a risk to create a dish that embodied the theme Circus Circus. The flavors may not have been to the two women's taste. (I have to believe that they simply didn't like how sweet it was. Padma repeatedly shows her dislike of overly sweet dishes) But there didn't seem to be a problem with his skills in the preparation. On the other hand, Robin's pana cota and sauce were simply not well prepared. Why would you keep someone who can't execute simple components at this point in the competition? That's the reason she deserved to go home this week and not Eli.

What a great blog! I really thought it was a great episode. I was in Las Vegas in August and seeing all of the different chefs going through the different casinos took me right back. I think that this is where the season really begins. Of course I watch every episode but the real talent (for the most part) is usually in the final couple chefs and the food is generally of outstanding quality. I am looking forward to this finale like I did to the Chicago finale. The talent is exceptional this season and I cannot wait to see the next couple of episodes.

I saw Padma on tv the other night. She said that either Jennifer or would win. Hmmmmmmm. Sounds kind a fishy to me. Like they already have there mind made up. Kevin is good, but Jennifer has been on the bottom a lot. Thank God ya'll finally wised up to Robin. She should have gone before Mike.

Tom:

I would like to see more prep/cooking/plating, and perhaps the reasons for same, than to watch the bickering that goes on between the contestants. This is a cooking show, not family feud.

Great show, but I have one gripe about Michael V.'s dish, his theme was New York, New York (as in city) uh, Bufflao wings are from, well, Buffalo - so, although it looked tasty I didn't think he nailed the theme of the city at all. When I think of New York I think Pizza, when I think of firefighters I think chili, hot chicken wings = BUFFALO, it's on the other side of the state. I live in Atlanta so of course I'm rooting for Kevin.

Since everyone loves to compare season to season as to why people get cut or don't get cut, let's do just that...Season 5: Padma spit out Arianne's dessert yet she still wasn't cut/Season 6 Padma says she didn't want to eat Eli's dish ever again and he wasn't cut....Season 2: Betty wasn't able to properly prepare 3 different soups using the proper techniques and was cut/Season 6 Robin was unable to properly prepare a simple panna cotta using the proper technique and was cut--on top of that she also failed to make it taste good (Toby noted that the syrup tasted like slushy syrup and Nigella said it tasted bland and was too thick) and finally it did not fit the theme of the challenge and represent her vision of the Bellagio--also...never show what you were going to serve but didn't, that just doesn't look good, Robin might have had a better chance at staying had she hid her failed sugars and not bothered to show them to the judges at all

one more point...it's a panel of 4...there are 4 votes in this decision and the fact that Robin couldn't pull off a panna cotta that a 1st year culinary student should have been able to make was far more or a sin....almost an insult to the panel's intelligence....Eli's dish may not have passed completely, but it was an effort that had a vision that made sense and the judges could see that and see where he was going and that is part of the competition

As an older woman, I felt bad for Robin, being in a household of disrespectful people. I think she was just trying to defend herself. Granted her food was not as good as the rest, but it was better than some. Peter Principle...everyone rises to their own level of incopetence (sp)...and I think she was lucky most of the time. Sometimes when someone talks alot they are insecure. The others could have made more of a motion to include her....After all, we don't stay young forever, they too will age and want the respect they didn't give her.

Actually, I take my prior comment about food historians back. Random Foodie was the only one who was offensive. Syd and DarrenG were not disrespectful to Chef Colicchio.

Wow.... your post has apparently brought out several MILITANT medieval historians.

To name one: Random Foodie. Thanks for the history lesson. Perhaps your next area of study should be in manners. There are ways to correct and educate someone without being insulting and pompous.

Nice cover up Tom when you wrote that you liked Eli's dish. Obviously the producers decided it was more interesting to keep Eli in the top 5 rather than Robin and even though she does bug me and should not have made it that far I call bs. Really Tom , you liked what the other judges were just flat out revolted with? Again ,bs! Nobody thought Robin's dish was good but nobody said that they wanted to spit it out either. You could tell by the judges reactions they disliked Eli's more. Also I clearly remember in past seasons instances when you eliminated chefs who took a chance but produced crap and you made it clear that taking chances was not a valid excuse for producing something disasterous( you actually used the word disaster when criticing Eli's dish) Disaster or just not good which one sounds worse? ...... Hmm. But I am I junky for the show and think its the best show on tv , so keep up the good work, this season rocks!

I am not surprised by Micheal V.'s bellyaching over Kevin's dishes. The simple fact is that he is acting like a petulant child. If you can make what Kevin does on your day off and he beats you, then maybe you should try taking a day off. It comes across as very churlish and insecure. I don't think anyone is falling for it. Kevin is a great cook that doesn't need tricks. Maybe Micheal should go work for a Teppanyaki restaurant where he can wow with his tricks and not have to worry too much about how his food tastes.

Tom:

Question for you about Robin's elimination. Your description above makes it sound as though (consistent with TC judging criteria) Robin was sent home because of her weak performance on this challenge, not as a reflection of previous weak performances. But Toby Young's blog says that "we felt she’d got as far as she was entitled to get in this competition."

I don't understand this comment in light of your judging criteria. Does this mean that some of the judges were inclined to judge not on the basis of Bellagio v. Circus Circus but on the basis of Robin's cumulative performance? And if so, are the judges using consistent criteria in judging the dishes?

Thanks very much.

To everyone who has said such wonderful things about Kevin: I could not agree more!!!! I thought the only super talented chef with such humility and manners was Richard Blaise! I am so happy to see that Kevin is on the same par as Richard! Kevin has been my choice for Top Chef since the very first episode and he continues to prove himself with his excellant cooking and his wonderful/fair/full of good manners self every week!!

Broccolini, you're basing your ideas about medieval food on what? Personal prejudice? Pop culture? Legend?

Your comment on medieval poverty and the cost of meat are a silly justification for the eating of rancid meats. Preservation would be more likely, not less, if meat were expensive! Especially when the methods were so simple: salting and smoking.
Remember, a poor peasant can afford diarrhea even less than you can; his intake of calories may be insufficient, so he can't afford to waste any!

By the way, the person complaining that we are concentrating on European medieval cooking, rather than other areas, I remind you that there were references to the hotel "Excalibur," which is definitely European medieval (sort of...As conceived by Hollywood).

Besides, "medieval" is a term meaning middle or between, referring to the period between the "Dark Ages" and the Renaissance; non-European nations were experiencing different dynamics during that period. If you want to include these areas, fine. But making a general statement (as was done) that "medieval meat is more highly-spiced to hide rancidness" is still inaccurate. Certainly it was not, globally.

If you want to limit yourself to the peasantry, yes, the amount of meat is probably less, but there is less documentation (but still, there is some) of recipes, since peasants didn't hire chefs! And cookbooks are written largely by chefs. So "cooking medieval" becomes less possible for "peasant food."

Still, even here, I find no reference from medieval publications on the eating of rancid meat as a general practice. Laws against selling it, yes. Where are you getting your information? And is this information from someone writing in a later period based on his own prejudices, or someone talking out of his hat?

The problem with later writers is they love to romanticize. Check out the books on pirates written in the 1800's, for this kind of thing; the Caribbean pirates had their heyday a mere 100 years, before! So do check your sources.

And don't forget alternative meat sources; squab (pigeon), coney (rabbit), venison, etc. Of course, you could get hanged for poaching, if you were a peasant, depending on the time and place....

Still, salt meat (including fish) was often produced in bulk, due to demand by the military, and became a part of certain cultures' traditional menu....ditto smoked meat.

And, if you're trying to recreate peasant foods, we also have to delve into which peasants and where....anything from bread and beer (a la Ancient Egypt) to highly-varied menus is possible, here, depending on the wealth of the region, how sharply they were taxed, and just what you consider a peasant (serfs/slaves? freemen? townies?). Again, in general, no rancid meat. Practices that get you killed tend to die out....and malnutrition is already a possibility, even without giving yourself dysintery.

Again, don't believe some Victorian writer who makes stuff up based on a belief that old-time people were ignorant, dirty barbarians. For most of the medieval period, filth was not favored....even then it was to avoid religious persecution...

I have watched every episode of all seasons. This season the restaurant war was the most disappointing episode.
I am Jennifer fan but she should have gone home. Not only her dishes were bad, but because she wasn’t ready on time for opening Lauren lost the control of the front.

I must mention that potatoes were not available to the medieval peasants because potatoes were discovered in the New World in the 16th century. That's modern history, not medieval history.

broccolini said
"First of all, peasants and lower class rarely ate meat. Their stews consisted of an ongoing concoction of mostly vegetables. They would maintain a pot of stew for months at a time and simply add whatever they could everyday. if they came home with potatoes, they would be thrown into the pot of boiling water along with some onions and maybe carrots."

I have been inspired by the different challenges that have been offered to the contestents. My husband is a good cook however, he does not think he would be good at Top Chef. He does think that there should be a couples Top Chef because, it would be interesting to see what two people could come up with that play on each others strengths. He also seems to think that I am a better cook then him because, I have had to come up with some interesting dishes in a short amount of time with limited amount of ingredents. I have been cooking since I was 13 and have had no formal training so there is a ton of different techniques that I have never had to do. I love watching the way that people make food and try to imitate the techniques. Keep up the good work.

watching michael v. cook is an orgasmic experience :) Hope he wins TC.

Broccolini, a European peasant who came home with a potato wouldn't be medieval, as there were no potatoes outside of the Americas at that time. And a pot of soup maintained for months without refrigeration would kill the people eating it as fast as spoiled meat. You are repeating myths. Medieval people knew how to preserve meats, made cheeses to preserve milk, made ale to preserve grains. They were very aware of the dangers of spoiled food and their cooking reflected that.

I have to agree with Harriet. I'm not really sure why the household was so blatantly disgusted with Robin. So, she was in her 40's and ok, she cooked more simply and yeah, constant jabbering is irritating but jeez... to talk smack and call her "grandma" and cause such discomfort and exclusion??? Maybe I missed all the film of her being a rude, incompetent, hateful bitch (which might justify the cold-shoulders and childish ganging-up of the group). I didn't see the reason for such hostility and holier-than-thou smarmyness.

Rude Eli was'nt sent home because he just won the quick fire and his receipe was chosen for the book. It would just look bad if he was sent home.

P.S. Thanks for kicking Robin off...my mother vowed never to watch it again if she stayed on one more week. Haha.

Someone mentioned how it's lame that Michael V. keeps bad-mouthing Kevin. Kevin recently wrote a blog and addressed it and they basically agree to disagree on their approach to cooking and there are no hard-feelings being that it's a competition and that comes with the territory.

In my opinion, Kevin lacks the "wow-factor" and Michael tries too hard sometimes, mixed with thinking outside the box makes it more difficult to execute. Kevin will be there simply for the fact that his style and knowledge are made for this kind of competition. Though I think this could bite him in the ass in the final rounds because Brian has been the most consistent and Michael can blow you away with an amazing original dish. I know Chef Colicchio said not to be snowed or whatever by the Brothers V. fancy cooking, but I'd also say not to believe the hype surrounding Kevin's cooking because sooner or later someone's gonna eat something and be like, "It was good...but it wasn't great.".

Colicchio is more right about medieval meat than most of you are. First of all, peasants and lower class rarely ate meat. Their stews consisted of an ongoing concoction of mostly vegetables. They would maintain a pot of stew for months at a time and simply add whatever they could everyday. if they came home with potatoes, they would be thrown into the pot of boiling water along with some onions and maybe carrots. They didn't have the luxury of seasoning meat very often. And the meat WAS rancid, at least by our standards. they had no refrigeration, and it would sit around for long periods of time. And even if they cooked it all at once, it's not as if they would eat all the meat in one sitting. think about it. It's a luxury, you want to stretch it out as long as you can. if they were fortunate enough, they could brine it or come up with a salt cure...and if they were elite, ya, they probably ate pretty well. Tom was referring to the majority, not the elite.

Tom wasn't implying that by overseasoning the rancid meat, they made it taste good, it probably still tasted disgusting. But it was less disgusting than it would have been with some 'simple salt n pepper'....

I kept wondering why Robin didn't do pate de fruit, for example, instead of sugar, if she wanted to be inspired by Chihuly. (Sugar can be so unstable, and it's obviously so fragile.) Or use colors or flowers--nasturtiums or violets, for example. And, really, even though it didn't come through in the editing very well, I do understand the point the judges all made: that the elements in her dish were simple, and she failed on all of them. Eli's dish also failed, but, for better or worse, he was trying something a bit original.

Eater cites recipes from Apicius and Digby, neither of which is medieval--the former too early, the latter too late. His point, however, is correct. Medieval upper class food, which is what we have recipes for, was a sophisticated cuisine, and the idea that spicing was used to hide the taste of spoiled meat is a modern urban legend with no evidence to support it.

Clarita asks "What about midieval India, Middle East, Russia, etc?"

We have lots of medieval middle eastern recipes, from the tenth century on—a sophisticated and pretty well recorded cuisine. We have essentially nothing from Russia prior to Domostroi, which is mostly 16th and 17th century. There is a little information available on medieval Indian cooking, but not very much, at least in English.

Thorn Lime objects to people taking Tom to task for "a perceived inaccuracy about spicing." Tom made a false historical claim, and made it in the form of an assertion about someone else's ignorance. People who do things like that ought to be corrected and ought, in the future, to avoid making confident assertions on subjects of which they are ignorant.

One further point. If someone asserts that medieval food was overspiced, the first question to ask is how he knows. Most medieval recipes provide ingredients and instructions, but no quantities. So we know what spices were used but not, in most cases, how much.

Tom,

Thank you for sending Robin home.

Assuming the editing of the show gives viewers a reasonable sense of the relative merits of the chefs (we do the best we can – unlike you, we can’t taste the food), it seems that Robin was in way over her head and got as far as she did only because of your judging rubric, which requires that each challenge stand on its own. So essentially, Robin was the second or third worst chef week in and week out and survived only because better chefs had off days, which happens to everyone in any profession.

Can I suggest that starting next season, you modify the judging rubric. After the passage of some time, say four or five weeks, allow a chef’s overall body of work to become an officially-acceptable part of your criteria for determining who should be eliminated.

P.S. While in Vegas recently, I dined at Craft Steak. GREAT! That said, I was deeply disappointed that you didn’t compete in Top Chef Masters along with so many other greats. Please do so next time. Some of your peers, including some who were guest judges, expressed amazement at what the competition feels like from the contestants’ point of view. I think it’s important that you, too, stand in their shoes on national TV. Cooking talent alone doesn’t cut it; the dynamics of the challenges are important too and you need to experience this first hand in order to retain credibility as head judge.

At the end of the day we the viewers have to take the judges word for it, and I'm sure Robin's dish was not that great. However, that concoction the Eli served looked and sounded horrible!!! It was as if he took every circus cliche in the book threw it in a pot and TADA...you're at the circus!!! Sorry Tom, I'm gonna have to go with your fellow judges on this one...

Hey, Chef!

I have a degree in psychology, and I am an accomplished home cook. I am also an unabashed TC nut--maybe even an addict--since the first episode Season 1. So, I wish I understood why anyone would make a choice to do something they have never done before, on national TV, for a competition. Miss America, for example. Imagine, "I've never tap danced, but I think I'll try it now!" It reminds me of the student who knows the answers, but then they lose confidence when they peek at the other students' papers. Squash blossoms, pie crust, custard, and crystal cut hard candy are simple, but not easy, even with time to think and prep ahead--things the TC contestants do not have.

Tom first thanks so much for breaking each episode down and providing insight into why one person lost and who won. Since we don't get to eat the food it is nice to know where the judges were coming from.

Wanted to ditto Pann's comment, I thought the exact same thing about Michael's comment about Kevin's cooking, that he should see Tom's Diet Coke commercial. Although I personally think it is because Michael doesn't like competition. He will say some remarks about Bryan his own brother and Kevin. If you notice those are the only two he comments about, and those are the two who have bested him in some of the elimination and quick fire challenges. I suspect if Jenn were on her game he would comment on her too.

In todays economy good tasting, good portion, almost comfort or southern food, I think is what people want. There will still be people seeking out fancy smears on a plate or frozen blue-cheese but if you are spending $100 or so on dinner now, I think most people, again in this economy, want to feel like they ate something and something that will stick with them.

PS. It was overdue time for Robin to go. She should have gone before Mike I. She just doesn't get what she doesn't get and seemed to want people to feel sorry for her.

I was a bit underwhelmed and disappointed in Jenn's dish mostly because I'm concerned. Up until the last few episodes, she was a joy to watch and her dishes looked awesome and judges seemed to really enjoy them.
She seems overwhelmed and needs a boost of confidence. I wish someone would give her the support and encouragement she may need. I would hate to see her go out because she gave up. I hope you will send this along to her. I really think she has what it takes and then some.

I just want to say that one of my favorite moments of the show was when Nigella described the proper consistency of a panna cotta as, and I may not have it exactly right, quivering like the inner thigh of a 17th century courtesan. I love her. That is just perfection.

Tom,

Shame for perpetuating an ugly myth! "She didn’t really know about medieval cooking. I believe that had she known more about how rancid meats were the motivating factor behind the spice trade, or about the use of honey, those facts would have triggered ideas for her and her dish would have packed a larger punch. "

Yes, food may have been "highly spiced" but it was spiced *as a means of preserving it*. Medieval cooks preserved much of their meat via a pickling process comprised of vinegars and spices. They also used salting, drying and preserving in honey as methods of keeping food from spoilage.

I've used a rather common pickling method for beef, chicken and pork and successfully taken these items to camping events where the only real refridgeration was your cooler. I *know* this method worked. In addition to preserving food, heavily spicing food was a good indicator of the wealth of the host. Pepper being a very good example of that. What is for us a common spice was *currency* at one point. It was used to pay taxes. Of course, medieval cooks also used musk, ambergris, pearls and gold to cook with also. Medieval breath mints...ughs!

I'm not a chef. I have no formal training. What I do have is nearly 15 years experience studying historic cooking under my belt and many, many, banquest that have been cooked for a reenactment group. I would like to invite you, and guests to the next medieval feast I cook. I promise...no rancid anything ;-)

I can imagine Eli's white chocolate, peanut, popcorn working out. It wasn't a knee-jerk ridiculous mish-mash idea like some armchair and judge critics make it seem. Do they have very boring, provincial or picky pallets? We know Padme does. Kevin also said it could have worked.

The flavor combos Eli put together:

Peanut + chocolate (Eli used white chocolate) = Reese Peanut Butter cups. Classic American flavor.

Chinese have a sweet peanut dessert soup. Perhaps Eli was inspired by that as a base.

Popcorn topping -- Mexican classic Champurrado drink -- corn, chocolate drink.

Add Rasberry foam -- rasberry jelly chocolate rolls.

All the combo Eli put together in his circus circus dish is proven to work out in other contexts.

Tom, you are hot. :)

Tom,

Oh how I love your weekly blog...and this week how I love the unpredictably large group of food historians going medieval on your ass! Thanks to all for the schooling.

As for the show, count me among those who would have never been able to get past Eli's atrocious concoction and think that he should have been sent packing. While it might be true that Robin failed at a rudimentary dish, at least it was edible. Nigella and Padma could scarcely look at that "soup", and expressed their feelings on it quite clearly.

I know that much is lost in translation during the editing process, and that there regretfully still seems to be some effort put into building a surprise factor at the elimination, but this week, I think we got a fair look at what was made, and probably just would have come to a different conclusion myself. Was there a significant debate s at judges' table this week, or was everyone pretty much in agreement about the elimination?

You know how some past episodes have run 15 or 30 minutes long? I would prefer that length for every episode. A little more insight into what's going into the preparation, plus more detail on how things are going in the house for the cheftestants. Jen is clearly in her bad place, but it's hard to tell if the reason behind it is obvious to those in the house (is she still feeling sick? mentally drained? too tired? heartbroken at Mike I. leaving after a steamy but well-hidden showmance?) See how my mind runs away when I'm forced to come to my own conclusions? :-)

Keep up the outstanding work Tom C. Love the show, love your writing, and hope to run into you personally some time. Perhaps TTD...

Contrary to Victorian culinary folklore (still perpetuated today) medieval food was not highly spiced to disguise the taste of rancid meats. The medieval nobles’ digestive tracts were not different from ours. If we would get sick from eating rancid meat, so would they. It would be professional suicide to make your employer ill!

Spices during the medieval period were generally quite expensive. It would be cheaper to toss the rancid meat and use a fresher cut than it would be to add many costly spices. Unfortunately, most early medieval recipes don’t give amounts; they just list the spices. This has led culinary historians of the last century or earlier to decide that these must have been used in large quantities.

There has been an almost-explosive increase in our knowledge of medieval cookery in the past 20 years. Cooks working from historical recipes have learned that while a half-dozen or so spices might be listed, they were not used in large quantities but were added to give subtle flavor and balance, providing a flavor profile that Top Chef judges would exclaim over.

While there are a number of non-professional cooks currently working with medieval recipes, the cooks at Hampton Court work with them on a regular basis. Perhaps a field trip to the kitchens at Hampton Court would be worth a visit.

Judges' explanations aside, I also was surprised that Robin went home last night, and wondered if the producers had a hand in the decision. Top Chef has been a gem for getting better and better every season, but the occasional chef who dramatically overstays their welcome (remember Lisa from Season 4?) does the show a real disservice. All the air time devoted to the Robin fiasco could have been better spent on topics related to food!

How about instituting a "three strikes" rule: after a chef has landed in the bottom three times, their next trip to the bottom bracket results in a mandatory elimination. That would make the show more interesting, and it is more satisfying to have a penalty imposed for being on the bottom but escaping elimination.

To Aud:
I really hope so.

Oh man, Chef Colicchio, what a great blog. You described the dishes so well, I can almost taste them. I totally understand the final judgements as well. Thank you.

I am a getting tired of Michael V. bad mouthing Kevin. What is wrong with simple and clean strong flavors. M.V. foods reminds me of Tom's diet coke commerical. Why too much and over done. I hope Kevin and Bryan make it to the finals. I would love for Jen to come out of her fog, and make it the finals.

Most dissapointing elimination for me. I watch because I believe that elimination is truly based off of the one dish. That is what keeps the show interesting and exciting. If you just keep the 'best chefs' the Top Chef season could've of been over 5 weeks ago. How someone that made a 'dissapointing' dish (to everyone but Tom) be sent home over someone that made a digusting dish does not reflect what the show is supposed to be. I know Robin isn't the caliber of the others but that's not what the show is based on. It wasn't her time to go it was Elis.

Also the final should be the final 2 , not final 3 as it's suppossed to be about never making the worst dish of the challenge.

I must echo the sentiments of those who are unhappy with the characterization of medieval food as spoiled meat. Not only did people in medieval times use smoking and salting as preservation methods, whatever meat they didn't preserve, they cooked relatively immediately. They would start by boiling the meat, then roasting it, putting it into coffins (pie shells), turning it into pottage (soup) or turning it into a brewet (stew). If you lived in a middle class or lower class house, you mostly souped or stewed your meats, with the occasional pie as you didn't have a hearth for roasting.

Spices were expensively imported from the Far East. The heavy use of spices was a form of conspicuous consumption -- to the point that during mingling before a meal, spice trays were passed around as we would pass hors d'oeuvres today.

Likewise, foods in the upper class and royal houses of the Middle Ages were sometimes gilded or plated with silver. Again, this is something you would not have done with rancid or rotting food.

i think Tom is soooo sexy!

I'm charmed by how many fellow medievalists watch Top Chef and popped over to comment. I, too, am a medieval historian.

Rather than repeat what has been said elsewhere, allow me to suggest the wonderful book by Paul Freedman, "Out of the East." Freedman is a professor at Yale and sometime food writer for _Gourmet_ (rip), and it talks about the creation of demand for spice in the West.

There's lovely work that has been done on running a medieval banquet kitchen, and I think Colicchio and the chefs of Top Chef alike would recognize the pressures and challenges of organizing staff, procuring ingredients, and designing a menu to delight and inspire.

Another good show as usual___ this season has been the least drama free which shows a maturity for most of the chefs, except for the times when Eli made his nasty remarks about Robin.

It's gonna be tough to pick a winner between these five, they are all so imaginative, creative and darn good cooks. Michael is a cutie, but I think he'll make a mistake, so my prediction will be between Bryan & Kevin.

By the way how about a show where you bring back the last two standing chefstants from each season and let them do a cook-off challenge against each other. Would be fun to watch. Can't wait for Top Chef Masters, would love to see David Chang or Anthony Bourdain in this mix, any chance you guys???

KLMSA
I think I wasn't clear in my original post. When I said they were sad to see her go, I was referring more that they felt badly that she was so upset.

How could Eli's dish be less bad when Padma said she never wanted to eat it again and Nigella said she wanted to spit it out? I thought reactions like that made it automatic you were going home. The comments for Robin's dish weren't nearly that bad. No one wanted to spit her dish out.

You sent the one cheftestant home this week...again.

Hi Tom, As always your blogs are right on the money. Robins time was up episodes ago. I think she is a good chef kind of out of her league.
I wish Mike V would stop with I cook Kevins food on my day off whining. He is an excellent chef, but bellyaching about Kevin's food is really getting old.
Kevin, Mike and Bryan are at the top for sure. What happened to Jenn? Yikes! I was really pulling for her too.
Great show, will keep watching.

Nice work all! I think the point on medieval cooking has been expertly made.

Clarita, Jen took inspiration from a hotel where the show featured European medival jousting. Mike clearly cooked Morracan and other North African flavours. Preeti cooked some Indian. Ron and Hector laid down from cultures closer to home. Everything hasn't been lily white.

I love Thai in terms of bang for the buck. Years ago, in Portland, OR there were some great Thai restaurants on the east side. I think one was right near Genoa. The restaurants were owned by a mother and son. My first time in the son greeted me and asked how spicy I like my food -- on a typical 1-5 volcano/pepper scale. I said usually 4 or 5. He said I should try half a volcano; his food was authentically spiced. In Thailand, he explained, all the food smells terrible and you could not keep it in your stomach without heavily spicing it. Spice is not for enjoyment; rather spice is a necessity of cooking meat and fish in tropical temperatures with no refridgeration. The entire notion isn't nuts; it's just historically incorrect for medieval Europe, apparently.

Now, where were you all when Tom said "wine grapes can often take on the flavor of something they’re growing near"?

After reading your description of Micheal's process in making the chili sauce, I really wish more of that would be shown on the air. I hope I am not speaking for myself, but I think people are just as interested in the techniques as the contestants. i also think it would give us a better understanding of who the chefs are. Great job Chef Colicchio, as always..

I thought the other chefs treated Robin badly, but not because she couldn't cook. I think it was mostly because she talks too much - she thinks out loud and was annoying just to watch her, let alone live with it 24/7. "Maybe I'll add some scallions, or maybe leeks, I'll cut them now, there, the leeks are cut, now where's the pot, wait, I've got to stir this, I think I'll have an orange..."

And how many times could she get away with saying, "I'm not proud of what I put out today?" Is it me or did she say something like that at every judging?

Firefighters = chili just about everywhere I've seen. However, I get where Michael V. was going!

I am not surprised that Robin went home before Eli. I also do not agree with the decision. Eli's dish looked revolting. Sort of like floor sweepings. I cannot comment on the quality of Robin's custard type dish but it certainly didn't look nearly as bad as Eli's.

I think that the behavior of most of the contestants has been disgraceful for quite some time. The verbal vendettas against Robin have been rude and hateful. I am surprised that the show has allowed those attacks to get past the cutting room floor. I have seen gigantic ego, nasty mouths, etc. A show like this should be above this terrible behavior. Kevin is the only person who has behaved like his mother taught him mananers. He is a giant among pygmies. It is my personal opinion that his cooking and his character should make him the winner but sadly I expect that one of the pretty boy twins will win. I will have to think long and hard about watching the show next season.

I have watched every episode of Top Chef religiously since season 1, and never have I felt so uncomfortable watching as I did while watching any episode involving Robin being cast out by the other chefs. I felt sympathetic towards her while at the same time she irritated me beyond belief.
I appreciate Kevin for treating her as a human being, despite her annoying personality traits. Good chefs are amazing to watch, charming, funny chefs are uplifting, and the assholes can be pure entertainment, but no one wants to relive elementary school and watch the odd one out be ostracized by their peers.
Godspeed Robin, but I am so glad you're gone!

Mr. Tom Colicchio, You are a class act!

I wish you would do a show just on vegetarian cooks. There is NO shows in cooking just for vegetarians.
PLEASE someone do a show.
Thank you
Jeanie

I have watched Top Chef since its' inception I and am not a cook. It seems to me in the long run that the person who wins is generally someone Tom C. likes. Think back to last year when Stephan competed with Hosea. Tom didn't like him and he didn't win.

In response to Aud:
The other chefs had nothing but contempt for Robin and they did not hide it. With the possible exception of Kevin, who hasn't said a derogatory word about anyone that I've heard. It was if she had to apologize week after week just for being there. Yes, she was trying to cook above her own skill level, and could not hit the mark. There were alot of other chefs who also didn't make the cut. Kudos for making it this far, Robin.
BTW...I believe those hugs were for the camera.

I'm totally behind Kevin now. His creations seem earthy and real, as does he. I actually tried a much watered down version of the Candied garlic, kale, and mushrooms to my family of carnivours. They loved it! Thanks for giving us foodies inspiration.

Also while I'm at it Tom, why isn't African food featured more on Top Chef? There are some amazing dishes and flavors from the north, south east and west.

It's bothering me that all the commenters are making an automatic assumption that medieval food (which refers to a time period) is British or north western European. What about midieval India, Middle East, Russia, etc?

Tom,

Top Chef is a fantastic show which seems to keep getting better every year both in talent level as well as production value. I would also like to say that I am impressed by your writing. It clearly carries your voice, tone, authority, and even sarcastic wit. I expected this from Toby given his profession. You, I apparently underestimated. This particular blog has been fascinating. I think it is a brilliant idea to take somthing like "medieval" cooking (or any other historical period - tied to a culture) into the next season for a challenge. There are lots of ways that could be presented on the show that would be both entertaining, informative, and dare I suggest, funny (I am cracking up imagining the judges dressed in period garb at the table). The only thing that would have made this episode better: Padma in a teddy instead of the boring robe. Thanks for your insight and keep up the good work.

For all of the fellow posters who are asking why Robin went and not Eli. Its pretty simple, even Tom said it, a panna cotta is a simple basic dish that any first year culinary student can acomplish. It was her failure to execute it is why she went home and not Eli.

Good golly, Thom Lime, where do you get your ideas about medieval food? The complaints about Tom's ideas of "medievalness" were merely pointing out that his statement was innacurate.

Medieval food was neither boring nor simplistic. The public perception that "meat-on-a-stick" was all that was eaten is based on popular culture; movies, and the like...some of the movies dating from the 1950's, when Hollywood tried even less than now to be accurate.

Want medieval? How about a pottage of beef, carrots, turnips, pennyroyal, thyme, peas, cucumber, sour green grapes, pepper, salt, and cloves poured over bread? Digby, 1669. Truffles in wine sauce, or stuffed hare? Apicius, 4th or 5th Century A.D. Herb fritters, seed cake, eels in red wine, beef ribs in wine/currant/onion sauce, all medieval, all tasty. Check www.godecookery.com.

How about a salad of parsley, sage, green garlic, scallions, lettuce, leek, spinach, borage, mint, primroses, violets, fennel, cress, rue, rosemary, purslane, oil, vinegar and salt?

Thom Lime, those people with "obscure medieval-ways specialties" are not saying the food in question is or is not good, they are simply stating that if Tom wishes to criticize the "medievalness" of the food, he should do so based on what was really medieval, and not on what people saw on a Hallmark Family special or ate in a theme restaurant.

Medieval foods are often very complex, and make use of a number of vegetables that we no longer widely use, today. As such, they are taste variations I encourage everyone to enjoy.

As far as being "obscure," I can find half a dozen medieval and renaissance cookbooks online, without ever leaving my chair (notably, the Gutenberg Project has many). Further searching turns up many more. I'm particularly partial to Sir Kenelm Digby and Apicius; I rather like Rumpolt, but he's in German, so I have to wait on translations. I like

I rather think the stories that medieval food was overspiced belong to the modern era, and hearken to experiences in open-air markets. Since spices are cheaper, nowadays, some less-reputable merchants might hide rancid meat with overspicing.

In medieval times, you should remember, many spices were transported over long distances, with old methods (caravans, sailing ships), which added to the (rather prohibitive) cost of the spices.

I will grant you that some herbs would have been grown locally. But things like pepper come from hot climates, and things like chili peppers would be New World items, and not available in medieval Europe, if I recall correctly.

And as far as Thom Lime's hallucinatory picture of medieval cooking, I rather think he should read a book of medieval recipes before commenting. Medieval cooking includes things like salads (one of parsley, sage, green garlic, scallions, lettuce leeks, spinach, borage, mints, primroses, violets, young leeks, fennel, cress, rue, rosemary, purslane, oil, vinegar and salt is listed on the site www.godecookery.com, and dates to the 14th century). Or perhaps he'd like a pottage of beef, carrots, turnips, pennyroyal, thyme, peas, cucumber, green grapes, pepper, salt, and cloves, poured over a slice of bread. You can find that in Digby (published 1669). There's a vegetable soup with lentils, gourd, Swiss chard, vinegar, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, saffron, oil and salt in An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook. Seed cake? Herb fritters? Beef ribs in currant/onion/wine sauce? Roast pig stuffed with pork, egg yolks, brie and chestnuts? All available, all medieval.

In short, there's an incredible variety of foods, some of them very well-spiced, indeed. Criticism of the food in question is one thing, if you're going by taste; since we haven't invented smell-o-vision or taste-o-vision, I'll have to take the taster's word for what they liked.

But a request for "medieval food" may be taken literally, can result in highly-complex and tasty dishes, and should not be criticized by the unknowing. Medieval cookery was well past the whole "meat-on-a-stick" that seems stuck in the public imagination. Heck, some of the medieval food was so rich and flavorful, it might be too much for my palate.

But I'd still love to try it.

Tom,
I love the show and this was a great one! I do believe though that Eli's dish received the harshest comments and he should have gone home if the judging is based on only the food. I think Kevin is the best chef..he is humble and consistantly makes great food...Michael must be very insecure inside to criticize Kevin's food...he needs to grow up and worry about his own food.

Looking forward to next week!!