transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] What's better than a grilled cheese sandwich?

Speaker 2:
[00:02] Nothing!

Speaker 1:
[00:03] Wrong! Two grilled cheese sandwiches. What's better than two grilled cheese sandwiches?

Speaker 3:
[00:06] Nothing!

Speaker 1:
[00:07] Wrong!

Speaker 3:
[00:08] Three grilled cheese sandwiches!

Speaker 1:
[00:09] That's what we've got coming up on Chewed UP!

Speaker 3:
[00:16] Pull up a chair and get ready for a good time with Michael Symon, Carla Hall, and Clinton Kelly. Let's get into it.

Speaker 1:
[00:29] Hi, I'm Clinton Kelly. I'm here with the lovely and talented Carla Hall and the... and Michael Symon.

Speaker 2:
[00:39] I'm between my two brothers.

Speaker 1:
[00:43] It must be like that from time to time. These two shut up.

Speaker 2:
[00:46] I am the oldest of the three.

Speaker 4:
[00:50] I do sometimes feel like we're brothers, Clinton.

Speaker 1:
[00:52] Yeah, 100%. Yeah, we're opposites, but yet we have some commonalities.

Speaker 4:
[00:57] A lot of love in between each other. We make each other slightly nuts. We're like brothers.

Speaker 1:
[01:01] Yeah, exactly. So we're doing grilled cheese three ways today. Yay, we each have a favorite way to do grilled cheese, and we're going to show it to you. Michael's is the most complicated. I would say Carla's is the second.

Speaker 2:
[01:12] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[01:13] Yeah, well, ours is like... Ours are easy.

Speaker 2:
[01:14] Yeah, ours are really easy.

Speaker 1:
[01:15] Yeah. But Michael, why don't you get us started with your fancy French grilled cheese?

Speaker 4:
[01:21] You know, I don't know how fa... It is a little fancy, I guess, but I'm gonna make a croque madame, which to me is the... It's like what all grilled cheeses are kind of based off of. Like this classic French sandwich, you get a croque monsieur, a croque madame, you know. I'm gonna make the croque madame with the Mornay sauce and the egg on top, because I love it. Like, when I go into a French bistro, I can't help but get it sometimes.

Speaker 1:
[01:44] It's the grilled cheese you must eat with a knife and fork.

Speaker 4:
[01:46] It is, it is. It is a messy grilled cheese. So the first, I have brioche. And I buttered both sides. And then we're gonna toast both sides. So I'm just gonna put that on there to start the toasting situation. And now I'm gonna make my Mornay sauce. Now, I know Mornay sounds like a fancy sauce. It's just a bechamel with a little bit of cheese basically. And this is something you could make ahead. Like when I make Mornay, I make a decent amount and I keep it in the fridge because I like it on so many other, but it just goes good with everything, a cheese sauce. I love that. You know, you could...

Speaker 2:
[02:17] Like a spoon of this.

Speaker 4:
[02:18] It's almost like the base of, you know, you could use it for mac and cheese, you could use it for a sandwich, you could use it for a dip, a spread. So we go... It's always with a roux. You know, you're basically going equal... Not basically, you're going equal parts butter and flour. And I'm gonna melt the butter. I'm gonna turn this over.

Speaker 1:
[02:38] I'm just gonna tell everybody at home, if you haven't made a bechamel, today might be the day you do it. Just give it a try. A lot of people are afraid of it, it sounds fancy, but it's a great basic sauce.

Speaker 4:
[02:47] 100%, it's one of the mother sauces.

Speaker 1:
[02:49] Mother sauce.

Speaker 4:
[02:50] So it's equal parts butter and flour. We melt the whole butter, about a tablespoon of each. And when you add your flour, even if you're measuring, if you add the flour, as soon as it looks like it is a wet sand consistency, as someone that grew up on Long Island, you know what wet sand looks like.

Speaker 1:
[03:09] It sure do. I've waited in wet sand my whole life.

Speaker 4:
[03:12] See how that just, it looks like wet sand. And I like to cook it for like a minute or two, just to get a little golden in there and to cook out some of the flour, because it's just gonna speed up the process of the end. And you can see it, it's starting to brown. If you were here with us, you'd smell it. It's a little nutty, like the three of us. Get your nose in, brother. Little nutty. And then I just have my milk, and I'm gonna add the milk a third at a time. And I add the first chunk of milk, and I whisk furiously, then I add my next. And I whisk, and this is just so you don't get lumps.

Speaker 1:
[03:48] Right. And ideally, if you have your milk at room temperature, that's gonna work a little bit better.

Speaker 4:
[03:53] It's faster.

Speaker 1:
[03:54] It's faster.

Speaker 4:
[03:54] Quicker situation. And this is like a Mornay's, you know, you want this to be thick mac and cheese sauce. You want it to be a little bit on the thick side. Now I'm gonna add my last lump of milk. I'm gonna turn the heat down to low, because you don't want this to burn. And I'm gonna whisk that in. And then we put in... Oh, the pepper's working today. A good amount of pepper. A nice pinch of salt is gonna be salt and cheese.

Speaker 2:
[04:22] We're already kind of laughing, because we never know these days what's gonna set you off.

Speaker 4:
[04:25] I know.

Speaker 1:
[04:26] I was thinking the exact same thing. Nothing will piss Michael off, like a pepper grinder that doesn't want a peep.

Speaker 4:
[04:32] A peep, yeah.

Speaker 1:
[04:33] A raspberry.

Speaker 4:
[04:34] A copious amount of nutmeg.

Speaker 2:
[04:37] Oh, yes.

Speaker 4:
[04:38] And you can see it's nice and flecked in there. And now I'm just gonna add a handful of Gruyere.

Speaker 2:
[04:45] Yum.

Speaker 4:
[04:46] And we're just gonna let that come together. And then our mornay's about ready. I'm kind of working on this. What do you guys got brewing?

Speaker 1:
[04:53] Yes, what kind of grilled cheese are you mixing?

Speaker 2:
[04:55] So I'm gonna do a grilled cheese using a brioche bun. I'm gonna hollow out the center and put in pimento cheese. So it's gonna feel like a stuffed pimento cheese grilled cheese. And I'm gonna put some chow chow pickle on it. So I feel like with pimento cheese, you need some kind of pickle. If you don't have chow chow, you can... Oh, I smell bread.

Speaker 1:
[05:13] There we go. That's perfect.

Speaker 2:
[05:14] Yeah. If you don't have pimento cheese, you can use dill pickles, bread and butter, pickled jalapenos, but some pickled thing to cut the richness of pimento cheese.

Speaker 1:
[05:24] Okay, I'm excited to see that because the pimento cheese is already kind of soft and spreadable. So does it get gooey?

Speaker 2:
[05:30] It gets gooey. But it depends on what pimento cheese you get. But I think the reason I'm digging a hole in it, into the bun, is so it doesn't ooze out.

Speaker 1:
[05:38] Oh, nice. It's almost going to be like a fondue in a bun.

Speaker 2:
[05:41] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[05:41] Yes. So, just so you know, the grilled cheese I'm going to do is pretty simple and it comes from the fans of Chewed UP, because recently on Instagram, I posted about my famous mac and cheese, which I used to talk about on the chew all the time, which comes from the craft commercial from years ago, Colby Mac and Cheddar, Blend It All Together. Oh, yes. So Colby is basically American. What did I say? Colby Swiss and Cheddar? That's what it was. Colby Swiss and Cheddar, Blend It All Together. So Colby is basically American, Swiss is Gruyere, and American is American. So I combine those three things in my mac and cheese, but I had never done it on a grilled cheese until the fan said you should try it on a grilled cheese, and I did, and it's amazing. I'm doing American cheese, Gruyere cheese, and cheddar cheese. Wow, why was that so complicated to say?

Speaker 4:
[06:27] I don't know, it's crazy.

Speaker 2:
[06:28] But you know what, I think the anticipation of you finishing really makes it sound really great.

Speaker 1:
[06:31] Yeah, I got excited.

Speaker 2:
[06:32] Yeah, I know, but that's what I'm saying, you get excited, but we needed that story for the excitement.

Speaker 4:
[06:37] So real quick, so I toasted both sides. So I toasted one side flipped it, I put more Gruyere down, I'm gonna put ham there also on top, and then I'm just gonna put this in the oven to let it continue to brown on the bottom and let the cheese melt and the ham get warm, and then I'll continue to build it.

Speaker 1:
[06:57] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[06:59] So what do you bagel people call this?

Speaker 4:
[07:00] Scooped?

Speaker 1:
[07:01] Scooped out. I mean, you know me, I don't like a scooped out bagel, but I can get behind a scooped out roll for a pimento cheese, grilled cheese.

Speaker 2:
[07:09] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[07:11] I also find that the ratio is really important when you're making a grilled cheese. You know, you can't have too much cheese because it overpowers the bread.

Speaker 2:
[07:17] It overpowers the bread, but also, um, oh, you're so excited. I mean, he said that was his, like, excited yumminess.

Speaker 4:
[07:26] I know. Just finger dip. Finger dip.

Speaker 1:
[07:27] Finger dip.

Speaker 4:
[07:27] Just do it.

Speaker 1:
[07:28] Very delicate.

Speaker 2:
[07:29] Do it.

Speaker 4:
[07:29] It's hot.

Speaker 2:
[07:29] It's hot. You go in first.

Speaker 1:
[07:30] You go in first.

Speaker 2:
[07:32] It's not like grits, you know. That would be like... Oh, yeah, no.

Speaker 1:
[07:37] Rebecca de Mornay.

Speaker 2:
[07:40] I mean...

Speaker 4:
[07:40] Mornay is so good.

Speaker 1:
[07:43] What? So good.

Speaker 2:
[07:45] What? That is so good. So good.

Speaker 1:
[07:50] Oh, my God.

Speaker 2:
[07:51] I'm gonna use my bread to wipe off the griddle.

Speaker 4:
[07:54] That's... The old bread sponge.

Speaker 2:
[08:00] All right. So I'm doing this. Then I'm also going to do a little... I'm going to do a little bit of butter on my bread. I'm gonna toast this, too, because I want a little crunch in the center, because when you just have too much softness, that's not nice. It's all about texture.

Speaker 4:
[08:20] Color, texture, pattern, sign.

Speaker 2:
[08:22] That's right.

Speaker 1:
[08:22] Oh, yes.

Speaker 2:
[08:23] Okay, I was somewhere, and I was wearing, I don't know what I was wearing, but I looked at myself, I'm like, I've got no shine. Color, pattern, texture, where's my shine? I literally was thinking that, and I always, when I get dressed in my color, pattern, texture, sign, I'm glad I can live in your head.

Speaker 4:
[08:40] Color, texture, pattern, sign. I know, it's stuck in my head, Clinton.

Speaker 1:
[08:43] It's a good one.

Speaker 4:
[08:43] You said that to me 15 years ago, and you should have, because it sticks in your head.

Speaker 2:
[08:47] But even when people say it, we're like, you're Clintonizing. I love it. I can get you another. We have knives here.

Speaker 1:
[08:59] I'm a fan of the mayonnaise. I'm doing mine on rye bread, just so you know, and I think mayonnaise is nice for grilled cheese because it doesn't burn as easily as butter might. It gives you a nice even golden brown. It's very easy to spread too. So you just do a nice little layer of mayonnaise going all the way to the edges, like so. And then what I do is I put that side down on the grill, and then I mayonnaise the other side so you're not dealing with two mayonnaise breads in your hand at the same time.

Speaker 2:
[09:25] Uh-huh. So smart. So well thought out.

Speaker 4:
[09:27] Oh, look at that egg.

Speaker 2:
[09:29] Oh, the...

Speaker 4:
[09:31] Oh.

Speaker 2:
[09:31] So I like how you... So you used this pan to only put one egg so you can get the size for your bread.

Speaker 4:
[09:41] And you know, and this is... I'm gonna let it go. I have it like over a medium heat with butter here, and I crack it in a bowl first, and I put it in, and I'll put a little splash of water and a lid in just to set the albumin and everything, but that's gonna go on top. The other thing that I like to do, and this isn't traditional with a croquant, and they usually use dijon, and they put, they spread it inside the sandwich.

Speaker 2:
[10:07] Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[10:07] But I'm gonna take the pop, and I'm gonna put a bunch of pop in my mornay.

Speaker 1:
[10:12] Pop mustard, nice.

Speaker 4:
[10:13] So I'm gonna make, like, a mustard mornay, because I just feel it just kind of, you get the pop of the mustard, you get us even coating.

Speaker 2:
[10:22] Oh, you don't have to tell us why. We see it happening.

Speaker 4:
[10:24] I'm gonna put in, like, a tablespoon of the pop into my mornay, and now...

Speaker 2:
[10:28] And I'm gonna get a tablespoon to taste.

Speaker 4:
[10:30] And now I have that mustard mornay sauce, which is, it just looks nice.

Speaker 2:
[10:36] It looks brilliant. It looks nice.

Speaker 1:
[10:37] Take that, Frantz.

Speaker 2:
[10:39] Okay. Texture. What? Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1:
[10:44] It's called pop for a reason.

Speaker 4:
[10:45] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[10:46] It's in your mouth.

Speaker 4:
[10:46] Right? But it's just such a fun mustard.

Speaker 1:
[10:49] It's a fun mustard.

Speaker 4:
[10:49] It is. It has so much flavor, but it gives you texture. And I think texture is... One of the things I think people overlook a lot of, like, home cooks overlook a big difference between sometimes restaurant food and home cooks, is a chef is always looking to add that little level of texture, because it's that one more excitement in your mouth.

Speaker 1:
[11:10] Like a layer, a level of excitement.

Speaker 4:
[11:11] A level of excitement.

Speaker 2:
[11:12] Level up. Level up.

Speaker 4:
[11:18] Hey, real quick, we'll make this fast, we promise.

Speaker 2:
[11:21] If you're watching us on YouTube, hit that like button right now.

Speaker 3:
[11:24] Don't wait and subscribe.

Speaker 1:
[11:26] It's free. It costs you nothing, zero dollars.

Speaker 4:
[11:29] If you're on Spotify, follow the show. Apple Podcasts, follow. Anywhere you listen, follow.

Speaker 2:
[11:36] We are the Chewed UP Show, part of all Chewed UP channel.

Speaker 1:
[11:39] And we are everywhere. So if you found us, subscribe.

Speaker 4:
[11:42] Tell your friends and family, it's free. There's no excuse.

Speaker 3:
[11:46] Do it.

Speaker 4:
[11:49] Could you put a little splash of water in there for me?

Speaker 1:
[11:50] Yeah, of course.

Speaker 3:
[11:52] Of course.

Speaker 4:
[11:54] And this is a good little trick for eggs. Like for people that like don't want to pure sunny side up, you know, but don't want to go for the flip, you just put in like a teaspoon of water and then just put a lid on it.

Speaker 1:
[12:10] And it sort of steams that.

Speaker 4:
[12:11] Yeah, for about 45 seconds.

Speaker 1:
[12:12] What's nice about that is it sort of steams the whites. Sometimes if you just do sunny side up, the whites can still stay runny. And that's not so much fun if you want a runny yolk. But that helps the whites set all the way. Yeah. How are we doing here?

Speaker 2:
[12:26] I mean, I'm going to just pull my bread. I really want a little brownie.

Speaker 4:
[12:30] Are you guys getting close? I'm about there.

Speaker 2:
[12:32] Are you about there?

Speaker 4:
[12:33] Yeah, if you guys want me to bring it, I can bring it.

Speaker 2:
[12:36] You can bring it. Go ahead, bring it. I'm still waiting on Michael's toast.

Speaker 1:
[12:40] I really want it. This is enough. This is going to take a little bit.

Speaker 2:
[12:43] You want me to turn it up?

Speaker 1:
[12:44] I think we can turn it up.

Speaker 4:
[12:45] Turn it up!

Speaker 2:
[12:46] All right. You know, grilled cheese takes much longer than people think. Have you ever had a grilled cheese? I've been disappointed by grilled cheese when somebody just puts in the bread in the oven. They toast it.

Speaker 1:
[12:58] Oh, that's a toasted cheese.

Speaker 2:
[12:59] Right, but they turn a toasted cheese into a grilled cheese. What? Ooh, that looks good.

Speaker 1:
[13:05] I'll never forget the first guy who asked me out on a date in Chicago. I was there for grad school, and he goes, I would really like to take you out for a toasted cheese sandwich. And I was like...

Speaker 2:
[13:18] Sandwich.

Speaker 1:
[13:18] Sandwich.

Speaker 2:
[13:19] He tried to make it sound fancy.

Speaker 1:
[13:20] Yeah. I'd really like to take you out for a toasted cheese sandwich. And I was like, I'm not putting out. I'm saying, I'll put out for steak, but not toasted cheese.

Speaker 2:
[13:32] Oh, my God.

Speaker 4:
[13:33] You keep that toasted cheese sandwich keeping it home.

Speaker 2:
[13:35] Oh, my God.

Speaker 1:
[13:37] You might get a handshake at the end of this, at the most.

Speaker 2:
[13:40] What? That is hilarious. All right. So I'm pulling my bread. I have toasted... I dug it out. So now I have the toasted bit. So this inside, it's going to be nice and toasted. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[13:53] Do you need that? No.

Speaker 2:
[13:54] I'm assembling.

Speaker 1:
[13:55] I'm gonna just do a little toasty dough with you.

Speaker 4:
[13:57] So I'm taking my sandwich. I put it in the oven after I grilled it. I just put it in the oven to kind of keep it open-faced, cook it. Now I'm gonna hit.

Speaker 1:
[14:07] Oh, yeah. Yeah, you are.

Speaker 2:
[14:08] Okay, come on. Come on.

Speaker 4:
[14:09] That Mornay sauce.

Speaker 2:
[14:10] Come on, win it.

Speaker 4:
[14:12] With the mustard. Give it a little spready spread.

Speaker 2:
[14:17] You're doing spready spread, and I'm filling a hole.

Speaker 4:
[14:20] And that brown butter egg.

Speaker 2:
[14:22] Oh, stop it.

Speaker 3:
[14:23] Oh, my God.

Speaker 4:
[14:24] What?

Speaker 2:
[14:26] Come on. And then...

Speaker 1:
[14:28] This is, I feel like I'm at a fancy French bistro having brunch...

Speaker 2:
[14:34] There...

Speaker 1:
[14:34] .on the street. Isn't that the best thing about Paris? To eat outside on the street.

Speaker 2:
[14:37] See, that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 4:
[14:38] See?

Speaker 1:
[14:38] And look at people.

Speaker 2:
[14:39] Yeah, and all the tables are facing the street so you can people watch.

Speaker 4:
[14:42] Yep.

Speaker 1:
[14:43] That's nice.

Speaker 2:
[14:44] Oh, come on.

Speaker 4:
[14:44] That is nice. See, now, like, this is a good thing, too, is, like, it still happens fast. Like, it's still, like, I mean, it's, like, it's a little more complicated. You got to make the Mornay, but it's still a pretty quick situation. And we need knives and forks.

Speaker 1:
[14:56] Yep.

Speaker 2:
[14:57] We need knives and forks. I have filled in the hole with pimento cheese. And somehow that's not right.

Speaker 1:
[15:05] Go, Carla. Carla, she doesn't even know what she's doing.

Speaker 2:
[15:08] I...

Speaker 1:
[15:09] Doesn't even know.

Speaker 2:
[15:10] I put pimento cheese in the divot.

Speaker 4:
[15:12] Ooh, CK, that looks great.

Speaker 1:
[15:14] It's coming out all right. I need a little more melting to happen.

Speaker 2:
[15:17] And then I added my pickle to chow chow.

Speaker 1:
[15:22] I'm gonna lower this here.

Speaker 2:
[15:23] You gotta lower it now, yeah.

Speaker 4:
[15:24] I wonder, is the camera on there? You think you...

Speaker 2:
[15:27] Oh, wait, hold on, hold on, picture. Take a picture.

Speaker 4:
[15:29] Oh.

Speaker 2:
[15:31] Okay, oh, my gosh, this looks so good. I'm glad they reminded me about the picture taken. Oh, how to clean it.

Speaker 1:
[15:37] Clean your lens.

Speaker 2:
[15:39] Oh, my God. Oh-ho-ho.

Speaker 1:
[15:42] That's the shot.

Speaker 2:
[15:42] That's what's up. Come on.

Speaker 4:
[15:44] We got one.

Speaker 2:
[15:45] Come on, get in there. Get in there.

Speaker 4:
[15:47] Ready?

Speaker 2:
[15:47] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[15:49] Yes, runny yoke porn.

Speaker 2:
[15:51] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 4:
[15:54] And the thing I love about this sandwich, too, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it makes you happy for any of those meals.

Speaker 1:
[16:01] Yes. Yeah, this would be an amazing dinner. I think you could do split-seas on this with your favorite dinner partner.

Speaker 2:
[16:10] 100%.

Speaker 4:
[16:10] Split-seas.

Speaker 1:
[16:11] Split-seas with a nice salad.

Speaker 4:
[16:12] But not on a first date.

Speaker 1:
[16:14] Not on a first date.

Speaker 2:
[16:16] Especially when they try to make sandwich sound like it's all fancy.

Speaker 1:
[16:19] Toasted cheese sandwich.

Speaker 2:
[16:21] Toasted cheese sandwich.

Speaker 1:
[16:22] I gotta get out of this town.

Speaker 4:
[16:27] And that was my last day in Long Island. Long Island.

Speaker 1:
[16:30] No, that was...

Speaker 4:
[16:30] Where was that?

Speaker 1:
[16:31] Chicago. Chicago, huh? Yeah. I had to get out of that town, too. Mm. I do like Chicago, though. No offense to Chicago. It's fun.

Speaker 4:
[16:40] It is a great town.

Speaker 1:
[16:40] It's a great town. With the best public art, I think, in America, I will go so far as to say that. Can I get in there?

Speaker 2:
[16:45] Yeah, you can get in there. I'm gonna just take this for the final shot.

Speaker 4:
[16:50] Oh, here.

Speaker 1:
[16:51] Thank you. Thank you.

Speaker 4:
[16:56] As we say in Cleveland, that don't suck. God, that's good. Needs another little, one little pinch of salt.

Speaker 1:
[17:03] Okay. Carla, where's you're gonna go?

Speaker 2:
[17:06] I'm gonna go right last gonna be here.

Speaker 1:
[17:08] Huh. Okay. Simon, this is like the most decadent grilled cheese sandwich.

Speaker 4:
[17:14] It is. They're so decadent. It's such a... The French don't fool around like... No one's calorie count but France.

Speaker 2:
[17:21] Oh, my God.

Speaker 1:
[17:24] Oh, wow.

Speaker 2:
[17:26] Ah!

Speaker 4:
[17:29] Nope.

Speaker 1:
[17:30] Got the pull.

Speaker 4:
[17:31] The thing I like, too, about the mustard on top, like that, because you get the brightness of the mustard to cut through the... I mean, the sandwich is obviously rich. Béchamel, cheese. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[17:41] Ham.

Speaker 4:
[17:42] Like, it's egg. You know.

Speaker 1:
[17:45] Ooh.

Speaker 2:
[17:45] They're gonna make me burn my sandwich. Oh, my God.

Speaker 4:
[17:50] I love grilled cheeses. Like, there's none of these that are even going to disappoint in the least. I'm just so excited right now.

Speaker 1:
[17:58] That is so good.

Speaker 2:
[18:00] I mean, so good.

Speaker 4:
[18:01] It's like we're at Bastille.

Speaker 1:
[18:03] We're making a nice, like, you know...

Speaker 2:
[18:06] Would you have put out for this?

Speaker 1:
[18:10] All day. Maybe twice.

Speaker 4:
[18:13] Remember, like, the youngins watching today, they probably didn't get to see the original Sex and the City, but they were always at Balthazar, Bastille, drinking the martinis. The part that they never showed was... Cosmos. They didn't show them housing Croque Madame, which that's what I do when I go to croque restaurants.

Speaker 1:
[18:32] Yeah. Super fun. That was delicious, Michael.

Speaker 2:
[18:35] Do you need a knife to cutty cut?

Speaker 1:
[18:37] This is just... You know what? I didn't realize I was competing with a Croque Madame here, but this is just...

Speaker 3:
[18:41] You're not... This isn't a competition.

Speaker 1:
[18:43] I know it's not a competition, but it's just... This is my simple, like, happy-making grilled cheese.

Speaker 2:
[18:48] I love the end. You know what? A perfect grilled cheese with a crunch.

Speaker 1:
[18:51] Come on. You know what?

Speaker 4:
[18:54] I will. I'm gonna say it, and I'm hoping she isn't watching this episode because she'll remind me. Like a classic grilled cheese, good old, fresh, classic grilled cheese, Liz makes a better classic grilled cheese than I.

Speaker 1:
[19:07] Does she really? Does she have a special cheese combo?

Speaker 4:
[19:10] She does, and she's so... She's incredibly patient with the product. The key to a grilled cheese is you're not over high heat. You're over a very moderate heat, and you're letting it all happen on the stovetop.

Speaker 1:
[19:20] Because if the melting doesn't happen, it's not worth your time. So the great thing about this combo of American, Gruyere, and Chara is you get the goo.

Speaker 2:
[19:31] You eat it, you know.

Speaker 1:
[19:32] It's so good.

Speaker 2:
[19:34] It's so good.

Speaker 1:
[19:38] It's just classic.

Speaker 4:
[19:40] One of us should have made tomato soup.

Speaker 1:
[19:42] What? You're so stupid.

Speaker 2:
[19:45] Nick, you were so cold when you made the soup.

Speaker 4:
[19:49] One of us should have made tomato soup. I hold Nick personally responsible for this.

Speaker 1:
[19:53] No. And I will say, I feel like rye is my personal favorite for a grilled cheese. It adds just another layer of flavor.

Speaker 4:
[20:01] Rye is pretty much my personal favorite for almost every sandwich.

Speaker 1:
[20:05] Right? What isn't good on rye? The ham and swiss on rye is delicious. Oh, my God. Good, right? Those are the fans who told me to do this.

Speaker 2:
[20:13] The rye feels poppy. The rye is to this sandwich what the pop mustard is to the mornay. Right?

Speaker 1:
[20:20] Right. So it's that one extra layer.

Speaker 4:
[20:21] One extra layer.

Speaker 1:
[20:23] All right, Carla, are we having some pimento?

Speaker 4:
[20:26] This isn't a grilled cheese, but I recently just went. That looks delicious, Carla. It's delicious, too. And Carla, you don't go to LA. I know Clinton spent a decent amount of time. Have you ever been to Langer's, the famous Jewish deli in LA.?

Speaker 1:
[20:38] No, I never have.

Speaker 4:
[20:39] Oh, God.

Speaker 1:
[20:40] I'm gonna go get a serrated.

Speaker 4:
[20:41] Oh, my God. When you said rye, they have the softest, fluffiest, the cut rye, which is pastrami sandwiches.

Speaker 2:
[20:48] Oh, right here. I got it.

Speaker 1:
[20:52] Sounds good. You know how long it's been since I had a pastrami sandwich?

Speaker 4:
[20:54] Oh, my God. It's the only pastrami sandwich in the country that rivals Katz's deli pastrami sandwich, in my opinion.

Speaker 1:
[21:00] Good to know. I haven't been to LA in a while. I gotta come out and visit you guys.

Speaker 2:
[21:04] So...

Speaker 1:
[21:04] Oh, that's what happened.

Speaker 2:
[21:05] That's what happened. So it becomes ooey gooey, and it stays inside because I dug out a hole.

Speaker 1:
[21:11] You made a little pocket.

Speaker 2:
[21:12] Made a little pocket.

Speaker 4:
[21:14] It smells good, too. I'm like... Carla, I was... So tell me what's in yours.

Speaker 2:
[21:18] That was a chow chow pickle.

Speaker 4:
[21:20] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[21:21] And I think you can go with probably a spicy pickle. You can go with a tangier pickle, but you need something to cut through the pimento cheese. I love that. I love it.

Speaker 4:
[21:34] Yeah, a relish, a hot relish, you know.

Speaker 2:
[21:36] Oh, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 4:
[21:38] Ooh, that's good.

Speaker 1:
[21:40] A pimento cheese does become drippy on the inside, like, in the best possible way. Where it feels like you're almost like scooping, taking a piece of toast and scooping it through some melted cheese.

Speaker 2:
[21:50] Exactly.

Speaker 4:
[21:50] Another great, like, southern tradition, I feel, is pimento cheese.

Speaker 1:
[21:54] Yeah, definitely not. I didn't even, I never had pimento cheese until, I don't know, maybe 10 years ago. But you know, interestingly enough. It's not a thing in the Northeast.

Speaker 2:
[22:01] Growing up, I didn't like it, because it would be in these little jelly jars of pimento cheese at the grocery store. I never liked it. It wasn't until I started making it as a caterer. I'm like, oh, homemade pimento cheese.

Speaker 4:
[22:12] Oh, yeah, this is a whole horse of a different color.

Speaker 1:
[22:14] Horse of a different color.

Speaker 4:
[22:20] You may have noticed some of the boards and plates we're using, those are all from Frontgate, including some from my very own collection.

Speaker 2:
[22:25] They've got everything from outdoor furniture, to decor, to entertaining essentials, all made with quality, comfort, and style in mind.

Speaker 1:
[22:33] And since most of it is designed in-house, you can't find their pieces anywhere else.

Speaker 4:
[22:38] Frontgate, thanks for making our spread look so good.

Speaker 1:
[22:41] For more information, go to frontgate.com. How much fun was today's show? We still have more to go, don't worry. I have a little thing I wanted to play. Okay.

Speaker 4:
[22:51] Are we playing a game?

Speaker 1:
[22:52] Yeah, well, it's called overrated underrated. Oh. Okay, so I'm gonna give you a topic, and you tell me the most overrated aspect of that topic, and the most underrated. Does that make sense? So I'll give you the topic, and you'll forget it. All right, so food trends. Michael, do you want to go with that one?

Speaker 4:
[23:10] Sure.

Speaker 1:
[23:11] So tell me the most overrated food trend and the most underrated food trend right now.

Speaker 4:
[23:17] I'm gonna say the most overrated, and it's just making me a bit crazy. And this is hard for me to say, because I love this item so much. Like, I think it's one of the great items. The most overrated food trend right now. And the next time I see someone do it, I might choke them out, is caviar bums.

Speaker 2:
[23:37] Oh, uh-huh.

Speaker 4:
[23:38] Like, it's so dumb. It's like, I don't... Like, caviar is a delicacy. It's delicious. The last place you want to put it is on your warm, clammy ass hand.

Speaker 2:
[23:47] Ooh, child.

Speaker 4:
[23:47] Like, put it on a Bellini. Put it... It's great on a potato chip.

Speaker 2:
[23:52] Yes.

Speaker 4:
[23:52] With a little bit of sour cream or creme fraiche. Like, the people are lugging, and, oh, look, I'm doing a caviar bun. Like, get... Leave me alone. Quit ruining one of the most beautiful food delicacies there is.

Speaker 1:
[24:04] Right. And it's almost like... They almost do it just so they can have some Instagram content.

Speaker 4:
[24:08] 100%.

Speaker 1:
[24:08] It's just like, hashtag caviar bun. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[24:11] And caviar is popping up in places where, like, again, it's something that I... It's not for everybody. It's whatever. It's different price ranges. You could get a million different styles for a million different price ranges. So it's not even that it's like, like, some people like to pick a caviar for the elite. There's all different kinds you could get. But it's going on everything. And there's some things that just shouldn't go on. But, like, it's, again, it's that Instagrammable moment where they put caviar on a, you know.

Speaker 2:
[24:40] I think to me, seeing the wet, spitty hand afterwards is really what it's worth.

Speaker 1:
[24:44] It's like, what do you do?

Speaker 2:
[24:45] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[24:45] Then you need a wet wipe or something afterwards, right? Yeah. It's weird. What do you think is underrated?

Speaker 4:
[24:49] Underrated, but I feel... And you guys have known me long enough that you know I have been on this train for years and years and years and years. And I feel it may be starting to have its moment now. Still to me, cabbage is like the most underrated veg ever.

Speaker 1:
[25:07] It's happening now.

Speaker 4:
[25:08] It's starting to happen now. And it's making me so happy. So it's still, I feel, a little underrated, but I think it's climbing.

Speaker 1:
[25:15] It's climbing.

Speaker 4:
[25:16] Somehow the diner figured out, ooh, Brussels sprouts, cabbage.

Speaker 2:
[25:22] Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[25:23] You know, big cabbage.

Speaker 1:
[25:24] Big cabbage.

Speaker 2:
[25:25] Yeah, now you can do big cabbage.

Speaker 4:
[25:26] Yeah, big Brussels sprouts.

Speaker 1:
[25:27] A lot of people are doing cabbage steaks now a lot for dinner. All right, Carla, I have a topic for you. What do you think you want to do? Brunch, maybe? How do you feel about brunch? What is the most overrated brunch trend?

Speaker 2:
[25:38] I think the overrated brunch trend are all of these over-the-top beverages. You know, when they're building up these beverages and the drinks are coming all out of different sides.

Speaker 1:
[25:49] You mean like buddy marries with all the different toppings and stuff?

Speaker 2:
[25:52] I think that's overrated, because I think you can't really eat it. You can't really enjoy it.

Speaker 1:
[25:56] It's over-accessorizing.

Speaker 2:
[25:57] Yeah, over-accessorizing. Look at the mirror and take some pearls off. You know what I mean, right? I think what is underrated, and we kind of talked about this a couple of days ago, the brunch culture and standing at a table with your girlfriends and chatting. I think that is the result of the brunch. You know what I mean? Like going...

Speaker 1:
[26:19] You think that that's underrated?

Speaker 2:
[26:21] I think it is underrated, like why people are going out.

Speaker 1:
[26:23] Why people brunch in the first place.

Speaker 2:
[26:24] Because I think Atlanta is a really great brunch town, but sometimes the menu doesn't set you up to have great food, but the reason you're going is to get the girls together.

Speaker 4:
[26:36] It's like going for tea, you know?

Speaker 2:
[26:39] Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:
[26:40] Interesting, okay.

Speaker 2:
[26:41] Yeah, I think the why. I love the community of brunch.

Speaker 1:
[26:44] Here's a challenge for anybody watching, go to brunch and just don't take a picture of it. Oh, what? Imagine that, you still went to brunch, even if you don't have evidence.

Speaker 2:
[26:52] No, you know what, it's so funny, because Matthew's like, I take pictures of everything only to remember what I ate, but I never post them. He's like, what are you going to do with that picture? I'm like, I just want to remember what I ate.

Speaker 1:
[27:00] Yeah, that is nice, it's good to go back in your camera roll, it gives you a sense memory.

Speaker 2:
[27:04] But nobody ever knows where I was.

Speaker 4:
[27:07] I always feel, sometimes because of the culture, I feel guilty. I'll go to a great restaurant, and I'm so excited, and I eat everything. And I'm like, oh my god, that was one of the better meals I've had this past year. And I'm like, oh shit, I didn't take a picture of it. But I'll send the chef a note, or maybe I'll find a picture and post it. But to me, that's the biggest compliment, too. It's like everything, you were so excited to eat there, and then everything was so delicious. You ate and you're like, oh shit.

Speaker 1:
[27:33] It happens all the time to us. We're like so excited to dig in that it ruins the moment. You know what I mean? It's like, oh.

Speaker 2:
[27:38] No, it absolutely, because you have to stop, you have to take the picture.

Speaker 4:
[27:41] Don't eat that.

Speaker 2:
[27:41] I know, but it slows things down. Yeah. But I understand, I get it. But I think for me, my calendar becomes a diary, my camera roll becomes a diary, just to remind me of things that I, because it's my memory.

Speaker 4:
[27:56] You're doing it for a different reason.

Speaker 2:
[27:57] Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[27:58] So, and that's, I think it's very good.

Speaker 1:
[27:59] It's not to show off, it's to show off culture. All right, here's a topic that I'm going to choose for overrated, underrated, because I think we all have opinions about this. So I'm going to take the topic of aging, for example. Okay. You know what I think is slightly overrated about the topic of aging, and that is all of these influencers who are like, love your body just the way it is, and embrace getting older, and your body is your body.

Speaker 2:
[28:21] And they're 20?

Speaker 1:
[28:22] They're 20. Right. They're younger than us, and they're telling us to feel better about our bodies. And I gotta tell you something, I am trying to accept the fact that my body is getting older, and I kinda don't want to accept the fact that my body is getting older. I wanna just keep, you know, staying in shape as much as possible, and I will never be happy with looking like an old man. Well, I don't think... I just, I just, like, my, it's hard to say, just embrace your body as it's getting older, because you're literally breaking down. Like, each of us is just breaking down. That's what life is. It's just a constant, and it's a constant state of breaking down. And I just have to rage against it. And I think I will rage against it until probably I'm, like, 90. Then I'll be like, all right, I give up.

Speaker 4:
[29:04] But I also think, too, I think there's, like, a better way to look at it. Like, don't... And look, we all want to look, everyone wants to look good. I feel better about myself when I'm in better shape, when I'm a little lighter, when... Everybody does. Anybody that doesn't, I feel, is not being honest. Like, people just feel better when they feel they look a little bit better. Well, we're human beings, and we're human beings. But the other side of that is, yes, it's fine to embrace your body, but also realize that it's the only one you got. And if you don't do things to take care of yourself, aging is gonna be... It's like, look, I lost my father a year and a half ago. My mom's still kicking. But when you watch your parents age, you realize that if you don't take care of certain things... Fortunately, both of my parents, from a fit standpoint, were like, my mom is in her 80s, no walker, no this, she's still dance, she's still active, all those kind of things. But I also had relatives and stuff that really... They lived hard. And as they got into even their early 70s, moving and stuff got more difficult. And so I think it's like, embrace your body because it's the only one you have is a better way to think about it than, you know, accepting.

Speaker 1:
[30:24] Right. Sometimes I think the visual reminders that you're getting older are the ones that like, kick your ass into high gear to like, take better care of yourself. Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[30:31] You know what's good in it for me, CK, is I currently have pants on that appear to be button pants in the front. But I'm like, boy, these are really comfortable. And I realize they're elastic in the back. I like, and if there's ever a, ever something that says, you're fat right now, it's when you have pants that are hiding the elastic in the back.

Speaker 1:
[30:50] It's like little kid pants. They've got a diaper, so you have to have this stretchy back.

Speaker 4:
[30:54] I have little kid pants on right now. I got a stretch, because I have no ass, so they're falling down. And I'm like, why do these things keep falling down? And when I grabbed them, I'm like, it's elastic back there.

Speaker 1:
[31:07] That's amazing.

Speaker 4:
[31:08] So no, I'm not embracing my body. I'm embracing elastic.

Speaker 1:
[31:15] On the flip side, I will say the underrated aspect of getting older is, some people talk about this, but I don't talk about it enough, is not giving a shit what anybody else thinks of you or your decisions.

Speaker 2:
[31:26] I love it!

Speaker 1:
[31:27] It's the best, right? The fuck it bucket is just huge. And you can throw it all in there.

Speaker 4:
[31:33] I just don't like that I'm getting grumpy. I don't want to be a grumpy old person.

Speaker 1:
[31:37] You can see, you know.

Speaker 2:
[31:38] But thank you.

Speaker 1:
[31:39] Think different thoughts.

Speaker 2:
[31:40] Can I?

Speaker 1:
[31:40] Think different thoughts.

Speaker 4:
[31:41] I just want to bring up one thing. You know what has made me a little grumpy though? Last night.

Speaker 2:
[31:46] Another one?

Speaker 1:
[31:46] Last night.

Speaker 4:
[31:47] Last night.

Speaker 2:
[31:49] We...

Speaker 4:
[31:50] Our friend Tracy was in town, and our friend Albert were in town, and Liz and I met him for a bite. And I went outside. I was walking outside. And there was... I'm gonna say it was... I don't know the woman's age, but I'm gonna say a Gen Z-er. A young... So I was raised that you open the door for women. Like, that's how I was raised. You know, so she's coming, and I open the door, and I'm, you know, waiting, and she's standing there. And she...

Speaker 1:
[32:16] Oh, she didn't want you to?

Speaker 4:
[32:17] She looks at me, and she goes, I could get the door myself.

Speaker 1:
[32:20] No.

Speaker 2:
[32:20] No.

Speaker 4:
[32:21] And I'm like, if we're at a place in life where it's not polite for a man to open a door for a woman, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Speaker 1:
[32:30] I don't even think it's a sex or gender thing. I think, like, I would just hold the door open for people in general. In general.

Speaker 4:
[32:35] But, like, I always, like, you know, but I was raised by, you know, by my grandfather mostly. You know, you open the door, you da-da-da-da-da-da. Like, all those things. And I was so taken aback. I didn't even know what to do. I panicked. I just let it go.

Speaker 1:
[32:49] And then her fist smashed on her head.

Speaker 4:
[32:52] No, I let it go. It closed all the way. And I stood there, and she opened it and walked through and, like, was like, gave me, like, I was an asshole look.

Speaker 2:
[33:00] I was holding the door open for you. I feel like if the universe had her fall on that floor, I...

Speaker 1:
[33:04] Right. Yeah. She'll get it.

Speaker 4:
[33:06] Is that a Gen Z thing?

Speaker 1:
[33:07] I have not experienced that.

Speaker 4:
[33:09] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[33:09] Maybe it was just this particular person. That was just that individual. But, man, it threw me. That's kind of crazy.

Speaker 1:
[33:14] That's rough.

Speaker 2:
[33:15] I mean, I think if we're at the place where we can't see... It doesn't take anything from you as a woman, as a human being, for someone to offer you something and, you know, to do that good deed.

Speaker 4:
[33:26] Right.

Speaker 2:
[33:27] But you can choose not to do it. But I think in that instance, it was kind of awkward. Like if somebody says, can I take your bags up to your room? No, I'm good. I got it. But to say, I can do it myself.

Speaker 4:
[33:38] Oh, it was very aggressive.

Speaker 1:
[33:40] That's unnecessarily aggressive. She could just have said, no, thank you. I'm good, thank you. Just something like that.

Speaker 2:
[33:44] It is not necessary. It's not necessary.

Speaker 4:
[33:47] It's not necessary. But it threw me off. Yeah, of course. I was like, what is that?

Speaker 2:
[33:51] Because it wasn't your intention. It wasn't happening in your head. You're like, wait.

Speaker 4:
[33:55] Well, I mean, you heard the story. When Liz and I first moved to New York, we were in Bell Duchess. We're going to the Bell Duchess. I open the door for Liz. Liz goes through. And then like another 40 people. Literally 40 people. And Liz came outside. She's like, you gotta let go of the door. I'm like, no one even said thank you. Because they think you work here. Let go of the door. Let go of the door. I'm like, I can't. It's just, I don't feel like I should let go of the door.

Speaker 2:
[34:20] I know.

Speaker 4:
[34:20] Oh, Midwest, Matthew and I both.

Speaker 2:
[34:22] Midwest, Matthew. Matthew also is like, they didn't even say thank you. And my thing is, did you open the door for the gratitude or did you open the door because you wanted to open the door? You have to do those kinds of things because you want to do them.

Speaker 4:
[34:33] Yeah, I just still open the door because I want to open the door.

Speaker 2:
[34:35] Exactly. But when somebody comes at you with a little bit of hostility and whatever their baggage is, you're like, wait, what?

Speaker 4:
[34:42] Yeah, what just happened?

Speaker 2:
[34:43] Yeah, so anyway.

Speaker 1:
[34:45] All right, fan giveaway, we got three aprons from Frontgate, so that means three giveaways. Also, I just want to say to that rude little lady.

Speaker 2:
[34:52] Oh, that's not that.

Speaker 1:
[34:52] You're watching this, you're very rude.

Speaker 4:
[34:54] What?

Speaker 1:
[34:54] That little lady.

Speaker 4:
[34:55] That little, yeah.

Speaker 2:
[34:56] Oh, you're wearing them.

Speaker 1:
[34:56] You're wearing them. Oh, we're giving away three of them?

Speaker 4:
[34:58] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[34:59] Oh, wow, that's exciting.

Speaker 4:
[35:00] So we have a couple new models, but we'll send a couple, but yeah, we're gonna send three of these.

Speaker 1:
[35:06] Bucket of names.

Speaker 2:
[35:07] Bucket of names.

Speaker 4:
[35:07] Are we gonna send three of these? We'll send a green one, a this one, and I'm gonna, okay. Okay, the first name is for this style.

Speaker 2:
[35:16] Okay.

Speaker 4:
[35:17] I will describe the other styles.

Speaker 2:
[35:20] Okay.

Speaker 4:
[35:21] Got it. First, we have Martha from Ashburn, Virginia.

Speaker 1:
[35:27] Ashburn!

Speaker 4:
[35:28] The orange and what would this be, Clinton? What color is that?

Speaker 1:
[35:31] That's like peach. Peach. I know it reminds me of-

Speaker 2:
[35:35] They call it Ashburn, Cashburn. She can afford, like, ten-

Speaker 1:
[35:37] I'm so proud of the names of colors, actually.

Speaker 4:
[35:39] Okay, next. We got Cheryl from Buffalo. Cheryl from Buffalo. Also in the spring, we have a green and white pinstriped one. Beautiful. So, Cheryl, you're getting green and white.

Speaker 1:
[35:54] Cheryl!

Speaker 2:
[35:54] Oh, my God, I don't even know my name was in there.

Speaker 4:
[35:58] Carla, I'm getting you the aprons. Don't worry. And finally, the solid sage green one that I wear all the time I love the OG is for Lisa in Salt Lake.

Speaker 1:
[36:08] Lisa in Salt Lake City!

Speaker 4:
[36:11] These are the Frontgate aprons that Liz and I, it's part of our line, the Simon line that Liz and I, well, Liz designed. I just wear.

Speaker 1:
[36:19] They're beautiful. All right, well, thanks so much for watching this episode of Chewed UP. Come back next time for more fun in the kitchen. Bye!

Speaker 3:
[36:26] Chewed UP! Thanks for tuning in to Chewed UP. And thanks to our sponsors, FreshDirect and Frontgate for making this show possible. New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. To subscribe, snag recipes and dig in to all the extra fun, head to ALLCHEWEDUPCOM. Or just click subscribe to Chewed UP Show on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Now go and make a mess in your own kitchen.