This. And his show Ugly Delicious is one of the better food shows on Netflix.
His cookbook is pretty good too, I’ve made his Mapo Ragu a number of times, it’s so damn good.
Never heard of him. And now I’ll actively avoid him.
Just attention seeking.
To each his own.
Great chefs are great chefs, not necessarily great food critics, and most definitely not necessarily good sources of info on mainstream non-cheffy food. And food is so individual, too. No one is claiming Costco chickens belong on the menu at the French Laundry, I mean. Just that they are economical and tasty.
I’m not defending his opinion. Just pointing out that he’s not some Twitter Rando.
I think the difference is that a good cook or chef may look at something simple and say “You know, this could be so much better with just a little more effort.”
If I was interviewing DC, my followup would be: What’s your favorite Supermarker Rostisserie Chicken? What sets it apart from the Costco version? What could Costco do to level up their game?
You know, elicit constructive and interesting criticism, instead of just blasting out the “gotcha” quote.
USA Today is at least a third-hand news source.
The original rant was from his podcast before Jan 9:
That makes sense. Not knowing much about this particular chef, or caring much about this particular tempest in a stew pot, I wasn’t speaking specifically about this situation. Just in general. And yes, your follow up questions are exactly the ones I’d be interested in.
Don’t think I’ve ever bought the chicken from Costco. Heck of a deal, though.
I prefer to make my own in the grill, but that takes time, planning, etc.
Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a little more information in the [checks notes] hour and 45 minute podcast where this is mentioned. But while I like some of his food (and one of his sous chefs opened up a place near me at one point and it was amazing), I don’t want to listen to a podcast that wrong just to provide quality information about one man’s opinions on chicken.
I wouldn’t take that bet :).
- He prefers the slightly more expensive chicken from Sprouts Farmers Market.
- It’s cooked with actual herbs and seasonings.
- Add actual herbs and seasonings, not just salt and chicken broth.
I don’t think he’s fully wrong that Costco rotisserie chicken is bland and therefore doesn’t taste good cold, but I don’t think most people care. Even when I buy the chicken at Safeway, I’m not buying it because I want a restaurant meal quality roast chicken, and certainly not to eat cold. I get it because I want something fast and decent that I can use as a base for a meal like enchiladas or soup that I’m going to flavor my way.
I think the Costco rotisserie chicken is delicious, usually pretty moist, and then the bones make for some great soup broth afterward :-)
I’m trying to remember the spice rub that we used. I can recall smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and white pepper. Inside and out. They sold out really fast. My boss insisted that I set them up immediately when I arrived in the morning. The main point was not the chickens. It was to have the smell in the store. He said that it made people hungry and they would actually buy more of other things.
Why white pepper and not black? He said that nobody wanted black spots on chicken.
OTOH he was big on selling bags of pre-ground Parmesan cheese. Which to me was wrong. Once you grind the cheese it loses aroma and flavor. We had many a lively discussion about that.
Best $5 chicken you will ever find imho. Murrica!!!
I take mine home, toss them in the oven for an 45min with foil on top , I always feel they are under-cooked. Then the last 15 min uncovered to get it crispy again. Also salt and pepper it.
Yes, but it’s way more convenient and that’s a bigger deal for a lot of people (e.g. me). It’s still miles better than the shaker based “parmesan” that was the traditional version used in most of America for decades.