De Nieuwe Lekkerbek-talk #3

In De Nieuwe Lekkerbek, a professional jury searches for the Netherlands’ next big taste sensation. Kind of like Idols, but with food, which can only make for a whole lot of entertainment. What exactly goes through my head during an episode like this? I write it all down for you every week.

It was another eventful episode, thankfully with plenty of deep-fried snacks, but also edible paint and a comic book? The things people come up with, honestly. Okay, here we go.

1. Sauerkraut with spaghetti. ‘It’s simple, but still culinary.’ Am I the only one who feels a little sick at the thought of this? Points for Loes and Angela’s color combination, though. The orange accents appear everywhere, even in a flower in the hair.
2. Yes, there’s the first deep-fried snack. We’ve already had spaghetti and lasagna; this week we have the paella disc. Sounds absolutely delicious to me! I’m curious what people will deep-fry next—maybe rice pudding, which sounds pretty good to me.
3. Aaah, my nightmare! Did Loes and Angela really bring cold, cooked spaghetti? Why don’t they just cook the pasta on the spot? The sauce also comes cold out of a container. What’s going to happen? Are they just going to heat this up in the microwave? Are they going to serve leftovers to the jury?
4. Ahhh, that banner really is the cutest thing in the world. I hope I’m wrong and that the sauerkraut spaghetti is absolutely delicious.
5. Why is Ronald draping mussels and shrimp all over a large pan of paella if he’s going to turn it into a disc? Are those mussel shells going in whole?
6. According to Robert, the paella disc is based on the tapas hype. Which tapas hype? The one from the ’90s?
7. Abe and Esther’s faces when they hear that their cake has split: priceless! Finally, Robert’s annoying tendency to show off with terminology is good for something.
8. Oh no, Robert is immediately getting it wrong again. The crust is too thick? Sorry, but the thicker the base of a cheesecake, the better. Everyone knows that.
9. Bread made from brewer’s spent grain? It also looks as if it’s made from bristles—bone-dry, man, they look like coconuts. Pretty intense name too, BeReady4Protein. I’m not ready for protein at all.
10. Alain’s face says it all once again: this sandwich is inedible. You can see the entire jury struggling to chew. Daan: ‘It tastes like animal feed, because you’re really chewing the cud.’ Alain: ‘Animal feed? Poop!’ This is why you’re my favorite, Alain.
11. Milena grows immortality herb in her own garden. Pretty cool, right? Andre finds it ‘not really tasty.’ Milena’s comeback: ‘It doesn’t have to be, you can just eat it.’ Ehhh, what?
12. What’s in that herb that suddenly makes everyone start laughing uncontrollably? And having hot flashes? Hopefully the jury gets the munchies too, so they’ll be extra keen on Milena’s balls.
13. Jelle has made edible paint from vegetables and fruit. It reminds me a little of last week’s vegetable sheets, which I didn’t agree with either, but which still made it through. Why can’t people just eat vegetables and fruit? You don’t have to put them in some crazy tube, do you? And how much of this do you have to eat to meet your daily vegetable requirements? And if you spray it on cake, pancakes and waffles, it’s not healthy anymore, is it? You’d be better off hiding some broccoli in your children’s pasta, right?
14. Milena’s mima’s simply look like those date/superfood balls you can buy at any juice bar. Not very innovative, right? Except for the fact that they get you high.
15. Oh, Jelle also added sugar to his paint, so he’s basically selling some kind of jam. Huh, he made it through? I don’t understand any of this; this is the vegetable sheets all over again.
16. Rob is going to determine a flavor journey for the diner with his Stand up Salad. I can’t imagine anything worse. ‘The consumer determines the order, and that’s sometimes not convenient at all.’ If a salad is prepared properly, shouldn’t every bite simply be delicious? This has never been a problem before. I do foresee a whole lot of problems with how you’re supposed to eat this skewer salad.
17. Hmmmm, jackfruit rissoles. Jackfruit is absolutely delicious, and in a pastry too—you can’t go wrong. But is that puff pastry vegan as well?
18. Ivo’s bread looks super delicious. Airy, a good crust and bacon in your bread—all the ingredients for a wonderful product, it seems to me. And how incredibly cute that he’s so star-struck by Robert!
19. Robert: ‘I’m a lover. Plaisier!’ Whether Ivo made it through? ‘Oui!’ Why is Robert suddenly speaking French? We already have Alain, don’t we?

Best moment of the week: Andre and Janny’s trip on Milena’s immortality herb, hands down.
Foodie of the week: Ivo and his potato bread! What a cutie, and that bread sounds amazing.
Most shocking statement of the week: Willem has developed a gluten-free goat cheese soufflé, but doesn’t like eating himself? ‘For me, it could have come in a pill.’ Oh my God, how can anyone say this?

More De Nieuwe Lekkerbek-talk?

• De Nieuwe Lekkerbek-talk #1
• De Nieuwe Lekkerbek-talk #2
• De Nieuwe Lekkerbek-talk #4
• De Nieuwe Lekkerbek-talk #5

Want to watch the episode again? You can do that here.

Image: Omroep Max