A corn dog is a hotdog on a stick dipped in cornmeal batter and deep fried. Definitely not something you can make ahead and expect to keep.

Oh, the making fried foods ahead being a bad idea I got; I just never realized that a corn dog was actually a hot dog inside (I thought it was one of those fake-out names). It sounds vile.

My experience with corn dogs were strictly school cafeteria, so I think tht they're gross. many people have sworn that a homemade or fair corndog is great. whatever. I eat enough food that's bad for me. You take the corndog, I'll take the funnel cake.

I can vouch: Fair corndogs are disgustingly, awesomely fantastic. Heaven on a stick.

Veggie corndogs are yum though.

megan -

I truly envy you - you who did not know what a corndog was.

I wish I had never encountered one.

I love a corndog. so there!

I have to say, I do agree with this blog:

Erik was eliminated because his corndogs didn't weather the trip to the block party so well. They were soggy once they were served. Fair point, but we are starting to get frustrated with chefs being axed because their food doesn't travel well. Valerie had the same problem last week.

These contestants aren't full-time caterers. Can't we let them serve the food hot from the kitchen?

On the one hand, the chefs should really learn to think ahead when it comes to the catering-type challenges, but on the other hand...catering is a different gig than restaurant cheffing. It doesn't really test the skillset they've come to compete with.

Yes, but a lot of the mistakes are basic cooking issues. Yes, the chefs aren't caterers, but who doesn't know that fried food needs to served immediately and can't sit around or it will get soggy?

There were also taste issues at stake. Yes, the blinis didn't travel well, but as I recall, the veggies on top weren't cooked well.

On the one hand, the chefs should really learn to think ahead when it comes to the catering-type challenges, but on the other hand...catering is a different gig than restaurant cheffing. It doesn't really test the skillset they've come to compete with.

Very much so.

Rick Bayless even said (I think) that it looked great, and might have been great, right from the fryer. Whereas Zoe's pasta salad was an unqualified disaster, and if anything, any flavor in it should have sunk in the longer it had to *marinate* before serving. I didn't get that at all.

As much as I haven't been impressed with Erik and felt he should go, I can't believe that someone made a bad pasta salad. Unless they got no herbs at all, that's pretty hard.

ETA: Hah! Pasta salad x-post!