‘Fast Foodies’ Recap: ‘Jillian Bell’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘Fast Foodies’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say that the truTV series, Fast Foodies, is providing us with a fascinating education on what goes into making a particular meal a true favorite for people. Since we’ve come to learn that some our favorites go beyond childhood memories or a singular moment. They sometimes become a top choice in our minds because they’re straight up tasty and bring us joy when we encounter them, or they are habitual in nature and bring us happiness by being part of our routine. Or in the case of this week’s episode of the show, they can in fact, serve as a reward or a treat since that’s precisely the kind of favorite meal that Jillian Bell brought to the table.
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For she revealed to our talented trio of chefs that after weeks of intense workouts at the gym for a movie role, she saw an opportunity to treat herself when the intense workouts were done. Because right next to said gym, was a Shake Shack and when the opportunity arose, she marched right into that restaurant and bought herself a chicken sandwich with some delicious crinkle cut fries that were topped with cheese of course and well, it was up to the chefs to figure out how to recreate this comfort food to a tee and well, it turns out that putting together a delicious chicken sandwich isn’t as difficult as some of the challenges they’ve faced this year, especially when it comes to the fries.

Because everyone basically nailed that, and that does make sense, since crinkle cuts and cheese are tough to goof. Which meant the real challenge here was the sandwich itself and even then, the team managed to impress. For Justin’s sandwich was incredibly tender and flavorful and Kristen, well her sandwich and her attention to the batter, made for one delicious replica for certain. As for Jeremy, he too made a tender and flavorful sandwich with an amazing crunch to the chicken, and that made Jillian quite happy, and it also made this quite the close race. But in the end, there has to be a winner and that was Kristen. Because her batter was the closest to the Shake Shack recipe and with a winner in hand, it was onto the remix round.

Which of course, allowed for these talented chefs to shine and bring forth some amazing re-imaginings of the classic chicken sandwich. For instance, Jeremy went super two-star Michelin on this task by bringing forth a Crispy Yellowfin Tuna with Shoestring Fries. To inject new flavors into everyone’s palates while keeping the texture familiar and the magic didn’t end there. Because Justin went with a Duck Schnitzel with Cabbage Jam and German Potato Salad. A meal that was designed to just burst forth flavor when those ingredients were combined and Kristen, presented a Chicken Pomme Purée Spring Roll, offering up a modern twist on this traditional sandwich and in the end, it was Justin that won the day with his flavorful creation.

But what matters more here, is that this episode really did a fine job of reminding us of how food can truly improve our mood and how we use it as a reward without even giving it a second thought. A lesson that proves that food is really is a magical pick-me-up that can do wonders for us, and it also doesn’t hurt that this episode featured some gorgeous top-tier creations. Because this trio of chefs went all out in the remix round and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this confectionary adventure, we are left hungry for more. In part because, this week’s creations leave you literally starving, but also because we cannot wait to see what other lessons and inventive dishes await us… as season two of this wonderful show rolls along. Until next time.

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