First Course: Descent of chefs in 'Hell's Kitchen'

I never thought it was possible that I would get sucked into Fox Network's "Hell's Kitchen," but once you've watched hellishly abrasive chef Gordon Ramsay tell a restaurant patron to remove her breasts from his serving table, you just can't turn away.

The show started with 12 cooks competing to become the executive chef at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. It's doubtful any of them could run a McDonald's, much less an upscale restaurant, after watching them struggle to cook peas and pasta.

Gradually, the 12 were whittled down to three:

• Virginia, a tearful, whiny salad chef who called a meat cleaver a "knife thingy."

• Keith, a smarmy, boot-kissing bartender and chef.

• Heather, a sous chef who might be better suited for a boxing reality show.

Thankfully, two weeks ago Sara, an obnoxious, mouthy deli manager, finally got the boot and turned in her chef jacket.

Monday, the kitchen heated up as the final three struggled to keep the restaurant running smoothly while Ramsay barked orders and insults. In a challenge to re-create Ramsay's signature fish dish, a tearful Virginia was the only one to recognize the difference between mashed potatoes and puréed Tuscan white beans. At the end of the night, Keith was told to turn in his chef jacket and go back to South Hampton, N.Y. He may actually be the better cook, but with his mouth perpetually hanging open, his image is more doofus than executive chef.

The finale will be on Fox at 8 p.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, check the show's Web site, www.fox.com/hellskitchen, for recipes that the contestants have cooked during the competition. Maybe you can cook pasta better than Keith, who added it back to the pot after discovering it was underdone, or peas better than Virginia, who set them on fire.

After that, maybe a water bath

The Sacramento County Cooperative Extension Master Food Preservers, who all cook better than the "Hell's Kitchen" contestants, will be demonstrating basic water-bath canning techniques Saturday. The demonstration takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Sacramento County Cooperative Extension office, 4145 Branch Center Road. You do not need a reservation to attend and admission is free. For more information: (916) 875-6913.

All's fair in cooking demonstrations

The California State Fair opens Friday and the schedule is packed with entertaining food events during its three-week run. The food events take place in Expo Center, Building 2.

On Sunday, firehouse cooks will compete at noon and 2 and 4 p.m. The winners of the cook-off will return on Aug. 26 for a championship round.

The annual Guittard's Chocolate Passion contest takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 19, and the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship Contest is at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 1. The Fleischmann's Yeast bread contest is at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 1.

In addition, the food judging days cover everything from cookies to jams. Judging is from 1 to 5:30 p.m., so stop by the Expo Center and see if you can catch something fun, such as youth-baked goods (Sunday), decorated cakes (Aug. 22), confections (Aug. 23) and cookies (Aug. 30).

At 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 4, the best-of-show winners in all food competitions will be announced.

For a daily schedule of food events: www.bigfun.org.