9 Nasty Truths About Your Favorite Foods
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Photo: Erik Trinidad
So everyone's up in arms about KFC's Double Down, the sandwich sensation "so meaty, there's no room for the bun!" Fast foodies praise its inventiveness, while nutrition and health advocates condemn its use of fatty fried chicken in lieu of bread -- but is it really that bad or even that ingenious? Think about it; take away KFC's gimmicky breadless marketing campaign and the Double Down is not that different from Chicken Cordon Bleu, an established and well-respected recipe from the gourmet chefs of the famous eponymous French culinary institution. And of course, everyone knows everything in France is fancy, especially when it's spelled and pronounced "bleu" instead of "blue."
When you break it down, the Double Down and Chicken Cordon Bleu are both dishes with melted cheese and pig meat surrounded by chicken that is breaded before frying or baking. Rather than transform a fast food dish into something completely different this time, let's prove this point:
Read on for the "recipe" for Chicken Cordon Deux after the jump...
Ingredients (from KFC)
- 1 KFC Double Down sandwich (crispy)
- 1 drink of your preference
- organic French tarragon (for that extra touch of irony)
As simple as this recipe may sound, a lot of thought went into the creation of it; we here at the Fancy Fast Food kitchen experimented with eight Double Downs before we got it right. (That's sixteen downs!) We first approached it in the traditional way, rolling fillets of chicken around the bacon and cheese like a roulade, but with the chicken fillets already cooked, it didn't stick too well together with the available ingredients -- even when rolling it in plastic wrap. We tried grinding the chicken down, thinking it would stick together better in the roll, but it would always fall apart. We tried it with aluminum foil, and by molding the roll manually with the filling inside, but nothing would stick. Finally we decided that if we couldn't physically wrap chicken around the bacon and cheese, we'd approach it the opposite way and stuff the filling into the chicken.
To start, let the sandwich cool down so that the insides aren't melted and sticky, then remove the cheese and bacon from the "buns" of fried chicken. (Traditionally, Chicken Cordon Bleu has ham and swiss cheese, but we're going to improvise with the Colonel's recipe of bacon and Monterey Jack.) Take one of the two fried chicken breasts and slice the skin and breading off of one side (the long way) to expose a face of white meat chicken. Do the same to the other piece. Now when they are stacked with the white meat faces touching each other, it forms one thick piece of breaded chicken. So meaty!
To "fill" the chicken, carve a groove into the center of each chicken breast -- being careful not to cut all the way through to the breaded side -- so that there's a channel with enough room for the cheese and bacon. Make sure the two grooves match up in the middle when the chicken is restacked, so you have a "hole."
Stack the chicken breasts with the filling inside and then nuke it for about twenty seconds -- long enough for the cheese to melt. Then slice your Chicken Cordon Deux into bite-sized amuse-bouche (that sounds fancy) and garnish with an ironic French tarragon leaf each. Serve with your beverage in fancy wine glassses and voila! Chicken Cordon Deux! It may be more or less the same thing, but doesn't the word "deux" just make it sound fancier than "double down?"
Erik R. Trinidad -- who is not a trained chef but enjoys recreational cooking -- is the creator of Fancy Fast Food, where fast food goes through an extreme makeover without the use of any additional ingredients (other than an occasional garnish). This is his eighth post for Slashfood. Check out his travel blog at TheGlobalTrip.com, plus more mock recipes and videos at FancyFastFood.com.
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6-24-2010 @10:57PM TLC said... uh Hello? U SOUND VERY STUPID . I eat very heathy food and i'm 49 still have a great body and i'm in great shape. AND EATING SOMETHING U LIKE ONCE INA WHILE ISN'T GOING TO HURT U UNLESS YOU'RE ALREADY OBESE AND IN VERY BAD HEALTH!!!!!! GET OVER IT. Think about people that have nothing to eat ? they would love to have any kind of food....
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6-21-2010 @1:17PM TLC said... If u think America has disgusting food . Go back to where ever it is u come from!!!! Maybe u could try Iraq or better North Korea...... I'd rather be a hillbilly any day and live right here and eat what ever i want!!!!!!!!!
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6-17-2010 @11:59PM Ron said... kfc is the worst chicken there is. the only positive is that some of their people speak some english!
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6-18-2010 @12:23AM Allison said... Sorry, but I think there is a big difference between this and Chicken Cordon Bleu. For one thing that has ham and cheese inside it, this has bacon and a different kind of cheese. I know bacon and ham come from the same animal, but they taste a lot different.
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6-18-2010 @12:37AM LasVegasX said... The author took the sandwhich apart, okay, I know that was meant metaphorically. But I heard somewhere that you can get a fine for taking a sandwhich apart, they called it defacing a sandwhich which would result in a $25 dollar fine.
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6-22-2010 @4:07AM Toria said... Wow, Tina! You lost 33 lbs in 8 MONTHS on the Fat Loss 4 Idiots Programme? Guess what? I lost 30 lbs in 45 DAYS without following a diet! And, I've kept if off for a year. So, what's your point?
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6-18-2010 @1:52AM kao said... that is sooo sick! why do you have to be soo freakin fat?!? come on people!! and for the record amercia DOES have the most over weight people in the world...we are fat and lazy.. to lazy to even use bread..i dont eat at kfc nor any fast food for that matter, but its just sad to see so many people eating so unhealthy and filling their bodies with junk.
i mean come on..they redid "its a small world" at disneyland because the riders where too big ..and most of the people who go to theme parks are americans..funiture,cars, everything is getting bigger seats because everyones butts are getting too big.. even our children are becoming over weight...
its sad..really really sad
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6-18-2010 @5:01AM Richard said... Mark, as a flight attendant you should have better knowledge of Europe ! people definately DON'T stand in qieus for fast food, in fact most of these places dont even open until night time (when people can go to them without getting seen) By the way, all of this comes from a KFC fan, with roots in Mc Donalds ! LOL
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6-18-2010 @6:24AM JOHN said... I LIKE DOUBLE DOWN , GRILLED VERSION , GREAT FOR DIABETICS
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6-18-2010 @8:13AM bellagrlxitalia@aol.com said... kfc used to be good when i was like 10. i dont know what hap[pened to them. but its not as good. i wouldnt try the double down kuz i dont eat bacon. but i liked their nuggets and theyre mashed potaotes , gravy and buscuits were awesome! and their coleslaw too. people should be able to decide what they want to eat. i love that america has awesome food.. the BEST fgood in the world in my opinion.. if ppl cant handle moderation then thats their problem no matter where they live. end of story
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6-18-2010 @8:18AM bellagrlxitalia@aol.com said... kao where are u comparing it to? lol ive been international and seen big fattttttt NON americans laying themselves naked on the beach... anyone who can afford it can be a fat whale if they want not just americans lol get over it . americans are typically bigger ppl period... then the most of the world... i think due to mixed genetics...
where are u basing this on? wheres the study to prove your point? lol
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6-18-2010 @8:23AM john j said... I'm glad they fixed tke comments section .......first 8 messages are ads
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6-18-2010 @8:49AM sunny said... I used to LOVE KFC.
When I was a kid, we had it every Sunday for dinner.
It was a major treat.
But, like everything else, it has definitely gone downhill/
The last KFC that I was at:
International Speedway Blvd.
Daytona Beach Flordia
It was so disgusting and dirty, I walked out.
I don't care about dubious health valuesof the food (that is my choice) but please. KFC get employees who halfway care about doing their jobs and clean up your act.
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6-18-2010 @9:08AM Eddie said... KFC is the worst Chicken on the planet. All Fast food resturaunts should close down.......
No wait I'M SORRY......If they did the Mexicans would not have any jobs........
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6-18-2010 @8:12PM cjr053 said... your right kfc sucks...... but popeyes rules they have not change since day one if i'm going to stop my heart i'm going to do it with popeyes chicken!!!!
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8-23-2010 @1:32AM eonofen said... yeah...and sugar alternatives Aspartame like in sweet and low causes brain tumors and cancer. chlorinated water makes you more prone to brain washing.... aliens have taken over our government, you can tell by there reptilian eyes.....The number of missing persons has increased steadily for the past few decades... look its like this.... do cows know they are about to be slaughtered for food? no they sit around living life not knowing whats going to happen to them. sure sometimes they notice a few of the other cows disappear...we over feed them till they are ready to pop and consume the crap out of them.....anyways...stop ruining it for us.. eat fast food. be fat and oblivious to the fact that you yourselves are mouth watering humanburgers..mmmmm humanburgers......
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6-20-2010 @2:22PM Jennica said... correction to the blog. the double down only comes in original or grilled. ;)
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