In 2006, Guy Fieri captured the world when he won the "Next Food Network Star." That year he showed off his flame-throwing recipes on "Guy's Big Bite." Then, our spiked, bleached haired culinary prophet took the road looking for America's greatest diners, drive-ins, and dives. After 10 years of "money-hash" and "flavor jets," Flavortown has grown to Flavor-verse and here are some things we've learned along the way.
1. Build your burger like your majesty's fortress
Ever noticed how Guy Fieri constructs his burgers? First you have to butter and toast a nice think bun. Then a lot people will just throw the meat and cheese right on, but Guy gets the lettuce and tomato on the bottom, then that makes a cozy bed for the patty. Before it's topped off with those grilled veggies or sauteed mushrooms, the patty is dressed with that donkey sauce before finally being topped off. Place the toasted bun on top and this thing is tough enough to defend any flavor invaders.
2. The one-flip rule
This is pretty universal now but it was Guy Fieri who expounded this first for me. Whether it's on "Guy's Big Bite" or "Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives," you rarely see anyone flip anything more than once. If it's a burger, once the sides start cooking, you flip. If it's a pancake, once the edges start to puff, you flip. If it's corned-beef hash, once all the pieces are one, you flip it. Once it's flipped, we never go back. You can't undo the flip once it's flipped, or else it's flopped.
3. Guy's technique for a big bite
Look closely, especially on Triple D, when Guy eats anything that looks bigger than his mouth. Notice how when he takes a bite, nothing falls off, but when some ordinary Joe dives in, the sandwich spills all over. This isn't because Guy has superpowers of biblical proportions coming from the sunglasses on the back of his head, it's from the way he gets is mouth onto the sandwich. Put your TV in slow motion and be amazed as to how the flaming bowling-shit hot rod eats a burger. You'll see he tucks the burger along his bottom teeth, changes the angle in which the food is going in, then slams his top teeth right on for the kill. It works almost like a guillotine. King Louis, we will never forget.
4. It's all about that killer sauce
After a while, you get bored of the same generic store BBQ sauce, ketchup and mustard, mayonnaise, and ranch. To really launch your chicken wings into flavor space, make a jet-fueling dip. Guy has shown us so many different ways to make a burger and chicken wings, but the sauce is what separates them. He has tequila-lime, Asian, Carolina BBQ, garlic BBQ, Korean, and "firecracker" wings, and Worcestershire ketchup, spicy mayo, remoulade slaw, donkey sauce, orange mustard, and Louisiana ranch sandwiches. Every sauce is unique, but explodes with colorful flavors.
5. Get messy
How often do you see Guy with a fork and knife? If he's not rolling up linguine or cutting into a mean street fish and chips, you'll see him use his hands for just about everything else. Even cooking, he'll dive his fists right into a bowl of crab, eggs, lemon juice, mayo, salt, Old Bay, and hot sauce.
6. Blend it
A lot of people associate Guy with hardcore spicy BBQ, but his desserts are just as righteous. Guy's milkshakes go beyond the conventional vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry with whipped cream, some sprinkles, a little chocolate sauce, and a cherry on top to some crazy concoction like bananas foster and salted caramel shakes. Even if it's not Guy's recipe, it inspires creativity to make anything into a shake like key lime pie, s'mores, or a peach cobbler. Oh I could use a peach cobbler shake right now.
7. Make it daddy-sized
Just watch the first 10 minutes of any Triple D episode and you'll automatically realize why your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Watching the show I've seen pancakes bigger than dinner plates, burgers with more calories than an Olympian's breakfast, and comfort foods covering the entire table. We can't also neglect Guy's way of daddy-sizing food such as with his "Mac Daddy and Cheese" which is his mac and cheese but with onions, garlic, bacon, and bread crumbs.
8. Be open to trying something new
Guy gives us a little bit of all the cultures. He's shown us Italian in New Jersey, Mexican in Texas, Cuban in Florida, Asian in San Francisco, Soul in South Carolina, Jamaican, Hawaiian, German, Chinese, Polish, Moroccan that's rockin', and so many more all over the country. Guy's recipes also vary such as giving us Korean chicken to Cuban sandwiches. Although I would wish Guy would add Delis to the Triple D.
9. Support small businesses
There's nothing unique about a franchise restaurant. One location in one state will be the exact same in every other. But your local mom and pop joint is a one-of-a-kind. You'll know it's a home cooked meal cause you'll crave it every time.
10. Who needs eggs?
Have you ever seen Guy Fieri eat a sunny-side up egg, or even an omelet? Well in over 20 seasons of Triple D I haven't, and we will likely never will. Like Guy, I'm not a fan of eggs so I refer to him for my breakfast essentials. I've learned countless pancake recipes, a few waffles, some corned-beef hash, a little chipped beef, crepes, and sausages which makes breakfast my favorite meal of the day.
11. Flavor takes time
I love watching Triple D and the chef says "yea we're gonna let that marinate for two weeks." We all wish we could mimic that to get the best flavors, but we all don't live in a gourmet kitchen. Nonetheless, if I am making a sauce or something to use to enhance my dish, I like to make it at least a few hours in advance so the spices, condiments, and juices can all mingle and form one bold flavor.
12. Fry it
It's been seen all over Triple D: fried chicken, veal, fries, onion rings, plantains, and more. Anything can be covered in some bread crumbs and flour and into a bath of hot oil. It's a piece of the ultimate comfort meal.
13. There's more than one way to say "wow, that's good"
"That's a Mac Daddy patty," "Can't knock the wurst," "That's capital-T tender, buddy," "That puts the 'shama lama' in 'ding dong,'" and "That's some money hash" are just some of Guy Fieri's ways of saying, "hey pal, your food is pretty good."
14. Guy Fieri is what America is all about
Where else in the world can you possibly get authentic Chinese, Mexican, southern, and German cuisine in one place? Only in America do people have the freedom to express their heritage and to do it through food is the tastiest way to expose anyone to any part of the world. It's a wonderful way to become a cultured citizen, and it's all thanks to a man who bleaches his hair.
