Believe me, I understand the need for easy and speedy. After a 12-hour day of shooting 'Chopped,' say, I'm talking stir-fry, spaghetti, heck, peanut-butter sandwiches. But that's not about the joy of food. That's survival.

Not to sound too much like Christopher Guest in 'Waiting for Guffman,' but on Thanksgiving you're putting on a show!

Cooking for people is an enormously significant expression of generosity and soulfulness.

I like to have friends in the kitchen and make a big mess and use every pot in the kitchen.

The world is full of people who would like nothing better than to spend six hours on a golf course. I would rather be chopping shallots.

Two words to improve any dish. Ba, Con

Well, we don't take money from people and then show the product. It has to be a product that we like anyway, and that's true for all five of us, which is one of the really nice things about the way we make the show.