Food Network Junkies!
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saluki
Member Posts: 2,287
I was surfing around (and under orders from my psychologist to
give myself a break from BCO). But I could not resist sharing this with you. It had me in stitches!!!!!
If you are familiar with Anthony Bourdain (the book Kitchen
Confidential), and on the Travel channel -No Reservations;
Then you know he is irreverent, opinionated, gutsy, and egomaniacal. In a blog he gives his opinion of the Food channel and its chefs. Either you are going to laugh hysterically or be highly insulted. (perhaps he is a bit
harsh about Paula Deen) And I'm glad he didn't mention Nigella Lawson. Anyway I hope you enjoy! I did in my cynical way! Susie
NOBODY ASKED ME, BUT
By Anthony Bourdain
P1010073 I actually WATCH Food Network now and again, more often than not drawn in by the progressive horrors on screen. I find myself riveted by its awfulness, like watching a multi-car accident in slow motion. Mesmerized at the ascent of the Ready-Made bobblehead personalities, and the not-so-subtle shunting aside of the Old School chefs, I find myself de-constructing the not-terrible shows, imagining behind the scenes struggles and frustrations, and obsessing unhealthily on the Truly Awful ones. Screaming out loud at Sandra Lee in disbelief as she massacres another dish, then sits grinning, her face stretched into a terrifying rictus of faux cheer for the final triumphant presentation. I mourn for Mario..and Alton...Bobby and yes--even Emeril, nobly holding the fort while the TV empire he helped build crumbles like undercooked Bundt cake into a goo of Cheez Wiz around him.
Some thoughts on the Newer, Younger, More Male-Oriented, More Dumb-Ass Food Network:
ALTON BROWN: How did Alton slip inside the wire--and stay there all these years? He must have something on them. He's smart. You actually learn something from his commentary. And I'll admit it: I watch and enjoy Iron Chef America-in all its cheesy glory. Absolutely SHOCKED and thrilled when guys like Homaru Cantu show up as contestants--and delighted when Mario wins--again and again, forestalling his secretly long-planned execution. His commentary is mostly good. And that collar-bone snapping fall off the motorcycle on Feasting On Asphalt? Good television!
EMERIL: I'm actually grateful when I channel surf across his show. He's STILL there--the original Behemoth. And I STILL find him unwatchable. As much mileage as I've gotten over the years, making fun of Emeril; he deserves a lot more respect than I've given him. He does run a very successful and very decent restaurant group. He is--in fact--a really nice guy. And-as much as I hate the show-- compared to the current crop of culinary non-entities, he looks like Escoffier. He will probably be the last of the Real Chefs. I'm sure they're growing future replacement options in petrie dishes somewhere, conducting Top Secret focus groups at suburban malls with their latest Bright Young Hopeful. I'm just glad he's still there--a rebuke to the geniuses who brought us such Great Ideas as Dweezil and Lisa.
BOBBY FLAY: They seem to have noticed Bobby's strong "negatives" among some viewer responses during focus groups--and decided to respond by subjecting poor Bobby to THROWDOWN; the object of which is to allow every web-fingered geek with a backyard grill--or half-mad muffin maker to proclaim, "I beat Bobby Flay at makin' barbeque!" at the heart-warming end of show--before returning to tend their meth labs.. I watched poor Bobby battle to a draw recently in some bogus Southwestern "Chili Face-Off." Now does ANYONE actually believe that Bobby Flay can't make a better chili than a supermarket ground beef bearing amateur? I don't. It's a cruel exercise in humiliation. A variation on "Dunk Bozo" or "Shoot The Geek," at the carnival. And whatever I might have thought of Flay's previous TV efforts, I find the network's misuse of one of their founding chefs to be nauseatingly cynical. The conspiratorial-minded might be tempted to suspect this as yet another part of the Secret Plan to rid themselves of the annoyingly big ticket chefs--by driving Bobby to quit--or insane with misery. He may not be Mr. Cuddlesworth, but he's a successful businessman and a good chef--and he doesn't, after all, need this shit.
MARIO!
Oh, Mario! Oh great one! They shut down Molto Mario--only the smartest and best of the stand-up cooking shows. Is there any more egregiously under-used, criminally mishandled, dismissively treated chef on television? Relegated to the circus of Iron Chef America, where--like a great, toothless lion, fouling his cage, he hangs on--and on--a major draw (and often the only reason to watch the show). How I would like to see him unchained, free to make the television shows he's capable of, the Real Mario--in all his Rabelasian brilliance. How I would love to hear the snapping bones of his cruel FN ringmasters, crunching between his mighty jaws! Let us see the cloven hooves beneath those cheery clogs! Let Mario be Mario!
THAT ACE OF CAKES GUY: Hey He's got talent! And..he seems to be a trained chef! And he's really making food--and selling it in a real business! I think I like it! If I have one reservation, it's that I have no idea if the stuff actually TASTES good. It LOOKS really creative and quirky--and I'm interested but I mean...it's like construction going on over there from what we're told and shown. One suspects that the producers don't want to waste valuable time talking about anything so technical as food--on "Food" Network. I mean...what's in those cakes, beneath the icing and marzipan and fondant? That said, it's the only "kicky, new, cutting edge, in-your-face" hopeful they've managed to trot out of any quality in memory. Hope it lasts. Wait till they try and put the poor bastard on a pony--or do a "Tailgate Special" with the usual suspects. Or a "Thanksgiving Special" where he has to sit down with the bobbleheads and pretend to like it. On balance, it's still probably the best new project they've come up with in a long, long time.
GIADA: What's going on here!? Giada can actually cook! She was robbed in her bout versus Rachael Ray on ICA. ROBBED! And Food Net seems more interested in her enormous head (big head equals big ratings. Really!) and her cleavage--than the fact that she's likeable, knows what she's doing in an Italian kitchen--and makes food you'd actually want to eat. The new high concept Weekend Getaway show is a horrible, tired re-cap of the cheap-ass "Best Of" and "40 Dollar a Day" formula. Send host to empty restaurant. Watch them make crappy food for her. Have her take a few lonely, awkward stabs at the plate, then feign enjoyment with appropriately orgasmic eye-closing and moaning..Before spitting it out and rushing to the trailer. Send her to Italy and let her cook. She's good at it.
RACHAEL: Complain all you want. It's like railing against the pounding surf. She only grows stronger and more powerful. Her ear-shattering tones louder and louder. We KNOW she can't cook. She shrewdly tells us so. So...what is she selling us? Really? She's selling us satisfaction, the smug reassurance that mediocrity is quite enough. She's a friendly, familiar face who appears regularly on our screens to tell us that "Even your dumb, lazy ass can cook this!" Wallowing in your own crapulence on your Cheeto-littered couch you watch her and think, "Hell I could do that. I ain't gonna but I could--if I wanted! Now where's my damn jug a Diet Pepsi?" Where the saintly Julia Child sought to raise expectations, to enlighten us, make us better--teach us--and in fact, did, Rachael uses her strange and terrible powers to narcotize her public with her hypnotic mantra of Yummo and Evoo and Sammys. "You're doing just fine. You don't even have to chop an onion--you can buy it already chopped. Aspire to nothing Just sit there. Have another Triscuit Sleep .sleep ."
PAULA DEEN: I'm reluctant to bash what seems to be a nice old lady. Even if her supporting cast is beginning to look like the Hills Have Eyes--and her food a True Buffet of Horrors. A recent Hawaii show was indistinguishable from an early John Waters film. And the food on a par with the last scene of Pink Flamingos. But I'd like to see her mad. Like her look-alike, Divine in the classic, "Female Trouble." Paula Deen on a Baltimore Killing Spree would be something to see. Let her get Rachael in a headlock--and it's all over.
SANDRA LEE: Pure evil. This frightening Hell Spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker seems on a mission to kill her fans, one meal at a time. She Must Be Stopped. Her death-dealing can-opening ways will cut a swath of destruction through the world if not contained. I would likely be arrested if I suggested on television that any children watching should promptly go to a wooded area with a gun and harm themselves. What's the difference between that and Sandra suggesting we fill our mouths with Ritz Crackers, jam a can of Cheez Wiz in after and press hard? None that I can see. This is simply irresponsible programming. Its only possible use might be as a psychological warfare strategy against the resurgent Taliban--or dangerous insurgent groups. A large-racked blonde repeatedly urging Afghans and angry Iraqis to stuff themseles with fatty, processed American foods might be just the weapon we need to win the war on terror.
AND FINALLY: Some IRON CHEF AMERICA match-ups I'd REALLY like to see:
* Mario Batali (with one arm tied behind his back--and drunk) vs. Regina Schrambling
* Michael Ruhlman, swacked on Ripple, vs. John Mariani-- in a Charcuterie Challenge
* Grant Achatz vs. That Guy In Australia Who Ripped off his recipes as his own
* Marco Pierre White vs. Gordon Ramsay
* Charlie Trotter vs. Martin Picard (Chicken Livers vs. Foie Gras)
* Chris Cosentino, Fergus Henderson, Martin Picard vs. Alain Passard, Roxanne Klein and Charlie Trotter (Cooked vs. Raw Challenge)
* Martha Stewart vs. Rachael Ray (bare knuckle cage match)
* Ducasse vs. Robuchon
* "Mikey" from Top Chef vs. Sandra Lee
Video Gold!
Posted by michael ruhlman | Permalink
give myself a break from BCO). But I could not resist sharing this with you. It had me in stitches!!!!!
If you are familiar with Anthony Bourdain (the book Kitchen
Confidential), and on the Travel channel -No Reservations;
Then you know he is irreverent, opinionated, gutsy, and egomaniacal. In a blog he gives his opinion of the Food channel and its chefs. Either you are going to laugh hysterically or be highly insulted. (perhaps he is a bit
harsh about Paula Deen) And I'm glad he didn't mention Nigella Lawson. Anyway I hope you enjoy! I did in my cynical way! Susie
NOBODY ASKED ME, BUT
By Anthony Bourdain
P1010073 I actually WATCH Food Network now and again, more often than not drawn in by the progressive horrors on screen. I find myself riveted by its awfulness, like watching a multi-car accident in slow motion. Mesmerized at the ascent of the Ready-Made bobblehead personalities, and the not-so-subtle shunting aside of the Old School chefs, I find myself de-constructing the not-terrible shows, imagining behind the scenes struggles and frustrations, and obsessing unhealthily on the Truly Awful ones. Screaming out loud at Sandra Lee in disbelief as she massacres another dish, then sits grinning, her face stretched into a terrifying rictus of faux cheer for the final triumphant presentation. I mourn for Mario..and Alton...Bobby and yes--even Emeril, nobly holding the fort while the TV empire he helped build crumbles like undercooked Bundt cake into a goo of Cheez Wiz around him.
Some thoughts on the Newer, Younger, More Male-Oriented, More Dumb-Ass Food Network:
ALTON BROWN: How did Alton slip inside the wire--and stay there all these years? He must have something on them. He's smart. You actually learn something from his commentary. And I'll admit it: I watch and enjoy Iron Chef America-in all its cheesy glory. Absolutely SHOCKED and thrilled when guys like Homaru Cantu show up as contestants--and delighted when Mario wins--again and again, forestalling his secretly long-planned execution. His commentary is mostly good. And that collar-bone snapping fall off the motorcycle on Feasting On Asphalt? Good television!
EMERIL: I'm actually grateful when I channel surf across his show. He's STILL there--the original Behemoth. And I STILL find him unwatchable. As much mileage as I've gotten over the years, making fun of Emeril; he deserves a lot more respect than I've given him. He does run a very successful and very decent restaurant group. He is--in fact--a really nice guy. And-as much as I hate the show-- compared to the current crop of culinary non-entities, he looks like Escoffier. He will probably be the last of the Real Chefs. I'm sure they're growing future replacement options in petrie dishes somewhere, conducting Top Secret focus groups at suburban malls with their latest Bright Young Hopeful. I'm just glad he's still there--a rebuke to the geniuses who brought us such Great Ideas as Dweezil and Lisa.
BOBBY FLAY: They seem to have noticed Bobby's strong "negatives" among some viewer responses during focus groups--and decided to respond by subjecting poor Bobby to THROWDOWN; the object of which is to allow every web-fingered geek with a backyard grill--or half-mad muffin maker to proclaim, "I beat Bobby Flay at makin' barbeque!" at the heart-warming end of show--before returning to tend their meth labs.. I watched poor Bobby battle to a draw recently in some bogus Southwestern "Chili Face-Off." Now does ANYONE actually believe that Bobby Flay can't make a better chili than a supermarket ground beef bearing amateur? I don't. It's a cruel exercise in humiliation. A variation on "Dunk Bozo" or "Shoot The Geek," at the carnival. And whatever I might have thought of Flay's previous TV efforts, I find the network's misuse of one of their founding chefs to be nauseatingly cynical. The conspiratorial-minded might be tempted to suspect this as yet another part of the Secret Plan to rid themselves of the annoyingly big ticket chefs--by driving Bobby to quit--or insane with misery. He may not be Mr. Cuddlesworth, but he's a successful businessman and a good chef--and he doesn't, after all, need this shit.
MARIO!
Oh, Mario! Oh great one! They shut down Molto Mario--only the smartest and best of the stand-up cooking shows. Is there any more egregiously under-used, criminally mishandled, dismissively treated chef on television? Relegated to the circus of Iron Chef America, where--like a great, toothless lion, fouling his cage, he hangs on--and on--a major draw (and often the only reason to watch the show). How I would like to see him unchained, free to make the television shows he's capable of, the Real Mario--in all his Rabelasian brilliance. How I would love to hear the snapping bones of his cruel FN ringmasters, crunching between his mighty jaws! Let us see the cloven hooves beneath those cheery clogs! Let Mario be Mario!
THAT ACE OF CAKES GUY: Hey He's got talent! And..he seems to be a trained chef! And he's really making food--and selling it in a real business! I think I like it! If I have one reservation, it's that I have no idea if the stuff actually TASTES good. It LOOKS really creative and quirky--and I'm interested but I mean...it's like construction going on over there from what we're told and shown. One suspects that the producers don't want to waste valuable time talking about anything so technical as food--on "Food" Network. I mean...what's in those cakes, beneath the icing and marzipan and fondant? That said, it's the only "kicky, new, cutting edge, in-your-face" hopeful they've managed to trot out of any quality in memory. Hope it lasts. Wait till they try and put the poor bastard on a pony--or do a "Tailgate Special" with the usual suspects. Or a "Thanksgiving Special" where he has to sit down with the bobbleheads and pretend to like it. On balance, it's still probably the best new project they've come up with in a long, long time.
GIADA: What's going on here!? Giada can actually cook! She was robbed in her bout versus Rachael Ray on ICA. ROBBED! And Food Net seems more interested in her enormous head (big head equals big ratings. Really!) and her cleavage--than the fact that she's likeable, knows what she's doing in an Italian kitchen--and makes food you'd actually want to eat. The new high concept Weekend Getaway show is a horrible, tired re-cap of the cheap-ass "Best Of" and "40 Dollar a Day" formula. Send host to empty restaurant. Watch them make crappy food for her. Have her take a few lonely, awkward stabs at the plate, then feign enjoyment with appropriately orgasmic eye-closing and moaning..Before spitting it out and rushing to the trailer. Send her to Italy and let her cook. She's good at it.
RACHAEL: Complain all you want. It's like railing against the pounding surf. She only grows stronger and more powerful. Her ear-shattering tones louder and louder. We KNOW she can't cook. She shrewdly tells us so. So...what is she selling us? Really? She's selling us satisfaction, the smug reassurance that mediocrity is quite enough. She's a friendly, familiar face who appears regularly on our screens to tell us that "Even your dumb, lazy ass can cook this!" Wallowing in your own crapulence on your Cheeto-littered couch you watch her and think, "Hell I could do that. I ain't gonna but I could--if I wanted! Now where's my damn jug a Diet Pepsi?" Where the saintly Julia Child sought to raise expectations, to enlighten us, make us better--teach us--and in fact, did, Rachael uses her strange and terrible powers to narcotize her public with her hypnotic mantra of Yummo and Evoo and Sammys. "You're doing just fine. You don't even have to chop an onion--you can buy it already chopped. Aspire to nothing Just sit there. Have another Triscuit Sleep .sleep ."
PAULA DEEN: I'm reluctant to bash what seems to be a nice old lady. Even if her supporting cast is beginning to look like the Hills Have Eyes--and her food a True Buffet of Horrors. A recent Hawaii show was indistinguishable from an early John Waters film. And the food on a par with the last scene of Pink Flamingos. But I'd like to see her mad. Like her look-alike, Divine in the classic, "Female Trouble." Paula Deen on a Baltimore Killing Spree would be something to see. Let her get Rachael in a headlock--and it's all over.
SANDRA LEE: Pure evil. This frightening Hell Spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker seems on a mission to kill her fans, one meal at a time. She Must Be Stopped. Her death-dealing can-opening ways will cut a swath of destruction through the world if not contained. I would likely be arrested if I suggested on television that any children watching should promptly go to a wooded area with a gun and harm themselves. What's the difference between that and Sandra suggesting we fill our mouths with Ritz Crackers, jam a can of Cheez Wiz in after and press hard? None that I can see. This is simply irresponsible programming. Its only possible use might be as a psychological warfare strategy against the resurgent Taliban--or dangerous insurgent groups. A large-racked blonde repeatedly urging Afghans and angry Iraqis to stuff themseles with fatty, processed American foods might be just the weapon we need to win the war on terror.
AND FINALLY: Some IRON CHEF AMERICA match-ups I'd REALLY like to see:
* Mario Batali (with one arm tied behind his back--and drunk) vs. Regina Schrambling
* Michael Ruhlman, swacked on Ripple, vs. John Mariani-- in a Charcuterie Challenge
* Grant Achatz vs. That Guy In Australia Who Ripped off his recipes as his own
* Marco Pierre White vs. Gordon Ramsay
* Charlie Trotter vs. Martin Picard (Chicken Livers vs. Foie Gras)
* Chris Cosentino, Fergus Henderson, Martin Picard vs. Alain Passard, Roxanne Klein and Charlie Trotter (Cooked vs. Raw Challenge)
* Martha Stewart vs. Rachael Ray (bare knuckle cage match)
* Ducasse vs. Robuchon
* "Mikey" from Top Chef vs. Sandra Lee
Video Gold!
Posted by michael ruhlman | Permalink
Comments
-
Susie, what a commentary. I agree on Sandra Lee. How can anyone cook and wear white and never get dirty?!?! I am a cook, my family and friednsd say I am very good, but soem of the things this guy says is so true. I do enjoy Emeril and Giada. Some of the rest I just leave on as background noise. I like Food Net and have gotten some good ideas.
We missed you today and hope your furbaby is better! -
I am not totally fond of several of the chefs and shows on the food network, but.....I think that in this case, you just have to consider the source of this cynical writing: a very skinny, very nerdy guy who happens to be a chef, who has a very common and trite barbed wire tattoo on his skinny, boney arm, who also wears a thumb ring, and who eats deep-fried bugs, worms, blubber, and other gourmet delights on his tv shows....lol
-
Cynical he may be but some of his writings are priceless. And he is adventurous and sometimes he pays for it. Can't remember which book but there was a wonderful description of him in France sick as a dog with food poisoning and unable to move. Normally, this would be bad enough but, there he was in a hotel room unable to get to the TV set that was playing non-stop Jerry Lewis movies and adding to his misery. By the time your done you don't know which was worse.
And then there is always the bit about never ordering sushi on a Tuesday night.
That is one witty nerd.
Beth- my furbaby and I finally got a nights sleep I think due to the benydrl I crushed up and put in some liverwurst. I've never seen anything like this---not a symptom during the day and shaking and panting hard all night. I think this is going to be a matter of ruling out things. In the meantime, I want to find another vet. I may try some astragalus on her.
I'm sorry I missed today.
Take care,
Susie -
Saluki---
You are so right....Bourdain is very witty and has a good sense of humor. I admit that i do watch his shows sometimes because you never know what he is going to say or do next....but if he starts eating something disgusting, i do change the channel....LOL. Thanks for posting this. He really does have some kind of bravado!!
peace,
celia -
Saluki You are funny! I enjoyed reading your post. I thought I was the only one that hated Sandra Lee. She freaks me out! She is worse than a stepford mom. She seems like the kind that secretly enjoys weird jello molds.
I don't like Rachel Ray either. I tried some of her recipes and first off they always take more than 30 minutes and secondly they are nasty tasting. I was watching her the other day and she was measuring something. She said to the folks at home that if we did not have measuring cups then we should just use a coffee cup. The important thing was a one to one ratio. Anyhow it struck me...she is teaching people who don't own simple kitchen items, ie. a measuring cup to cook.
Giada's show annoys the hell out of me, her voice and mannerisms just bug me. But your right, her recipes are great and she can cook!
Love Emeril!!! Bam!!! -
PS Im a HUGE Matha Stewart fan. I don't care what anyone says I love her!
I would love to see Rachel Ray vs. Martha Stewart. Of course Martha would win and while she was doing it she would beat Rachel with some good verbal quips. Martha is one tough you know what. -
I just joined a cooking club and this month we have to choose a recipe from Food TV that we have never tried before so I think I'm doing something from Paula Deen. Rachel Ray is starting to bug me even though I get her magazine and I don't like Sandra Lee either. I was actually more into Top Chef than I have been Food TV recently. I also like Take Home Chef - can you imagine someone coming up to you in the grocery store and offering to make you dinner?
Margaret -
I watched a lot of Food Network while going through chemo and I learned a lot from Rachael Ray. Her recipes are OK and of course she always has all the ingredients at her fingertips, never has to clean out the sink or wash pots before she starts cooking, etc., but I watch her for techniques - "eyeballing" quantities intstead of measuring, taking a little slice off the side of a lemon or a carrot to keep it from rolling, salting the pasta water, adding nutmeg to spinach, etc. Things your mother might have taught you if you had a mother who cooked! And at least she uses real, fresh, normal ingredients.
Paula Deen is homey but any recipe will taste good if it starts with a stick of "buddah". And Sandra Lee is just so annoying, I want to smack her.
Thanks for posting that article, I'm not familiar with the author but it gave me a chuckle, especially the part about Giada's big head and cleavage. -
Gwen,
You cracked me up about Sandra. I never could stand her and her boobs hanging down to her waist and her attitude. I don't know...something about her just bugs me...aren't I snotty? I do love Paula Deen as she seems genuine to me. The show she did with Jimmy Carter was great!
Not crazy about Giada either, but the food sure looks good. Rachel Ray is okay.
I guess I just love to cook and to read cookbooks.
Oh, does anyone watch the Barefoot Contessa? Love her as she is so laid back and calm. Sometimes I think that these hosts love the sound of their own voices and they need to shut up once in a while. Boy, do I have my panties in a twist or what???
Gerbie -
I am a food network junkie!
I love Giada and Mario and I enjoy watching that dark haired lady who cooks on long island. Rachael Ray frightens me and that Sandra lady, well, what is the point....
I agree that Giada and Bobby Flay should have won that Iron Chef episode. The only reason Rachael Ray won is because she had Mario. -
I used to watch Giada and think she looked a little anorexic.
It didn't occur to me it was because they were focusing on
her head and breasts.
She's a beautiful woman yet when I see her now I can't stop thinking of Winky Dink.---that is soooo bad.
You have to be over 50 to know who Winky Dink is!
http://www.skooldays.com/categories/saturday/sa1355.htm
Susie -
Winky Dink, finally someone else knows who he is! I had the greatest Winky Dink coloring book. It had tracing paper between the pages, and you would transfer an image from one page to the page across from it, to create a new picture. I had to stop mentioning Winky Dink, because people would look at me as if I were nuts. I was beginning to think that I was the only kid to have ever seen that program.
Laura -
I don't remember the coloring book but I remember clear as day drawing on the TV set through that sheet of plastic with the crayons----The start of my art career---LOL
Yea, I felt the same way when I would say how much Pat Sajak
on wheel of fortune reminded me of Winky Dink. Boy I'd get some strange looks. I knew I didn't dream it up, but, back then I could fly too!
Susie -
I need a new network for food. The recent offerings are just not fun anymore. Where is Batali??
I am working my way through the Julia Child cookbooks these days. It is clear that I need a real meat grinder! Today was Paté de Campagne, but it is turning into a two day project. The meat grinder attachment on my kitchenaid mixer isn't up to the task.
Hope to have pictures up tomorrow, but I might just sit on the kitchen floor with a glass of wine if this doesn't taste good!
Great to find some folks that are enjoying good food.
*susan*
and Rachel Ray and Sandra whatever her name is are simply NOT my role models. :-) -
You may want to look at Northern tool--Cabela's is crazy expensive.
http://www2.northerntool.com/product/36989_36989.htm
By the way Mario's equipment is pretty good. His pots are produced by Copco which used to make enamel cast iron on par with Le Creuset maybe better for less money.
Don't know whose idea it is to turn cooking shows into
travelogues. If thats what I wanted I'd watch the travel
channel or lifestyle of the rich and famous.
And it always irked me to no end to see a show eating on 40 dollars a day. I certainly don't run in those circles. To me if you can't eat (one person) on forty bucks a day you've got a problem.
I just picked up Julia's Kitchen Wisdom last week and was happy to find it in LARGE PRINT. Perfect for me. lol
Susie -
I am a Food Network and HGTV junkie. I also like Top Chef and Take Home Chef. I think I like Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, best and then Paula Deen, but I can't make most of her dishes because they are just tooooooo fattening.
Margaret -
I'm a HGTV and Food Network 'aholic' too.
Paula Deen is the best, although her mantra butter and then more butter isn't exactly for me she is so much fun to watch.
I don't know why but the Barefoot Contessa comes across as snobby to me.
Giada's smile, what's with that? Does anyone really smile that way? I've only tried one of her recipe, 'Roasted Fennel with Parmesan' (I never had fennel before but always wanted to try it), it was pretty good but not something I'd make all the time.
I was watching Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger the other day and she made Chicken with Mango Barbecue Sauce, I printed out that recipes and am making it next Sunday.
I love Iron Chef and always root for who's ever up against Bobby Flay.
Now don't even get me started on Sandra Lee......... -
I saw some commercials for the classics so I guess they'll be showing some of the old shows like Two Fat Ladies and Ready Set Cook - remember those? Let me know how the Ellie Krieger receipes are.
Margaret -
LOL! That was too funny! I agree with Mr. Bourdain on a lot; I wish he would have spent more time on Rachel Ray. I absolutely cannot stand her muppet-headed goofy grin and "DELISH!" ON $40 a day. C'mon...EVERYTHING she eats cannot be DELISH!
I can't say much about Miss Paula Deen, though. I credit her with getting my fat fanny out of bed and back into some semblance of real life. I watched tons of the Food Network when I was recovering from my surgeries. I live in the south but am not a native; thanks to Paula I now have a repertoir of dishes to take to church potlucks that aren't met with, "what is THAT?" or "poor dear, she used the WRONG pepper" (the latter actually overheard by me at the first family gathering I brought food to. Apparently, hillbillies don't cotton to fresh ground pepper.
Giada gives me the creeps. I'm so distracted by the cadence and tone of her voice that I can't see what she's cooking. Thankfully, I have never been forced to endure an entire episode with Sandra Lee.
I'm a Top Chef junkie, too, although I would never in a million years eat some of those dishes. Sure wish there was a happy medium between the high-end "if it's expensive, small-portioned, unrecognizable, and hard to pronounce it must be good" and "crush a bag of fritos, cover with sliced vienna sausages and cheez whiz". Martha Stewart probably comes closest to that, but I have never much liked her.
Thanks for the post! It was a hoot! -
Ok, I went to my cooking club event today and the theme was to cook somthing from FoodTV that you had not tried before. I made two dishes from Paula Deen, one was seet chicken bacon wraps and the other was caramelized brownies. Both were very good. Just make sure you read the reviews first for changes in cooking both dishes. I followed the reviewers comments.
Margaret -
I always turn off Sandra Lee after a minute or two but according to these blogs we may be missing some of the best
TV out there. I've never quite seen it in this light!
" Posted by: Crys | February 23, 2007 at 01:03 PM
People, don't let up on FN! We have a movement going here.
Kidding aside, yesterday Sandra Lee hit another home run with her "takeout-takein party" theme, whatever the hell that means. She heavily promoted her "very own, very favorite invention", the Beer Margherita. I think she must have been sloshed on a pitcher of these before taping started since she couldn't remember whether she grew up in Wisconsin or Washington. Apparently she didn't remember that she had already deep-fried the store-bought won ton wrappers stuffed with canned La Choy veggies, because she also stuck them in the oven to bake, resulting in a greasy, burnt pile of faux pot stickers. Delightedly, she proclaimed how professionally-made they looked and how "unbelievably yummy they are if served with mustard and duck sauce".
Her second chef d'ouevre: carboardy store-bought pizza shell topped with the included packet of sauce and gobs of feta cheese, adding that, "I grew up in Wisconsin, so I like cheese. Today we're going upscale, so I'm topping it with prosciutto".
For dessert, she featured a variation of her grandma's Napoleon that she "used to adore when growing up in Washington" (or was it West Virginia?). Her version: pile great big dollops of Cool Whip on top of deep-fried store-bought won ton wrappers. She slurred, "this really fits the bill!".
The final clue in my suspicion that she was inebriated was when she suggested, "for some real fun, why not serve your guests the won tons in Chinese take-out cartons, and the pizza in a box?".
Are the execs at FN gradually turning the Food Network into the Food Comedy Network?
Posted by: rockandroller | February 23, 2007 at 02:58 PM
I, for one, hope Aunt Sandy never goes off the air, because (other than "Extras" on HBO) there are no other comedies on television right now that are better viewing than Snads showing up drunk every Saturday morning mixing faux-jitos for her fauxmily whilst making kakes and konkoktions that have offended nearly every culture around the globe. I don't know when I've laughed harder than watching her pour 2 cups of a liquid and saying it's one cup, because she was too drunk to realize she was using a 2-cup measuring cup. Oh wait... I laughed harder when she decorated a Christmas tree with glasses from her bar. That was (bleep) priceless. Long live Snads..." -
MargaretB,
I made Ellie Krieger's Chicken with Mango Barbecue Sauce the other day. It was good but I think it should have been marinated longer than 1 hr for more flavor. I'm not a salt fanatic but her recipe was definately lacking in salt flavor.
I made my own dipping sauce for the chicken using barbecue sauce, mango jam and mango chutney, very yummy. -
I love Food Network.
Giada has a HUGE head. Take a look next time. Her head is almost as wide as her shoulders.
I used to like to watch Paula but I just can't stand her any more.
And Rachel grates on my nerves now. Have had enough of her.
And Sandra Lee is married to an old billionaire so she'll be on for as long as she wants!
And Emeril is getting to wacky for me.
I guess I am an ex Food Network junkie. I only tune in for the contests - cakes, gingerbread houses, etc. -
Kats, thanks for letting me know. Don't think I'll bother with it then.
Margaret -
Okay, I know many of you are drinking the pomegranate juice.
Knowing the benefits, I'd love to drink it too--but I don't
like the taste.
Well Giada had a recipe she said was very good.
She used 1/3 pomogranate juice, 1/3 orange juice, and 1/3 Prosecco (she said it was like champaigne.) all chilled.
And she garnished with mint leaves.
Alton Brown has a Tequila Sunrise with Pomagranate Molasses
Orange Juice and Tequila.
Mind you at this rate I'd have to get sloshed to get the benefits.
Any of you have any other ideas for drinks with pomagranate juice?
--------------
Susie -
Susie,
For Christmas I bought my DH a gift set of Naturally Pomegranate from Sam's Club. Here's the website about the product: http://www.agrolabs.com/pomegranate/home.html
Good thing about it is a little goes a long way, I'm not crazy about the taste of Pomegranate on it's own so I pour 1oz of the Naturally Pomegranate into a glass of either orange or fruit blends juice.
I bought him a bottle of PAMA pomegranate liqueur for Christmas too. Not medicinal but very tasty -
Thanks Kats,
It looks like they carry it at Costco as well. I'm going to
pick it up. I'll give it a try in some orange juice. That would make it less tart.
Good idea! -
I thought this was a hysterical description of Giada as well as Nigella Lawson by Bill Maher on his show this week
New Rule: The women of the Food Network have to stop faking orgasms when they taste their food. Half of that programming consists of cute, spunky women putting things in their mouth and giving us their "O" face. Which is why I can recite 23 different pasta recipes from memory, and I don't even cook. Rachael Ray makes a 30-minute meal, and I'm finished in 15. -
I generally follow a chemo group thread but was looking for something much lighter today and found this thread. I laughed so hard at some of your descriptions of the shows, my kids thought something was wrong with me. I love to watch Food Network but 2 minutes into a show I already know I wont try this recipie. Still I watch, its good entertainment. Looking forward to the "next food network star" show.
Anyway, thanks for the laughs, this really picked up my day, I think I'll go see whats on now!
Anne -
Racheal has a great magazine, but the way she flays her hands around, trying to be descriptive in "30 Min Meals" drives me crazy. Chill out Rach- no one else has to do all of those crazy hand gestures!
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