Food Network and food shows thread

[Lord of The Curry 0]

He wasn't on Food Network but I miss James Barber. Urban Peasant 4 life.

[Red Baron 0]

Not a cooking show, but Bourdain's No Reservations is one of my favorite shows on tv, and I've read two of his books. Kitchen Confidential is essential reading even for people who don't cook. Super-fast read. My tastes run much in the same vein as his, aside from the heroin.

 

Kitchen Confidential is a must for anyone that want to pursue a career in the food industry.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Fun fact: I have appeared in an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I can be seen (for several seconds!) sitting at a table at the [place redacted], drunk and w/ dark circles under my eyes. If it looks like I haven't slept for days, it's because I hadn't.

 

EDIT: Caught you lookin', Kreese.

Edited December 8, 2010 by Giuseppe Zangara

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Also, Good Eats is a fun show. I've known a lot of girls who've had the hots for Alton Brown, including two ex-gfs and my current girlfriend. I thought it strange at first, but I guess I can see it. Funny, knows a lot about cooking, and good looking in a Thomas Dolby sorta way. Sure.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I would be more down with Good Eats if they didn;t try so damned hard to make Alton funny. The information is top notch, even if I think he is a dork of the highest order. He is much more tolerable on Iron Chef America.

I tend to agree with you on this- although it's Alton that does most of the writing so blame it on him. The "family" he brings on the show is incredibly irritating, and one of the actors on the show who plays fictional characters is really awful, like public access children's television awful.

 

The Wikipedia page says that Mario Batali has the best record of them all, going 19-4. I'm not surprised by that, as Mario can cook his ass off. Cat Cora with a very respectable 13-7, and Bobby Flay going 21-11-2. That's about right.

Flay gets challenged way too often, and Batali not often enough. Cora should have way more losses on her record, too. In a sense, Iron Chef is a lot like pro wrestling- I feel like a lot of the scores will go the Iron Chef's way if they have a new show or something coming up so they have them win to get them "over"- same also goes for the challengers a bit, like the gentleman who was Oprah's chef.

 

Tyler Florence is an absolute twat. Can't stand his show. The Ryan Secrest of food.

Oh come on, he's not nearly that bad. Besides, the guy can certainly cook; admittedly not as well as the other guys on Food Network I like, but he's good in the small doses I've seen. I mostly know him through his recipes though, admittedly, so I may not really know what you're talking about.

 

Not a cooking show, but Bourdain's No Reservations is one of my favorite shows on tv, and I've read two of his books. Kitchen Confidential is essential reading even for people who don't cook. Super-fast read. My tastes run much in the same vein as his, aside from the heroin.

I called this- I could've seen it when you've made references to unsafe/unclean practices in the kitchen and how it's all cooked by convicts recently and of course, you guys' fondness for nicotine and past connections with experimenting narcotics. Which is the other book you've read?

 

I'm interested in checking out Les Halles next time I'm in New York or Miami because of him, or Scott Bryan's restaurant that he mentions in Confidential. If you ever get a chance, see the guy live or check out videos of him talking live on youtube. His rants on vegetarianism and ESPECIALLY the Food Network are hilarious and awesome. In fact, let's bust some out.

 

Here's a drunk Bourdain railing on TFN.

 

And here's Anthony Bourdain in February 2007 talking about Food Network. Choice quotes:

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.

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!

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.

And the rant on Sandra Lee has to be read in its entirety. Love the guy.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

No Reservations is basically Lou Reed's Lonely Planet.

[godthedog 0]

i got to see bourdain speak at an authors' series here in pittsburgh. not a lot of substance to it, but he's about as entertaining a speaker as you'd think. he also seems like a genuinely nice guy and really gracious.

 

when he was signing books & shaking hands afterwards, i told him that i use his "beirut" special in my college composition class as a good example of a video essay, and he had absolutely no idea what to say--just kind of an "oh wow, thank you" thing. he clearly didn't know what to think of the idea of people studying him as a writer. which is really too bad, cause he's a god damn good writer. he just doesn't really think of himself as one.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

Good Eats is pretty much the best show on the network. I did like Mario's show, but they canceled it.

 

As far as non-FN shows go, I love America's Test Kitchen, and any show Martin Yan does.

[Broward83 0]

Remember! If Yan can cook... you can too!

[Darthtiki 0]

Martin Yan was one of my favorites growing up

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I haven't even read, heard, written, or spoken the name in years, but I used to watch Graham Kerr on an 18 inch black and white portable with my Grandma every weekend.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Oh come on, he's not nearly that bad. Besides, the guy can certainly cook; admittedly not as well as the other guys on Food Network I like, but he's good in the small doses I've seen. I mostly know him through his recipes though, admittedly, so I may not really know what you're talking about.

 

What gets me about him is on that "Tyler's ultimate" show, he'll talk about some fuckin' ULTIMATE CHICKEN RECIPE!! and it's a fuckin' Chicken breast with olive oil, herbs, and caramelized onions, served over rice. How original.

[starvenger 0]

When we talk about Bourdain, I think we can't forget that the sitcom based on his book was actually pretty darn good. Except that it was on Fox.

 

Regarding Tyler's Ultimate, the first season was indeed making "ultimate" versions of classic dishes, with Tyler going to far off places to learn about them. Obviously, since then the budget was cut and he's now just making dishes. It's kinda like how at some point Boy Meets Grill ceased to be a grilling show and focused more on Bobby cooking in the kitchen.

 

Off of TFN:

Top Chef is one of my top reality shows. Padma Lashkimi may not be the world's greatest host (although certainly better than the black hole of personality that is Katie Lee Joel) but damn is she hot.

 

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is definitely superior to Kitchen Nightmares, but that's to be expected, because Fox likes having Brits that yell and insult a lot. I can't wait to see how ABC butchers Top Gear, btw.

 

In a sense, Iron Chef is a lot like pro wrestling- I feel like a lot of the scores will go the Iron Chef's way if they have a new show or something coming up so they have them win to get them "over"- same also goes for the challengers a bit, like the gentleman who was Oprah's chef.

It's always been this way, even in the original. Obviously, the IC has home field advantage so the judges usually favour them. I say usually because the litmus test in ICA is how they react to Morimoto's food, since he's the most adventurous of the ICs and if you can't appreciate it, you're probably not gonna be back on the show. Case in point, the aforementioned Joel, who apparently failed to understand exactly what Morimoto was doing. You will note that she hasn't judged ICA since, and they've let Mo fricking Rocca on more than once.

[NoCalMike 0]

Mike have you tried Guy's Tex Wasabi's off Arden?

 

I really can't stand Ingrid Hoffman, decent rack but is as grating as Jillian Barberie

 

 

I haven't eaten there yet but I have driven by it a lot, hahaha. How is it? I am sure the food is good but how is it price-wise?

 

I have though, eaten at The Squeeze Inn which was featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. I posted a picture of the Double Squeeze w/Cheese in another thread.

[Darthtiki 0]

It's pretty decent, the prices are probably on par with Mikuni or Oshima for the sushi, the bbq is about Lucille's.

 

I still have yet to go to the Squeeze Inn when I hit Sac.

 

 

Off TFN, anyone remember the Frugal Gourmet....he had a good show despite what happened.

[snuffbox 0]

Guy Ferraro is a bit grating but I watch Diners, etc a couple times a week.

[naiwf 0]

I don't mind watching the Food Network, I just hate when they randomly start shuttling in new hosts and flooding the airwaves with their stuff in hopes of finding at least one hit in the bunch. In the last couple of years Guy went from unknown to having about 4 shows in the regular rotation (Guy's Big Bite, the recipe showdown thing with Mark Summers that's coming back without Mark Summers, DD&D, and the Emeril Live rip off). Then they added the Neelys and Sunny Anderson who basically have the same show, and gave each of these clowns a second equally horrible show on top of their regular ones. Ask Aida is a good concept, but she's not much of a chef so it looks like the type of show someone does BEFORE they make it to the network. Big Daddy's House was pretty bad even though I liked Aaron. The wannabe comedian from his season of Next Food Network Star is getting his own show where we get to watch his wacky antics. I know that Anne Burrell (Batali's sous chef on ICA), and Alex Guarnaschelli (sp?) also got new shows as well.

 

I would imagine this is a relatively prestigious place to work, but it still seems like they can't develop personalities that don't become irritating from the get go, or they overexpose people (Bobby Flay & Rachael Ray I'm looking at you) to the point where you don't want to see them anymore.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Oh, Alex Guarnaschelli. There's something about her I find attractive- maybe it's that the girl really, really knows her food. Amazing chef, it's really unfortunate that The Cooking Loft is such a terrible format- you get the same douchebag "students" every episode trying to learn how to do or make something and it really detracts from what she does and makes. Best thing would be if the Cooking Loft would just ditch them and go to a straight "host talks to camera and makes good food" concept. Why is it that FN keeps trying to go away from this tried and true formula? It's annoying. Just let it be, and let the chef's work and ability to teach/share their passion for food and cooking shine through on itself instead of trying to market "personalities." Hell, this is really what Rachael Ray did to become a star anyways!

[Smartly Pretty 0]

Every Rachael Ray episode, and I mean every single one, in some fashion, includes a)couscous b)grill seasoning (she is never more specific than this. Her recipe includes "grill seasoning" and how much she loves it) and c)"EVOO".

 

There's a Food Network commercial where some old woman, referring to some gingerbread men shouts "How cute are those y'all!" and I laugh every time. No idea who that is. She sounds ridiculous.

[starvenger 0]

The "old woman" and "y'all" would seem to point to Paula Deen

[naiwf 0]

That's Paula Deen. I HATE that bitch.

[Guest Czecherbear]

Didn't she once have a recipe for Velveeta Fudge? Ew!

[Darthtiki 0]

Every Rachael Ray episode, and I mean every single one, in some fashion, includes a)couscous b)grill seasoning (she is never more specific than this. Her recipe includes "grill seasoning" and how much she loves it) and c)"EVOO".

 

You forgot to include, sammies, stoup, sunday gravy

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Didn't she once have a recipe for Velveeta Fudge? Ew!

Paula Deen's Chocolate Cheese Fudge

 

Side note, someone mentioned Graham Kerr, I used to watch his show he had where he would make healthier versions of recipes and then at the end he'd compare the two.

Growing up I watched a lot of PBS and ended up watching a lot of cooking shows like the Frugal Gourmet, Yan Can Cook, We're Cooking Now and my all time favorite, Justin Wilson.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

Every Rachael Ray episode, and I mean every single one, in some fashion, includes a)couscous b)grill seasoning (she is never more specific than this. Her recipe includes "grill seasoning" and how much she loves it) and c)"EVOO".

 

You forgot to include, sammies, stoup, sunday gravy

 

Those aren't ingredients.

[Darthtiki 0]

That may be true, but every episode seems to include a dish to those effects

[Rendclaw 0]

I think we're remiss in not mentioning the all-mighty Ming Tsai. His show has to be the best on television, period. He gets his point across quickly, explains things in a clear manner, and every time I watch his show, I come away starving.

 

Yeah I agree with the notion about how the ICs in both shows had a clear and distinct advantage. But at least with the Japanese version, it was a little less obvious. And hell, I think Flay gets challenged so much because I think the challengers believe they have a better chance of winning than going up against Batali, who is a fucking MACHINE.

 

I think that that college cooking show is a take on what Molto Mario used to do... though it does need different people.

 

I would be all right with Paula Deen if she slowed her "Belle of Southern Cooking" roll.

 

 

[starvenger 0]

East Meets West was brilliant, but Simply Ming suffers from being on PBS and having to do the "ok, and I've prepared ahead of time..." swap out. I always find that this creates a bit of a disconnect.

[Darthtiki 0]

East Meets West was one of the best shows in the early days of the network

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

On the show -- Flay's first time hosting a radio show -- he will offer expert advice and ideas for guys on everything from food to sports to dating to style and beyond, take calls from around the country, and welcome special guests. For show topics and segments Flay will draw from his many passions both in and out of the kitchen, and dispense tips on everything from football picks to navigating fine dining, from cooking the perfect burger to planning a flawless first date, how to dress to impress for a big interview and much more.

 

I cant wait..

 

to block the channel!

 

ugh