Food Network 2010

Gator Bait

 
Very good Bacchus, I quit watching FN back when Emeril was on morning, noon and night. I got so tired of that neckless refugee from a cadaver dog training school bastardizing the English language I couldn't listen to it anymore. Then you would see him on a different program, not his, and suddenly he could speak English 10X better. He must think his audience is a bunch of idiots.

Mario Batali on the other hand is a great chef.

Gator

 

Hoss

And HUMOROUS it is! :laugh:

Plumbr44

gotta love Mario's Croc's...

Nature Boy

Your thoughts on the cooking shows (over the top on food network and not enough choice on PBS) kinda opens up the whole possibility of creating your own network. Real cooking, lots of facts, and more down to earth. All sorts of cuisines. Think about the potential of such a network! Think we can get a loan to get it going? ;-)

Happy cookin
Chris

WokOnMedium

When I first got cable as a new grad I watched it all the time. Then one day I found myself making a face everytime I cruised past the channel.

I went back about 2 years ago. Now find myself making that face again. Guy and his wannabe I don't know what, constant slang has become nails on a chalkboard, and Giada: whenever she bites something she made her eyes roll around in her head and close like...well...this is a family show, but dang! I can't imagine that little piece of dough you just fried and rolled in sugar is THAT GOOD.

I'm only 1/4 of the way through my rant and am feeling like it isn't really worth my time to continue.

tdr6874

i love to see the chefs use 8 diffrent types of sea salt or enough truffles and truffel oil to choke a horse, or more saffron than you will ever see in a life time then put a dish that might be $50 per person to make then destroy it by putting it on something like store bought tortillas...bobby flay is about the worst at this with his southwest style...add a chipotle or ancho chile and it southwest i guess??? living in texas and having a wife that is mexican (she is from mexico and moved here when she was 8) tortillas are not hard to make...but to see someone destroy a dish with such a simple thing to make....


rick bayless is the best on pbs, close second is bbq u on pbs...with a green egg from time to time making a showing...

the best fn show is good eats, best ever is an early show no longer on with david rosengarten

Carolina Q

Plain and simple, TFN just sucks. I used to watch it from time to time, but I came along during their transition from cooking shows to whatever-the-hell they are now. The few shows I have watched lately have been simply awful. My summation?

Neeleys. I've never seen their show. And from what I just read here, I never will.

Sandra Lee. Has two redeeming features. But if I have to listen to her and watch what she is "cooking", it's not worth it - even for them!

Giada. Similar redeeming features. At least she can cook a little. Lose the smile though, at least while you're peeling potatoes.

Rachael Ray. Should be banned. Period. She can't cook, I can't stand her voice... and she's EVERYWHERE!

Paula? Paula's a bit over the top. Okay, a LOT over the top. Y'all.

Bobby Flay. Used to have a show about grilling in the back yard. Boy Meets Grill maybe? Might still be on, not sure. Pretty simple stuff that looked good. Even if he cooks on a gasser. Throwdown? Uh, please...

Ina. I can't STAND Ina. I've tried to watch a couple of times, but I just can't take it.

AB. I, uh, like, uh, Alton. He's, uh, just nuts enough to be, uh, entertaining.

Last and certainly LEAST is Guy Fieri. He is THE most annoying personality on the network. ANY network. He is worse that Sandra Lee. Worse than Rachael Ray. Hell, he's worse than Mark Summers!! I refuse to watch.

I gotta look harder for the PBS shows.

Hoss's BBQ

Well now I agree with so much of this and had a great time reading the whole thread!! I read a book called Soul Of A Chef by Michael Ruhlman many years ago when it first came out. It is a great book about the lives of some professional chefs Thomas Keller is one of them and Michael Simoion was another. Great book and I have been to both restaurant s and had wonderful meals! Five years later Ruhlman wrote the Reach of a Chef and revisieted Keller and spoke about his restaurants in multiple cities etc. One section of the book was written about the food network and the effects both positive and negative that it has had on Americia. Some of the postives it the ability to find ingredients that 15 years ago were impossible to find can now be found in every grocery store (almost) in the country. It is now acceptable to choose to be a chef as a professional. I can remember back in 1994 when I said I wanted to be a chef out of High School it was considered to vocational/ blue collar. (sorry Little Steven I was born in 1976!) When I tell someone I am a Chef now they have a sense of repect to the training and years of work I have put in to my craft.

Yes to the same regards now every kid straight of culinary school thinks he is going to be the next Emeril or Bobby Flay and has no idea how hard it is to work in the F&B industry!!

Part of the book mentions how Rachel Ray hates to be called a Chef still to this day because she is not one. She was very torn by this at the start of her Food Network Career. Yet her and I have to say Sare Lee, Barefoot Contessa, Paula etc, have all helped the common cook strive to cook better meals for their families.

I really enjoy Iron Chef because it shows people the stress of working in a kitchen where you have time limits etc. I like Dinner Impossible because it does show how catering can sometimes be very unpredictable. And yes I watch Giadia, and it is always with the sound off because I hate the way she says Basil, moazzeralla and evrything else shw pronounces in Italian drives me up a wall!!
I really miss that show Great Chefs Great Cities!!I think it was a PBS show back in the day.

I think the Food Network should have another chanel called Food Network Professional (or something like that)and show case more of what Nature Boy was saying. Thanks for reading this sorry it is so long. Hoss

Misippi Egger

Long, but a great post. Thanks Hoss!

emilluca

I have to agree 100%. In the time I have watched and got the magazines I have not found anything dealing with cuts of meat and descriptions that is wrong. So often I see cooking shows and pictures that may show "Sirloin Roast" and it is a "Bottom Round" a completly differnat cut of meat.
There are many more "foopas" that I could mention.
I DO NOT see these in a Cooks Illustrated mag.
Emil

YB

Very well said Ken and some really good points made.I enjoyed cooking next to you and Ray in Atlanta.just to watch you guys use the knives and cleavers was a real show that Steve and myself really enjoyed.I would love to see you Ray and Chris do a show.
Larry

Hoss's BBQ

Now that would be fun to see! I hope we can cook next to each other next year. Hoss

Jeffersonian

What a great rant!

And I don't mind Guy Fiere that much, I find him pretty entertaining (though I'd like him to spit something out in disgust just once).

Bacchus

Good Point Brad. Not everything can be "money", "brutha".

Unknown

My 2 cents...it makes me ill to see Tyler wipe his hands on his pants all the time, not too professional, IMHO. And his "um kay?" verbal crutch is a good basis for a drinking game, if you know what I mean.

Guy fieri should retire all his catch phrases, from "money" "on point" to the stupid "Flavor Town" shtick. Grrr.