[KensethFan]

I just saw an advertisement on the Food Network for a new show called "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" with Anne Burrell as the host/chef. Most of you will know Anne from her appearances as Mario Batali's sous chef on Iron Chef (apparently in 23 episodes).

Anyway, the way the show is set up is that Anne teaches the home cook techniques and tips on cooking restaurant food as she says "without the crazy ingredients and so they are less intimidating for the home cook." I looked on the FN website and saw that the first five shows are:

1. Bolognese
2. Roasted Leg of Lamb
3. Roasted Chicken
4. Seared Bass
5. Grilled Porkchops

She has the cooking chops to teach and share. She is very qualified. It might be interesting to see how it goes. I just hope its a "real cooking show" and not the typical watered down FN garbage. Guess we'll see.

What do you think?

[Ndy]

Nice. I'm in desperate need of some decent cooking shows.

[tim]

Hi,

They should have a show on cheap aluminum skillets. They could demonstrate carbonizing, bending and flattening techniques.

Another show could demonstrate using the salamander to separate your "reduction sauce" and burn your waiter's fingers.

Then there has to be a show on those wonderful restuarant kitchen practical jokes.

Tim

[gfweb]

The network is punking us.

FN is only interested in perky cheerleader types with big ... uhhh...smiles.

[kalypso]

KensethFan, on Jun 18 2008, 10:20 PM, said:

She has the cooking chops to teach and share.  She is very qualified.  It might be interesting to see how it goes.  I just hope its a "real cooking show" and not the typical watered down FN garbage.  Guess we'll see.

What do you think?

I think I'd like to know when this show is scheduled to air...day/time

[Kevin72]

I guess FN's "identity crisis" is yielding some good stuff: Iron Chef America's really come into its own, Jamie Oliver's cooking on Saturdays is the best cooking show I've come across in years.
This show sounds very promising. But, ah, if they're willing to give Mario Batali's sous chef a turn at a cooking show, why not give a show back to the man himself again?

[KensethFan]

kalypso, on Jun 19 2008, 11:32 AM, said:

KensethFan, on Jun 18 2008, 10:20 PM, said:

She has the cooking chops to teach and share.  She is very qualified.  It might be interesting to see how it goes.  I just hope its a "real cooking show" and not the typical watered down FN garbage.  Guess we'll see.

What do you think?

I think I'd like to know when this show is scheduled to air...day/time

1. Bolognese (June 29)
2. Roasted Leg of Lamb (July 6)
3. Roasted Chicken (July 13)
4. Seared Bass (July 20)
5. Grilled Porkchops (July 27)

All at 9:30am EST. Not sure if that's a good slot or not. We'll have to see, I suppose. Glad I have DVR!!!!

[prasantrin]

Kevin72, on Jun 20 2008, 01:45 AM, said:

This show sounds very promising. But, ah, if they're willing to give Mario Batali's sous chef a turn at a cooking show, why not give a show back to the man himself again?

Perhaps the sous chef is willing to give up percentages of royalties of her future books, videos, etc. and Mario wasn't.

From the New York Times:

Quote

While the Food Network has been good at creating stars like Mr. Lagasse, Rachael Ray and Paula Deen and giving national exposure to chefs like Bobby Flay and Mario Batali, until recently it has not shared in their success beyond the network. A spokeswoman for the network said it had no stake in Mr. Lagasse’s considerable outside merchandising, for example.

About a year ago, the Food Network began aggressively trying to change that with new deals that were “way more onerous” from the stars’ point of view, said a person who has been affected by the changing strategy, by insisting on a stake in book deals and licensing ventures, and control over outside activities.

[CFO999]

Kevin72, on Jun 19 2008, 09:45 AM, said:

I guess FN's "identity crisis" is yielding some good stuff: Iron Chef America's really come into its own, Jamie Oliver's cooking on Saturdays is the best cooking show I've come across in years. 
This show sounds very promising. But, ah, if they're willing to give Mario Batali's sous chef a turn at a cooking show, why not give a show back to the man himself again?

Annie costs less.............bottom line

This post has been edited by CFO999: 19 June 2008 - 02:23 PM

[misstenacity]

Just watched the first episode.... this might be a love/hate for some people. She has a strong personality, putting lots of growly noises in her emphasized words. Almost sounds like Grover.

That said, so far, I like it. Dunno if she is writing her own material (I hope so), but she is full of quotable goodies. See the new .sig for prime example!

Also:
"We have achieved crud-dom!" - on properly browned meat
"It might seem a little bit excessive..."
"You know what it's missing? Salt!"

et cetera. It is obvious she's spent a bit of time with Batali. Not afraid of big flavor, big oil, and emphasis on technique over high-falutin' ingredients.

[Jmahl]

Will she wear an apron on the FN? Almost no-one else does. What's that?

Jmahl

[Marigene]

If only she would keep her arm movements to a minimum!

[Dieck]

I just watched the first one. Yes, her hand movements are over the top, but it could be "first show adrenaline.'

I liked her. She was very real. She actually said "crud" and "crap," which I think could get contestants on the Next Food Network Star booted. I'd love to invite her to a party.

And her grilled asparagus salad with poached egg looked divine. Must make that.

[jmolinari]

She reminded me of a knowledgeable Rachel Ray....but hte show was pretty good..

[tino27]

I liked the fact that she actually made something that doesn't take 30 minutes or less to make (and the fact that it looked good helped, too). However, the occasional near-Turrett's performance throughout the episode made it kind of hard to watch at times. I mean, I know that it's a totally different Mario when he's not on FoodTV.

I'll watch again with the hopes that her delivery will improve.

[Genny]

Hands down, I LOVED her!! I love that she is quirky, it seemed genuine and not contrived which is an refreshing change from every other cooking show that seems to have to have the women & men making sexual sounds and innuendo for every bite.

My favorite quote: "brown the crap out of it!" regarding getting the great depth of flavor out of the veggies. ROFLMAO! Indeed, lets all brown the *crap* out of everything!!

And the WHOPPING handfuls of salt. Lets tell it like it is folks, most people cringe at the sight of properly seasoned food, whether it is salt, pepper or other spices. They love the flavor, its just hard to watch.

I hope FN keeps her!

eta: And I picked up the ingredients for bolognese her way yesterday. I can't tell you the last time an FN show actually inspired me to cook!

This post has been edited by Genny: 30 June 2008 - 09:33 AM

[Kevin72]

She's definitely of a different breed than the FTV stars lately. Some rough delivery but I think she'll calm down nicely and get used to things. I'll keep watching.

I was about to get all uptight about the deviations from traditional Ragu Bolognese, but then decided it's been so long since FTV had someone on talking about taking the time to caramelize and build flavor and to even take the full four hours to make a sauce . . .

[chezcherie]

i hope she settles in, because i would love to watch and enjoy something (besides jamie) on Food Network again. i tivoed this one, and i swear, when i rolled it back to listen to something again, it looked like she was trying to fly, her arms were waving around so much...i enjoyed her "realness", but the flailing has got to go.

[Kevin72]

Total speculation but I suspect that's all been "coached" by an FTV handler. They've dissected Rachel Ray's tics and secrets and mold their other stars after her. But I think and hope it will eventually become more natural for her.

chezcherie, on Jun 30 2008, 12:15 PM, said:

i hope she settles in, because i would love to watch and enjoy something (besides jamie) on Food Network again. i tivoed this one, and i swear, when i rolled it back to listen to something again, it looked like she was trying to fly, her arms were waving around so much...i enjoyed her "realness", but the flailing has got to go.

[Jane Die]

I can't wait to watch this. It's on dvr. I always enjoyed seeing her work with Mario on ICA and like others have said, it's nice to have another expert chef to supplement the excellent Jamie Oliver show.

I hope Anne has great success with this program.

[onetoughcookie]

I just watched the leg of lamb episode, and I think it was pretty good. She definitely
imparts a great deal of info, while trying to establish her own brand (ex. earl[B] for oil).
When Anne was tying up the leg of lamb with string, she actually said "go downtown", and I
almost spit my coffee across the room!

She does flail around alot, but that's Anne. Her restaurant is in my neighborhood,
and I've eaten there a lot. We have friends in common, so when I see Anne, we alway
chat a bit. She really does that kind of mini-dance when given compliments on her food!

She's such an integral part of Chef Batali's team on Iron Chef America, so I think it was a natural
for FN to give her a platform of her own.

[Mild Bill]

I missed the first show but caught and thoroughly enjoyed the second...
The leg of lamb episode...

If they'd give her the hour that she so blatantly deserves she could slow it down a bit and bring the whole thing
into a rare & special focus...

Her skills, comfort, personality, food passion, experience, teaching, & humor are just what the doctor ordered...

Other than when I simply look down, I can't remember when I've seen such sweet confident knifework...

Since I started listening for it, I've always had an aversion to all the TV cooks who add 'a little bit' of salt, or of this or that...
"a little bit", "a little bit"----- drives me crazy...

I laughed outloud when she applied "big salt" to the lamb!

But she needs a full hour to slow the pace...
She is cool---- and cool shouldn't be rushed...
That tweak, and I think we'll have a classic on our hands...

Smack that lamb-roast!

---- and thanks for informatively tieing it up properly, not in 7 individually tied loops like Thumbs Lagasse do it...

This post has been edited by Mild Bill: 06 July 2008 - 11:57 AM

[Music]

I love this show! It's great to have a new Food Network show by someone who is actually an expert cook. I don't mind her arm-flailing -- she's just enthusiastic. I hope FN doesn't try to "tone her down" to look like the other personalities on FN. Just let her be herself. She's great.

[madziast]

ha, smacking that lamb cracked me up. Mild Bill, i think you may be right about the concept being better suited to an hour - she could impart so much more detail on what, how and why, if she didn't have to rush. But, I'd settle for a better time slot - this is pretty bad, why premiere new shows at such a horrible time?

damn, she made that leg of lamb look easy, i have to say...

[rickster]

I want to like this show and in episode 2 I thought the tics were less noticeable (or annoying), but:

She gave no idea how long to cook this lamb. She said put it in the oven for 20 minutes at 425. OK, then what? Did she flip it after 20 minutes or was the total cooking time 20 minutes? She never said.

She never gave any idea how to bake the crisp as to time and temp

The only restaurant "secret" I guess I got out of this episode was not to throw out the lamb bones.

This show seems less about cooking than attitude.

[jgm]

I've seen only the lamb episode and I have mixed feelings. I had DVR'd it, and I stopped and erased it a few minutes before the end.

On the whole, she's pretty refreshing. Don't worry about the arm movements. Either she'll tone them down after she watches herself a few times, or you'll get used to it. Or she'll get a lot of criticism and respond to that. For someone who's just beginning to do this kind of thing, she's doing well. It takes time to work into a groove and get comfortable in front of a camera. I think she's got what it takes to do that. And I am really looking forward to seeing what she will become when she starts making the camera work for her instead of the other way around. This woman has solid credentials, and she's just different enough to make her a lot of fun. I would love to have a few beers with her.

I would have appreciated more information about how she prepped the artichokes. I've never seen baby artichokes in the stores here; I assume you do the same things with them that you do with the large ones, but it would have been nice to have more detail. I also felt that way about a couple of other things, but I forget what they are.

There were some minor annoyances, such as using "cute" dishes for dessert, but those things are forgivable in light of her "earl-ing" up the meat. Irreverence is a good thing, especially where food is concerned.

If I were her coach, I'd have her talk more about flavors, and maybe throw in a word or two about substitutions. If you can't get the artichokes, or your spouse hates fennel, then what? But that's a personal thing and not a criticism. Since the show is "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" I'd like to see a little storytelling. She could talk about the guy who can trim 200 artichokes in 10 minutes or something like that. People like me who go weak in the knees at the thought of being able to cook in a real restaurant kitchen with all that cool stuff, like insider tidbits.

I'll watch her some more. Somehow I got the impression she was trying too hard, but that's typical of people in their first season. Giada progressed from someone who was stiff and technical to someone who shares her love of food. Ann will do well, if the FN is smart enough to keep her around.

[Genny]

There were some hits and misses in this epi, but I still think Ann is great and will keep watching and recording the show.

Positive:
**By far the BEST show of how to tie up the meat. Great show of how to drape and loop the kitchen string over her hand.
**Keeping and SHOWING the bones. I can't remember the last time I saw a raw bone with no meat on it on FN. This was great to show, hopefully people will start to appreciate they are not just for the garbage or the dogs.
**Salt. Yes, the use of salt is great on this show.
**Uses real vocabulary: aciduated water. its not that hard people!
**Ann's personality & expertise are both huge!

Negative:
**Some better detail on times for cooking would have been good.
**Would have loved some discussion on theory of cooking meat temps (med rare versus well done)
**Actual boning of the lamb leg would have been great to see.

Dear Ann: GREAT JOB, KEEP IT UP
Dear FN: KEEP HER & Give her a better time slot. An hour long may not be a bad idea!

[jsmeeker]

I watched the Leg of Lamb show on Sunday.

Like others, I have mixed reviews on it. Yes, it will take time for her to get a little more comfortable on camera. Right now, I think some of her on camera mannerisms are a little, dare I say, Rachael Ray like (cutesy names for the ramekins). Also, I had the same issues with not telling us how to check for doneness of the lamb. Yeah, most eGullet society members know how to tell, but we aren't the only audience for this show.

I keep thinking of the title of the show. It has "Restaurant Chef" in it. Would it be better if the show were set in an actual restaurant kitchen? Should she wear a chef's uniform? It would be nice to see the professional restaurant chef aspect emphasised, in my opinion. Of course, that seems to be the opposite of what Food Network wants.

[Genny]

jsmeeker, on Jul 8 2008, 08:11 AM, said:

I keep thinking of the title of the show.  It has "Restaurant Chef" in it.  Would it be better if the show were set in an actual restaurant kitchen?  Should she wear a chef's uniform?  It would be nice to see the professional restaurant chef aspect emphasised, in my opinion.  Of course, that seems to be the opposite of what Food Network wants.

Great point jsmeeker. I can see that they may want to show how a restaurant chef does it at home, but showing a similar dish in the opening and showing how to translate it to your home kitchen would really "hit the spot" IMHO. The problem is with the half hour format it is tough enough to get everything in. One more reason to take this baby to a full hour??

[onetoughcookie]

[quote name='Genny' date='Jul 8 2008, 11:27 AM']

jsmeeker, on Jul 8 2008, 08:11 AM, said:

I keep thinking of the title of the show.  It has "Restaurant Chef" in it.  Would it be better if the show were set in an actual restaurant kitchen?  Should she wear a chef's uniform?  It would be nice to see the professional restaurant chef aspect emphasised, in my opinion.  Of course, that seems to be the opposite of what Food Network wants.

I once was on the set of Gale Gand's cooking show, "Sweet Dreams". I was introduced to her
and we were talking about the show, props, etc. She said there was a lot of viewer reaction to the fact that she was using a professional mixer (it might have been a Kitchen-Aid pro?). Reaction was so strong that they subbed it out with a retro-styled MixMaster, complete with glass bowl and double beaters.

My point is, according to FN execs, there are alot of people out there intimidated by restaurant chefs, so taking Anne out of the restaurant kitchen, and putting her in a home kitchen setting might "play better in Peoria". Oh, and BTW, the exec producer of Gale's show is the same producer of Anne's show. And, in fact, he's exec producer of FN's Rachel Ray show.

I'm thrilled to see a real person using real food and cooking it. We need to see more shows like this. Cutting the on-air hours of Sandra Lee, for example, and give some of them to
Anne, and people like her. At least when Anne cooks, she won't use a powdered "vinegar-ette"
pack, whipped topping, canned fruit, etc.

Sorry for going off on a rant tangent. Couldn't help myself.