Worst cooking show ever

ellevan · May 29, 2011

Christina Cooks IS the WORST!
Shes MESSY, the food is gross, she actually truly believes that all the eggs at the mkts would have turned into chickens had
us horrible carnivores had not put them in the refrigerator...@@
And she USED to say "a pinch of salt to close the vegetables shut." What does that mean?

Christina Cooks is the only cooking show that has actually found a way to make me less hungry. So I guess I could use her show as a dieing tool. Too bad I think her show may be canceled....darn.

kitchensqueen · May 29, 2011

Christina Cooks is the only cooking show that has actually found a way to make me less hungry. So I guess I could use her show as a dieing tool. Too bad I think her show may be canceled....darn.

Fear not, it stills airs on PBS, in Chicago at least. Your dieting plan could work.

Panaderia Canadiense · May 29, 2011

Wow, you all make me so glad I don't have a television.... On the rare occasions when I have a chance to see cooking shows (often while waiting to have my visa renewed), I'd have to nominate Canal 4's "Cocinando Con Maria" - first of all, I'd have to get over the fact that she's cooking almost exclusively with Nestle pre-packaged ingredients, and then I'd have to overlook the low-cut evening dress she's wearing while frying things (!), and after that I'd have to ignore that she's corrupting traditional recipes. Gnnnnn.

emmalish · May 30, 2011

I agree. It was dreadful. I seem to remember a time when he wasn't on with her, and it was a pretty good show then. But maybe I'm just thinking of her cookbooks, which seem to be all hers.

I've never seen Cooking with John and Caprial, but I vaguely remember watching a show called Cooking with Caprial – all I remember about it is that I kinda liked it.

I disagree on this one. I like Flay, and seeing some of the food he produces on iron chef makes me realize that when he challenges someone on throwdown he's actually bringing a lot of business to that kitchen. He seems almost appologietic when he wins and doesn't strike me as a poor loser when he doesn't win. I know he brings a stocked pantry with him when he goes on a challenge, but it doesn't always help him as the judges are almost always local and can tell the difference between the real thing and what Flay has made. I also get a huge kick out of his two lovely assistants who always roll thier eyes at him. They're just so 'not impressed' by him. They treat him like he's more of a pain in the ass, but they also clearly get along. I admire Flay and think that in a way he's a very smart television personality with at least two shows that celebrate the average home-chef's talents. It endears him to the public a lot more than someone who talks down to, or simply instructs, the audience, or their guests.

I'll just say "ditto" to all of that.

My vote for worst food (not necessarily cooking) show has to be all the travel-type shows. I really don't want to just watch someone eating a meal and making nummy noises. The only show of this type that I've liked is Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt, because it was informative and interesting (and I love Alton). I hate that this seems to be the trend on FN now.

My vote for worst cooking show... wow, so many options. I hate the big personalities that FN seems to be pushing these days. They all just seem to be trying too hard. Guy Fieri, The Neelys, Bitchin' Kitchen, Paula Deen. I've never had the displeasure of seeing Sandra Lee. I kinda want to for the horror factor.

GlorifiedRice · May 30, 2011

BTW Steven Raichlens show is very informative about BBQ, but I get the impression that hes a neat freak

and BBQ and Neat Freak dont mix and he always seems awkward on his own show.

Special K · May 30, 2011

Just thought of another one: I used to really enjoy Michael Chiarallo's cooking shows, but I quit watching Easy Entertaining (I think it was called) when he added the "Michael Rants" segment. The one that pushed me over the edge was the rant about the mustard splorting out of the container. I mean, really! I'm sorry, I konw this is shallow, but for such a good looking, seemingly (I had always thought) easygoing guy, he looks and seems ugly and irrational when he's ranting. I don't want to see Angry Michael!! It just spoiled it for me. Now I can't think of him without visualizing that angry scowl. :angry:

kitchensqueen · May 30, 2011

BTW Steven Raichlens show is very informative about BBQ, but I get the impression that hes a neat freak
and BBQ and Neat Freak dont mix and he always seems awkward on his own show.

I actually like this one a bit - his recipes are really good. But yeah, he's totally OCD. And I hate the way he says the word "cilantro" - he'll say the entire sentence like a normal human being, and then use this bizarre fake-Spanish accent to say that one word. It drives me up the wall...

rotuts · May 30, 2011

However in his later shows, not the first ones in the East where he Ran His BBQ College, he has some tasty stuff.

he's a little Stiff. but he is a master of many things including BBQ Desert!

rotuts · May 30, 2011

Well no one likes Christina

for reason: that Guitar guy? did he cook?

that being said if you move down from her "show" and see "cookng" she had some interesting Veg cooking.

a billion years ago she had a 'Man Show' dont get me wrong on this Ive forgoten

but she has a 'manly' what ever that is Bean Soup cooked in a pressure cooker.

I make this all the time with my own variations but I got from her show puting the beans in the pressure coooker

works well for me..

the guitar guy well who knows?

pennbrew · May 31, 2011

Hands down the worst "cooking" thing I've seen is Mr. Food. This syndicated 2-3 minute segment used to appear on the local news. All his "recipes" were of the type "a bag of frozen this and a can of cream-of-that soup". He always ended the spot with a very cheesy-sounding "Ooooooo, it's so GOOD!"

kitchensqueen · May 31, 2011

Hands down the worst "cooking" thing I've seen is Mr. Food. This syndicated 2-3 minute segment used to appear on the local news. All his "recipes" were of the type "a bag of frozen this and a can of cream-of-that soup". He always ended the spot with a very cheesy-sounding "Ooooooo, it's so GOOD!"

Oh yeah - he's totally creepy! Hearing him say "Ooooo, it's soooo GOOD!" literally makes my skin crawl. And to think, tons of people out there "cook" from his "recipes". What a strange world we all live in.

MomOfLittleFoodies · May 31, 2011

Christina Cooks is the only cooking show that has actually found a way to make me less hungry. So I guess I could use her show as a dieing tool. Too bad I think her show may be canceled....darn.
Fear not, it stills airs on PBS, in Chicago at least. Your dieting plan could work.

It still airs in the SF Bay Area too (KQED Create), late at night. I watch just to mock her when I have nothing better to do.

CDRFloppingham · May 31, 2011

No disrespect to the original poster but I find this kind of post silly.

What one wants to watch on TV is intensely personal.

I have noted that the eGullet crowd TENDS

1. To love: Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and several other PBS "celebrities" (Lydia)

2. To hate: Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee, Bobby Flay

Here's why I don't like this kind of post:

1. It has been done many, many times before

2. There is no wrong or right.

a. There is the element of time. Julia was ahead of her time in ~1965. That being said, "The French Chef" is not appealing to me in 2011.

b. Some of us who are more advanced home cooks may look to TV for things other than learning now to cook an egg or a leg of lamb (we have mastered these).

c. What's wrong with some cleavage or a pretty face (or a good looking guy for the ladies)?

kryptos1 · June 5, 2011

It is getting tougher to watch many of the shows on TV. Hosts/Producers are so obsessed with showing off a new tip or trick like a prerequisite to even have the show. Most of the information is pointless and its just following a few recipes from there. FN reminds me of MTV.

My least favorite shows:

- Everyday Exotic, Cooking Network. Having watched a few episodes, I quit watching after watching this one: Everyday Exotic Fail. Anyone who has used seschuan peppercorn would find this steak completely repulsive. Maybe I am being shallow having only watched a few shows but someone should have stopped this one from being aired.

- Rachael Ray. This show stank of a bunch of Food Network TV execs selecting a show to throw a ton of cash in just to get high ratings and high return on investment so they could hire more TV personalities. Seemed to work for them. Maybe its Emeril's fault for being charismatic and when he faded they needed something new. At least he actually worked in the food industry with a good sized presence.

Heartsurgeon · January 1, 2012

without a doubt the WORSE show ever..."SPAIN, on the road again" with Mario Batali, Mark Bitmann,Gwyneth Paltrow and Claudia Bassols

here is link to a clip from the show, where Mario smells Claudia's feet, with Bitmann watching..I kid you not.

Mario smells Claudia's feet

here are my original posts about this abomination of a food show (enjoy!)

vain

self-indulgent

narcissistic

not a good cooking show

not a good travel show

not a good show...period

it's a show about celebrities...being, well, celebrities....

why Paltrow is on the show is anyone's guess (makes Batali look even porkier than he is, and that's saying alot).

i guess she has screen cred (she's the biggest celeb of the bunch).

lord take me now....

i watched another episode tonite, and it was WORSE!!!!

basic story line...

mid-life crisis/middle aged/paunchy guys drive around

spain with two younger, hotter women.

the guys act all-knowing

the "girls" giggle and act seductive

it's gross.

they had the women naked or near naked (taking a shower in a bikini, soaking in a hot tub)

while the guys went out bar hopping together, eating tapas.

vague overtones of homosexuality

and Batalli...my God man, learn some self control...gnawing at tapas with your pork-pie fingers and then giving the saliva seasoned dregs to Bittman (who dutifully gobbled them down).

Bittman is an insufferable know-it-all (kinda like a culinary Chuck Schumer), and Batalli looks like he's one bite away from exploding.

It's actually a morbid experience watching Batalli killing himself...a culinary snuff film

where the murder weapon is food.....

Trapped into watching another episode...

Just sad...

Highlight of the episode was watching Bittman/Paltrow/Bassol take a nap...

I kid you not...

They teased me briefly when they talked about barfing after eating a big Churro...

Paltrow, Bassol and Bittman hurling could have really made the episode special, and changed my feelings about the entire series ("a gritty show about dark underbelly of epicureanism")

But alas, no "feeding the cat".....

I'll watch a show if it provokes outrage...nothing beats shouting deprecating remarks at the TV (al la Ignatius J. Reilly)...

But this...this has descended into boring and sad...

"there are quite a few giggles in each and every episode'

those sounds aren't giggles....

they're the sounds I make when I'm having sleep apnea....

Watched another episode out of self-loathing....

The Large One and Chuck Shumer eating cheese and drinking cider in a stone hut....

that's all I can remember about the episode....literally.....so unmemorable, that i can not even summon up outrage..

Flipped by another episode last nite....

El Lardo and the thin one eating breakfast, having an insipid conversation...

Burning a bunch of seafood on a barbeque grill and watching El Lardo shovel it down his piehole, while the thin one picks at thin seafood with her thin fingers...

I used to want to visit Spain...

This show has killing that desire completely..

A morbidly obese dude and an anorexic together on a food show...

who thought this show up????

The only bright spot is Bassols...she is smokin hot...

Get rid of El Lardo, the thin one, and Chuckie Shumer, and LET BASSOLS HAVE HER OWN SHOW. That could be an excellent show..

this is a niche TV program which is aimed at food masochists.

it is quite possible the worst form of entertainment i can recall seeing, since the movie Eraserhead.

It is a food show that makes a person want to stop eating. It stars an inexplicable collection of people, including an anorexic, someone who needs a gastric bypass, and Chuck Schumer's twin sibling (not meant as a compliment).

The only bright spot is Claudia Bassols (complete hottie). Why exactly she is on the show, other than for hottiness, is however, an utter mystery.

Keith_W · January 1, 2012

Any Australian reading this might or might not feel the same way. My nominations:

Masterchef Australia. Typical of Australian TV productions, they took a classy UK Masterchef and fused it with Big Brother to produce a lame reality TV competition where those who sob the loudest gain the most mileage. It is also handy product placement for various sponsors of the show and several wannabe celebrity chefs. Truly second rate TV for the housewife class.

Huey. All that fat wheezy Huey does is think up of recipes for canned Apricots or whatever that his product sponsors have asked him to promote. The timing of his show (morning TV) tells you all you need to know about what the TV execs think of his cooking.

tikidoc · January 1, 2012

Hands down, "Cooking with Papa Tuck" is the absolute worst train wreck of a cooking show I have ever seen. It is a public access show produced on Martha's Vineyard, but it apparently can be seen on public access stations all over the US, and on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/PapaTuck?feature=watch.

The guy works at an HVAC place on the island and does this show on the side. To his credit, the proceeds from his cookbooks go to food banks. I have never seen him cook anything that I have ever wanted to cook. There are frequent long and awkward pauses, and whenever he realizes that this is happening, he yells "yeee haaa" for no apparent reason, in a semi-southern accent. He goes back and forth between a fake Southern accent and an upstate NY accent (where he is from), and says "y'all" a lot.

It truly must be seen to be believed.

ETA, this is an actual quote from the show. "Today we are going to do us up a special. Buffalo chicken chowda. And this recipe comes from the Adirondacks, upstate New York. I've never had this before and I have not cooked this yet, but it looks really good." I am not kidding.

Edited January 1, 2012 by tikidoc (log)

lindag · January 1, 2012

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet.

Comments?

annabelle · January 1, 2012

I never liked Jeff Smith too much and Craig, his lovely assistant, used to creep me out.

Bad cooking shows have to include MaryAnn Esposito's. She was the messiest cook on tv next to Natalie Dupree who made biscuits every episodes and ended up dusted with flour from head to toe.

SylviaLovegren · January 1, 2012

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet.
Comments?

I liked his show a lot. In retrospect, knowing about his secret life, it's petty creepy. But I had no clue at the time.

ellevan · January 1, 2012

I never liked Jeff Smith too much and Craig, his lovely assistant, used to creep me out.
Bad cooking shows have to include MaryAnn Esposito's. She was the messiest cook on tv next to Natalie Dupree who made biscuits every episodes and ended up dusted with flour from head to toe.

Mary Ann's show does stink. I am not sure what it is that irritates me more the sound of her voice or the blandness of the entire show...

SylviaLovegren · January 1, 2012

without a doubt the WORSE show ever..."SPAIN, on the road again" with Mario Batali, Mark Bitmann,Gwyneth Paltrow and Claudia Bassols
"there are quite a few giggles in each and every episode'
those sounds aren't giggles....
they're the sounds I make when I'm having sleep apnea....
Watched another episode out of self-loathing....
The Large One and Chuck Shumer eating cheese and drinking cider in a stone hut....
that's all I can remember about the episode....literally.....so unmemorable, that i can not even summon up outrage..
it is quite possible the worst form of entertainment i can recall seeing, since the movie Eraserhead.
It is a food show that makes a person want to stop eating. It stars an inexplicable collection of people, including an anorexic, someone who needs a gastric bypass, and Chuck Schumer's twin sibling (not meant as a compliment).
The only bright spot is Claudia Bassols (complete hottie). Why exactly she is on the show, other than for hottiness, is however, an utter mystery.

But other than that, how do you like the show?

I'm sick of celebrities in everything -- cooking, writing, talk shows. Who gives a rat's patoot what famous-because-they're-on-TV people think about anything? They're usually know-nothing boring people anyway.

If I want to watch a show about cooking, it's because the person presenting the show has something interesting to show or say about that food, or the ingredient, or the place, not because I can't get enough of some idiot celeb. Seriously, it's enough with this crampola.

gfweb · January 1, 2012

I never liked Jeff Smith too much and Craig, his lovely assistant, used to creep me out.
Bad cooking shows have to include MaryAnn Esposito's. She was the messiest cook on tv next to Natalie Dupree who made biscuits every episodes and ended up dusted with flour from head to toe.

Ah yes, The Frigging Gourmet, as I use to call him (to my wife's ire). Turned out to be prescient.

GlorifiedRice · January 1, 2012

Holy Shiznit Heart Surgeon, Tell us how ya really feel, loololololol

My new Rubbernecking Show to watch and make fun of is Judy Byrd, anyone flippin thru stop on that at 12:30 on the Religious Channel?

UGH

Snadra · January 1, 2012

Any Australian reading this might or might not feel the same way. My nominations:
Masterchef Australia. Typical of Australian TV productions, they took a classy UK Masterchef and fused it with Big Brother to produce a lame reality TV competition where those who sob the loudest gain the most mileage. It is also handy product placement for various sponsors of the show and several wannabe celebrity chefs. Truly second rate TV for the housewife class.
Huey. All that fat wheezy Huey does is think up of recipes for canned Apricots or whatever that his product sponsors have asked him to promote. The timing of his show (morning TV) tells you all you need to know about what the TV execs think of his cooking.

And yet they are marvellous compared to Alive and Cooking with James Reeson.

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