How Guy Fieri Ruined the Food Network

[Shalmanese]

If you want actual insight, this much better article by Bill Burford in The New Yorker from 2006 is an amazing, analytical look into the evolution of the Food Network.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Shalmanese (log)

[ElsieD]

If you want actual insight, this much better article by Bill Burford in The New Yorker from 2006 is an amazing, analytical look into the evolution of the Food Network.

Excellent article. Given that it was written 9 years ago and the programming is even worse now than it was then, he should write an updated column.

[IndyRob]

From the "Wait, what? Really?" department....

 

http://jalopnik.com/guy-fieri-a-muffler-expert-for-when-america-gets-elbow-1784524084

 

(you might have to click on the YouTube logos at the bottom of the video links to see the videos)

[gfweb]

I will defend Fieri. He's still talking about food and cooking on FN. Not many others are.

[Lisa Shock]

I just saw an episode of D,D, and D filmed in Italy. It was a bit uncomfortable seeing Guy ribbing people who did not speak English, and the Italian-born translator having to quickly make sense of his awesome-licious nonsense words.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Lisa Shock (log)

[lindag]

Frankly, to me, he's just a giant bore!

[Tri2Cook]

I don't really care too much about the host one way or the other. I just kinda like the show and the Canadian equivalent, You Gotta Eat Here, because it's sometimes interesting to see what people are doing in their restaurants. You see a lot of "uh huh, seen it" but every now and then you see a "wow, wish I'd thought of that".

[btbyrd]

How Guy Fieri ruined nachos.

 

 

[gfweb]

@btbyrd  I can't un-see that, can I?

[PattyO]

That's disgusting.  I love me some good nachos, and that ain't it! 

[pastrygirl]

@btbyrd that's kind of genius in a disgusting, gluttonous, USA kind of way

[Tri2Cook]

Back in my party years, at ~2 am, after a night at a bar, I would have worshipped the person who made me one of those.  I don't really see the problem with it. Nothing particularly classy about nachos anyway, they're just stuff on a chip... and almost always tasty.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

The problem I see with these "Trash Can" Nachos is that the stuff is all layered into the can and sits at the pass until a server picks it up and delivers it to the consumer. The great appeal of nachos to me is the contrasting textures of the crispy chips, and all the different textures and flavors and temperatures of a well constructed plate of nachos. Personally, I don't want my chips steamed in a can and dumped out on a plate.

 

I love nachos, but usually won't order them at a restaurant except for Torero's which seems to share my nacho philosophy about crispy chips and top notch toppings. I really loathe "cheese" sauce in this dish, which is just an excuse to add a lot of cheaper ingredients and sog my chips out.

 

It's so easy and cheap to make nachos at home, so it's not a problem most restaurants don't make them the way I like them. 

[nonkeyman]

On 11/26/2016 at 6:25 PM, Thanks for the Crepes said:

The problem I see with these "Trash Can" Nachos is that the stuff is all layered into the can and sits at the pass until a server picks it up and delivers it to the consumer. The great appeal of nachos to me is the contrasting textures of the crispy chips, and all the different textures and flavors and temperatures of a well constructed plate of nachos. Personally, I don't want my chips steamed in a can and dumped out on a plate.

 

I love nachos, but usually won't order them at a restaurant except for Torero's which seems to share my nacho philosophy about crispy chips and top notch toppings. I really loathe "cheese" sauce in this dish, which is just an excuse to add a lot of cheaper ingredients and sog my chips out.

 

It's so easy and cheap to make nachos at home, so it's not a problem most restaurants don't make them the way I like them. 

I think this is the most rational statement towards why I dislike the idea of the "trash can nacho". It's not because Guy Fieri made it. Guy Fieri appeals to a certain audience. If people want to watch him, sadly, that is on them.
However, even those people should like good nachos, and like you put it. If it sits on the pass and just gets soggy...well, what was the point?

[Lisa Shock]

I am more of a fan of Texas style nachos -with New Mexico toppings. But, I have never found a restaurant that was detail-oriented enough to make Texas style nachos.

[Tri2Cook]

4 hours ago, nonkeyman said:

However, even those people should like good nachos, and like you put it. If it sits on the pass and just gets soggy...well, what was the point?

In a restaurant or convenience store in the wee hours of the morning after a night at the bar/club, anything that resembled a nacho or burrito was the best thing in the whole world. The bigger and messier and more full of stuff, the better. Fortunately, my time in that stage was short and long ago... but I'd be lying if I said it never happened.

[dcarch]

Longtime ago,  Reese Schonfeld, who has no background in world news, decided to start a 24-hour TV news show. That was the very successful CNN.

After that,  Reese Schonfeld  who has no relationship to food felt that there was a huge need for a 24-hour food program TV show. So he started TV Foodnetwork. Whatever your feeling are about Foodnetwork's programing,   96,931,000 pay television households apparently want to watch them, not counting other worldwide audiences.

 

dcarch

.

[rotuts]

I think you have to eat that Taco Tower sitting in one of those over sized Captain Chairs  to fully appreciate it.

 

make sure you are wearing something w elastic around your mid-section   !

 

that sort of attire goes well w the Huge Chairs !

[Shel_B]

17 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

I am more of a fan of Texas style nachos -with New Mexico toppings. But, I have never found a restaurant that was detail-oriented enough to make Texas style nachos.

 

What are "Texas style" nachos?

[Shel_B]

18 hours ago, nonkeyman said:

I think this is the most rational statement towards why I dislike the idea of the "trash can nacho". It's not because Guy Fieri made it. Guy Fieri appeals to a certain audience. If people want to watch him, sadly, that is on them.
However, even those people should like good nachos, and like you put it. If it sits on the pass and just gets soggy...well, what was the point?

 

There are times when I like soft, soggy nachos, just like there are times I like my morning bowl of hot farina lumpy, etc. 

 

That said, I do like this Alton Brown recipe. 

[nonkeyman]

56 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

 

There are times when I like soft, soggy nachos, just like there are times I like my morning bowl of hot farina lumpy, etc. 

 

That said, I do like this Alton Brown recipe. 

I guess there is a time and a place for everything :)!

[Lisa Shock]

3 hours ago, Shel_B said:

 

What are "Texas style" nachos?

 

I got this recipe as a college student, from another student's mom, who was from Texas. She was one of the socialite types, with the perfectly coiffed helmet-hair, high heels no matter where she was, neatly appointed dresses from Neimans, and pounds of old Zuni jewelry acquired on vacation trips to New Mexico. -And she was always quick to point out that she was dressing down while on vacation, like NM was one giant dude ranch set up as a Texan playground. Of course, this was the early 1980s; the days of oil boom and a savings and loan bubble. Money flowed out of Texas, in ways not seen since.

 

First and foremost, these nachos involve real cheese -not a cheese sauce.

 

Preheat your oven to 350°. Heat an ovenproof serving platter. One asks the maid to take sheetpan and carefully places tortilla chips on it so that none are touching. The round type of chips are preferred, because it's easier to get everything uniform on them. Then, she places cheese on the chips. It can be shredded or thin slices that have been cut into rounds. Just make sure that the cheese is pretty even on each chip, so there is some in each bite. Then, the other toppings are carefully, evenly placed on each chip. These may include fresh or pickled hot pepper slices, black olives, thinly sliced roast beef, shredded beef, shredded chicken, etc. Broil until cheese bubbles starts to brown. Immediately top with any cold toppings (like dollops of sour cream [a pastry bag is useful here] or fresh raw toppings like grated sweet onion) and serve in a single layer on that hot platter. Have the maid keep making batches of these for a while, as it is difficult to make more than 30 or so at a time and if you are serving guests, one pan's worth will be gone in under 5 minutes. Your friends will judge you by how neatly your maid prepares these, so, be sure to stress that these need to be assembled to be as pretty as possible. (extra points for making fancy patterns with the olives)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

@Lisa Shock,

 

Your Texas college mate's mom sounds like quite the character.

 

I never broil nachos, but rather bake them at about 400 F/204 C. Have you tried the recipe?

 

I make them kind of similarly, but I like to cook the onions and fresh jalapenos with the ground beef, and I need shredded iceberg and tomatoes as part of any cold toppings. I also shred the cheese as part of the hot ones. I do love me some good nachos.

[Shalmanese]

20 hours ago, dcarch said:

Longtime ago,  Reese Schonfeld, who has no background in world news, decided to start a 24-hour TV news show. That was the very successful CNN.

After that,  Reese Schonfeld  who has no relationship to food felt that there was a huge need for a 24-hour food program TV show. So he started TV Foodnetwork. Whatever your feeling are about Foodnetwork's programing,   96,931,000 pay television households apparently want to watch them, not counting other worldwide audiences.

 

dcarch

.

 

The history of the Food Network is that it was a failing tv channel with declining audiences until it was bought by Scripps and Judy Girard was brought in charge and radically remade the network away from lessons on how to cook from actual chefs and towards travel/eating shows and reality competitions. Whatever the Food Network is today, it has almost nothing in common with Schonfeld's original vision except the title.

[IowaDee]

Read this morning that they are bringing back Iron Chef and that Alton Brown will be hosting the show.  It was fun to watch when I first discovered the channel.  Some nutso stuff went down.