Four New Shows on the Food Network

[Stone]

Read about them here.

"The shows are "How to Boil Water," "Everyday Italian," "Lighten Up" and "Cookworks." They will range from simplest instructions as in "How to Boil," which takes a look at kitchen basics, to more challenging fare -- "Lighten Up" reimagines low-cal versions of classic recipes."

[Echo]

IIRC, How to Boil Water is old; it was Emeril's TV debut. They must be re-inventing it.

[ronfland]

Actually - How To Boil Water had a comic and a CIA chef with the personality of a dishrag and was one of FTV 's most resounding failures - I can't believe they're bringing it back.

[hjshorter]

I saw an ad today for something called "Date Plate." From Foodtv.com:

What do you get when you take 2 eligible bachelors (or bachelorettes), give each a $ 50 shopping budget, and ask them to plan and cook a romantic meal in hopes of winning over a blind date? Date Plate challenges two food-savvy contestants to do just that. They work within a budget -- and against a clock -- each cooking a special meal for a woman they've never met. The most delicious part is that the bachelors can see and learn about the bachelorette through a video greeting card, while she knows nothing about the men trying to woo her -- except for their cooking skills of course! She chooses her Romeo based solely on the meal he makes for her -- a truly tasty twist on dating television.

Intrigued? Meet the eligible singles featured on our premiere episode here.

Ugh.

[Ron Johnson]

Actually - How To Boil Water had a comic and a CIA chef with the personality of a dishrag and was one of FTV 's most resounding failures - I can't believe they're bringing it back.

This is the HTBW that I recall. The chef appeared to be in pain to be in front of the camera and as I recall usually sat off camera causing the terrible amateur comic to yell things like, "Am I boiling this water right?"

Just awful.

Edited March 25, 2003 by Ron Johnson (log)

[SteveW]

There were two earlier versions of 'How To Boil Water.' One with Emeril & the other with the comic & a young female chef(Kate something??). I believe the first version was hosted by Emeril.

-------------

Steve

Edited March 25, 2003 by SteveW (log)

[hjshorter]

I followed the link and read that there is going to be a block from 4-8pm, including Barefoot Contessa, Sara's Secrets and something called Paula's Home Cooking. Who the heck is Paula?

Will they be cancelling Molto Mario? What about Hot Off the Grill? I'd be glad to see "Grill" cancelled, but Mario's show was one of their better offerings.

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

They're scrambling obviously. Although I haven't seen but a couple commercials advertising the new shows I feel obliged to weigh in. My opinion---there are suit and ties in a board room at The Food Network bumblefucking ideas back and forth unconcerned or unaware of the fact that their network is depreciating daily. Phrases like "We need to keep it fresh", "appeal to a larger demographic", "compete with the big networks," are fouling up an already doomed channel. I saw an ad for a Food Network dating show--apparently already airing. Jesus Christ people, have we lost sight of our senses. What is that? A Blind Date/Food 911 hybrid? Who needs that? What they're doing--and all of their shows are demonstrating signs of this bubble gum/music industry pasteurization--is turning true food industry workers off and beckoning the twenty something teeny boppers to trade in their Grilled Chicken Flatbread with guac on the side and a Mountain Dew for a Blue Corn Crusted Kumomoto Oyster Gratin with Melted Leeks. Or worse yet, they don't even care about their demographics real interest in food and are using sex to pay their bills. I might go for a dating show where the contestants were obese and the object was to blow each other to smitherines with bacon fat or something equally as absurd,you know, something that appealed to our cynical sides. But they're headed in the wrong direction. And if they take Malto Mario off I'm going to take a full page ad out in my local paper in protest---a dating show? what the f...?

[TrishCT]

Oh gosh, I may have been watching the food network for too long...

I remember the first version of How To Boil Water, and indeed it was Emeril's debut.... it was lame.... and the comic and the cook(ie) version was lame as well.... I think the reason is that their food was too basic... I eschew Emeril today not for his show biz persona, but because he puts his damn essence in everything, it all tastes the same... but I digress...

To me, the charm (and the greatness) of a Julia Child and a Mario Batali is that they take complicated cuisine, and make it desirable and doable. In the 1960's my mom's idea of a french dish was opening a can of french style green beans. Canned meats, frozen veggies, dried spices, blech and yech but that's how it was here in America's real kitchens.

Julia Child, hardly a sex symbol, (I wonder what her original Q rating was from her earliest shows) comes along and shows the average American housewife that she too could make delicious, exciting food worth serving and enjoying with others. I actually got my mom to throw out a half used box of Potato Buds when I made Julia's lyonnaise potatoes... Food (and wine) actually became an exciting topic worthy of discussion... good bye Space Food Sticks, bonjour mousseline au chocolat.

Mario has done the same with italian cuisine. For years italian food in America was pizza and veal parmigiana.... now its beef cheek ravioli and cheese from animals we didn't even know gave milk... and Italian food is exciting and fascinating again... and we can now find the fresh ingredients to do justice to the cuisine....

Alas, from the description of the new shows.... I see the dumming down of America again.... Reality TV is "in" and by golly The Food Network is looking for their Bachelor....

Well... so be it.... Time will tell... The minor ones just cause a little gas bubble... The great ones leave you hungry for more...

[Jinmyo]

Julia Child, hardly a sex symbol,

I beg to differ.

As this is the first post of yours I've seen, Trish: Wecome to eGullet.

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

Oh gosh, I may have been watching the food network for too long...

I remember the first version of How To Boil Water, and indeed it was Emeril's debut....  it was lame....  and the comic and the cook(ie) version was lame as well....  I think the reason is that their food was too basic... I eschew Emeril today not for his show biz persona, but because he puts his damn essence in everything, it all tastes the same...  but I digress... 

To me, the charm (and the greatness) of a Julia Child and a Mario Batali is that they take complicated cuisine, and make it desirable and doable.  In the 1960's my mom's idea of a french dish was opening a can of french style green beans.  Canned meats, frozen veggies, dried spices, blech and yech but that's how it was here in America's real kitchens. 

Julia Child, hardly a sex symbol, (I wonder what her original Q rating was from her earliest shows) comes along and shows the average American housewife that she too could make delicious, exciting food worth serving and enjoying with others.  I actually got my mom to throw out a half used box of Potato Buds when I made Julia's lyonnaise potatoes...    Food (and wine) actually became an exciting topic worthy of discussion...  good bye Space Food Sticks, bonjour mousseline au chocolat.

Mario has done the same with italian cuisine.  For years italian food in America was pizza and veal parmigiana....  now its beef cheek ravioli and cheese from animals we didn't even know gave milk...  and Italian food is exciting and fascinating again... and we can now find the fresh ingredients to do justice to the cuisine....

Alas, from the description of the new shows....  I see the dumming down of America again....  Reality TV is "in" and by golly The Food Network is looking for their Bachelor....

Well... so be it....  Time will tell...  The minor ones just cause a little gas bubble... The great ones leave you hungry for more...

I like you Trish...Welcome to eGullet...

[TrishCT]

Jin & Spencer,

It's nice to be here!

[Kim WB]

--and all of their shows are demonstrating signs of this bubble gum/music industry pasteurization--is turning true food industry workers off and beckoning the twenty something teeny boppers to trade in their Grilled Chicken Flatbread with guac on the side and a Mountain Dew for a Blue Corn Crusted Kumomoto Oyster Gratin with Melted Leeks.

Ummm...10 thousand food industry workers, a bazillion kumomoto twenty somethings, with disposable income..it's not hard to figure out why they're going that direction... there will never be a channel devoted to food industry workers, Spencer, and I am suprised you are naive enough to think so. That was never the target market for FN...its not deep enough. It's like taking hte sports channel, and saying it wil only cater to fly fishing..where's the demographics and market in that?

Edited March 26, 2003 by Kim WB (log)

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

--and all of their shows are demonstrating signs of this bubble gum/music industry pasteurization--is turning true food industry workers off and beckoning the twenty something teeny boppers to trade in their Grilled Chicken Flatbread with guac on the side and a Mountain Dew for a Blue Corn Crusted Kumomoto Oyster Gratin with Melted Leeks.

Ummm...10 thousand food industry workers, a bazillion kumomoto twenty somethings, with disposable income..it's not hard to figure out why they're going that direction... there will never be a channel devoted to food industry workers, Spencer, and I am suprised you are naive enough to think so. That was never the target market for FN...its not deep enough. It's like taking hte sports channel, and saying it wil only cater to fly fishing..where's the demographics and market in that?

I realize that my dear, much to my chagrin.

[EJRothman]

... and something called Paula's Home Cooking.  Who the heck is Paula?

Paula is Paula Deen. She's a fat southern woman with wild hair who uses more butter than the two fat ladies combined. All of her food is deep fried to a crisp, and her medicated-southern excitement is frightening. No matter what anyone says about any of the other Food TV cooking shows (as opposed to the travel/unwrapped variety), rest assured that Ms. Deen's program is the absolute worst the network has to offer.

-Eric

[wingding]

Now 'bachlorette' dreck on food tv too.I've never seen so many channels with so little original thought.If what's on tv reflects this society now,we're at an all time low.Throw your tv out the window...

[Ripley]

Food Network was a channel I watched everyday and then... well too much Emeril, well actually too much showman and not enough Emeril on at all hours, that was my first turn off. Now, they seem to be catering to an audience who are not entertained by cooking, their interest is only held if there are gimics. Food Network is scrambling as are all other networks to attract the twenty-somethings and those of us in the "older than that" age have to suck it up because they are not going to change. We can only hope the target audience will eventually become bored with the mind numbing reality shows which are cropping up with all networks and come back to something that actually takes talent to produce.

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

Food Network was a channel I watched everyday and then... well too much Emeril, well actually too much showman and not enough Emeril on at all hours, that was my first turn off.  Now, they seem to be catering to an audience who are not entertained by cooking, their interest is only held if there are gimics.  Food Network is scrambling as are all other networks to attract the twenty-somethings and those of us in the "older than that" age have to suck it up because they are not going to change.  We can only hope the target audience will eventually become bored with the mind numbing reality shows which are cropping up with all networks and come back to something that actually takes talent to produce.

This just in: the avatar of the Food Network is a doughnut being skewered with a celery stick.

[Ron Johnson]

Paula is Paula Deen.  She's a fat southern woman with wild hair who uses more butter than the two fat ladies combined.  All of her food is deep fried to a crisp, and her medicated-southern excitement is frightening.  No matter what anyone says about any of the other Food TV cooking shows (as opposed to the travel/unwrapped variety), rest assured that Ms. Deen's program is the absolute worst the network has to offer.

-Eric

I saw her make a pot roast in a crock pot with a can of cream of mushroom soup. I swear I saw her sneaking peeks at the recipe on the back of label. Do we really need a cooking show to teach us how to make those kind of recipes?

Also she seared the meat in a saute pan before adding it to the crock pot, but didn't deglaze the pan or do anything to get the fond from the pan into the crock pot. I felt like Mario Batali screaming, "lady your leaving all your depth of flavor in the pan!"

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

I'd love to get a Food Network exec in a Q and A on eGullet.

[Ruth]

Just one more indication that the Food Channel is slipping into irrelevancy for anyone really interested in good food and its preparation. The only two shows worth watching are East Meets West with Ming Tsai- excellent because his concepts are original, his recipes all seem to work and his delivery is so natural-, and Mario when he does not clown around.

Apart from these two I am sticking with the "Great Chefs" on the Travel Channel. Now that is a true cooking show.

Ruth Friedman

[tommy]

with all this talk about tvfn going down the wrong path, and forgetting it's roots, etc, etc, i'd like to ask how many times i can watch a cook roast a chicken. i'd then like to ask how many times do you think advertisers are going to pay for spots that come after that roasting chicken episode?

PBS offers *several* channels in my market that have cooking shows, commercial free, strictly technique and food. i find that balances nicely with tvfn's travel and fun oriented segments, which i generally enjoy.

[Ron Johnson]

with all this talk about tvfn going down the wrong path, and forgetting it's roots, etc, etc, i'd like to ask how many times i can watch a cook roast a chicken.

I dont think its forgotten its roots or gone down the wrong path. I just think some of its shows suck.

[ChocoKitty]

with all this talk about tvfn going down the wrong path, and forgetting it's roots, etc, etc, i'd like to ask how many times i can watch a cook roast a chicken.

I dont think its forgotten its roots or gone down the wrong path. I just think some of its shows suck.

Didn't TVFN start shifting toward more "infotainment" after it was purchased by Scripps-Howard?

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

with all this talk about tvfn going down the wrong path, and forgetting it's roots, etc, etc, i'd like to ask how many times i can watch a cook roast a chicken.  i'd then like to ask how many times do you think advertisers are going to pay for spots that come after that roasting chicken episode?

PBS offers *several* channels in my market that have cooking shows, commercial free, strictly technique and food.  i find that balances nicely with tvfn's travel and fun oriented segments, which i generally enjoy.

it ain't all roastin' chickens there tough guy.