Food TV Aimed at Lowest Common Denominator

[Gifted Gourmet]

the article from the Chicago Tribune

"Food Network has made a decision to go after the lowest common denominator audience," said Darra Goldstein... "Even with this audience, there is so much more that could be done." Research shows that "the job of America is to get out of cooking, not to spend more time cooking,"Food television is entertainment."

In the last three years, Food Network has expanded its reach from 54 million to 84 million households ...Food is an antidote to modern life, a comfortable place to go, an escape,

Moment of truth time here:

Food Network's advertising revenue has soared from $150 million in 2002 to an estimated $225 million in 2004,

Aha! Knew it was somewhere in the story but tucked away from view ...

So, that being said, how do you now feel about Food TV? Is it a comfortable place to hang out?? ....simply a form of voyeurism? You watch it but not actually do it? ... very pretty pictures of food posed in tempting positions .. is it merely something to fill the silences? or do you feel that you have learned something of value here and there? Your feelings?

[Cusina]

Strangely enough, just about the only time I watch Food TV, is in our favorite watering hole. A pretty typical Wisconsin bar. They have it on in the "regulars" section of the bar all the time. It's kind of a funny contrast. Bright Rachel Rae or whomever on the screen in the eternally clean and sparkly kitchen putting together wholesome feasts vs. the rather dank and smoky bar that we end up in sometimes. I can guarantee that none of those customers, including me, are running home to try out that veal parmesan recipe.

[Carrot Top]

That really is a funny contrast, Cusina. I can visualize it....

I'm glad Food TV exists...it is not something I routinely watch but then I don't routinely watch any TV.

But television is, at its best, both a form of education and entertainment.

Food TV has exposed many people that otherwise would not have had that exposure (or even any interest in finding that exposure) to such a variety of ideas about food...different 'ethnic' sorts of food, different ways of preparing food, both upscale and down home. That sort of education, available to 'the masses', in a palatable form...seems a great idea, to me.

There are many people who do not pick up books to read...but who do watch TV....

[Kevin72]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have grown increasingly disenchanted with FTV. In the late '90's, I could turn Food TV on and leave it on literally all day. This is when there was a much richer depth of cooking shows on: East Meets West, Cooking Live, the vegetarian show, Melting Pot, Two Hot Tamales, etc. This also coincided with when I was really getting into cooking as a passion and so I learned exponentially.

All are now gone; and as of next month, my guru, Molto Mario, gets bumped to a mid-morning slot. I figure it will be off the air entirely in the next 6 months to a year after it is progressively bumped to earlier and earlier time slots. And to replace it will be, no doubt, another assembly-line, how is such and such prepackaged food made? show or another "X travelling and tasting America!" show.

I'm obviously not who FTV is catering to, but there has to be some kind of balance that appeases both sides. Their strategy is to find what hits and then repeat it ad infinitum throughout the day (I love Good Eats but on Wednesday evenings it was on four times in a three-hour span) or clone it. The new cooking shows are getting more and more gimicky and trend and product-driven. I actually never had a problem with 30 Minute meals but it did lead to shows like Good Food Fast and Semi-Homemade which curdles my blood.

I liked the idea someone here pitched of having a Food TV2 that was all cooking-driven; they have a 5-year backlog of Cooking Live and all their other shows that they can dig back up and keep a few of their staples on to make new shows (cough-Molto Mario-cough). Til then I guess I'm going to get re-aquainted with PBS' admirable Saturday afternoon cooking block and hope that Ming Tsai and Lidia Bastianich can talk Mario into joining them.

Grumpy Old Man mode off.

[fifi]

My experience is an echo of Kevin72's. When I first got cable in the mid 90s, I was enchanted with FTV. I was also just getting back into cooking after about a 12 year hiatus. I caught up with the trends, learned a lot of new stuff, reprised things I had forgotten and generally found that worthwhile. While I am not much of a restaurant roamer, I did enjoy getting to know the personalities in the industry. Between the chef shows and the shows with guests that may have written a book, I proceeded to assault Amazon.com and now have a ridiculous collection of cookbooks. (almost as ridiculous as my collection of history and science... but the cookbooks are gaining)

Then, I guess it was 2 or 3 years ago, my interest started to sag. The travel shows were about the only thing that interested me. I stuck with both ABs and would check the schedule. I still look for The Esscence of Emeril, Mario, even Bobby Flay. I kind of got tired of Emeril Live but I have a deep appreciation of what he is doing, and has done, with that show.

I think I have grown some and have moved on. The numbers speak. FTV just isn't aiming for the eGullet "us". There aren't enough of us.

I will also migrate back to PBS. I watched Julia on PBS from the beginning. She only reinforced my family's food interest. So, things have come full circle and I will be back where I started but that isn't a bad thing.

[Susan G]

"The job of America is to get out of cooking" ???

So FTV views its programming as if one were visiting a museum: See, this is the way people *used* to care for themselves and their families, before there was home delivery.

Ack.

So not my worldview..........but then, it's not my favorite form of entertainment, either.

[Lactic Solar Dust]

As with Kevin FoodTv has fallen drastically in terms of integerity of purpose in my opinion. Back in the day, (how is that sounding like an old man), almost all of their shows were chef driven for the sole purpose to show the home cook how to cook like a professional. Also, in those early chef driven days I feel that it sparked a interest in many young people, including myself, to want to cook as a profession. With Molto Mario, the Two Hot Tamales, Chef de Jour, the old Emeril Lagasse, Grillin & Chillin, Ming Tsai, etc.., these were all chef driven shows from people actually working in the buisness. Now it seems as if they are wiping the chef driven atmosphere away and replacing it with home cooks cooking low carb and calorie, using canned broths, frozen vegetbales, (i.e. Rachael Ray, although she is cute as hell, barefoot cantessia, the two low fat low carb guys)

To me what the FoodTv is doing is going against what Juila Child tried to do a long time ago. I am sure she wouldn't want us to use canned stocks, frozen veggies, etc...prepared food.

In my opinion it would be very cool if FoodTv would go back to the chef driven atmosphere. Have shows where they interview the top players in the game and also go inside the kitchens of the mediocre restaurants. Film what 50% of what restaurant cooking is doing in the U.S. and film the magic of the 3 and 4 star establishments. Lets go in the kitchen of Per Se, of WD-50, , and other top kitchens, interview their chefs. Lets see shows conducted by real chefs showing us the pleasure of preparing your own stocks without the stuffiness.

This is what I wish....but it won't happen.

[marlena spieler]

I've been trying intermittently to break into food television my entire life. I get very close esp with BBC and then bang: im a girl, bang: i have an american accent (apparently sounds cheap) and on and on and ond.

but you know i was born to cook in public, and i'm funny! and i am enthusiastic! and one of these days please god while i still have teeth and can eat!

i was recently speaking with a television producer who came to one of my classes and said: you are an aquired taste, not mainstream like everyone else, and food television wants exactly that: mainstream. too intellectual and it ain't gonna wash in the midwest.

when i watch foodnetwork by and large i think: ick i can do better, i can do better, but then the producer said: thats the point. they don't want better, they want to sell advertising to the masses and the masses are mediocre.

anyhow, i'm goin into my kitchen to braise some vietnamese caramel chicken and drown my sorrows in bamboo shoots with a little chicken broth and watercress puree on the side. its that kind of autumn evening......

marlena

[StudentChefEclipse]

I've gotten to where I only watch the Iron Chef reruns. And I really hate to say it, but even *that* isn't about the food. Not sure what that says about me, really.

I do have a real problem with anyone who says America's job is to "get out" of cooking. That looks like a serious case of "Fast Life Virus" to me.

[bloviatrix]

I think we should sign Marlena up for the first show on eGulletTV.

That Vietnamese Caramel Chicken sounds delicous!!

[Carrot Top]

I think we should sign Marlena up for the first show on eGulletTV.

That Vietnamese Caramel Chicken sounds delicous!!

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Agree with you about the Caramel Chicken and also think the eGullet 'TV' idea is sort of technically possible also....isn't there a way to link to a 'live streaming' video cam?

[Toliver]

I've been trying intermittently to break into food television my entire life. I get very close esp with BBC and then bang: im a girl, bang: i have an american accent (apparently sounds cheap) and on and on and ond.

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They had no imagination. Picture "A Yank in Oxford" or "A Yankee at the Round Table". Are there other Americans on British television doing cooking shows? Probably not. You'd be a stand out, you'd be unique and would probably be a success.

Girl, you need a better agent!

[Squeat Mungry]

I haven't had FoodTV since I had to give up cable two years ago due to a financial implosion caused by unemployment. The only things I missed were Sara Moulton, Alton Brown, Mario (but NOT his braying sidekick) and the Melting Pot.

Frankly, I think some (but certainly not all) of the Public Television cooking shows are better-produced, and pander less to the 'lowest common denominator" than the stuff I remember on FoodTV, and I hear it's gotten even worse since then.

Squeat

[Kevin72]

To me what the FoodTv is doing is going against what Juila Child tried to do a long time ago.  I am sure she wouldn't want us to use canned stocks, frozen veggies, etc...prepared food.

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I watched that and got increasingly frustrated at their audacity to air a tribute to her when they are at the same time rapidly distancing themselves from cooking shows.

[nice_guy1812]

I hardly feel like I'm learning anything anymore on FoodTV (actually Food Network Canada). The only show that teaches me anything is Good Eats. I really enjoyed Molto Mario but I don't know when it's on or even if it still is, and also when they showed the baking/pastry competition (whats it called? coupe de monde?). I do enjoy 3 cooking shows for their entertainment value though: The Cookworks, The Best, and Nigella Bites (the first 2 are on the Canadian network). But about the only time I'll tune in to FoodTV is when Alton Brown is on.

[marlena spieler]

I think we should sign Marlena up for the first show on eGulletTV.

That Vietnamese Caramel Chicken sounds delicous!!

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Agree with you about the Caramel Chicken and also think the eGullet 'TV' idea is sort of technically possible also....isn't there a way to link to a 'live streaming' video cam?

←

Dear Blovie, Carrot-T, and Toliver,

love you guys! and Toliver you are so right, need a new agent, and in fact don't have an agent at all in uk. was dumped by my former agent (jamie o's agent, only interested in lifestyle tv now, and counting the money from jamie of course). sigh.

i shall be carrying my phone and pager at all times, in case anyone in telly land has a place for little cookin marlena.....just pick up that phone. (and wouldn't an egullet-tv or egullet-radio be cool!)

in the meantime, my vietnamese chicken was divine. i haven't written it up yet, but basically it was a marinade of vietnamese caramel, light soy, lime juice and zest, five spice, ginger, garlic, and lemon grass. i used thicken thighs boned and cut into strips with the skin still on.

stir fried it so it got dark and crusty and gorgeous, and added bamboo shoots, diced carrot, garlic and ginger, and half a head of diced savoy cabbage. a little bit of stock as i did the stir frying. the edges were all gooey and gorgeous.

if anyone wants recipe when i get it tapped out, just ask and i'll email it along.

x marlena

[bloviatrix]

Dear Blovie, Carrot-T, and Toliver,

if anyone wants recipe when i get it tapped out, just ask and i'll email it along.

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(Raises hand enthusiastically) Me!!! Me!!!!

I'm not familiar with vietnamese caramel. How does it differ from the regular stuff? Can I make it at home?

[Gifted Gourmet]

I'm not familiar with vietnamese caramel.  How does it differ from the regular stuff?  Can I make it at home?

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yes, bloviatrix, you CAN make it at home!

This is a sauce that's used in Vietnamese cuisine. It's used in a variety of recipes and turns out to be the "secret" ingredient that gives barbecued Vietnamese stuff that unique taste when used as a marinade for strips of beef, chicken or pork. I use it in Satay recipes. The result is a subtle, delicious taste. It also gives a nice glazed finish to stuff. Its use shouldn't be limited to Asian cuisine. In fact, I suspect that this is originally a French influence...

ingredients and directions follow .. yummm!

[Haivart]

Me too, please!

in the meantime, my vietnamese chicken was divine. i haven't written it up yet, but basically it was a marinade of vietnamese caramel, light soy,  lime juice and zest, five spice, ginger, garlic, and lemon grass. i used thicken thighs boned and cut into strips with the skin still on.

stir fried it so it got dark and crusty and gorgeous,  and added bamboo shoots, diced carrot, garlic and ginger, and half a head of diced savoy cabbage. a little bit of stock as i did the stir frying. the edges were all gooey and gorgeous.

if anyone wants recipe when i get it tapped out, just ask and i'll email it along.

x marlena

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[arjay]

I think FNTV reached its lowest common denominator audience when they started up the "makeover" shows that have become so prevalent on so many networks that used to be my favorites. I had started to become disenchanted with them when the network went heavily into the "unwrapped" type of programming. How many folks who are serious about cooking want to watch a steady stream of shows about how candy bars and packaged snacks are manufactured?

The cursed "makeover" shows have taken over the programming on TLC, Discovery, A&E, and others, displacing non-airhead shows. Looks like Food Network is next.

Screw them very much.

[Lexica]

if anyone wants recipe when i get it tapped out, just ask and i'll email it along.

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Oh, yes please! It sounds wonderful.

[Chris Amirault]

if anyone wants recipe when i get it tapped out, just ask and i'll email it along.

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I'd love that recipe too. As for Food TV... I used to watch it a lot (you've hit all the shows I liked, though I'd like to flay Flay) but have basically stopped, save for catching Iron Chef now and then. However, I know a huge fan: my dad. So, here's some ethnographic information that might help to explain a bit about what seems to be going on.

My dad is not a cook. He has never, to my knowledge, prepared an edible meal that wasn't cooked outdoors. He nearly burned down the house once: on a rainy Saturday, having decided he wanted a burger, he put a patty on the stove, noticed that the weather was clearing, grabbed his golf bag, drove to the local course and played 9 holes -- and came home to a home filled with the acrid, greasy smoke from his unintentional ground beef cremation. He once added an entire jar of granulated garlic to boiled potatoes (he hates garlic). He has burned water -- well, he burned the pan after boiling off the water.

My dad is also not a foodie. He orders prime rib well done, and sends it back to the microwave if it's not gray. He thinks that cilantro tastes like soap. He regularly pass up the wide range of food available here in Providence for a good club sandwich.

But he loves FTV. He loves watching the expertise of the chefs; he likes the little tips they give; he enjoys their expertise, knife skills, charisma, physicality, creativity. He adores the "behind the scenes" shows that explain how salt water taffy has to be pulled, how twinkies are filled, what kinds of heirloom tomatoes grow where, which grapes grow in what microclimates.

I believe that his interest has nothing to do with food whatsoever.

When I watch FTV now, I see, over and over, programming aimed at him. He likes to know, to admire, and to say "Did you know...?" The food part is secondary; the idea of watching people make things and talk about making things is primary.

[marlena spieler]

Vietnamese-ish Lime Chicken with Bamboo Shoots and Savoy Cabbage

Make the caramel and keep it on hand to add a luscious depth to many vietnamese dishes, such as long simmered caramel pork. This makes about half a cup of caramel.

To make the caramel:

In a heavy bottomed pan heat 1/2 cup sugar over a medium even heat until the sugar melts and turns golden.

While the sugar is melting, stir it every so often so it goldens evenly.

And also while it is cooking, bring about half a cup of water to the boil. it will evaporate a bit; you will use 1/3 cup of it.

When the sugar is melted and golden, working quickly, take it off the heat and add the 1/3 cup of boiling water slowly. it will sputter and be scarey, so stay out of the way. stir it if you can with a wooden spoon so that the sugar caramel dissolves. sometimes i have chunks of a sugary substance ie not all of it is dissolved; then i return it to the stove and a medium heat for a few moments, cover and leave to dissolve hopefully. you want the liquid to get lightly browned, well kind of golden brown, but if it goes just that little bit too far it becomes bitter.

Now for the rest of the dish:

To serve 2 people, double it if you want to serve 4

4 chicken thighs, bones removed but skin attached

2 stalks lemongrass, peeled of its hard outsides and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons above caramel

About 1/2 teaspoon chinese or vietnamese 5 spice, plus a little extra, as desired when you are stir frying

juice of 1 lime, and save the rinds to pop into the marinade too, for their scent

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced

about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

2 or more, to taste, tablespoons light soy sauce (or half soy sauce and half fish sauce), or to taste

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 carrot, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 smallish to medium sized savoy (curly leafed) cabbage, diced

About 3 tablespoons chicken broth, or as desired

Cut the boned chicken thighs into 1 inch sliced strips and then each strip into several pieces so that you have chunks with skin attached. it might be easiest if they are partially frozen.

combine the chicken with the lemongrass, caramel, five spice, lime juice, lime shells, sugar, half the garlic, half the ginger, about half the soy sauce/fish sauce, and set it aside, covered, to marinate for several hours in the refrigerator.

when ready to prepare, remove chicken from refrigerator.

heat wok or heavy large nonstickish (such as calphalon) frying pan, and add the vegetable oil; stir fry the carrot and onion with the reserved garlic and ginger, then remove to a pan, and add the cabbage and stir fry for a few minutes to wilt; add the chicken broth and cook together for a minute or two longer. Remove to pan with the onion and carrots.

heat the pan again, and remove the chicken from the marinade. save the marinade to make a sauce with it. wipe the chicken pieces if you like, i did n't bother.

place the chicken pieces skin side down on the hot pan and let them sizzle and brown, over medium highish heat; the fat should render out of the skin but if it doesn't, add a little extra oil to the pan to encourage browning.

when chicken is lightly browned and dark in some places, pour in the reserved marinade, cook a minute or so, then add the reserved vegetables and their jucies and cook together. if mixture is too liquidy, cook over a high heat for several minutes. if it is too dry, add a little more chicken broth. to really concentrate the juices without overcooking chicken and vegetables, remove them to serving platter and reduce the juices in pan to an almost essence. you don't want to thicken these juices with cornstarch/cornflour as if you were making a chinese stir fry.

while it is stir frying togehter at the end, season with a sprinkling of five spice if desired, and also a drizzle of soy/fish sauce.

serve right away.

hope you guys enjoy, the recipe is directly from my notes, so not tested and retested as for a cookbook or column. but i can promise i'll be making it again one of these days.

i was going to serve it with a watercress puree but ended up putting watercress in the leftover fried rice the next day.

[Carrot Top]

Yum.

Simple to make...delicious, well-balanced flavors and very healthy...and I would bet my boots children would love it too.

A 'Can't Go Wrong With This One' recipe.

Thanks, Marlene.

[marlena spieler]

i forgot to mention to remove and discard lime halves from the marinade before you add the marinade to the pan for sauce.

enjoy!

x marlena

ps yesterday i made miso and tofu soup for dinner. chicken broth heated with diced tofu, then with some thinned white miso stirred in. scatter with sliced green onions and eat in a big bowl with a spoon. feel healthy.

tomorrow i feel a nice chicken paprikash coming on.