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Food Network, admit they suck

goshi

By goshi
in Food Media & Arts

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Chris Cognac

Chris Cognac

Posted
Posted

The bottom line for me, is the food network allows me to sit in my chair, watch some TV and enjoy myself at the end of a 10 hr day. It makes me happy and relieves some pent up stress. I am not a big mark summers fan, but my son is cause he is the guy on "double dare" on Nick TV.

Its also better than watching the death toll from the days events on the news over and over....I dont like everything on food network (Dwezil and Lisa) but I like most of it....I would rather be easy to please and happy than hard to please and pissed off at everything!

Moo, Cluck, Oink.....they all taste good!

The Hungry Detective

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Rebel Rose

Rebel Rose

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goshi, you're fine. Brave and entertaining post. The rest is just wishful thinking on our part! :hmmm:

Bux, I'm going! I'm going! Truth is, I am deathly afraid of Adria. I'm afraid of going down in history as the one person who asked the most famous chef in the world the most stupid question in the world.

I can't stand Rosengarten. His dry delivery and cheap set put me off my feed.

Unwrapped makes me sick, but our twelve year old loves it.

Emeril needs to leave the set and get out more.

We do Rachel Ray impersonations when unloading the refrigerator.

I love Sara Moulton, but the show is a little fifties. When the calls start coming in, we turn the sound off and make up our own little-old-lady questions.

Alton rocks. In spite of it all, it's our favorite background chatter channel while prepping in the kitchen. I agree with Chris. It's great for unwinding at the end of a long day.

_____________________

Mary Baker

Solid Communications

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted (edited)
I would rather be easy to please and happy than hard to please and pissed off at everything!

I'd rather be hard to please and happy. So I am.

And so I only watch FN (Canada) when there's something I want to see. Which is rarely, as with most TV.

edit:

Alton does indeed, as was put, "rock".

Edited by Jinmyo (log)

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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NulloModo

NulloModo

Posted
Posted

Of all of the FoodTV celebs the one I tend to least often here reference to is Ina Garten. What does everyone think of her show?

The vast majority of things I have seen her cook look quite tasty, even gourmet quality, yet the recipes and steps are kept simple enough to be easily accessible to those without fancy equipment or well-developed cooking skills. To me, more shows like 'Barefoot Contessa' are a good route for FoodTV, shows than can be enjoyed by people with a range of culinary experience.

He don't mix meat and dairy,

He don't eat humble pie,

So sing a miserere

And hang the bastard high!

- Richard Wilbur and John LaTouche from Candide

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mrbigjas

mrbigjas

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Posted
Giada is great, her show is simple and well done. I had the pleasure of hanging out on her "set" a few weeks ago and she is the nicest person, way down to earth, and let me tell you, the food I ate was really good..she made donuts from pizza dough rolled in sugar cinnamon...I could have eaten 1000! She is also prettier in person than on TV.

you know, i was just thinking about this the other day, because i'd turned on food tv and her show was on. i hadn't really seen anything but bits and pieces of it before, but this time i sat through most of it. and i've realized that the reason it is unwatchable is totally not her fault. she is pretty, pleasant, makes good looking recipes, gives clear instructions, etc. it's the goddamn fisheye lens they use combined with the extreme macro closeups of everything that make the show gratingly annoying, and even a little nauseating. why the hell would anyone think that's a good idea? the poor thing already has a fivehead; why would you accentuate it with a fisheye lens?

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Curlz

Curlz

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Posted
And is it me or are they trying to craft Tyler Florence into the american Jamie Oliver? 

As far as I'm concerned, Jamie O has NUTHIN' on Tyler. And I'll say this publicly, just in case he's lurking...Tyler, you're is welcome to show up in my kitchen ANY day!! :wub:

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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laurenmilan

laurenmilan

Posted
Posted
Of all of the FoodTV celebs the one I tend to least often here reference to is Ina Garten.  What does everyone think of her show?

The vast majority of things I have seen her cook look quite tasty, even gourmet quality, yet the recipes and steps are kept simple enough to be easily accessible to those without fancy equipment or well-developed cooking skills.  To me, more shows like 'Barefoot Contessa' are a good route for FoodTV, shows than can be enjoyed by people with a range of culinary experience.

Barefoot Contessa is by far my favorite show on TVFN, even though she isn't a professional chef, Ina Garten is an experienced professional caterer and businesswoman, with 2 decades in what must be a very punishing business - catering in the Hamptons. Not a whole lot of folks bothering to cook for themselves, but nevertheless they KNOW quality and will expect it.

I participate in one of her fan-run bulletin boards (now that TVFN boards are no more) and I can see the positive effect she's having on her viewers. They take note not only of the quality equipment she's using, but the quality ingredients she's using. If you start out with good ingredients, no skimping, it's hard to go wrong. (And if you're like Sandra Lee and start out with a bagful of Krap Foods, there's not much you can do with it!)

Whether it's vanilla extract, wedge of cheese, a cut of beef, tomatoes, chocolate or liquer, she's raising the bar on what is good enough to use in a recipe, and raising awareness in independent specialty shops and food vendors, local produce and excellent cooking equipment. And her fans notice the difference.

"Give me 8 hours, 3 people, wine, conversation and natural ingredients and I'll give you one of the best nights in your life. Outside of this forum - there would be no takers."- Wine_Dad, egullet.org

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piperdown

piperdown

Posted
Posted

I used to be pissed with the creation of Food Network Canada, since the shows totally sucked, and I felt that we weren't getting the good US programs anymore. It seemed that every Canadian show was just a poor recreation of an American show. However when I was visiting my Mother over the summer, I could barely watch the Food Network. It was all stupid shows for the most part. It used to be that if nothing was on, on another station I could always just watch FN, it's not the case any more.

While FN Canada has gotten better, it still is horrible at times (Cristine Cushing, just isn't the same as Cooking Live, with Sara Molten used to be). Plus, while they do import some good American shows like Good Eats or Everyday Italian, in Little-Big-Heads Kitchen we also get all the unwrapped crap, and that Bobby Rivers guy (honestly how did he get a show?). That's just not the type of show I want to see.

FN Canada also used to have really good food documentaries (such as the Road to the Boccuse D'or), but they seem to be shying away from that. I want my food porn back!

I think the worst example from the Bobby Rivers Top 5 show was "Top 5 things that taste like Chicken" Guess what #1 was......Chicken! Fascinating

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PattyO

PattyO

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Posted

I remember the day that Food Network appeared on our cable line-up. I was SO excited! I didn't have to wait until Saturday to watch the PBS cooking shows - I could watch them any time I wanted!!!

Now I wait until Saturday to watch the PBS cooking shows.

Granted, I like Ina, too. Sarah's okay, but I liked "Live" a lot more.

The rest of it is pretty insipid. I know I've posted about this on another thread, but the whole Sandra Lee thing - there are no words. Sometimes I watch just to get a good laugh, but sometimes it just pisses me off.

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PDC

PDC

Posted
Posted (edited)

Just as an FYI, Food Network scored its highest prime time rating ever in November. That's against sweeps competition too folks.

My personal take? I like Good Eats and Iron Chef, and Ms. Ray is good to watch in a Mystery Science Thater 3000-kinda way.

(edited for punctuation)

Edited by PDC (log)
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MarketStEl

MarketStEl

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Posted

I'm sure I'm not conversing with the crowd that watches "Iron Chef," but nonetheless:

Anyone else miss "Ready, Set, Cook"?

I thought the idea behind that show (an Americanization of a popular British game show, BTW) was a good one.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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carp

carp

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I liked Ready, Set, Cook. I like just about any show where actual cooking takes place. I even like How to Boil Water in its many incarnations. And I saw just about only because I don't really like Rachel Ray or Sandra Lee... although it's arguable whether the later ever does any actual cooking...

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Mayhaw Man

Mayhaw Man

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Posted

Rachel Ray announced, in the opening of her "$40 Buck a Day" show in New Orleans that:

New Orleans was founded by French Canadians on Mardi Gras Day in 1699
:hmmm:

This is the kind of research and hard hitting journalism that I have come to expect from Food Network.

This just in: French Canadians missed the boat on the Founding of New Orleans

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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FistFullaRoux

FistFullaRoux

Posted
Posted
Rachel Ray announced, in the opening of her "$40 Buck a Day" show in New Orleans that:
New Orleans was founded by French Canadians on Mardi Gras Day in 1699
:hmmm:

This is the kind of research and hard hitting journalism that I have come to expect from Food Network.

This just in: French Canadians missed the boat on the Founding of New Orleans

Say what?????

I've cought FN on things like that before. Where one show says "this developed here", and the show immediately following it says, "Contrary to popular belief, this happed somewhere else."

That and that one jackhole who claimed that the trinity was black, white, and red pepper. And he used a mire poix. For gumbo. What could I expect, he was in Baltimore, and on Best Of.

Just maybe they would hire a fact checker for some of these shows?

Screw it. It's a Butterball.
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Brite14

Brite14

Posted
Posted (edited)

Have you ever noticed that on Everyday Italian and Barefoot Contessa the audio is jacked up so that the food sounds- the slurp of a spoon stirring something thick and hot, the crunching of a knive chopping a pile of nuts, the wet sizzle and pop of something hitting hot butter- are totally amplified?

It makes the show feel gratuitous and pornographic. And I cannot lie, it turns me on.

Edited by Brite14 (log)
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carp

carp

Posted
Posted
Rachel Ray announced, in the opening of her "$40 Buck a Day" show in New Orleans that:
New Orleans was founded by French Canadians on Mardi Gras Day in 1699
:hmmm:

This is the kind of research and hard hitting journalism that I have come to expect from Food Network.

This just in: French Canadians missed the boat on the Founding of New Orleans

Say what?????

I've cought FN on things like that before. Where one show says "this developed here", and the show immediately following it says, "Contrary to popular belief, this happed somewhere else."

That and that one jackhole who claimed that the trinity was black, white, and red pepper. And he used a mire poix. For gumbo. What could I expect, he was in Baltimore, and on Best Of.

Just maybe they would hire a fact checker for some of these shows?

Ainsley Harriet once said that allspice was a mixture of various different spices...

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Curlz

Curlz

Posted
Posted
Ainsley Harriet once said that allspice was a mixture of various different spices...

Various? Not ALL?!? :laugh::laugh::laugh:

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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reesek

reesek

Posted
Posted

my bf calls Ina "the ego contessa." he thinks she's showing off her lux lifestyle. i think she comes off as pitiful...funny the way 2 people take the same, "everybody's gonna love this" kind of comment.

Every day is a celebration calling for 2 sticks of butter which makes the show (IMO) much less useful than the great cookbook of the same name.

Her holiday food that looks very good, but there is so much gratuitous filming of her neighborhood, her yard - etc, (like she'll go and cut a branch and then tromp inside and suddenly she has 10 perfect branches for a centerpiece.) what's the point?

i also think the fact that jeffrey is always working (on christmas!) is odd. i'm sure "christmas" is april 6th at 10am for tv purposes and jeffrey doesn't work an exaggerated amount, so why add that in?.

it makes me sad for her...and inevitably wonder if he doesn't have a little pate choux on the side.

from overheard in new york:

Kid #1: Paper beats rock. BAM! Your rock is blowed up!

Kid #2: "Bam" doesn't blow up, "bam" makes it spicy. Now I got a SPICY ROCK! You can't defeat that!

--6 Train

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laurenmilan

laurenmilan

Posted
Posted
i also think the fact that jeffrey is always working (on christmas!) is odd.  i'm sure "christmas" is april 6th at 10am for tv purposes and jeffrey doesn't work an exaggerated amount, so why add that in?.

it makes me sad for her...and inevitably wonder if he doesn't have a little pate choux on the side.

So true, so true... the guy lives at Yale Mon-Fri every week (Dean of the Biz School) and drives to the Hamptons each weekend. So yeah, the guy's got a whole other LIFE going on there, and the wifey just covers her eyes with $100 bills. :rolleyes: I can't even begin to imagine how many Hamptons "couples" live a similar livestyle.

I dunno, could I ever get rich enough to make putting up w/that (& televising it) worthwhile? Is there enough French porcelain dinnerware in the world to make that bearable?

"Give me 8 hours, 3 people, wine, conversation and natural ingredients and I'll give you one of the best nights in your life. Outside of this forum - there would be no takers."- Wine_Dad, egullet.org

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