Food Network Chefs

[scott123]

Bourdain will be ordained.

Since this is my first post, I might as well jump in feet first with what may not be a popular reply.

A chain smoking chef is about as competent as a blind airline pilot.

[spiceonice]

TONY B! HE IS MY HERO! He's funny and he cuts out all the cheese that is so prevalent in cooking shows! *Prostrates self*

First post! Hi everybody!

[kiliki]

For those that like Jamie Oliver, do you actually make any of his stuff? He seems like a likeable guy, but all those fish and cheese cassroles? Eeew. Same with Paula (forget the last name-the southern lady)-she seems so nice, but good god, the stuff she makes.

Edited March 4, 2004 by kiliki (log)

[mongo_jones]

i like emeril--yes, he's over-exposed and all the rest but he knows his shit and i like the idea of a famous, successful chef who's neither fancy-schmancy nor wants to be. plus julia child likes him--who am i to argue?

the two fat ladies ruled. still do. also moulton. and brown.

ambivalent about mario (like him on the whole but still haven't gotten over that show where he went to italy and out-shticked the mayor of shtickville.)

can't stand (for all the ill it does their bank accounts): flay, ray, all the wind-up monkeys (gordon elliott, all the food trivia show hosts). also cannot stand tyler florence (too much of a frat boy learns to cook vibe).

my distaste for martha stewart preceded her appearance on the food network, and will likely survive it.

[mongo_jones]

For those that like Jamie Oliver, do you actually make any of his stuff?

well, i rarely try to make anything i see on iron chef either.

[beans]

Hands-down favorite is AB.

Alton Brown or Anthony Bourdain?

Hasn't this thread been done before?

[Susan in FL]

A chain smoking chef is about as competent as a blind airline pilot.

I, for one (and maybe the only one), so agree with you.

[beans]

A chain smoking chef is about as competent as a blind airline pilot.

I, for one (and maybe the only one), so agree with you.

I think that too was hashed out here -- smoking and cheffing (if that is a word).

More on Food Network faves and not-so-faves of eG'ers: Try this one or this one!

[Claire]

I love watching Mario and that's saying a lot because I don't particularly care for Italian food. He show casts hypnotic trance on me. After watching an episode I feel as full and sated as if I've eaten a comforting and satisfying meal. As well as learning a little bit about Italian cuisine. Maybe it's just the clogs.

Another fave--ATC. The jungle, the cobra hearts, the AK-47s, the really, really cute Brazilian waiters-who the hell knew what would happen next? I had to pop a couple pepcid just to watch it. Even though the show ended, I'm glad AB went the literary route. TFN has a way of sucking the life out of their hosts until they look like plastic, hollow-eyed plastic versions of their former selves.

However, I'm pretty sure Sandra Lee came that way already. And why does she always dress like she's come straight out of a JC Penny catalog? Hello Sandra? The '80's called and it wants the red polo shirt back.

[Susan in FL]

I think that too was hashed out here -- smoking and cheffing (if that is a word).

More on Food Network faves and not-so-faves of eG'ers:  Try this one or this one!

I really do appreciate it when those of you who have been here for a long time give us links to previously discussed topics. So thanks, Beans, and any others who often do that.

However, I also see the merit of discussing something again. In a live, in person conversation, we as humans often repeat ourselves, and enjoy an updated discussion. With a site of 10,000 members like eG, it is likely that comments will be made that have been made before. We will rehash, rather than search before posting to see if a particular topic has already been discussed. And not everybody wants to read an earlier 8 or 10 page long thread, before posting a couple of sentences.

Thanks. I just wanted to get that off my chest.

[plax]

Well, I'm stepping out on a dangerous limb here... but I kind of like Dweezil and Lisa. They don't pretend to be anything more than people who really love food, and they have a cool opportunity to explore that.

At my house, we loved the Two Fat Ladies and wish the one surviving one would find a new fat friend and start cooking again.

Based on Mario's current show, I have been trying different pastries at my local Italian bakery, so I think that's a good thing.

I try to watch Follow That Food when I can, and I also enjoy Rachael Ray's $40 a day show.

Neil

[jschyun]

Yes, this thread has been done.

EDIT by JHP: Yes, and I've merged it into this one.

--crap, someone beat me to it, missed that.

I miss David Rosengarten and the Two Fat Ladies.

Edited March 4, 2004 by Jason Perlow (log)

[mongo_jones]

I try to watch Follow That Food when I can, and I also enjoy Rachael Ray's $40 a day show.

i could eat so well in l.a for $20 a day--probably go a month before repeating any restaurants. all you have to do is eat mexican, central american, bangladeshi and chinese.

[scott123]

I, for one (and maybe the only one), so agree with you.

Cool! :)

I think that too was hashed out here -- smoking and cheffing (if that is a word).

I did a global search with the word "smoking" and got 2500 hits. Is there any chance you can direct me to the thread of which you speak?

Speaking of cheffing... isn't there a salve you can get for that? ;)

[stephenc]

Jamie Oliver.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I miss David Rosengarten and the Two Fat Ladies.

A "menage a foie"?

[FoodMan]

Likes:

AB- Both of them

Emeril- Yes he can be annoying but he is turning thousands of people into cooking and he is a good chef

Jamie Oliver- I have tried many of his recipes both from the shows and the books and they are very good. Fish cheese casseroles?!!! I’ve only seen him do this once and it did look good

Sara is nice

Tyler knows his stuff and has a good show

St. Mario is always a pleasure to watch and he sure knows his stuff

Jacque Torres- He does awesome work that one can never do at home but I love to watch him work

Dislikes:

Paula Dean

Rachel “hyper-giggely-always-chipper” Ray- Very annoying

Bobby Rivers

Many others….

Hate:

Sandra Lee- I think she really is the only one I ever put in this category

[Susan in FL]

I miss David Rosengarten and the Two Fat Ladies.

A "menage a foie"?

Good One!!

[BrennaMorgan]

Emeril......BAM!

[franktex]

I was a big fan of Two Fat Ladies.

I also miss Jacqui Malouf, but am pleased to say that I ran across a new cookbook by her called "Booty Food', and bought it right away! She's hot!

I also like Alton Brown, and, of course, Iron Chef.

[Tmnoland]

I, for one (and maybe the only one), so agree with you.

Cool! :)

I think that too was hashed out here -- smoking and cheffing (if that is a word).

I did a global search with the word "smoking" and got 2500 hits. Is there any chance you can direct me to the thread of which you speak?

Speaking of cheffing... isn't there a salve you can get for that? ;)

smoking chefs

Ask and yee shall receive.

-t

[Pickles]

Speaking of cheffing... isn't there a salve you can get for that? ;)

Itching and cheffing....I get it. In the personal chef industry, we call our job "personal cheffing." It may not be in the dictionary yet, but perhaps it will be soon.

[tastykimmie]

Paula Deen

Bobby Flay

Barefoot Contessa

Any and All Al Roker Specials!!

[geekdoc]

Ming is a high school acquaintance of mine and is brilliant, having attended Yale as well as captaining a national squash team. He came into professional cooking somewhat late, but grew up in a cooking family (his father owned a chinese resto.)

That being said, I do find his on air personality not wholly representative of the great guy he is in person, and don't watch often. Fusion is also not my bag.

Mario was initially cloying until I sat and really listened to what he was saying and realized that he is a virtual encyclopedia of regional Italian and has the chops to go along with it. Rooney also has some serious knife skills but his "character" must go.

Sara M. was an aprentice under the inestimable Julia Childs and as such does know what she is doing but the pacing of the show and the overall style bores me somewhat.

Tony B. almost always speaks his mind and is the Howard Stern of Food TV. I thought he like Stern was a poseur at first but I'm starting to believe that's how he is. I loved his comment on the iguana. ("Unbelievably horrible. I just want to die.. I mean really bad. I want to dip my head into a bucket of lye, you know, pull my eyes out of their sockets and jump off a cliff.") He really digs offal, which having grown up in the South where the only thing we lose on a pig is the squeal, appeals to me.

All that being said, my TIVO is set to record anything which has to do with Julia Child, my all time favorite. Very gracious and affable, always questioning her guests about their opinions and techniques, and at the same time completely uninhibited about subtly stating her own. Example, Jacques Pepin (not exactly a culinary slouch) is making a Sauce a la Provence and is not using garlic, and Julia asks him about it and mutters in the background "I would use garlic". She would be my top pick as a dinner guest, as long as she did the cooking! I even have a pegboard wall in my home kitchen as a tribute to her. Very practical. Will miss her when she's gone.

[jschyun]

I try to watch Follow That Food when I can, and I also enjoy Rachael Ray's $40 a day show.

i could eat so well in l.a for $20 a day--probably go a month before repeating any restaurants. all you have to do is eat mexican, central american, bangladeshi and chinese.

Yeah, but she goes to places like NYC and Maui, and ferrets out the cheap good eats there. L.A. is no challenge.

I am indebted to her for showing me the 1/2 price sushi/karaoke night at Sansei Sushi. My bf had karaoke fun, and I had fun eating lots of decent sushi, probably on par with some of the lesser sushi in L.A. I tried the California roll after hearing it had real crab, and it's definitely the best Ca roll I've ever had. Pretty surprised how good it was.

Also, she showed Metro Cafe's 12.50 3 course early bird special. I had never heard about that elsewhere, and I read up on SF dining all the time.