Technique on Food Television Shows

[Chris Amirault]

Some illnesses to members of my family have forced me to be home the last two days, and I've had FTV on in the background while I do the laundry, change the baby, and so on. I've noticed something and I'm wondering what other people think about this impression.

I've been surprised at how basic kitchen technique is and isn't represented on television cooking shows. I wasn't surprised to see that Sara Moulton takes virtually every opportunity (even with Grant Achatz standing beside her, arms crossed grumpily) to link her and her guest's actions to fundamentals like peeling hard root vegetables or oranges. But I was shocked to see Rachael Ray doing the same sorts of things on her show. She salted pasta water, talked about appropriate pan size, trimmed the pepper ribs and seeds -- and explained what and why she was doing the whole time.

Watching Tyler Florence filling a blender within a quarter inch or piling chicken wings one on top of the other while saying "one layer" repeatedly? Expected. Watcing Ina Garten put maybe six cups of water into a pot, bring it to the boil, and put a pound of pasta into the unsalted water? That was a surprise; I admit I had higher expectations.

Basic technique, of course: we're not talking about sugar work here. But it seems to me that these shows are the perfect opportunity to explain rudimentary technique without getting preachy. I mean, if Rachael Ray is doing it, I don't know why other folks aren't.

So who's showing us technique on the television -- the one medium best suited to do so?

[jsmeeker]

. But I was shocked to see Rachael Ray doing the same sorts of things on her show. She salted pasta water, talked about appropriate pan size, trimmed the pepper ribs and seeds -- and explained what and why she was doing the whole time.

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Was that the first time you ever actually watched 30 Minute Meals? I know it's almost of a sport around here to bag on Rachael, but I used to actually TiVo her show and managed to watch many episodes. She's always been pretty solid. She may not be at a French Laundry sous chef level, but for a home cook type, cranking out a decent meal in 30 minutes, she's good. Probably much, much beter than the typical home cook her show caters too.

Emeril is the same way on "Emeril Live". I know people hate his schtick and the way he gets across the techniques (holding up the knob to the stove, the "I don't know where you get your <blank> but mine doesn't come salted" line, etc. etc.), but he gets is across, I think.

Who else is good on technique on TV? The "America's Test Kitchen" folks. Really, really good. A great deal of their recipe research and development revolves around technique. (although some of it may be unusual or even against traditional wisdom) It's not just about having the best and fanciest ingredients.

Edited July 25, 2006 by jsmeeker (log)

[Darren72]

I'll add Alton Brown (FTV) and Jacques Pepin (PBS) to the mix.

[ThatGrrl]

I'll add Alton Brown (FTV) and Jacques Pepin (PBS) to the mix.

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Definitely. Alton is the king of "this is how you do it, and why" on "Good Eats." I absolutely love when he has characters act out what happens with the various food molecules! His "I Came For the Food" cookbook is the same way.

[jsmeeker]

I'll add Alton Brown (FTV) and Jacques Pepin (PBS) to the mix.

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Two good choices. Jacques Pepin is one of my all time favorites. He's great. He's "old school", and I mean that in the best possible way. You can learn a lot from him.

I'm a big Alton Brown fan too.

Edited July 25, 2006 by jsmeeker (log)

[Chris Amirault]

For example: Ina Garten is making roast chicken on croutons. Why can't she cut up a roast chicken properly? Why is she using a wooden spoon to turn croutons instead of flipping them in the pan? It's very strange to me that a food professional wouldn't have these basic skills and wouldn't want to teach them. I mean, not everyone is Pepin and every show can't be La Technique. But turning individual croutons with a wooden spoon? I don't get it.

[BigboyDan]

The shows "America's Test Kitchen" and Jacques Pepin do technique better than most, both PBS.

Also, the Great Chefs of the World series origionally aired on The Discovery Channel was very technique oriented.

Most of what you see on the Food Network is simple-minded entertainment.

Edited July 25, 2006 by BigboyDan (log)

[Joisey]

Why should they focus on technique when they can instead have close-microphoned sounds of Giada's lips smacking and chewing sounds while panning down to her cleavage? This is what FoodTV has become (and they don't try to hide it a bit). Honestly, I get more inspiration watching whatever dishes the monkeys on Hell's Kitchen are f**king up than any show on Food TV these days. Bill Buford's new book "Heat" sums up perfectly in one paragraph what I've been telling my wife for the past year about Food Network and its dumbing down. Thank god for the internet and all the great Gordon Ramsay stuff that is out there.

[johnsmith45678]

I just started watching America's Test Kitchen and I like how they try numerous different variations of recipes to see how they come out (like with the chocolate mouse cake) or if they can improve it (like by trying to reduce the cooking time of Boston baked beans). I've never seen another show do that, and you just have to trust that their recipe is the "best way."

[Sugarella]

For example: Ina Garten is making roast chicken on croutons. Why can't she cut up a roast chicken properly? Why is she using a wooden spoon to turn croutons instead of flipping them in the pan? It's very strange to me that a food professional wouldn't have these basic skills and wouldn't want to teach them. I mean, not everyone is Pepin and every show can't be La Technique. But turning individual croutons with a wooden spoon? I don't get it.

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As much as I think Ina is a sweetie her teaching skills do kind of suck. Ever seen her bake anything? Egads! Measure something, lady! There's no way a home baker who is a newbie could possibly get good results from watching her.

I've just discovered Jacques Pepin's (older?) shows on PBS up here..... they're great aren't they?

Rachel Ray is someone I haven't watched much of so can't comment on. Giada DeLaurentis explains as she goes sometimes....Mario Batali of course was terrific for explaining just about everything. Emeril too. And those 5 chefs from Everyday food do a decent job explaining things.

We don't get a lot of the same shows up here on FTVC.... we never did get the revered Sara Moulton.

I know FTV in the US has commented on who their demographic is and they're striving to please them, but eventually little boys grow up and stop watching, and eventually their other audience, the ones actually trying to learn, will realize the recipes they try to recreate cannot be replicated based on the techniques the audience was shown on TV, and will move on.

Yes, you're correct TV is the perfect medium.... too bad it isn't being utilized to its full potential, but alas, that complaint has nothing to do with food and cooking overall. I don't think TV will ever be used to its full potential.

eGTV, anyone?

[Anna N]

eGTV, anyone?

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Now there's an idea whose time has come.

[Toliver]

eGTV, anyone?

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Now there's an idea whose time has come.

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Yes!

You could also rework some of the eGCI classes and add some video to them.

I commented during the eGCI Knife Skills class that an animated GIF would have helped explain some of the chopping motions. But apparently some web surfers can't handle GIF animations.

Nowadays, you could shoot a quick video and throw the video up onto YouTube and post it along with the class since they allow their videos to appear off-site (on sites other than their own). And you don't have to let the videos play if you don't have the bandwith to handle it so it's a win-win situation (the videos don't load/play unless you click on the "play" button).

The possibilities are exciting and endless...

[Kris]

Although his show is goofy at times, Alton Brown's explanations and demonstrations of why things are done is the reason why I like Good Eats.

[Sugarella]

eGTV, anyone?

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Now there's an idea whose time has come.

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Yes!

You could also rework some of the eGCI classes and add some video to them.

I commented during the eGCI Knife Skills class that an animated GIF would have helped explain some of the chopping motions. But apparently some web surfers can't handle GIF animations.

Nowadays, you could shoot a quick video and throw the video up onto YouTube and post it along with the class since they allow their videos to appear off-site (on sites other than their own). And you don't have to let the videos play if you don't have the bandwith to handle it so it's a win-win situation (the videos don't load/play unless you click on the "play" button).

The possibilities are exciting and endless...

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I was actually thinking more along the lines of eG eventually using excess donations ( <--- HINT, everyone) to help the talent already here to produce actual TV series rather than internet video snippets..... then just sell them to PBS et al. I think several series produced under an eG umbrella would carry much more weight to the general public than an individual trying to get their own short series up and running.

But you're right.... just like the eGCi series only on video, layed out as planned lessons in a series, even if by several talented people independent of one another.

I knew I went to film school for a reason.......

[MelissaH]

Not to hijack your thread, Chris, but as I read through the replies this morning, I was struck by something: Technique and tidiness apparently do NOT go hand-in-hand. My husband and I sometimes have discussions along the lines of "Would you let So-and-so cook in our kitchen?" And some popular people get a resounding NO from both of us. While we both recognize that many of the presenters possess decent knife skills and some common sense, a handful are plain messy in the kitchen. By that, I mean that they can't seem to keep the kitchen relatively tidy by making sure stuff goes into the pot/bowl/container rather than all over the stove/countertop/work surface. I understand there's a difference between cooking on TV and cooking in your own kitchen, but I'd contend that keeping the kitchen in decent shape is as important a technique as the knife skills or the recipe development. And the ones who keep a neat kitchen are more fun for me to watch, because I don't find myself cringing at the thought of what comes after the cooking's all done.

(Has anyone watched the Take-Home Chef and wondered who cleans up the kitchen, after he waltzes out the door? He's not as messy as some, but he does use a fair amount of hardware.)

That said, I find the people with good technique AND the ability to talk intelligently about what they're doing and WHY they do it that way make for the best TV. And those who can are the people I find I prefer to watch. From that standpoint, I really miss Sara Moulton's live show. That was fun (sometimes in a perverse way that reminded me of a grad school oral exam), and the show was a whale of a challenge that not many people could pull off.

Friends have, in the past, borrowed the old Jacques Pepin technique shows on videotape from their library, moved the TV to where they could see it from the kitchen, wrapped the remote in plastic, and followed along step by step. Jacques was their guide to learning how to cut up a chicken. I wish those shows would become available on DVD.

And yes, I'd buy an eGTV DVD, if it were anything close to as useful as the eGCI. Some things are better done in video.

MelissaH

[Pam R]

(Has anyone watched the Take-Home Chef and wondered who cleans up the kitchen, after he waltzes out the door? He's not as messy as some, but he does use a fair amount of hardware.)

No - but I have wondered why he buys them some kitchen gadget that gets used right out of the box or bag without washing it first.

I have learned a lot from people like Sarah and Jacques - and I think it's wonderful that teaching is a large part of their shows. But, they aren't on FTV (any longer). I think FTV is more interested in the entertainment aspect than the teaching aspect. If the hosts are able to throw in some technique lessons, great - but I don't think it's required of them. PBS seems to do this sort of thing better - perhaps they have more time to teach, not having to fit in commercials.

[jsmeeker]

(Has anyone watched the Take-Home Chef and wondered who cleans up the kitchen, after he waltzes out the door? He's not as messy as some, but he does use a fair amount of hardware.)

No - but I have wondered why he buys them some kitchen gadget that gets used right out of the box or bag without washing it first.

I have learned a lot from people like Sarah and Jacques - and I think it's wonderful that teaching is a large part of their shows. But, they aren't on FTV (any longer). I think FTV is more interested in the entertainment aspect than the teaching aspect. If the hosts are able to throw in some technique lessons, great - but I don't think it's required of them. PBS seems to do this sort of thing better - perhaps they have more time to teach, not having to fit in commercials.

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A 30 minute show on PBS has about the same amount of actual show time as a 30 minute show on FoodTV. There are "commericals" at the start of shows like America's Test Kitchen. Also, the show ends a few minutes before the half hour is up, and the local station fills it up with promotions for other shows.

It's really about commerical TV vs. non-commercial TV (and my commerical TV, I don't mean actual commercials). They aren't exactly the same. PBS still needs to have some element of enterainment. If the show is boring, people won't watch, and the PBS stations won't pick up the shows. There are lots and lots of cooking shows airing on PBS stations. Some stations have a lot, some have just a small number. And not everyone sees the same shows. There are multiple reasons for this.

[MelissaH]

I have learned a lot from people like Sarah and Jacques - and I think it's wonderful that teaching is a large part of their shows.  But, they aren't on FTV (any longer).  I think FTV is more interested in the entertainment aspect than the teaching aspect. If the hosts are able to throw in some technique lessons, great - but I don't think it's required of them.  PBS seems to do this sort of thing better - perhaps they have more time to teach, not having to fit in commercials.

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Agreed that PBS these days is doing a better job of teaching than the Food Network. No matter what they're showing, PBS always seems to do a pretty good job educating. But I'm not so sure that PBS has more content time on their shows. Since getting a DVR, we watch very few shows in "real time" anymore. And regardless of whether the shows are on PBS or a commercial channel, we can zip through a "half hour" show in a little more than 20 minutes. The difference is that on a commercial channel, the meat of the show (excuse the expression) is in snippets, separated by commercials (like kebobs that include vegetables on the same skewer) whereas on PBS, once you get through the opening messages, the good stuff is in one big roast-like chunk. PBS is easier to watch this way.

But for me there needs to be at least some decent entertainment value, if I'm going to spend my precious time watching a show (time-shifted or live). That's what doomed RLB's Baking Magic show for me: there wasn't anything new from either an educational or entertainment standpoint. Everything she talked about was in one or another of her books, which I own, and the show itself was pedestrian enough (it felt like I could have done the same thing in my own kitchen) that there was no draw for me. And that, in a nutshell, represents some of the problems with many of the shows today.

MelissaH

[Toliver]

I was actually thinking more along the lines of eG eventually using excess donations ( <--- HINT, everyone) to help the talent already here to produce actual TV series rather than internet video snippets..... then just sell them to PBS et al. I think several series produced under an eG umbrella would carry much more weight to the general public than an individual trying to get their own short series up and running.

But you're right.... just like the eGCi series only on video, layed out as planned lessons in a series, even if by several talented people independent of one another.

I knew I went to film school for a reason....... 

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PBS? That's old school. Today the content drives the medium.

Go ahead and produce the series but don't settle just for PBS. Post it simultaneously on iTunes and YouTube and anywhere else people can download the shows at their convenience into their iPods, Blackberrys, cellphones, et al.

Of course, if it did end up on PBS then there'd have to be a companion eG cookbook and eventually an eG line of cookware. Unfortunately, the eG cookware would be so top-of-the-line/kick-ass that no one would be able to afford it.

I agree with what's been posted about Ina. I admire her output, but getting there drives me up the wall. Measure it, woman, measure it!!!

[C_Ruark]

The shows "America's Test Kitchen" and Jacques Pepin do technique better than most, both PBS.

Also, the Great Chefs of the World series origionally aired on The Discovery Channel was very technique oriented.

Most of what you see on the Food Network is simple-minded entertainment.

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Hear, Hear to Great Chefs. I am into my 24th year of addiction...

... which started on PBS, BTW. Mary Lou Conroy has taught me a lot since 1982.

Oh, and don't forget to pay respects to Julia Child. She is the quintessential teacher.

...Technique and tidiness apparently do NOT go hand-in-hand.

She once wrote [to paraphrase]: "You're not cooking if you haven't used every single pot and pan at your disposal".

Sometimes, just the act of cleaning as you go works as a suitable timer.

~C

Edited July 26, 2006 by C_Ruark (log)

[Megan Blocker]

For example: Ina Garten is making roast chicken on croutons. Why can't she cut up a roast chicken properly? Why is she using a wooden spoon to turn croutons instead of flipping them in the pan? It's very strange to me that a food professional wouldn't have these basic skills and wouldn't want to teach them. I mean, not everyone is Pepin and every show can't be La Technique. But turning individual croutons with a wooden spoon? I don't get it.

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Yeah, Ina's never been big on techniques...her recipes are easy to follow, but her demos are best followed by experienced cooks who won't be afraid to do it their own way...that said, I love the look of her show, the emphasis on entertaining (typically) small groups, and the food, while calorific, is good, solid, and relatively simple.

America's Test Kitchen is excellent on this front. I respect Alton Brown for his efforts in the kitchen science/what to do and why area, but I much prefer the ATK style (and lack of commercials).

I'll also chime in on Rachael Ray here - though I don't love listening to her, she does a good job of explaining what she's doing and why, which is really important, especially for her demographic.

And I always learn a new trick when I watch Jacques Pepin!

Edited July 26, 2006 by Megan Blocker (log)

[rancho_gordo]

America's Test Kitchen is excellent on this front.  I respect Alton Brown for his efforts in the kitchen science/what to do and why area, but I much prefer the ATK style (and lack of commercials).

I admire what they do and enjoy reading/watching how they get to their destination but I have to say none of the food looks all the great. I've only seen the show a handful of times but I wasn't moved to cook after viewing. Their chili looked like a leaden disaster to me. I think it's very Yankee-style cooking, which is interesting but it doesn't seem very passionate.

There's a couple of "designers'" on HGTV who do room makeovers and they have the worst track-home taste but they can justify it in a pedantic way that makes you question your sanity ("Now the grey from the porcelain kitty's head picks up the grout in the tile-work and creates a lovely backdrop for our chintz toilet paper cozy!")

I'll also chime in on Rachael Ray here - though I don't love listening to her, she does a good job of explaining what she's doing and why, which is really important, especially for her demographic.

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Really? I don't' see that at all. She's just opening cans and dumping stuff into a frying pan as far as I can tell. I dont want to reopen old wounds, but I don't think you learn anything by watching her. You get a list of ingredients.

Edited July 26, 2006 by rancho_gordo (log)

[Chris Amirault]

That's what I thought, too, Steve, until I watched a few episodes. You can tell she got her start doing demos at supermarkets, as she explains nearly everything she does. Not that I'm all that psyched about her "Jimmy Two-Times Two-Times" menu, but credit where credit's due.

[Megan Blocker]

That's what I thought, too, Steve, until I watched a few episodes. You can tell she got her start doing demos at supermarkets, as she explains nearly everything she does. Not that I'm all that psyched about her "Jimmy Two-Times Two-Times" menu, but credit where credit's due.

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Exactly. I've actually always thought that the value, for a beginner, in watching RR is the techniques you learn along the way...salting the pasta water and why...how to make a basic pan sauce...why you might tear basil instead of slicing it (though she usually chiffonades, she talks about how her grandfather would be appalled)...and so on.

[Megan Blocker]

America's Test Kitchen is excellent on this front.  I respect Alton Brown for his efforts in the kitchen science/what to do and why area, but I much prefer the ATK style (and lack of commercials).

I admire what they do and enjoy reading/watching how they get to their destination but I have to say none of the food looks all the great. I've only seen the show a handful of times but I wasn't moved to cook after viewing. Their chili looked like a leaden disaster to me. I think it's very Yankee-style cooking, which is interesting but it doesn't seem very passionate.

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Being a Yankee, I like understatement.

I'll admit, I haven't made many of their recipes, but I like learning about things like the best way to make an apple pie - how to keep the crust flaky and not soggy, etc. Also, their little asides on things like which butter is the most flavorful or best for certain tasks is really useful. For me, they're more about technique or ideas than the recipe itself...