Nigella Feasts

[barolo]

An article about Nigella on Slate today: Oral Pleasures

Nigella Feasts finds the hostess up to the same old tricks: She prepares hearty food without fuss; she alternates coy smiles with confidential grins; verbal and voluptuary, she reinvents the double-entendre. This sex bomb is aimed, I think, at housewives. Buford, explaining why the Food Network's offerings are called "food porn," insisted, "It's not erotic ... It's just unreal." He obviously hadn't seen Lawson make guacamole.

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

Huge fan here. She truly takes pleasure in food and cooking and that shines through in everything she does on screen, which is refreshing. The recipes that I've tried have been uniformly delicious, which is an added bonus.

I want to be Nigella when I grow up.

←

I want to be WITH Nigella when I grow up.

←

Sure, Bonnie lies over the ocean,

And Bonnie lies over the sea,

While Bonnie lies over the ocean,

Nigella can lie over me.

Disclaimer: I'm married to a beautiful woman and would only fant, um, theorize about such an encounter in real life.

[judiu]

Huge fan here. She truly takes pleasure in food and cooking and that shines through in everything she does on screen, which is refreshing. The recipes that I've tried have been uniformly delicious, which is an added bonus.

I want to be Nigella when I grow up.

←

I want to be WITH Nigella when I grow up.

←

Sure, Bonnie lies over the ocean,

And Bonnie lies over the sea,

While Bonnie lies over the ocean,

Nigella can lie over me.

Disclaimer: I'm married to a beautiful woman and would only fant, um, theorize about such an encounter in real life.

←

Smack him, please!

[Live It Up]

Have people been watching the new show? I've seen a few episodes, as well as some of her older shows. Does it strike anyone else as strange that they show her home surrounded by nature, but whenever she goes out shopping she's in NYC (or at least it looks like NYC to me, I could be wrong)? On the most recent one she made "ritzy chicken nuggets" which also seems really forced to appeal to the foodtv audience. I have to admit I made those nuggets against my better judgment. I hate ritz crackers, but I had been craving chicken nuggets and the texture of hers looked great. Well, perhaps it's my own fault, but I thought they were awful. They were really soggy and stuck to the pan. Oh well, the show is entertaining.

[Spiro]

Have people been watching the new show? I've seen a few episodes, as well as some of her older shows. Does it strike anyone else as strange that they show her home surrounded by nature, but whenever she goes out shopping she's in NYC (or at least it looks like NYC to me, I could be wrong)? On the most recent one she made "ritzy chicken nuggets"  which also seems really forced to appeal to the foodtv audience. I have to admit I made those nuggets against my better judgment. I hate ritz crackers, but I had been craving chicken nuggets and the texture of hers looked great. Well, perhaps it's my own fault, but I thought they were awful. They were really soggy and stuck to the pan. Oh well, the show is entertaining.

←

This series does seem more targetted at the North American audience. I think this is the first time she's given measurements and temperatures in anything other than metric.

It also seems that before and after each break, there's an "up next" segment and a "recap" segment. I'm not sure if this addition is based on any kind of market research, but it's definitely a change from previous series which had a much more casual, conversational tone.

Haven't seen enough episodes to have an opinion on her menu choices, but they too seem less British than in the past.

And, I'm pretty sure you're seeing London when she's out and about. The nature you see is, I assume, her back yard. From what I understand, it's fairly common in London to have a solid row of houses, but in the back is a surprising amount of green space.

[JudyB]

This series does seem more targetted at the North American audience.  I think this is the first time she's given measurements and temperatures in anything other than metric.

It also seems that before and after each break, there's an "up next" segment and a "recap" segment.  I'm not sure if this addition is based on any kind of market research, but it's definitely a change from previous series which had a much more casual, conversational tone.

Haven't seen enough episodes to have an opinion on her menu choices, but they too seem less British than in the past.

And, I'm pretty sure you're seeing London when she's out and about.  The nature you see is, I assume, her back yard.  From what I understand, it's fairly common in London to have a solid row of houses, but in the back is a surprising amount of green space.

←

Being in the UK I haven't seen this series, but I think that the large back garden seen in previous series was at her London house (or flat).

This series probably would be more specifically targetted at America than the earlier ones since it seems to have been made by/for US TV. Her earlier series were made for Channel 4 TV in the UK.

I have no idea when or if it will be shown in the US, but she has apparently made a new 3 programme series about cooking for Christmas which is due on the BBC in the UK soon. That one will probably be back onto mainly metric measurements since we supposedly went metric here several years ago.

[mukki]

The shots of her shopping have definitely been filmed in NYC so far. The first time she was buying chocolate cake at Dean & Deluca and the cheese shop she visited was Murray's.

I'm not really enjoying the foods she's been making so far. They do seem like they're targeted for North Americans; what I've liked about her shows in the past is that the foods are different from what you usually see on the Food Network.

[Jasmine]

This series does seem more targetted at the North American audience.  I think this is the first time she's given measurements and temperatures in anything other than metric.

It also seems that before and after each break, there's an "up next" segment and a "recap" segment.  I'm not sure if this addition is based on any kind of market research, but it's definitely a change from previous series which had a much more casual, conversational tone.

←

I must admit that I thought it was just me...The show has been Americanised and I think has lost a little of what made her previous series fun to watch.

I wouldn't be surprised if the American sponsors "requested" some formatting changes for what they thought would pull in more viewers. It's not the first time a good formula has been made...different...the first Harry Potter is an example.

j

[JanMcBaker]

I must admit that I thought it was just me...The show has been Americanised and I think has lost a little of what made her previous series fun to watch.

I wouldn't be surprised if the American sponsors "requested" some formatting changes for what they thought would pull in more viewers.  It's not the first time a good formula has been made...different...the first Harry Potter is an example. 

j

←

I know what you mean. This show feels different from her earlier ones, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it-- it's more than just the 'American' measurements. I think they're looking more staged-- like they were more natural and free-flowing before.

[Spiro]

I know what you mean.  This show feels different from her earlier ones, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it-- it's more than just the 'American' measurements.  I think they're looking more staged-- like they were more natural and free-flowing before.

←

After watching a couple more episodes, I find myselft not caring if I ever see it again. But, if an episode of "Bites" or "Forever Summer" were to come on, I'd definitely watch. And it's not necessarily simply because things seem "staged"; Kylie Kwan's shows are definitely staged, but they're still enjoyable. Maybe I just don't like change...

[Lesley C]

I interviewed Nigella about a month ago and asker her if the new show was filmed in a studio. Her eyes bugged out and she said "No!" She seemed surprised that I thought so.

I know the dining room is the same, but the kitchen lighting is completely different. And I can't say I like the new background music as much as the old. The show is very different in feel, less natural, probably because she doesn't live in that house anymore. She told me she works without much in the way of a script.

As for the food, though, I'm almost certain all the recipes from the show are straight out of her 2004 book Feast.

I think her best series was Forever Summer, when the kitchen sections were interspaced with tight studio shots of the food with voice overs. And then there was that lovely summer house near the beach...

[Jasmine]

It's really amazing how what seem like minor nuance changes can change the show. There's the language issue (what she probably would have called a spring onion or green onion, she called a scallion) and the measurement issue (imperial measures and I'm not sure if she's weighing things out in this one--it's been a couple of weeks since I saw an episode). I think her speaking style changed as well--the voice sounds more forced and less natural...less like a conversation and more like a presenter...The show's presentation is different...is it shot in HD? I read somewhere that the US station has all shows shot in HD now...that could account for a change in the look of the show.

I know my bf made a snarky comment about all the product placement in her new show (all the Nigellaware)...nice to know she cooks with it, but he thought it was a bit much.

I should check out her boards and see what the fans are saying.

[Lita]

I'd much rather see her shopping in London than NYC. Not that there's anything less than wonderful about NYC (wish I were there!), but it just has too much of a "what the fuck?" distraction factor about it. You leave a flat in London, and *poof* you are shopping in Manhattan.

I am glad she is finally on FTV, at least, as we've never been able to get the Style Network.

[Lesley C]

On the last chocolate show she started in London, shopped in New York, made a sandwich in her London kitchen and ate it in a cab in New York.

Weird. Did the producers not think viewers would pick up on that?

[CaliPoutine]

The only time she's caught me out was when she recommended collecting the dregs from her guests' wine glasses after a dinner party, and freezing these in ice cube trays to use later for cooking.  That was a little too practical......

←

And too fastidious by half. Why wouldn't one just drink them?

←

I never heard her say take the guests' dregs, but I did hear her say she freezes leftover wine in a ziplock bag. I've been doing that for over a year and it works so well. I throw the wine in when I'm making marinara or a beef stew.

[kellycolorado]

I'm afraid that, other than Ming Tsai (who has a degree from Yale as well as a culinary degree from the Cordon Bleu), no American chef can hold a candle in terms of eloquence and viewability to Nigella or Tamasin ...

←

Yes, but what about Mario and how eloquently he speaks about the regions and foods of Italy?

[Ce'nedra]

I've never seen any of Nigella's other tv series (and I'm hoping they would view it here in Oz or if it's because I missed out, then have re-runs!) but...

Nigella Feasts just started airing here in Australia (well, about 3-4 weeks ago) and I absolutely adore the show/her -I have been recording every single episode!

I too agree that she is really approachable and yes, while her beautiful appearance can be distracting (and I'm not even male ), I LOVE her approach to food. She also keeps things fairly simple for us cooking 'newbies' which I have to appreciate.

Another thing is that her cooking tips are very practical, which I can't say about too many chefs.

And you've just GOT to love her way with words

Which of her cookbooks would anybody here nominate as her best one? I haven't taken a look at them but am thinking about it soon.

I was glad to see that they kept the tradition of the end segment of her eating out of the fridge in the dark.

Ooh that is one of my favourite parts of the show!

Edited December 12, 2007 by Ce'nedra (log)

[Prawncrackers]

A found a lot of her earlier shows very enjoyable to watch. She was a fresh personality, naturally very beautiful and had a wicked way with words. I could ignore the obvious escapist nature of the shows and the choreographed flirting to camera as the food she cooked always appeared so generously homely delicious.

However, her latest series on the BBC: ‘Nigella Express’, is simply dreadful. Once the novelty of her personality has worn off you focus on what she’s actually cooking and the way the program is made. The pretext of the show is that she is on a crusade, as most TV cooks here in the UK are, to show people that great food can be made in an <<Express!>> (buzzword alert). Cut-away to Nigella waiting at bus-stop then cut again to her drinking <<Express!>>-made soup from flask on the back of the bus. Look I know you’re not serious Nigella, I didn’t for an iota think you were being serious. But you’ve let the director or the producer pepper your show with so much fluff that whilst half your audience is rapt with the fantastical details of your lifestyle the other half are drowning in saccharin to a soundtrack of lounge-jazz muzak. Every link has to be about your kids or your celebrity friends popping in, it is all so distracting and superfluous to the food. Actually thinking about it maybe the hideously excessive amount of fuzz in the show is there to intentionally hide the terrible food.

Oh dear this has become a Nigella bashing rant! But I’m sure for every basher like me there are five who adore and will stand up for her…

I have two of her early Domestic Goddess books and they are fantastic, well-thumbed and full of ideas. But it is plainly obvious to me and to anyone who actually pays attention to the content of the show that the food on it is just awful. Nigella has never been a technical cook (she couldn’t dice a shallot - fact) but uses great ingredients simply often taking shortcuts but never to the detriment of the food. The nature of this <<Express!>> program however means she’s taking shortcuts of those shortcuts! The resulting food is so compromised it’s almost embarrassing. Maybe it is the constraints of the show but I expect so much better from her.

It is a solid half hour show with no ad breaks on the BBC. Each show has 4 or 5 dishes, considering these are <<Express!>> dishes you can see how much padding there is. I’m not persuading anyone not to watch it after all I watch it myself. I’m just deeply disappointed with it on a weekly basis. It’s so off the mark for me that I’m doubting everything she’s ever done in the past! What do other viewers of this show think?

After this dumbed-down series I hope that she does one that allows her to show her extravagant side. But please, less fluff! It’s just so nauseating.

[lapin d'or]

Totally agree Prawncrackers.

I have most of her earlier books and use them often, and with great results.

I hate the latest Express series both for style and recipes. I just find myself asking why is she doing it after every programme.

Too bad really as I like watching cookery programmes and they are all getting a bit trivial. I want them to repeat the Roux Brothers very early series - nothing fluffy about any of that.

[insomniac]

Prawncrackers and lapin d'or are on the money....the 'Nigella Show' has degenerated into a sorry caricature of her obvious talent with both words and food....recently we all sat glued in horrified fascination at one of her latest midnight feasts...reaching into the fridge and coming out with a pork chop, wrapping it in slab of bacon and proceeding to hoover it down .......don't do it Nigella!