Just about done with...

Like most, I've abandoned Food Network (or they abandoned me).

_____I know there are drinking games (one version of Rachel Ray's here), but this recent quote from the WTTW strain made me think of my comment last night while watching one of the 2006 Emeril Live shows. I don't know how many more:

"Use your Knob"
"Season deep fried foods right after they come out...they're vulnerable"
"What did it ever do to you?!"

_____Don't get me wrong, I have found a chunk of solid recipes over the years from Emeril. Most of them include andouille, but that's a personal preference. Either way, I just wondered if the avid or formerly avid Food Network watchers were feeling the same way...or have some least-favorite or overused quotes to add.

Zin

Hi, I'm gmonkey, and I am a closeted Rachael Ray-aholic. Why can I never turn ANY of her shows off when they're on? Why?!

There are the ol' standby Ray-rayisms:

"It smells SO good in here!"
"Yum-O!"

But what I love/hate most about her is how she laughs at her own corny jokes. It's borderline chuckle/nervous laughter where she's not sure that anyone else thinks she's being humorous. They're really not funny, but she loves it.

I also love watching her get everything at once for her meal in one trip.

I do find it less enjoyable: more of their prime-time seems to be taken up by travelogs, pastry competitions and Mister Rogers-like industrial manufacturing films narrated by used-car commercial voices.

I still enjoy both the original and expatriate versions of Iron Chef, Alton Brown is always entertaining (although a whole show on flounder kind of indicates he's running out of material)... but I miss the pre-dinner Sara Moulton show, I miss new stuff from Mario or Ming Tsai (another reason I need to get a digital TV receiver), and aren't there any new celeb chefs willing to bare their souls on FoodTV?

I dont know if they show it on american Food network, but the show "Chef at Home" and "Chef At Large" hosted Michael Smith is on the Canada Food TV channel and its one of my favorites.

http://www.foodtv.ca/ontv/titledetails. ... leid=82664

and

http://www.foodtv.ca/ontv/titledetails. ... leid=47264

One show that I don't particularly enjoy but always amuses me is that show with Mark Goodman, where he goes behind the scenes to demonstrate how any number of processed supermarket foods are made. I don't know what the ultimate purpose is of the show -- to be purely informative (like field trips you had to take as a kid to hospitals), or to induce you to run out and buy the products featured. Inevitably, there's always the interview of the corporate PR executive who extols the gourmand virtues of the "highest-quality ingredients" that go into Cheetos, or how the freezing process for Sara Lee apple pies ensure that they will always "beat your Grandma's homemade version" in taste tests.

I'll never forget the one show on McDonad's McGriddles (or something like that), where the chef proudly described the "product" applied to the pancake/biscuit portion in order to make it taste like maple syrup. How it was superior to pure maple syrup because it afforded the bun to stay put, rather than slide around. It sounded like some sort of Dow-manufactured crystalline chemical that was a proven cause of cancer in lab rats. I thought, "I'll never order one of those now, ever."

The seem to play the shows I like in the small hours of the morning, so I TiVo them. I like "Tyler's Ultimate," where Tyler Florence picks one dish, like apple pie, or item, like ham, and explores its roots and how it is prepared in various cultures. I also like Ciao America with Mario Batali where he goes to various American cities exploring Italian immigrant food. And I do like the Barefoot Contessa shows, although a) everything she makes is in one of her cookbooks and b) I cringe every time Ina Garten, who is seriously rotund, whips up some dip with sour cream, cream cheese and mayo, or some incredibly high-fat dessert and digs in. There but for the grace of God go I.....

I really bemoan the fact that the Food Network seems to be headed more and more toward shows on how to make quick use of prepackaged ingredients, a la Rachael Ray and that horrible Semi-Homemade woman, instead of showing people how very easy it is to cook for oneself.

I'll say without a molecule of irony or sarcasm that I liked "The Next Food Network Star," and apparently a new season will be starting soon, for no other reason than that it makes bare everything the network is and isn't about (gloss and food, respectively). I have no interest in the contestants or the shows they're pushing, beyond their serving as a catalyst for all the behind-the-scenes machinations.

I'm also quite partial to "The Secret Life of..." for some odd reason. I think I really like that the host, Jim O'Connor, goes into every episode like he knows nothing about anything having to do with the food at hand. Or like he's never eaten before.

It's not a dumbed down kind of way, either.

I still enjoy Food Network shows too.....been watching for years and try to find something to enjoy in each episode.

Favs?

Good Eats (it's all about the science)
Tyler's Ultimate (now I've got to TiVO it...)
Food 911 (really, how helpless are these people? I think they just want to be close to Tyler )
Barefoot Contessa (I like her food; she's got a mannerism that bugs me....can't put my finger on it but she's very condescending.)
Ham on the Street (what a p!sser! Makes food fun.....bleu cheese ice cream??? *shudder*)

Ehs?

Secret Life of..... (hit or miss. The host is kinda funny, especially when he dives into whatever food he's eating. Just once I'd *love* to see a bad reaction when he's stuffed his mouth full of something yucky!)
Rachel Ray (She's an assembler. Good ideas for those not super confident in their abilities. $40 is good for traveling but c'mon....is everything DELISH! EVOO!!! Could you imagine her on a date? Would she *ever* shut up?)

$40 is good for traveling but c'mon....is everything DELISH!

This is the biggest scam ever. Have you ever noticed how she "makes her budget" by a) being the worst tipper in the history of civilization and b) ordering an appetizer for her entire dinner, which, in the real world, would cause your waiter to hate you with a fiery passion.

ekpaster wrote:

$40 is good for traveling but c'mon....is everything DELISH!

This is the biggest scam ever. Have you ever noticed how she "makes her budget" by a) being the worst tipper in the history of civilization and b) ordering an appetizer for her entire dinner, which, in the real world, would cause your waiter to hate you with a fiery passion.

So I am not the only person who has noticed that she tips 15% on the before tax dollars even though she should be aware that the servers must contribute to the tip share from their post tax sales? My parents were some of the worst tippers in the world until I began working in the restaurants. Now they understand that tips make up 99.9% of a servers income with their paychecks most often not even covering their taxes.

Sorry about the rant but RR pisses me off!

Flip

JoelF wrote:I miss the pre-dinner Sara Moulton show, I miss new stuff from Mario or Ming Tsai (another reason I need to get a digital TV receiver), and aren't there any new celeb chefs willing to bare their souls on FoodTV?

It isn't that the chefs don't want FoodTV, it's that FoodTV no longer wants THEM. Observe the following thread:

thread

According to Sara Moulton, the new management over at FoodTV has decided that they want 15-35 year old males, and that evidently means means less Mario and more Ham on the Street.

Personally speaking, I think they've been spiraling downward for a long, long time and if the trend continues for another six months, they'll be pretty much worthless for everything except Iron Chef (both versions). The fact that a network supposedly dedicated to good food is featuring *shudder* Sandra Lee pretty much says it all, I think.

I find it amusing to watch the Food Network while exercising. Perhaps this makes me a masochist.
I cannot, however, under any circumstances, tolerate Emeril. He makes me want to crawl through my TV and smack him. hard. with his catch phrases, lbs of butter, ugh.

As a (transplanted) Southerner, I love Paula Deen. I can't help myself. I've spent many a great long weekend in Savannah which always includes an attempt to eat at Lady and Sons- sometimes we're successful, sometimes not.
I must say, I fear for the old broad's health. Apparently I'm not the only one: http://www.tvgasm.com/archives/food_network/001402.php

And don't get me started on Giada "Big-Head" "It's a good thing my granddaddy is Dino" DeLaurentis.

I still also have a very warm spot for Alton Brown. Yes, his show is overproduced and cheesy, but I really, really love me some nerdy men. My list of tv "boyfriends" (my husband's term) includes Alton, Jon Stewart and Anderson Cooper. It's a sickness.

So, to conclude this totally rambling and pointless post, FoodTV is probably changing a little, and probably not for the better. It's the age old "re-concept" we've seen at so many restaurants-- re-shift to find the new hip demographic. I don't think it wise, in terms of a strategy, and I don't think it will last very long. But, if she really is leaving, I won't miss Sara Moulton. Can you say uptight?

Saturday morning ritual involves me watching "How To Boil Water", Paula Deen, and Giada...

I think Tyler Florence is pretty hot, and oh yeah, his recipes work.. I actually tried his Chicken parm this weekend, and those who know me know I can't cook. It turned out pretty good!

Paula Deen is so warm and inviting that it really seems like she is talking to me... through the TV... Sounds psychotic, but when she says " See y'all in a minute", I actually respond "See ya"...

I try not to miss a single episode of Good Eats. I even sing along to the jingle... Alton is so cute...

But back to the original subject, I cannot stand Emeril anymore. Why can't he stay on his own shows!? It used to be that when I see Emeril on his cooking shows, I turn to TNT and watch Law and Order. But nowadays, when I flip the channel, there he is again, hawking toothpaste... sigh

And don't get me started on Rachel Ray. She does seem to be popular.

That's great, so a TV network about food is chasing the portion of the population that cooks the least?

Oh, I forgot, it's a TV network, they all target 18 to 35 year old males.

Looking forward to real cooking shows on iTunes....

JoelF wrote:According to Sara Moulton, the new management over at FoodTV has decided that they want 15-35 year old males, and that evidently means means less Mario and more Ham on the Street.

MB is by far my favorite but I can't see how he has time to do any regular shows anymore besides "Iron Chef" (which probably isn't that time-intensive).

There was, however, a special on Sunday called "Mario: FULL BOIL", which documented the building of Del Posto and the trials surrounding it. It was pretty good, especially when he was talking about the recipes and when Joe Bastianich was tearing the contractors a new one. I'm sure it's been told before, but MB had a good joke along the lines of:

"Somone asked me, 'what do you think of vegans ?' and I said 'I love vegans. Most of my favorite things to eat were vegans !' "



My Tivo said it was only airing once but I'll check again to see if it will be rerun. I missed the 1st 15 mins.

I turn on Food Network several times a day to see what is on. I rarely watch an entire show anymore. I CAN watch an entire cooking show on PBS, however. I just like that most of the chefs on PBS don't have to taste their food and say, MMMmm, it's soo good. They don't have to. I almost couldn't believe it when Paula actually put eggs, cottage, cheddar, swiss, mozz and cream cheese in the lasagna. That's Paula and just gross!

The Emeril Channel (Motto: "All Emeril, All The Time") has really gotten tiresome.

Emeril does have some good preparations and can be amusing, but it's really offputting to see people applauding when he slices an onion or drops "essence" into a dish. Get real.

It's painfully obvious the nework has instructed the performers to jazz things up -- look at Rachel Ray's recent shows versus the older ones that are aired.

My favorite show is Alton Brown's Good Eats because I'm always curious to find out how things work and he explains in detail. (I miss David Rosengarten's show.) Brown is quirky because that's what it takes to get on during Prime Time, but at least he's not overbearing or crude like some.

The worst show is Semi-homemade (semi-cooking for the semi-interested). I don't need "recipes" involving Oreos.

There are several decent shows, but most aren't on when I have time to watch (in the evening). When we do our channel-hopping bit we always check the "food" network, but usually run screaming from it. The producers think it's fun, but my wife and I find the obviously manufactured hype less interesting than C-Span broadcasting Congressional Committee meetings.

Wow. It is really interesting that this link has postings all the way from 2004 to present. Sort of tells you something about Food Network, huh?

I agree with everyone about having enough of those "short-cut" shows. Rachel is okay, but seriously, who talks like that? And has she ever watched an episode of herself? She speaks like a caricature, and I am always a bit frightened that she may hit herself with those huge hand gestures. Watching her makes me feel like I am talking to my first grade teacher.
Don't even get me started on Sandra Lee. and I know Sarah Moulton is a good chef, but I am glad I am not the only one that finds her a little uptight to watch.
I really like anything Tyler Florence or Alton Brown does, and I'm so happy for Iron Chef America, because they cook with ingredients I might actually eat, instead of fish spleen.
I've been saying for years that Food Network needs to reach out to their younger viewers, so I am not surprised that they are trying to target to 18-35 year old crowd. And while Ham on the Street is interesting, as a young cook/chowhound, it does nothing for me. And the "be the next Food TV Star" show? I hardly EVER see the show by the winners from last year, and the few times I did, it didn't have nearly as much personality as they did during the contest.
I'd personally like to see more shows that engage all my senses, perhaps ones that talk about current food trends and establishments that support them. They had a show on for a while called "In to the Fire" that went behind the scenes at some popular restaurants that was great. The Discovery Home Channel/BBC show "The Best" is my favorite, where it takes two chefs and one Rachel Ray-type chef, picks a topic of food, and they make their own best version of it and serve it to a crowd anonymously to see who's is really the best. I am interested in learning the many applications you can give to certain food item, or creative recipes. Not trying to distinguish what the hell Emeril is saying. He had a show on rice, and his explanation about the different kinds went something like : yeah, so there is white rice and other colors and they all taste real good. " I can learn more by reading the back of an Uncle Ben's box.
I just find that I have such a thirst for knowledge about the food and cuisine, and Food Network just wants to put any show that is remotely about food on tv. They need more people with interesting personalities who have a real passion for what they do, not people like Giada who are rich and already famous and look like they never eat what they are making. Anyone with me on that?

I'm having to really, really control myself not to rant about Sandra Lee. I can't possibly imagine what FN was thinking when they saw the pilot for this train wreck of a show. If I see her open one more seasoning packet or make one more 'tini using beer I'll scream.

I really like Tyler Florence and Alton Brown. I always find that I get lots of very useful information and the shows move at a nice quick pace. Even on Food 911 while the people are staring in adoration at Tyler, he's still giving them/the viewers great tips on grilling vegetables, making stock, or something like that.

I think Sara Moulton has some great recipes and I like what she comes up with for Gourmet magazine, but like you all have been saying, she has so little personality which is very unfortunate.

Paula Deen's show should have a warning at the beginning of it to only make the following recipes after you've consulted a cardioligist. Anyone see her Thanksgiving special? Wowzers!

Dave Lieberman was someone I was starting to enjoy and he's sort of disappeared. I know FN had him doing sort of a video series, but they put his TV show in some obtuse time slot. Kind of strange since there was so much noise about what a successful launch he had.

I do like Iron Chef America because of the judges, the chefs, and the ingredients.

It would be nice if Food Network would refocus on having more personalities like Alton Brown and Tyler Florence who really try and teach the viewers something. I think Emeril did that in beginning, but when I watch his show now it all seems like he's just retreading old shows.

What ever happened to David Rosengarten? I know he was a bit much at times with his personality, but he knew his stuff on his show Taste. That was when I used to love Food Network. And the Two Hot Tamales.

I still love Alton, and I do enjoy the Secret Life Of, but I rarely watch anymore because it seems the Raytard is always on. I also used to enjoy Follow That Food. Interesting concept to follow a food from it's creation/cultivation thru harvesting, processing and packaging/shipping to it's final form on someone's plate.

At any rate I spend more time in my kitchen now than watching tv so that's a plus. (around my waist, lol)

Here's what happened to David Rosengarten.

It's a bit unclear where his personal enthusiasms end and his financial interests begin, but the content is good (if breathless-- he has a life-changing experience at least three times a month) and among things people have bought and eaten after reading about them there is the famous wagyu brisket. It's a fun read and worth the price.