# Who Is Your Favorite Celebrity Chef?



## Corey123 (Jul 4, 2006)

Ok, guys. Who do you admire as your favorite celebrity chef? 

Mine are Emeril Lagasse, Paula Deen, Ming Tsai, Giada DeLaurentis, Rachel Ray, Mario Batali and Bobby Flay. 


~Corey123.


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## Ishbel (Jul 4, 2006)

Wasn't this answered here on this thread you started a while back?
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f26/whats-your-favorite-cooking-show-17839.html


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## Corey123 (Jul 4, 2006)

I thought that it was two different catagories. 

The other one is about cooking SHOWS.


~Corey123.


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## Ishbel (Jul 4, 2006)

Hmmmm - fine line, surely?  Most 'celebrity chefs' only become so when they appear on TV


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## jkath (Jul 4, 2006)

If we're talking chefs, I'll take Paula Deen - she seems to be the sweetest lady out there! (and what I wouldn't give to be her next door neighbor!)


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## Shunka (Jul 4, 2006)

I agree about Paula Deen!! I also really like Ainsley Harriott; I never missed his shows when they were shown here in the US. I even like Gordon Ramsey, he may be very tough but the guy knows what he is doing.


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## grumblebee (Jul 4, 2006)

Most recently it's been Curtis Stone from TLCs "Take Home Chef." But I think it's because I have developed somewhat of a crush on him. (he is so gorgeous!) Hehe. 

As far as cooking goes, I really like chef Michael Smith (from "Chef at Home" - it's a canadian cooking show so you US folk might not be familiar with him), Masahara Morimoto (from Iron Chef and Iron Chef America), and Jamie Oliver. (from Naked Chef, School Lunch Project, etc.)


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## jkath (Jul 4, 2006)

grumblebee said:
			
		

> Most recently it's been Curtis Stone from TLCs "Take Home Chef." But I think it's because I have developed somewhat of a crush on him. (he is so gorgeous!) Hehe.


 
How could I forget HIM??? you're not the only one who thinks he's gorgeous!

The thing is, I recognize some of the places he 'shops' in! They're only about 15 miles away from me. If only I could start shopping there.... 

PS - did you see his Malibu Rum/Pineapple concoction?


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## BigDog (Jul 4, 2006)

There are really four celebrity chefs I really like, though the order is constantly changing.

Emeril Lagasse - Energetic, animated, and can prepare meals from the most basic to the most elegant.

Bobby Flay - Quickly rising to the top of my favorite chefs, mainly because I've taken to his preference to the Southwest flavors and barbeque. That, and being married to Stephanie March!

Paula Dean - Outside of her nasaly voice and laugh, this woman cooks the way I like! Lots of food, plenty hot, and yummy rich! Cracker Barrel Restaurant, eat your heart out!

Mario Batali - Though I oft struggle with the speed of his monologue (sp?), the guy is certainly high on the list of Italian chefs in the world. He loves to tap in to his knowledge of the history of food in Italy and the types of food available in the various regions. He certainly favors elegant presentation, which is certainly not wrong, but for a budding entrepreneur in culinary arts, maintaining an upper end style can be difficult without establishing your niche.


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## Corey123 (Jul 4, 2006)

Paula Deen IS great!!

Her husband Michael even sometimes gets in on the act himself with her in the kitchen! But I have yet to see him really throw down! I bet he can cook a really mean meal!!

Her two sons are about to start their own show, but I think it's going to be somewhere along the lines of Al Roker's show, Roker on the Road.


~Corey123.


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## jkath (Jul 4, 2006)

Their show is called "Road Tasted" - looks like fun!

Click here: Food Network


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## Corey123 (Jul 4, 2006)

Thank you!

I knew that the word Road was in there somewhere.


~Cory123.


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## The Z (Jul 4, 2006)

Ishbel said:
			
		

> Hmmmm - fine line, surely? Most 'celebrity chefs' only become so when they appear on TV


 
I like Alton Brown's SHOW, but I wouldn't wouldn't include him in my Top 5 TV 'Chefs'.

I like:
Bobby Flay
Giada De Laurentiis 
Jamie Oliver
Emeril
Rachel Ray (is she a 'chef'?... I guess)


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## Banana Brain (Jul 4, 2006)

Paula Deen! I also like Giada De Laurentes and Bobby Flay.


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## mish (Jul 4, 2006)

Corey123 said:
			
		

> Ok, guys. Who do you admire as your favorite celebrity chef?~Corey123.


 

Favorite (celebrity) chef - Wolfgang Puck - from the first time I sampled his cooking at Spago.



Favorite TV celebrity chef(s):

Giada and Mario (I love Italian).

Ina - Everything she prepares looks like a party.

Rachael - For everyday quick-cooking ideas.


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## Trishness (Jul 4, 2006)

Not sure if you count these two as celebrities but I love their cookbooks and recipes......Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (of Silver Palate fame), also Jeff Smith (the Frugal Gourmet), Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse.

Trish


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## skilletlicker (Jul 4, 2006)

[highlight]Julia Child[/highlight]
As far as the television celebrity chefs go, all the rest stand on her broad shoulders. I remember trying to watch "The French Chef" and and scribble notes at the same time in the days before Beta-max or VCR. (I know y'all think I just make cornbread and grits.)

[highlight]Jeff Smith[/highlight]
Two decades later The Frugal Gourmet brought me a little closer to the present state of affairs.

Then came [highlight]Emeril Lagasse[/highlight] and [highlight]Mario Batali[/highlight]. I can barely watch Emeril anymore but Mario still informs and entertains me.

She's going to have to hang in there a lot longer to be included with the others but, if you're interested in Latin American cooking, I recommend [highlight]Daisy Martinez[/highlight] who has a show called "Daisy Cooks."


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## Corey123 (Jul 4, 2006)

Jeff Smith was good until he became involved in that sex scandle with a teenager who worked with him backstage on his show.

There was also another one - Justin Wilson who is from Louisiana, if he's still alive. He used to make great real down-home Southern-style dishes! He had a show on PBS as well!

I also forgot about Wolfgang Puck. He just opened a restaurant at Logan Airport!


~Corey123.


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## skilletlicker (Jul 4, 2006)

Corey123 said:
			
		

> There was also another one - Justin Wilson who is from Louisiana, if he's still alive. He used to make great real down-home Southern-style dishes! He had a show on PBS as well!


I'd forgotten about him. Don't think he's among the torch bearers of the genre but I did like his show. How do spell ga-ron-tee?


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## The Z (Jul 4, 2006)

Corey123 said:
			
		

> Jeff Smith was good until he became involved in that sex scandle with a teenager who worked with him backstage on his show.


 
That was a shame.  I always liked his passion, almost bordering on reverence for the preparation and presentation of his food and its place in our social and familial structure.  He was really never heard from again, even though we really know very little of the fact behind the scandal.  tsk


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## mrsmac (Jul 4, 2006)

A lot of your chefs I don't know although I have seen Rachel Ray.
I love Ainsley Harriot, we saw him cook at a Good Food and Wine show 2 years ago, Curtis Stone was there too (he is Australian!) I like Gordon Ramsay although I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of him. I also like Rick Stein.


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## Corey123 (Jul 4, 2006)

I would imagine that it's the same way you'd spell onyowns? Haha!!

I love his way with words and his Southern Cajiun accent!! I wonder if he has any cookbooks out.

There was still yet another one- James Beard. Sadly, he passed on though in the early '80's. He was more like the Southwestern cuisine type, much like Bobby Flay is today.

Still another one - Graham Kerr who hosted The Galloping Gourmet and another show in the early '90s based on light low-cal cuisine, like the shows Low-Carb and Loving It and Calorie Commando.


~Corey123.


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## licia (Jul 4, 2006)

I learned a lot from watching Jeff Smith, but Justin Wilson always seemed a bit dirty to me. He wasn't very careful about the kitchen towel he used and I wouldn't have eaten anything he cooked, but some of the recipes looked ok. I can't watch anyone cook who isn't as Julia Child always said "impeccably clean".


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## Corey123 (Jul 4, 2006)

Bon Appittit!!

That was her signature ending for each and every show she did. Haha!!

She used to sip some wine on her show The French Chef. 

Yes, she was very clean in the kitchen! That was one of the many things that I liked about her.


~Corey123.


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## skilletlicker (Jul 4, 2006)

Corey123 said:
			
		

> Still another one - Graham Kerr who hosted The Galloping Gourmet and another show in the early '90s based on light low-cal cuisine, like the shows Low-Carb and Loving It and Calorie Commando.


 
Well Corey, now, especially with the last two, you're getting to my list of most annoying.


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## Corey123 (Jul 4, 2006)

Why is that? Don't you want to know who was who back then?


~Corey123.


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## Silver (Jul 5, 2006)

grumblebee said:
			
		

> As far as cooking goes, I really like chef Michael Smith (from "Chef at Home" - it's a canadian cooking show so you US folk might not be familiar with him), Masahara Morimoto (from Iron Chef and Iron Chef America), and Jamie Oliver. (from Naked Chef, School Lunch Project, etc.)



Michael Smith all the way.  I just love the way he works in the kitchen and how _he_ likes things to be simple rather than just appearing simple.

I also enjoy Giada and David Rocco.


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## BigJim (Jul 5, 2006)

As a female chef I to have to go with Paula Dean. As a male chef I like Mr. Food.


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## Ishbel (Jul 5, 2006)

Graham Kerr did his Galloping Gourmet here in the UK before he emigrated to the US.  So when his American series was advertised here, I wanted to watch it.... I couldn't STAND it!  Changing all his dishes to low fat/low cal took at least HALF the taste out of every dish for me.


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## licia (Jul 5, 2006)

That move probably saved his life and that of his wife also. They both had very serious health problems.


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## Ishbel (Jul 5, 2006)

Indeed.... He was a lush!   And was well-known for it here - just like Keith Floyd, who sadly won't make old bones as he hasn't changed his lifestyle


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## licia (Jul 5, 2006)

I enjoyed your description of "won't make old bones". I've never heard that and it is quite apt in such cases.


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## Ishbel (Jul 5, 2006)

Very common expression this side of the pond


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## Piccolina (Jul 5, 2006)

Wow, this is a tough question, I love so many chefs! Right now I'd have to give my vote to Gordon Ramsey and Anthony Bourdain, not only is it their cooking that appeals to me, but I like their distinct, no nonsense personalities


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## GB (Jul 5, 2006)

I really like Anthony Bourdain. He is crude, crass, rude and I love every second of it.

What I really admire about him though is his willingness to try things that others might find wrong. He does not do it as much for the shock value as he does out of respect for the food and the people who eat it.


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## jkath (Jul 5, 2006)

GB said:
			
		

> He does not do it as much for the shock value as he does out of respect for the food and the people who eat it.


 
Well said, GB!!!


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## VickiQ (Jul 5, 2006)

Tyler Florence  Don't particularly care what he's cooking either!!!


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## Constance (Jul 5, 2006)

For me, it's a toss-up between Emeril and Paula Deen, although I also like Mario, Giada, Michael Chiarrello and Ina Gartner.


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## Corey123 (Jul 5, 2006)

There are also two other famous Italian celebrity chefs.

One is Lidia Matticchio and the other one (can't remember her name) does the cooking show Chio Italiano. Both are on PBS. 

Does anyone know the 2nd person's name? She has a very heavy accent and she mainly makes dishes that feature dough with them.


~Corey123.


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## Andy M. (Jul 5, 2006)

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich does the Lidia's Italian Kitchen and Mary Ann Esposito does Ciao, Italia!


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## Dina (Jul 5, 2006)

Emeril for stovetop cooking and Bobby Flay for grilling and sauces.  Emeril's Del Monico's Steakhouse was an awsome experience.  I can't wait to try Bobby's Mesa Grill in Vegas next month.


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## Trip (Jul 6, 2006)

Mario Batalli, Bobby Flay and Cat Cora... as you can see, I've been into the iron chef lately... also like Jeff Suddaby, he's not been on alot of tv shows but been to his restaurant, it was good, met him in person, he was nice, and he gave us an autographed cookbook because he found out we were on our honeymoon.


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## Corey123 (Jul 6, 2006)

I forgot about Cat Cora, also!

~Corey123.


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## Sue Lau (Jul 6, 2006)

I enjoy Lidia Bastianich as well. I use a variation of one of her tomato sauces as my own.
I also love Jacques Pepin, Christopher Kimball, and Ming Tsai.
~mouse


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## Corey123 (Jul 7, 2006)

Jacques Pepin worked with Julia Child at one time.


~Corey123.


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## Paymaster (Jul 7, 2006)

Paula Dean


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## BlueCat (Jul 7, 2006)

Haha! BigJim mentioned Mr. Food. I like him too.

My real favorite is, and will probably always be Jacques Pepin. I love the way he teaches you how to handle the knives and such, along with his instructions on preparing the food. All very clear and all very interesting.

BC


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## unmuzzleme (Jul 7, 2006)

I like Michael Chiarello, Morimoto, Alton Brown, and Rachael Ray...and Cat Cora and Giada De Laurentes and Ina Garten....

I really just like them all!


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## BigDog (Jul 8, 2006)

I forgot one that I loved to watch growing up.

Martin Yan, from _Yan Can Cook_.

"If Yan can cook, so can you!"

I missed him on Emeril recently. I was bummed. I wish his show was still on now. I remember watching him as a kid, but didn't really learn much then as I think I would have now.


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## Erik (Jul 8, 2006)

I really don't get to watch them much these days...but I am studying Rick Bayless right now...that guys is teaching me a lot right now!!!


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## BigJim (Jul 8, 2006)

I really got bumed out when the Iron chefs form Japan are not on like they
were. I watched them releagusly. or all most every episode. I liked them
alot better than the american version.


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## Phil (Jul 8, 2006)

*Who cares about a chef?*

I just like lookin' at Sandra Lee!!


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## Corey123 (Jul 9, 2006)

There's also another one - Florence Tyler.

He has the show Food 911 on the Food Network weekday afternoons.


~Corey123.


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## Dina (Jul 10, 2006)

My daughter loves Sandra Lee for her creativity.

Tyler Florence is a great chef too.  He's on my favorite chefs' list.


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## Corey123 (Jul 10, 2006)

Don't you both mean Sandra Dee? The one who does Semi-Homemade Cooking on the Food Network?


~Corey123.


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## GB (Jul 10, 2006)

Corey123 said:
			
		

> Don't you both mean Sandra Dee? The one who does Semi-Homemade Cooking on the Food Network?
> 
> 
> ~Corey123.


Sandra Dee was an actress best known for her role as Gidget. Sandra Lee is the woman on the Food Network.


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## sarah (Jul 10, 2006)

Ina Gartner,Paula Deen,Tyler Florence,Garry Rhodes,Nigella lawson.


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 10, 2006)

Frankly, I don't personally think there are ANY "best" celebrity chefs today.  I think they're all media puppets.  I hate all the hoopla, the bands/music, the circles of "pseudo-friends" sampling the cooking - the whole deal.  Also can't stand the pseudo-reality show chefs - aka Paula Dean & the Barefoot Contessa.  And if I hear about just ONE more show starring Rachael Ray. . . . Who are they kidding with these - we're having a party, come watch our guests swoon over our food?  What else are these guests going to do?  Gag on camera?  Lol!!

I'm sorry, but my HANDS DOWN celebrity chef will always be the late great Julia Child.  She fully explained the recipe, the ingredients (& sometimes their history), how to best prepare them, & how to serve them - without a band, without an audience, without hoopla.  Just serious cooking.  Which is what a cooking show should be all about.

Not all this current culinary CIRCUS that Food Network feels everyone should be watching.  When Food Network first came on the air, I watched it all the time.  GREAT shows - all the golden oldies.  Julia Child, Graham Kerr, & others - when cooking shows were COOKING shows - not a jump to primetime TV.  I don't think Julia Child was all that interested in getting her own talk show.  She was a SERIOUS cook - not a bimbo with a pan.


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## digigirl (Jul 10, 2006)

I like, in no particular order:

Paula Deen - hit and miss with her recipes. Some are just too, too..... too. And quite a few of hers are a bit too "semi-homemade" for my taste.  But some are excellent!  Try her Sour Cream Muffins, if you haven't yet.  They are the quickest, easiest, tastiest biscuits ever.  

Bobby Flay - not really into his show, but love his recipes.  Almost all that I have tried so far have been excellent.  Great mix of flavors, and usually not hard to make.

Giada de Laurentiis - again, hot or miss on her recipes.  Like her show a lot, she seems very sweet as well.  Have had varying success with her recipes. Some are excellent, some very mediocre.

Mario Batali - huge respect for this guy.  Here is a man who really seems to know his subject.  I like watching his show and his food looks and sounds wonderful - but most of his recipes are a little ambitious (or they are things my family won't eat) due to authenticity, so I haven't tried any yet.  He's on my list, though!


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## Corey123 (Jul 10, 2006)

GB said:
			
		

> Sandra Dee was an actress best known for her role as Gidget. Sandra Lee is the woman on the Food Network.


 


Oops, sorry about that. Got it mixed up.


~Corey123.


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## Home chef (Jul 10, 2006)

Wow!!! Less than a handfull of replies for Alton Brown. That saddens me. I really like the way Alton scientifically approaches food. After all, one can easily equate cooking with chemistry. He's incredibly creative and has an electric personality.

My second favorite would have to be Nigella Lawson, followed closely by Sandra Lee (only because she's... well... hott LOL)


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## Corey123 (Jul 10, 2006)

Some of his recipes I like and tried a few of them.


~Corey123.


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## SizzlininIN (Jul 11, 2006)

Its funny but as I sit here and think about it my viewing of the t.v. food shows has changed in the last year.

Rachael Ray.........in the beginning I absolutley loved her show.  But as time went on I'm just not as into it as I was.  I think maybe its because food network used to have a message board and people used to harp on her for the way she used so many hand gestures and said certain words or phrases all the time. I never realized it till they pointed it out and now I can't help focusing in on that and its made me not enjoy her show as much.

Paula Dean..........I used to love, love watching her show.  However, since she and Michael got married she's become a little too giddy.  She giggles so much now.  Maybe after the one year mark she'll calm down a bit and I can again enjoy her show like I used to.

Barefoot Contessa.........I have always enjoyed watching her show.  I've tried several of her dishes and they were winners each and every time.

Michael Chirrelo (? spelling)...........he's a cutie and I am drawn to watching his show.  Granted I've tried a few things and they didn't agree with my taste but I still go back for more  

Giada.........I love watching her cook.....she has a lot of passion in her cooking.

Wolf Gang Puck...........I just love to sit back and watch him cook. 

I really like the new show you guys mentioned............the one where the guys picks up a girl in the grocery store and fixes the meal in her home.  

But when it comes to the great ones..........hands down Julia Child and Jacque Pippan (?spelling). I really loved it when they cooked together.


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## Corey123 (Jul 11, 2006)

The most common aggravating problem that I have with the Food Network is not with the shows themselves, but this I blame the network istelf for.

And that is, they just keep on friggen repeating recent episodes of the cooking shows over, and over, and over, and over again!!! This is ridiculously annoying!! As if they've run out off new episodes. 

This is the same stupid problem with the Disney Channel as well!! Constant repeats of episodes of their programs!!!

But the Food Network is supposed to be airing new shows during the summer. In fact, the one with Paula's sons airs tonight, I think.


~Corey123.


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## Home chef (Jul 11, 2006)

Corey123 said:
			
		

> And that is, they just keep on friggen repeating recent episodes of the cooking shows over, and over, and over, and over again!!! This is ridiculously annoying!! As if they've run out off new episodes.
> ~Corey123.


 
THis is how I get around that. I set my TIVO to only record those shows that are brand new episodes. This way I don't have to watch rerun after rerun unless I want to.


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## licia (Jul 11, 2006)

Amen, Breezy Cooking, you read my mind.

I enjoyed Paula when she first came on, because she looks like my sister, I suppose, but she gets so silly. I don't like Sandra Lee for several reasons, one of which is the fact she always has to match whatever decor her kitchen is at the time (a different one for each episode). Giada always has a group of (probably paid) friends to try out her stuff, although some of the food is good.  I suppose I'm so tired of all of them that I don't see much good. Even the new shows just seem to get sillier instead of better. Julia, Jacque Pepin, I enjoyed for the information and they didn't feel the need to entertain.


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## erinmself (Jul 11, 2006)

I like Rachael Ray. It is easy to remember and follow most of her recipes and I think her little sayings/gestures are endearing


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## black chef (Jul 11, 2006)

i don't really have a favorite, but bobby flay seems to be the most versatile... from a backyard bbq to elegant upscale, he seems to be able to fit right in with what's appropriate.

what ever happened to nigella?


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## Chef_Jimmy (Jul 11, 2006)

Alton is very informative which is great for people who are learning to cook, some may say he is abnoxious, but you remember what he taught you right? I had an algebra teacher that was CRAZY, but no matter how absurd her teaching methods were, nobody forgot them!


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 11, 2006)

Forgot about Alton Brown.  If I had to vote for a favorite celebrity chef "newbie", he'd be it.  He's funny, informative, & best of all - doesn't have an in-studio audience oohing & ahhing.

I particularly enjoyed 2 of his shows:  First, the one dispelling cooking myths.  Once & for all, he proved that it's perfectly okay to WASH MUSHROOMS instead of just wiping or brushing them.  They do NOT absorb the water - which he proved scientifically via tests with before & after weight measurements.  Second, the one he did on garlic, where he's teaching a vampire about it - that one was just plain entertaining all round.


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## GB (Jul 11, 2006)

I love Alton and he is my favorite person to watch on the Food Network, but i do not consider him a chef so that is why I did not mention him before.


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## Ishbel (Jul 11, 2006)

Nigella is still appearing on some food shows this side of the pond.  But, she seems content to enjoy her second marriage, after the trauma of losing her first husband, John Diamond, to a particularly vicious cancer.  He was a really brave man, who wrote a weekly column about his illness.

I 'think' her last series here was her Summer food one.


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## digigirl (Jul 11, 2006)

Home chef said:
			
		

> Wow!!! Less than a handfull of replies for Alton Brown. That saddens me. I really like the way Alton scientifically approaches food. After all, one can easily equate cooking with chemistry. He's incredibly creative and has an electric personality.


 
Oh, I'm a huge Alton Brown fan!  If I had to pick one show, that would be it.  (I even went to Austin, TX just to see him in person one time and get my book signed.  He's just as cool in person as on TV).  But in terms of the recipes, I've actually had better luck with some of the others.  Alton always has the best *techniques* and I'll steal those and apply them to whichever recipe I like best for the item.

For instance, for French toast.  His recipe is kinda blah, but the technique makes a huge difference.  So, I use Rachael Ray's recipe and Alton's techniques and get really awesome French toast every time!

I guess I didn't list him before, because like GB, I wasn't thinking of him as a "chef," per se.  He's more like Mr. Wizard or something!  

Valerie


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## Home chef (Jul 11, 2006)

Agreed. Mr. Wizzard meets (insert favorite chef here).


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## mudbug (Jul 11, 2006)

The gold standards are Julia and Jacques.  They can make stuff I hate to eat look delicious.

But Mikey Chiarello and Curtis Stone are so cute, and can actually cook. (Ming Tsai falls into this cute-but-capable category too.)  I can watch them make toast.  Tyler's kinda cute, but I'm sick of him rescuing besotted housewives from their pot roasts.

Emeril can cook.  I don't care what some of you say about him, I like the guy.  As I've said before, he's gotta be sick of his shtick, but it's a brand now, like General Mills, that he's wedded to.  (I like Doc and the band too.)

Mario talks too fast but knows the traditions and history of what he's making and I respect that.

I probably cook more like Paula than anyone, and I love people from the South like her.  But she's got the shtick going too.

I can totally live without Bobby in my consciousness.

I always enjoyed Zhoostahn Wilson and Jeff Smith, altho both guys depended rather heavily on white wine.

Ina's OK in my book.  Her stuff usually looks easy and good, and she seems to enjoy what she's doing.

Tastes change, and so do I.   Ask me again in about a year.


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 11, 2006)

Mudbug - yes you definitely brought up a few others.  Ina might be able to cook( & I bought from her deli/restaurant in the Hamptons when she still owned it & I wasn't impressed), but again it's all about the schtick ("I'm cooking dinner for a few friends, yadayadayada") & we have to wade thru the "friends" pretending that they don't know they're being filmed.  God do I HATE that.  Just once I'd love to have a "friend" turn around & say to the camera - "This is awful" - LOL LOL LOL!!

And Emeril might be able to cook, but he's completely allowed his TV persona & the hoopla to kill him.  I liked his original show where it was just him; but now him with the band & the huge audience - forget it.  That's not a cooking show, it's a circus.  The only thing missing are the elephants.  The clowns are all there.  And if I hear "BAM" one more time, I'm gonna scream.  In case you haven't caught it, he's now doing toothpaste commercials using his "BAM" trademark.  Sorry you Emeril lovers, but enough is friggin enough.


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## AriesGirl71 (Jul 13, 2006)

Paula Deen hands down! She is awesome! I also love Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, and Sandra Lee.

LOL Breezy.. I TOTALLY agree with u about Emeril. I cannot stand his show!


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## Corey123 (Jul 13, 2006)

Home chef said:
			
		

> THis is how I get around that. I set my TIVO to only record those shows that are brand new episodes. This way I don't have to watch rerun after rerun unless I want to.


 


Yes, I imagine that I could do the same thing with On Demand.

I bought a cookbook written by Justin Wilson from a used book store.
I gaaontee it!

Emeril has ALWAYS had the live band on his show Emeril Live. He's the hottest thing on the Food Network right now, and he's showing no signs of letting up. BAM!!



~Corey123.


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## -DEADLY SUSHI- (Jul 14, 2006)

Anyone BUT Rachael Ray.   Actually Paula Dean is great. Love her recipies AND personality.


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## Corey123 (Jul 14, 2006)

-DEADLY SUSHI- said:
			
		

> Anyone BUT Rachael Ray.  Actually Paula Dean is great. Love her recipies AND personality.


 


Rachael is good, but she doesn't measure any of the ingredients that she uses at all. She just "eyeballs" it, as she always says. 

"You know me, I never measure anything. I just "eyeball" it. Look at that, it is delish with tons and tons of flavor. Hows's that? I gotta take a quick break. In the meantime, I'll be chopping away at these veggies. Meet me right back here on 30-Minutes meals"

This show kind of reminds me of the other 30-minute show - Feeding You Family on $99.00 a Week. Remember that one? Michelle Urvater (I think that's her last name) hosted it. It was around '94 or so when the Food Network was fairly new.

It was called the TV Food Network back then in the mid 90's. Emeril Lagasse was just stating out about that time with a few pilot shows.

Hey, has anyone forgotten about Martha Stewart? She had her own show there also before that scandel that she became involved in. The show was called From Martha's Kitchen.

She does another show now, but I forgot what network broadcasts it. I imangine that when she was on the Food Network, she "just didn't fit"!


~Corey123.


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## vagriller (Jul 14, 2006)

Some of my favorites are Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Alton Brown. I really like a chef that explains why different foods and ingedients do what. Also Mario gives great history lessons with his show. Another of my favorites is Mark Bittner, although he is not a chef by his own admission. I like to watch him go head to head with a pro and create a simple "home" version of a complex restaurant dish.

About some of the others mentioned...

Emeril - I do believe he has a gig that pays the bills now, and is just working the gig. I do like to watch him make things, but he gets laughs simply because he is Emeril, not because he is all that funny. Last night I saw him dump orange liquer into chocolate. I though that was a no-no, but I could be wrong.

Rachel Ray - (Like Bittner, also not a chef, by her own admission) I like her simple approach to cooking. The home cook does not have a staff and possibly not the skill with which to prep and prepare a restaurant quality meal. I have to agree with some that her "gig" does get old. I like her $40 a day show just to see the different restaurants and locations. But she _IS _a lousy tipper. $1.50 for a $10 meal? I tip more than that at a buffet!


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