Sandra Lee - Real Foodies, please read...

[Marzoli]

Originally Posted by chiffonade

I guess I'm most disappointed in TVFN for airing such fluff crap. I remember when TVFN had some measure of credibility and now only about 40% of its content is anything usable. I categorize this show with "Unwrapped" and "Secret Life Of..." It's certainly not a cooking show.

Whew! What a relief! I thought I was alone in my disgust with "Unwrapped" and "Secret Life Of..."! I only have about 2 hours in the evening when I can watch my choice of programming--not complaining about that, you understand--and "Unwrapped" or "SLO" are usually stuck in there between Emeril (yes, I like Emeril Live--I've learned a LOT from Emeril) and some other worthwhile show I'll never get to see because the Food Network can't seem to get enough of "Unwrapped." I've never seen Sandra Lee, but I can tell I wouldn't want to spend my time with her from what you all say.
Gee, I feel better now.

[Andy M.]

I'm not a big fan of those shows either, but I do find one that's interesting from time to time. I prefer cooking shows for the most part. However, it IS called the Food Network, not the Cooking Network.

My whole point in this thread is that FN has to appeal to a wide range of viewers to be successful. As a result, some shows will not appeal to some people. You can bet there are those that dislike the very shows you care for the most.

I think we have to acknowledge that Sandra Lee's show has a fan base and, therefore should be on TV, whether WE like it or not.

[Mezzaluna]

To each his own, I suppose.

I agree about "Secret Life Of...". I can't stand a host who gives people hugs and talks like a child.

Strangely, I do find "Unwrapped" interesting some of the time. I get a lot of trivia out of it.

Still, my heart belongs to Alton Brown!

[chiffonade]

Originally Posted by Marzoli

Whew! What a relief! I thought I was alone in my disgust with "Unwrapped" and "Secret Life Of..."!

I probably wouldn't be so disgusted with this type of show (I too love any kind of trivia) if it didn't comprise so much of TVFN's programming lately. Things like the wedding cake show and birthday cake show at least have some measure of talent in them. I enjoyed them very much - but then any show that has Collette Peters in it can't be all bad. You get to see rising stars as well.

I only have about 2 hours in the evening when I can watch my choice of programming--not complaining about that, you understand--and "Unwrapped" or "SLO" are usually stuck in there between Emeril (yes, I like Emeril Live--I've learned a LOT from Emeril) and some other worthwhile show I'll never get to see because the Food Network can't seem to get enough of "Unwrapped."

DH and I both go to sleep insanely early because I workout in the early AM (6:00 to be exact) and he is a chef and can leave the house anywhere between 1:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. (depending on the day). We TIVO everything or we wouldn't get to see anything.

As for Emeril...My gourmet group went to see a taping of Emeril Live years ago, before he had music. The focus was vegetables and the guest was Eartha Kitt (one of the "Cat Woman" actresses of the original Batman series). It was great fun. Emeril has the right to utter two very different statements: "TVFN made my career" and "TVFN ruined my career." Over-Emerilizing hit its fever pitch when NBC tried to make a series out of him. It didn't work and only served to make audiences cry out, "Enough, already!" I could live with his toothpaste commercial - it's not on every fifteen minutes. Bro recently ate at an Emeril restaurant in New Orleans and I had to wear sunglasses during his glowing review. (Bro cooks as well - my whole family does.)

I think Emeril has done for cooking in this generation what Julia Child did in her heyday - He makes cooking approachable. It's definitely not rocket science to put a simple but delicious meal on the table. Which leads me to...

I've never seen Sandra Lee, but I can tell I wouldn't want to spend my time with her from what you all say.

Sandra Lee is a confessed cooking school dropout who has proclaimed fresh garlic as "Icky." (A quote.) A whole bunch of us watch this show for the downright slapstick comedy of it. If you can squeeze 30 minutes of sheer time vacuum into a Saturday, watch this show and laugh your arse off.

Gee, I feel better now.

Woo hoo! Me too .

[markdchef]

The show is like watching a really bad horror movie. You want to change the cable channel, but you find yourself watching the whole thing. It is amazing that a show like this exists, but then again it fits right in with the"I want it now" society we live in. Cooking is both and art and science. Charlatans like Sandra Lee make it a junk science and a joke.
Another thing that bugs me about the Food Network: a chef/host becomes popular and they have to give them multiple shows. How many shows does Rachel Ray need to have? And don't get me started on mr showmanship Emeril!

[Glenn]

Andy M,
I agree with you. It's the FOOD network; not the chefs or cooks network.

Mezzaluna,
I agree with you about Unwrapped. I'm a history buff, so I enjoy the bit of food history the show gives.

Chiffonade,
We'll make it a tri-fecta. I agree with your statement, "I think Emeril has done for cooking in this generation what Julia Child did in her heyday - He makes cooking approachable."

It seems quite a few chef types don't like Emeril (I think they're jealous). But Emeril is the real deal when he has a PhD from Johnson & Wales, and he has opened several good restaurants.

Wow! A hat trick of agreement. I'll take a picture. ;-)

Glenn

[chiffonade]

The whole "it's the Food network thing..." Hmmmm...Anyone who's been watching TVFN since its inception knows that the programming was (and should continue to be) primarily comprised of cooking instruction. There are zillions of great ideas TVFN is completely missing. Instead of beating the same garbage fluff programming to death, why not try something new that is food/cooking related and interesting to those who cook? If TVFN is trying to widen its viewership to include people who think Hamburger Helper is cooking, what they will do is attract a bunch of clueless viewers and lose whatever credibility they have with their original audience: Cooks.

An occasional airing of SLO or Unwrapped wouldn't be a bad thing if they weren't airing Emeril every 15 minutes (Sorry Marzoli - but he's on serious overkill right now) and succumbing to junk like Semi-Homemade featuring an obvious hack addicted to any product with a circled "R" next to it. Give me more of Barefoot Contessa, Easy Entertaining, and please God, bring back From Martha's Kitchen. Paula Deen I could take or leave - the whole southern thing - it's more a personal taste.

[hipjoint]

Have you ever seen the way she holds a knife? With her pointer finger resting on the back of the blade.


===== now, i have cooked for over 40 years in various capacities, and i have
always wondered what this "thing" is with the index finger on the back of the
blade. wassup with that?? i keep hearing "for safety", but for the life of me
i can't figure how it could be any less safe. look at any number of "iron chefs" and you will find sakai, kobe, AND masamoto as well as a number of guest chefs (and these guys are NOT hacks!!!) using their knives at some point or another with their index finger on the backs of their knives. (iron chef chen is the only iron chef i have not yet seen doing so.)
is the index finger supposed to slip into the way of the blade's way or
something?? i can't figure this out. i normally use the "recommended" pinch grip but when i have a LOT of stuff to precisely slice, i put the index finger on the back of the blade and i "cut where i point". very fast, very accurate.
also, with the pinch grip, when i cut a lot of stuff (slivering two crates of red peppers??), i find my joint/knuckle btwn my finger and my hand feels repetitive use pain and is only relieved by placing my index finger on the back of the blade. any insights into this finger on the back thing?? or is this some kind of cooking urban legend??

by the way ... some of the stuff sandra lee makes looks nasty, but some of it tastes pretty good, too!! i think instead of looking at this show as a definitive recipe book/show, i look at it as a way to garner ideas about how to do things faster/easier/more festive. i made the blue icing angel food cake for my sunday school class and the 7-8 yr. olds LOVED it! go figger.
and i hate to say it, but sandra lee is quite a babe. and i have to figure if her body is also 70% storebought/30% homemade!!

[hipjoint]

Chiffonade,
We'll make it a tri-fecta. I agree with your statement, "I think Emeril has done for cooking in this generation what Julia Child did in her heyday - He makes cooking approachable."

It seems quite a few chef types don't like Emeril (I think they're jealous). But Emeril is the real deal when he has a PhD from Johnson & Wales, and he has opened several good restaurants.

===== but when you look at how he makes his food, you simply have to wonder "how does he charge so much for THAT??"
AND NOT TO NITPICK ON EMERIL!! but i have seen him put his index finger on the back of his blades from time to time (anyone else catch him doing that??). when he adds his ingredients together, you don't see him prepping it (i am sure his prep chefs do this) so when he tries to add a bit
of authenticity to the show, he NEVER cuts his ingredients as well as the pre-prepped items. also ... once when he was making a shrimp dish, he was "*****strating" how to use a shrimp deveining tool and instead of using the point of the tool to poke into the shrimp, he was using the edge of the tool like a knife to slice thru the shell which of course, doesn't cut. and that was kinda funnee when he did his dorm room cooking show and he burned the "kicked uP" grilled cheese sandwich and he served it anyway and the poor audience person had to eat it and gush about how good it was!

and as for opening a restaurant (or several), there are any number of successful restauranteurs who don't even KNOW how to cook ... they just
know good food, how to get people to cook it, and keep good financial books.

[Kerryclan]

Sandra Lee, I think, is meant to be helpful to the average cook who wants or needs shortcuts. I have to say that a number of recipes I watched her make were hideous. The Viennese Ice Cream Cake was a standout! Lots of processed ingredients dripping with awful looking gooey slop.

I do enjoy unwrapped though. Have to admit I don't always want to know how some of my favourites are made!

[Marzoli]

Originally Posted by chiffonade

Instead of beating the same garbage fluff programming to death, why not try something new that is food/cooking related and interesting to those who cook? If TVFN is trying to widen its viewership to include people who think Hamburger Helper is cooking, what they will do is attract a bunch of clueless viewers and lose whatever credibility they have with their original audience: Cooks..

Exactly!

Originally Posted by chiffonade

An occasional airing of SLO or Unwrapped wouldn't be a bad thing if they weren't airing Emeril every 15 minutes (Sorry Marzoli - but he's on serious overkill right now) and succumbing to junk like Semi-Homemade featuring an obvious hack addicted to any product with a circled "R" next to it. Give me more of Barefoot Contessa, Easy Entertaining, and please God, bring back From Martha's Kitchen. Paula Deen I could take or leave - the whole southern thing - it's more a personal taste.

Yes! I agree. I hate the rerun mentality on Emeril, and I agree that he is on a LOT--I do usually enjoy his show, but I agree totally on Barefoot Contessa--she's so . . . comforting. But she's never on during my time slot, and Unwrapped ALWAYS is! How many conveyor belts of cans and other containers and foods being squirted, sprayed, or peppered can they possibly find to show? That's my trouble with Unwrapped.
I do like Alton Brown, and sometimes I get lucky and have a chance to see him. I confess, I like shows that teach as well as entertain. I like Food 911 and 30 Minute Meals, too.
I appreciate Emeril Live because he explains things, and I never had a chance to learn from a person because my mother would not allow me in her kitchen. Surely she needed a prep "slave" or a dishwasher. Not me, though. I didn't even know how to hold a knife properly or chop an onion. So when Emeril explains (over and over show after show) I finally understand how to do some things that are useful to me.
Oh my goodness--I do get carried away! Sorry guys!

[hipjoint]

I appreciate Emeril Live because he explains things, and I never had a chance to learn from a person because my mother would not allow me in her kitchen. Surely she needed a prep "slave" or a dishwasher. Not me, though. I didn't even know how to hold a knife properly or chop an onion. So when Emeril explains (over and over show after show) I finally understand how to do some things that are useful to me.
Oh my goodness--I do get carried away! Sorry guys! [/quote]

===== i get so .... uhhhhh .... upset when i continuously hear parents,
esp. moms complain they are too haggered to cook and they don't spend
enough with their kids, etc. when i was a kid (long before computers and
x-boxes and such) i ended up doing a lot of prepping for my mom. i had a
love for knives back then and my parents figgered, heck, why not put that
love to good use?? so i cleaned and prepped the veggies... cut, slice, and
chop meat ... scale, fillet, and steak the fish. spent time with my mom,
learned valuable kitchen skills. yep, pretty lucky as a kid.

[SandraLeeFan]

I'm a huge fan of Sandra Lee. She's about the only cook in the world who has absolutely made me scream! She ranks right up there with the Bassomatic *****stration on Saturday Night Live! I keep thinking hopefully on one of her red episodes she'll actually mimic another skit SNL did... the one where Julia Child slices her finger off.

Watching her $h!† sweat in a teflon pan makes me howl!

How about those strategic moves, like pulling wax paper from under a sugary mess before you throw coconut and jelly beans around it. Magical!

Honestly, NOTHING in the world can top the blue cake with palms on top. It's absolutely KILLER and completely IMPOSSIBLE to eat.

Sandra is just fabulous, but I have an edge up on her because she is yet to discover the millions of things you can do with a tater tot.

: )

Keep it simple, Keep it alcoholic, Keep it impractical and as always, Keep it semi ho made.

[Pete]

I, like many of you, wish that Emeril would go away. I like the guy all right (I don't think he sucks) but I sure do get tired of him being on all of the time (it seems). There are a number of shows that I could really do without, especially as a chef. But the execs. at FNTV don't care what I think, nor do they care (nor should they care) what professional cooks and chefs think of many of their shows. They are in the business of making money. It's that simple. They are not in the business of educating the public (though that is what they do oftentimes). They are in the business to entertain. That's how they keep an audience, thus are able to sell advertising space. Why is Emeril on all the time? Because the masses love him!!! They think he's a culinary god!!! He sells advertising, and basically that is what the execs. care about. Its the same with Sandra Lee and all the other "fluff" shows on FNTV. It rings a bell with the masses, and as long as the masses tune in, and these shows are making money then they will continue to air.

[Kerryclan]

Finally, I caught the Sandra Lee (SLop) episode where she made the goofy bunny cakes. Box cake mix, pre-made icing, lots of sweetened coconut, gum drops, marshmallows, and melted chocolate chips. This bunny would send anyone into a diabetic coma. Even my 15 year old daughter was howling at this episode!

From now on I think I'll call Sandy Bunny Cakes!