Sandra Lee - Real Foodies, please read...

[chiffonade]

I have a question. Does anyone here have an opinion about Sandra Lee, the one who uses bagged angel food cake, LaChoy veggies in a can and Pillsbury Tube Dough?

I see some talk of "slow food" here and she's...well...The-Anti Slow Food movement, all by herself.

I participate on another board that was actually spawned from the now-defunct TVFN discussion boards. We think she is a complete hack and her "chemical combinations" which she tries to pass off as "cooking" are complete abominations. The consensus is that Rachel Ray is doing more appropriate semi-homemade cooking with her acceptable shortcuts like frozen veggies and thin sliced chicken breast. Maybe it's not Lobster with Sauce Americane but it's actual food.

Personally, I feel very strongly about this. I don't think Sandra Lee has a place in any kitchen, let alone one in the media - where someone might mimick her terrible food.

[Mezzaluna]

The only thing worse is her cocktails. This is not good food, even if it's fast. O......M.......G.

I tuned in out of curiosity once, just in time to witness a monstrosity of hers made from a couple of stacked up, store-bought angel food cakes with something gooey shoved down the holes , then slathered with cool whip. I think there were fake palm trees ensconced on the top.

A truly sad show to watch. When stores are getting more variety of fresh produce and protein options (especially at the seafood counter), why in the heck make this dreck?

Lest anyone think I've got a personal chef or that I don't prepare meals on a regular basis, I put a home-cooked meal on the table five out of seven nights a week just for my husband and me. Sure, I use some shortcuts, like bagged fresh and sometimes frozen veggies. I work full-time and am busy with lots of activities. But thanks to what I learned from my mom, from watching Julia Child, Madeliene Kamann and others, as well as on this site, I can put a good, fresh meal on the table in 30 minutes most of the time.

[Andy M.]

Sandra Lee sure doesn't cook as I do.

However, I imagine there are millions of folks who aren't foodies and who want to get through the ordeal of cooking a meal ASAP.

For them, SL is probably a godsend. Rather than condemn her because she's not what you want, assume she fills a need (she DOES have her own TV show) for many.

I guess Rachel Ray is in the same category but I can't stand her personality. Just MHO, most love her.

[Glenn]

I'm a complete amateur, and I am one of the million that Andy speaks of. On many occaisions, I just want to make something as fast as possible. Sure, I 'd love to have more free time to make everything from scratch, but I don't always have the time.

chiffonade - You're worried that someone might mimmick Sandra Lee's "terrible food." Terrible to whom? It's matter of taste. Lots of foo foo chefs serve Foie gras. To me, foie gras is absolutely disgusting. It's part of an internal organ (the liver fat) of force-fed water fowl. However, I fully understand that some people like it, and that's their prerogative. Many people probably like Sandra Lee's stuff, or she wouldn't have a show for long. You might not like it, and that's your choice. But you shouldn't worry over the fact that other people might like her stuff and mimmick her show.

Keep in mind, it's all relative. What's an unacceptable short-cut to one person is perfectly acceptable to another. Some may consider buying pre-slaughtered chicken as an unacceptable shortcut. Most people don't buy live chickens. Heck, I usually don't even buy a whole chicken. -- Ususally just boneless skinless breast. That's the healthiest, lowest fat part. It's also the tastiest to me.

I just might have to post some redneck recipes that involve Coca-Cola or beer. No internal organs involved, either. hehehe. ;-)

Glenn

[chiffonade]

Mezzaluna - When I used to live in NYC and worked 8-4, I got home about 4:45 and I prepared a meal every night as well (GOD I miss those days!). I'd buy a veal shoulder chop, quick brown it, add a can of cut up whole peeled tomatoes, onions, garlic, wine, S&P, maybe some basil; simmer 1 hour - while I did some chore or caught up on news. How the heck did I know I'd pine for those days! I'd use leftover macaroni (or spaghetti) from Sunday and make a Pasta Pie (like a big macaroni fritatta) during the week. Leftover BBQ chix for a Chicken Salad.

Everything from scratch? Much as I'd love for that to be possible, I've scheduled myself out of most of my time. I live in a place where there is no other way to commute than driving. I'm on the road one hour to work, one hour fro.

There are plenty of great shortcuts or "plan ahead" type stuff one can do to eat decent food during the week. I usually buy some peppers and mushrooms and saute them off on Sunday for use during the week. I use leftover meat the same way - sometimes throwing together a quick quesadilla with chicken breast and veggies or a quick pasta dish using same.

I'm not even going to address that she recommends using these "techniques" for parties or holiday celebrations! (The horrible angel food cakes were used to commemorate Kwanzaa, Christmas and the mountain o'crap you mention was a DOUBLE DECKER monstrosity.)

As for her food being terrible - It's terrible for anyone who has a tastebud. The wretched combinations of a box of this mixed with a can of that - squeeze something out of a ziplock bag all over it and it's gourmet...Her whole schtick is downright comedic. (And we laugh every week .)

As for her having a cooking show...Her husband's wallet probably had more to do with that than her cooking skill. She frequently misuses culinary terms, even at their most rudimentary. During one recent show she claimed "Italians eat family style which means everyone eats in the kitchen." Family style means everything is served on platters instead of individually plated Have you ever seen the way she holds a knife? With her pointer finger resting on the back of the blade. When she prepares one of her concoctions (I refuse to call them recipes), the one she's working on looks nothing like the "display" model created by a production assistant. The display model might taste like garbage, but at least it looks good.

There are times I throw together something quick out of leftovers or frozen veggies, canned beans, etc. Nothing is fake and it doesn't take long (I'm ready to collapse by the time I get home most nights). There is more crap than anything else in her envelopes of sauce mix and chemical-laden boxed food - which she uses with reckless abandon.

Most anyone who has ever measured out a level cup of flour feels this woman is a hack on so many levels, it's hard to count them. Her "food" is not economical (which is one of her selling points). It will never measure up to anything prepared out of real ingredients, even if there are very few of them.

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.

[phatch]

I'm actually walking this fine line in a book I'm crafting hopefully to be published. It's about eating in the outdoors, camp cooking, backpack food and such.

I could pick a very refined audience for it, but lots of the market isn't there. The majority of the Dutch Oven cooking types fall into this Sandra Lee cooking; a real shame as they're doing more involved cooking than lots of other campers.

I've debated showing such shortcut recipes and then showing a more real recipe with just a bit more work as comparison in some places. I haven't decided yet.

But when you've planned a week in Canyonlands via 4X4, you can't pack the whole week fresh in coolers with ice. You've got to have a couple of mix and match canned/dried recipes in your repetoire. Or a canoe/rafting trip...

But then comes backpacking where equipment and weight must be kept to a minimum. Combining various prefab things is about the only way to improve on what's commercially available. Sure I'm going to talk about some home made and dried foods too, but I need to be aware of my market.

Phil

[chiffonade]

Last time I went camping (geez...it was before I left NY in 1998), I packed 2 home-made mixes. A couscous mix and a rice mix. You basically have to be able to dump the stuff into a pot with water. The actual recipes are sketchy but I remember using sun dried tomatoes, dry onion, S&P, dry parsley, dry basil, etc. The rice mix had saffron in it . I think one of the mixes had dry salami in it but I coudln't tell you which one. They both actually tasted good and got good reviews.

The whole box cake mix thing, canned apple pie filling, canned icing - they simply taste bad. They taste like plastic. This is a woman in a fully equipped kitchen. A grown woman - not a 10 year old trying out her sea legs in the kitchen. She poaches canned pears. She uses Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. One of her "creations" looked exactly like the danish ring made by the Pampered Chef hostesses at parties.

I have to hand it to anyone who can put together a great meal around a campfire and I can certainly forgive not using fresh shallots if the food is delicious, gives me fuel for the next day and restores me from a long hike. I take it any fish prepared will have been caught in a nearby lake ? Heck, I'd buy your book. I know you know what you're doing and will take whatever shortcuts are acceptable and necessary to enjoy great food under the stars.

[Mezzaluna]

Phil, Chiff refined my point- she has a full kitchen but chooses to use highly processed food rather than use fresh. Camping is a different situation! I'm sure your knowledge of how careful prep and advance planning can make a world of difference will be expressed in various ways in your book. I hope to find it in my bookstore! How's it coming?

[phatch]

I've never seen SL's show--I don't have cable or dish.

As to the book, I've got enough recipe ideas. Now I just need to refine them, test them in the backyard in situ as it were while raising three kids. Probably be a few years yet assuming I can get a publisher to look at it.

Phil

[Mezzaluna]

Phil, I don't know how it is with non-fiction, but I've written fiction; it's amply clear to me that I must have a literary agent because publishers will NOT take manuscripts directly from authors any more. Still, there's probably more market for niche titles like yours than there is for yet another young adult historical fiction title.

Good luck!

[phatch]

True. And I'll go that route eventually.

Phil

[Lavender]

Hahaha, I was just discussing this!

Yes, her blue-frosting covered store-bought angel food cake about made me throw up. I am serious.

[Glenn]

phatch wrote:
<<..."Now I just need to refine them, test them in the backyard in situ as it were while raising three kids."...>>

phatch,
To give it a better test, make sure you can pack all cooking equipment, small butane camp stove (propane wOUld be to large), and food nto a backpack, and be able to hike a reasonable distance with it. Remember to keep it to "camping" recipes, not "RV'ing" recipes. If you write it as if this stuff will be hauled by an RV, then the true campers will laugh it being called "camping" , just as some cooks laugh at Sandra Lee.

I'm going to go fire up some Pillsbury Crescent rolls now! ;-)

Glenn

[chiffonade]

Best of luck getting the book published! You must let us know when we can look for it on bookstore shelves. Sounds like a winner, especially all over the west and in the more mountainous regions of the east coast.

My husband is a chef and sometimes while I'm watching Semi-Homemade, he joins me. He swears his head off. "Yeah use your #*@&^!@ $300 mixer to mix cake mix!!" It's hysterical. I TIVO the shows so I can review them online.

Sandra Lee's concoctions often use esoteric ingredients like "champagne extract" and advises you can find these items in cake decorating store. Why go to that trouble? So you can dress up one of your bagged angel food creations??

She talks about how grandmothers teach grandchildren all sorts of neat stuff in the kitchen. She forgot to mention that none of it involves canned pie filling. My grandmother taught me to make stuffed baby eggplants. Now that was a lesson worth passing on to future generations.

[phatch]

Originally Posted by Glenn

phatch wrote:
<<..."Now I just need to refine them, test them in the backyard in situ as it were while raising three kids."...>>

phatch,
To give it a better test, make sure you can pack all cooking equipment, small butane camp stove (propane wOUld be to large), and food nto a backpack, and be able to hike a reasonable distance with it. Remember to keep it to "camping" recipes, not "RV'ing" recipes. If you write it as if this stuff will be hauled by an RV, then the true campers will laugh it being called "camping" , just as some cooks laugh at Sandra Lee.

I've put in years as scoutmaster and camping has always been my family's vacations. While camping, we cook better than most RVers. And for camping, propane stoves are very reasonable. For backpacking, butane and white gas are good, but I've built a soda can alcohol stove I've been quite happy with. Much smaller and lighter than the commercial offerings

Phil