Sandra Lee - Real Foodies, please read... - Page 2

It's part of the "dumbing down' of TVFN...

TVFN has decided that hardcore foodies are simply not enough. They are making concerted efforts to woo viewers who wouldn't describe themselves as accomplished or even avid cooks. Pros? Forget it. There are so few shows left on TVFN that really teach straightforward cooking anymore.

TVFN is barely a shadow of its former self.

Just picture ESPN airing Wedding Garter Catching and calling it sports.

TVFN was already doing Semi-Homemade - it's called 30 Minute Meals which is, far and away, the better show. I'd much prefer something made with frozen vegetables than LaChoy in the can.

ROFLMAO!

That's called Emerilizing. Soon, Rachel Ray will have her own sitcom that will flop after three episodes. It's a shame. RR's got some good ideas for people to eat fast and well - which is especially important during weekdays.

TVFN has no clue how to manage their "stable." They nuke Martha's show - some real, straightforward cooking instruction by someone who knows how to do it - and offer garbage like Semi-Homemade featuring an implant jiggling, self-proclaimed "non cook" hack who has no place anywhere within a mile of a Kitchen Aid. Now they're overexposing Rachel Ray. They're not going to be happy until they are featuring IHOPs as "Food Finds."

No one expected the TVFN to teach how to glove bone a turkey but making a basic stock or properly roasting a chicken hardly takes a culinary degree. Depending on boxes of shelf-stable garbage is not the way to teach others to cook a simple meal.

As for the "semi-homemade" assets of the Trophy Wife, we, the anti-Sandra contingent refer to them as Puddin' Cups. On one of her original shows, Sandra dem0nstrated how to make a Tiramisu using pudding snacks. The moniker just worked itself out from there.

And once again I must point out that for better or worse TVFN began its life portraying itself as the place to tune to learn how to cook. This image remained intact for nearly 10 years with minimal fluff shows. Its decision to segue from this philosophy is where it lost its integrity and its credibility.

Now TVFN has decided not to air Sarah Moulton - they lost Ming Tsai, David Rosengarten and Martha Stewart (to jettison Martha was a terrible blunder in judgment). Who's next? Mario? Ina?

TVFN's descent into powdered and canned food is akin to Whole Foods deciding to sell Hamburger Helper "to increase its customer base."

Re: Big Head...LOL. I can watch her show anytime unless she cooks spaghetti. If I hear her say spaghitti one more time, I'm going to kick the TV.

I'm classically trained; have learned at the elbow of both parents who are phenomenal cooks (and have a brother who cooks); have owned a restaurant and continue to be an avid home cook and baker. If I had my druthers I'd again be a restaurant owner or a bakery owner but alas, I'm being held prisoner in Florida by my family (who love it here) and there's already too much food here for an independent to be competitive. I still get jazzed when I see something or read something that teaches me something new. And that used to be possible watching the old TVFN. There's so little worth watching now, it's nearly impossible. It's gotten so out of hand, there's barely a place for new cooks to learn the basics!

On another board, I suggested that the recently emancipated worthwhile chefs should start their own network and give people a choice between garbage fluff shows and actual cooking instruction. It could be a throwback to when TVFN was actually worth watching. The only one with that kind of loot is Martha and right now she's in repair mode. who knows...Maybe in a year or two after she reaps the benefits of her "new more approachable" image she'll be in a position to begin such a project. God, I hope so.

Rescue budding cooks from the likes of Shamdra Lee and her puddin' cups.

So in other words, whenever a product declines, it's best to just stop using it instead of possibly giving feedback which might return it to its orginal luster? I've never found that to be true of anything worth saving.

If the time comes when a new culinary network is created that more resembles what TVFN was when it started out, with quality, instructional programming - I'll be jumping ship right along with everyone else who thinks TVFN has gone to s**t. For the time being, though, it might be worthwhile to try and fix what has obviously become broken.

That's just it...for the first 10 years of TVFN, my voice echoed those in the 100 percentile! This "expansion" in an attempt to broaden the audience to include people who don't cook is a mistake. TVFN Management took a good thing for people who cook and are trying to make it a "generic" thing to include those who don't care about cooking.

Programming doesn't have to be 100% instructional - the "challenges" like Pizza and Wedding Cake are definitely of interest to those who cook. It's the low-quality junk like Semi-Homemade that has serious viewers convinced that TVFN has lost its marbles.

I don't watch ESPN because I am not interested in sports - and those who cook are turning away from TVFN because it has less and less to do with cooking. Luckily, we TIVO everything and watch at our convenience, so a good part of my disgust with TVFN is expressed in the form of head shaking while looking at my DirecTV guide. There is less and less worth watching on TVFN and they should not have bailed on their original, dedicated audience.

ITA about RR. She's a good cook - that's true. But unfortunately, TVFN personalities tend to morph into a 24/7 version of what TVFN molds them to be. All anyone remembers Emeril for is "pork fat rules" and "bam." He's so much more than that.

Sweet Jesus, can I get an AMEN? :bounce:

OK, spill the beans! Where does one find the Create channel? Is it offered by a specific broadcast company (like Comcast or DirecTV) or is it available to all??

Semi-Ho is definitely for laughs and nothing else. As for Big Head and Ina and only enough other decent cooks to be counted on one hand, I still glean the occasional gem from them making their shows worth my time. As for TVFN trying to appeal to the masses by offering mindless fluff, it was probably the decision of a "business" person and not the suggestion of a "culinary" person. Culinary people should always be running TVFN. Bean counters can remain in their support role but TVFN should always be about quality culinary programming.

You mean like Jacqui Malouf? She's the most useless appendage since Claudine Pepin.

I find shows with unnecessary distractions like you describe to be downright uncomfortable to watch because they're so stupid. I tried watching Cooking with Claudine ONCE before I re-named it Cooking In Front Of Claudine. I switched the channel when Claudine asked Jacques "What is that, basil?" No it's spinach you mental midget. :rolleyes:

Neither DH (a Corporate Chef) nor I can stomach Bobby Flay. Believe it or not, I formed an opinion of him when I saw him jump in the cutting board at the Iron Chef battle V. Morimoto. I'm sorry. No matter how good you are with a knife, don't put your shod feet where food will be.