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I agree about Jeffrey Steingarten, I love seeing him on Iron Chef America, and if I'd known he was going to be on the Chopping Block show I would have recorded it.

My vote for chopping is Gordon Ramsay; the man is just plain MEAN. Yes, I understand that he has a wonderful palate and high standards, but there's no need to humiliate people, which he does routinely on all his shows.

My vote goes to Jeffrey! He's the awesomest of the group by far.

I love Jeffrey on Iron Chef too -- he is usually the only critic with half a brain (like the asian woman who thinks everything is greasy -- ugh someone slap her), and I definitely appreciate his love of food. I would LOVE to have an all-Jeffrey show. Yay!

Plus, unlike the other two meanies, he's not just mean for mean's sake. He usually does have constructive criticism and knows how to call a spade a spade -- without resorting to foul language or violence.

Ramsay is a total hack. I've worked in his kitchens and seen the type of sh*t that goes on. He certainly does not practice what he preaches.

Get him out!

Is this about Chefs or Critics....If about chefs I vote for Ramsey and White if about critics then Jeffrey

My vote is for Steingarten.

However, in defense of Gordon, I think his TV persona differs greatly between the British and American versions of his shows. On the Brit versions, he gives solid, thoughtful advice and is jocular and likable. I believe the producers of his U.S. shows tell him to turn on the anger and edit for high drama and confrontation. That makes them virtually unwatchable.

ramsey is no hack. being a chef & a business man he is on par with madonna in the 90's for success. everyone kind of likes jeffrey because he's a bitchy new york food critic whose funny & a little gay. as for marco, he changed the world in a good way & he's still amazing. he just sucks on tv!

Put Steingarten and Bonecrusher in a show together (they were a riot together on Iron Chef America)!

I certainly prefer White to Ramsey but Steingarten trumps them both because he's REAL. He's not a caricature even when he's exaggerating about something, etc. I don't know exactly what kind of show would work for him or even whether he would do it or not but I would definitely watch it!

I wish someone would present the joy to be found from Steingarten instead of simply using him to flog contestants.

I would love a simple show about him visiting his favorite places to eat and to talk about them the way he writes about them.

Gordon Ramsy - the UK version. I can't stand to see Steingarten on TV - love his writing however. The man who ate everything is one of my favorite books.

Steingarten...but as a few people have already mentioned, the Steingarten from his books.

@GoodEaterKenji - What? You washed dishes or some such thing in one of his restaurants and you've decided he's a "hack"? What the hell does that mean anyway? You should be such a hack. He's got more Michelin stars than you do IQ points.

I'd love to see a show with MPW and GR in a cookoff! I love both of them and find them each fascinating in their own way. They both have such an intensity and passion for their craft.

I meant "idiOts;" my bad...

We want Jeffrey

It's very clear that Fox has instructed Ramsay to go totally over the top angry on Hell's Kitchen. He's nowhere near as extreme on any other show I've seen him on, especially the British ones. When he loses his temper on the British version of Kitchen Nightmares it's almost always with someone who is really asking for it. And even then, he does come across as someone who genuinely cares about getting the restaurant running right.

I can't form an opinion (much) about White yet because I've only seen one episode of his show. Steingarten is someone I can take or leave.

I don't mind Steingarten's TV commentary or the things he's written, but I get a little creeped out watching the way he eats. He holds his fork like he's shoveling the food into his mouth. I'm getting a little bored with the all the reality shows in general but watch them when nothing better is on....ah the good old days when cooking shows really involved cooking.

love steingarten. i miss the show the two of you had Ed!

Jeffrey Steingarten is a very intellectually focused food critic...and I don't know that he would translate all that well for the masses in a reality show. He's too understated and has very little "drama" in the way he presents himself. I enjoy reading him, and as long as I don't have to watch him eat I enjoy his commentary on cooking competition shows.

As for Gordon and Marco, let's see them go head to head. :) That would be some serious reality show drama. Marco claims to have made Gordon cry...so let's see it.

Actually, Marco doesn't claim to have made Gordon cry. Marco says Gordon made himself cry. And Marco also had Batali in such a tizzy that Batali stormed out of his kitchen, dropping handfuls of salt into several sauces on his way out.

At this point it's pretty easy to see through Ramsay's shtick--I'm finding him entertaining again.
MPW's 'power' finger approach is the new joke around the house.
As much as I like Steigarden as a critic I worry about him being wasted as a host--this happened to Ted Allen; having to carry the ball still haunts Emilio at times.

An aside: Chilean Sea Bass is no longer considered endangered; there are other reasons activists recommend that you avoid it.

Ramsay - He's pretty rough on Hell's Kitchen, but if you ever see Kitchen Nightmares, you get to see a different side of him. I find him honest and while pretty raw sometimes, and I watching him.

Love him or hate him, Steingarten is the only one of the three who could move the ball forward in the world of food shows. Can you imagine him putting on a fake persona or doing something unoriginal? Not me. He's believably and genuinely crabby -- unlike Ramsay -- but he's also humorous and an astute professional eater from whom we could learn valuable lessons. His books certainly suggest this. And you know he'd rather eat a preservative-laden salad before appearing on a reality show with a unoriginal format. White did just that by appearing on another show with the GD kitchen competitions. If the viewing public is feeling anything like me, they're tired of celebrity chefs involved in competitive cooking events. Something new would be nice!

Steingarten would be the ultimate surly moderator for a weekly roundtable series, a la The McLaughlin Group, where guests with different culinary viewpoints hash out food issues in an intelligent yet often comical manner. Could also see him hosting a culinary Jeopardy-type show, where he'd get to make hilariously bitchy quips in response to people's answers.

So, I'm all in for Steingarten. He's one-of-a-kind and real. Real smart, real funny and could be truly great on his own show . . . maybe a reality show. Or not.

Steingarten was on White's show? Eff. So, original programming isn't such a big deal to Steingarten. Still think he'd balk at hosting a show that has a tired, cooking competition format.

How about none of them? Here's an idea.....what if the TV powers to be (PBS , Food Network, Travel Channel, Fine Living Network-I don't really care) re-ran the old shows from Julia Child, Jeff Smith, Justin Wilson, Marcia Adams, Graham Kerr, Earl Peyroux, Joyce Chen, Madeleine Kamman, Natalie Dupree, the Romagnoli's, Marcel Desaulnieres, Biba Caggiano, Nick Stellino, Mollie Katzen, the 'Great Chef's series', Anne Willan (cooking from LaVarenne) et al.......if for no other reason other than the newbie generation of foodies can experience the kind of cooking shows that paved the way for this current wave of cooking shows? My daughter (in her 30's) has no idea of what a cooking show on TV is other than the crap we see on these reality shows and 'most' Food Network shows.....did I just have an epiphany or will be I be flamed?

You know what? I'm tired as hell as of the new "cooking shows" and I'm not going to take it anymore. I have a remote control. And I can read books.