Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I find I like what Giada makes but I find her annoying. So I own her cookbooks but don't watch the show. Alton is the only person I watch on the network anymore.

(one morbid note: if you look for Giada's family dinners cookbook on amazon.com it recommends purchasing Giada's book with Rachel Rays 30 second meals)

I agree with Jerzee!

I do like Paula Deen, but I would never in a million years make or eat her food!

I love AB and always will. He approaches food very scientifically and imparts a wealth of knowledge. Tyler is OK,. And of course I love Bobby Flay. He may be a jerk, but the man can cook. I don’t eat meat but I still watch his grilling shows (they’ve undergone a series of name changes) to get ideas on interesting flavor combinations.

Giada is a bobbleheaded twit whose food is on par with Raytard’s. As much as I can’t stand Raytard, at least she doesn’t claim to be a chef and she fully admits she has zero training and has no idea why she’s on TV.

I’m not even going to bother commenting on Dave Lieberman because he’s not worth my breath.

I loved Mario Eats Italy (remember his sidekick? He shows up on Good Eats every now and then), Melting Pot (with Cat Cora, Michael Symon, and their talented guests – but seriously why was Padma Lakshmi ever on it?)

I dearly miss Gale Gand and her Sweet Dreams and Jacques Torres and his insane chocolate confections that you could never make at home but loved to watch being made. Of course no one has time to bake now so we just all make crappy 30 minutes meals and feed slop to our families. Lovely.

Would any of you who call these people names say something like that in person? Raytard? SLOP? Not worth your breath? If not, please, don't say it here.

You don't have to like their shows or their cooking. You don't have to like them ... but how do you know? These are TV personas we are seeing, not them.

But how about respectfully disagreeing instead of name calling?

Food for thought, from Michael Ruhlman's blog:

"Elise Bauer wrote a thoughtful guest post on problogger yesterday (and cited a recent comment of mine) arguing that bloggers should be more restrictive of ugly or abusive comments. I've resisted deleting obnoxious or cowardly comments for the most part but have to agree with her now. She says treat her blog as you would her house. Good rule. My rule, don't write anything on my blog you wouldn't say to my face."

Sounds like words to live by ...

OK maybe I shouldn't call Rachael Ray "Raytard" because I don't know her in real life, but I will certainly call her food slop! And I know (used to know) Dave Lieberman in real life, so I am fully entitled to say that he's not worth my breath. Lilartist, your yum-o comment cracked me up :)

our food network is a bit different here in canada. when it first started up i would watch it all day every day if i could. it seems weird but since food tv started i've had about a half dozen people who were quite close to me die. i found it was the one channel i could count on to distract me instead of depress me at those times. at other times, i just liked watching the shows/getting ideas. that said, it sure has changed. most of the people are beyond irritating. i remember the good old days of being irritated by molto mario, emeril, and michael lomonaco. now i'd gladly trade in giada, paula (though she amuses me with her craziness) and rachel to get them back.

my favourites are ina garten who is a bit of a hero to me. her life is just so phenomenally interesting, anthony bourdain and michael smith (canadian). oh and i watch iron chef just to see if jeffrey steingarten is on.

lilartist - i know he is enormous! haha. i haven't seen him in person but you can just tell from how he towers over people on the show. he seems like such a nice, genuine person. also, i agree that foodtv canada is similar and has many of the same problems as the US version. what do you think of rob feenie? his cooking?

I have to add that I, too, like Ina Garten. I think her and her husband are so cute together and I love when she makes food just for him. Plus, I think it's crazy that she seems to know every person in the Hamptons. I like her sense of quality, yet not over-the-top cooking--she reminds me of my good friend's mom, who also makes a good, satisfying meal. Yay Ina!

Giada is pure boobs and cleavage....

I don't really watch much anymore, as the evenings are filled with silly shows that have little or no cooking in them anyway. But - in the olden days when I first got cable TV - I developed an interest in cooking and learned many things from the Two Hot Tamales. I would watch all evening, through Emeril, the Tamales, and I think David Rosengarten . Also really liked Sara Moulton. As soon as the in-studio audience showed up, it was time for me to tune out. I do love AB, although I haven't seen a new Good Eats in I don't know how long. As annoying as I find many of the shows, I do use the FoodTV website and have gotten plenty of good recipes. I want just the kitchen and the chef - leave the fake friends, the audience, the band et al behind please!

I like the Canadian ones better than the American.

The non-Canadians that I like include Ina Garten, Giada- although she's so pretty and polished that she reminds me that these shows are entertainment, Alton Brown and Bob Blumer. I also enjoy watching Ace of Cakes with Duff Goldman.

In Canada I like Michael Smith for his cooking style, though not his speaking style. His tone of voice sounds like talking to five year olds ("Now boys and girls, let's see what we can find in the pantry today..."). Christine Cushing and Anna Olson are fun to watch, and have talent to go with their looks (or "boobs and cleavage", as Kbear919 put it). There's a cool show called Food Jammers, which is similar to The Surreal Gourmet.

I concur with my fellow Canucks-Micheal Smith rocks. I have thoughts of going to PEI and finding his house just to see that pantry in person! (From Chef at Home). (Just thoughts-I'm not really a stalker!)

I also love Christine Cushing-watched her every night when her live show was on, and sometimes I catch reruns at 6 am when I'm leaving early for work. She knew what she was doing, and had other talented people on her show too.

I think the Canadian Food Network gets more British/Australian shows that the US-I suppose we're part of the Commonwealth and all. I'm in love with Nigella-she doesn't profess to be a pro but makes all kinds of yummy stuff. I also recently found Food Safari, which is educational and enjoyable.

I concur with others about AB-love him, but haven't seen a new episode in forever. I also enjoy Ace of Cakes-they do some crazy stuff on that show!

All told though, I watch less of it than I used to. I hope they get back to more cooking and demonstration type shows-enough of the various reality/competition things in my books (i.e. Top Chef, Next Iron Chef, Next Food Network Start, Superstar Chef Challenge, Food Network Cake Challenge etc.) Oy vey!

Rocky - you had me a little bit concerned until I read the last line...Whew!!!

Alton is my fav followed a close second by Mario. Giada is good once in a while. Dont care for her weekend getaway shows though. Paula I have to agree is fun to watch but most of her food is just to heavy.

I like Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa!

Hillary
Chew on That

ina garten rules. i'm a giada fan as well. i've gotten to the point (granted it took 5 years) that i can make it through a 30 minute meal, but rachael ray really bothers me, and she's gotten worse over time. sandra lee and her darned cocktails and dreamscapes should have been scrapped long before emeril live and molto mario. i despise nigella lawson for reasons i can't even think of. i like alton and i love food science, but all those crazy skits on good eats are a bit much to take sometimes. i think there needs to be some additions to the food network, and i don't think guy fieri is cutting it!

I don't really watch FN anymore, but when I first started learning to cook, I found Giada and (as much as I hate to admit it) Rachel Ray helpful. At the time, I had never put together a homemade salsa, much less made a roux. TV cooks can give viewers a solid base in basic techniques - as a college student living in my first kitchen, Mario's handmade pasta seemed a bit out of reach. Basic sauces and marinades? I could handle them - and then move on.

I'm with you 100% JerzeeTomato. Initially, I found this site while searching for a place to vent about Sandra Lee. God only knows what might have happened to me, had I not found this outlet.

Another Canuk here - I too enjoy Michael Smith (mentioned him in another post I believe). I have not been to his home but I did eat at the Inn at Bay Fortune when he was the chef emeritus there. It was beautiful. I like Ina, Giada (didn't know she was with child - we must be getting older shows), AB (but I find it hard to see his shows due to timing issues. My daughter (age 8) is IN LOVE with Duff from Ace of Cakes. Paula is OK, I love her fried chicken, and since my husband is from the South, I have learned things from her that have been helpful. I love Kylie Kwong as well - really enjoy making Asian food and she's great.

Did the Food Network in the US ever carry The Two Fat Ladies (out of Britain)? That show seriously killed me laughing - they were great - the dry sense of humour was spectactular and some of the dishes they came up with!