PBS Cooking Shows.
I know that public television airs different things in different places, but does anyone watch the PBS cooking shows? Despite having a gazillion cable channels which includes the Food Network, I still make time to watch Mark Bittman's show, Lydia Bastianich's show and a few others. Sometimes they air Jacques Pépin's old show, which is a real treat. So, do any of you guys watch these shows or remember these shows? It's where I first saw Michael Chiarello when I was like, 13. I had the biggest crush on him and would anxiously await his arrival every Saturday afternoon.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
24 Comments:
for some reason PBS in my area never shows cooking shows, must either be because no one in heehaw hell does anything but deep fry or they come on at odd hours. But I remember growing up watching Julia. One of favs was also Jeff Smith, I loved the way he introduced people to all kinds of middle eastern food, I still have about 4 or 5 of his cookbooks somewhere.
huney_bumper at 7:04AM on 02/29/08
Anybody remember the Galloping Gourmet? I was fascinated by him as a young kid, and loved the British accent (was it British?). Julia Child was mesmerizing. I loved her lack of pretension.
moibec at 8:06AM on 02/29/08
i love watching bittman, pepin, lydia, ming tsai and julia childs on my pbs channel!
ceforrester at 9:04AM on 02/29/08
I don't get the food network, but I love America's Test Kitchen on basic cable!
I'm a total dork, so I love the scientific intensity they bring to 'old skool' favorites, and even though I'm a total vegan food crank, I kind of like the wild and reckless abandon they have about butter and heavy cream, and how even their 'light' stuff saves about oh, 10 calories from the original.
Lydia is a little bit slow-moving for my taste, and she uses an awful lot of offal. I want more Julia Child re-runs, incidentally!
HeartofGlass at 9:28AM on 02/29/08
I'm with ceforrester, although we don't have the Julia Child programming. Lydia is probably my favorite, although Bittman comes in a close second.
hereandthe at 9:36AM on 02/29/08
Actually if you look at all the threads disparaging TVFN, PBS is our "safe house" for excellent, valuable culinary demonstration! I watch Daisy Cooks, Everyday Food, and of course Lidia Bastianich. Never been a fan of Bittman.
TVFN Refugee Ming Tsai has a show on PBS that's great. Also love BBQ University with Stephen Raichlen. And who could forget America's Test Kitchen?!
PBS still runs some of the Julia Child series which I love. Baking with Julia is my favorite of the newer series. I really wish they'd run the old French Chef shows. (Sniff...)
On weekends, PBS runs something called Create TV, usually running many different creative shows (cooking, painting, etc.) back to back. This is nice (if you aren't running around crazy on a weekend...)
chiff0nade at 10:10AM on 02/29/08
I loved New Scandinavian Cooking with Tina Nordstrom, but they don't show it anymore! PBS, bring it back!!!
K at 11:02AM on 02/29/08
Our local PBS stations don't run the old Julia shows. But they're available on DVD and I've got all the sets on my Amazon wish list.
Most of the PBS cooking shows around here are on the weekends, or at odd times on random weekdays. It doesn't work very well for me, so the DVR records all of them, and I watch while I make dinner.
Mostly, I like Lidia (not her "presence" so much, but her simple recipes), Bittman (cracks me up), and America's Test Kitchen (often I don't agree, but sometimes great and always informative with some good tips). Diary of a Foodie is okay, too.
I've been watching PBS cooking shows since the early 70s (the only place to find them in those days). Julia, Graham, Jeff Smith (Frugal Gourmet)... I remember all of them!
LoCo at 1:00PM on 02/29/08
Lydia, definitely. Bittman, not so much (a bit obnoxious). AMT, when I think of it. I become exhausted just watching Martha's Everyday, it's so fast-paced.
I hear that Sara Moulton is in production with a new show for PBS. Airing this spring, I believe.
Dee at 1:12PM on 02/29/08
My mother has always teased me for watching Julia Child even when I was in elementary school in the 70s, so I guess I've long been a PBS fan! I have the DVD set and cookbook of Julia's show with Jacques Pepin. Both are invaluable. Nowadays I'll watch Lidia or Everyday Food or Test Ktichen, but it's not appointment TV, just if I happen to catch it.
Otabenga at 2:17PM on 02/29/08
I used to watch Frugal Gourmet, Yan can cook, and didn't Ming Tsai have a show on there too at one point?
hungrychristel at 2:46PM on 02/29/08
The Julia reruns are fantastic. It makes me sad and happy to see her. I just taped one the other day with Julia and Madhur Jaffrey. So good, but sort of disheartening to see the hunched-over Julia relegated to the role of "sampler" and "stirrer." Made my heart hurt a little.
I adore Daisy Cooks! -- her personality is awesome and she seems authentic, not like the cheesy bimbos on Food Network. Bittman's shows are pretty good, sometimes excellent. I like Lidia, too, but Ming Tsai not so much. Jacques Pepin and Test Kitchen sometimes.
Create TV is fantastic! Check to see if you have it. New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad is mesmerizing. Foraging for food and then cooking outside, throwing scraps behind your shoulder...the life!
jbeach at 3:31PM on 02/29/08
Years ago I never missed Graham Kerr and does anyone else remember Nathalie Dupree or Marcia Adams? I loved Nathalie Dupree (New Southern Cooking) because she was always spilling things and was never full of herself like Paula Deen. Marcia Adams used to cook from "Amish Country".
RichardCrystal at 3:34PM on 02/29/08
I used to love the Frugal Gourmet too! I still make omelettes the way he demonstrated. He really made me want to cook with wine before I knew what that was even about!
Otabenga at 5:09PM on 02/29/08
I'm so glad I'm not the only one waiting around for these shows to come on! Hey K, there's STILL a show on PBS, at least where I am in Los Angeles, that comes on every Saturday. The host isn't female, but it's called New Scandinavian cooking and it features a lot of outdoor cooking. Also, has anyone seen Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie? That comes on PBS on Saturdays here in L.A. also.
PumpkinBear at 5:12PM on 02/29/08
PumpkinBear...interesting. Thanks. I will have to check my local listings again. Tina was always cooking outside and she had this totally cool fold-up cooking station on wheels!
K at 5:30PM on 02/29/08
I grew up watching Julia Child, literally...I lived a few blocks from her house in Cambridge, MA. Later I also enjoyed Madelyn Kamman (was she on PBS?).
Nowadays I always watch Michael Colameco for the metro NYC flavor. I'm impresed with that new Foodie Diary or whatever it's called from Gourmet Magazine. I hope Sara Moulton really is doing a new show. She was so good with her daily live show on FoodNetwork back in the day. I still watch America's Test Kitchen despite my dislike of Christopher Kimball. And any of the Pepin shows, even the ones with the daughter, are still an inspiration. I love Dorothy Hamilton on her Chef's Story show. Bittman may come across as a bit of an ass but I do enjoy the show. My devotion to Lydia is fading but I still watch almost every episode. Hmmm...sounds like I'll watch almost any food show where people actually cook and have an interesting POV on food.
Hell2Heights at 5:37PM on 02/29/08
I occasionally catch a cooking show on PBS squeezed in between Lawrence Welk and Lawrence Welk. I get excited to catch ATK, Jacques Pepin, Everyday Foods and Lidia. Maryann Esposito not so much - she must have been an elementary school teacher and I find her tone annoying. I also skip Christina, the vegetarian and oriental cooking. I haven't seen Bittman, but there is an Italian guy who always shows photos of his mother and the show is s-l-o-w. There is another Italian guy (they both have ponytails) who is pretty hyper and I've seen some pretty decent recipes from both if I can stay awake. No Daisy on my PBS. No Julia or Jacques with Julia. I didn't like Jacques with his daughter - all she ever said was Wow - about a hundred times per episode. He and Julia are my hands down favorites.
PerkyMac at 5:46PM on 02/29/08
what was the name of the italian chef back in the 80's that wore the white chef's hat and coat. he was great and his dishies were so quick. i remember him using alot of orange juice in sauces. he was an older gentleman and had a little trouble with his english. i would like to know so i could try and get one of his cookbooks.
ponytailed italian chef is nick stalini, i'm sure i've spelled last name wrong.
jobug_tincher at 7:11PM on 02/29/08
PBS cooking shows are my favs. I love America's Test Kitchen and wish Chris Kimball had a son for me to marry! I'm all about being "nerdy" in the kitchen!
I also love Ming Tsai's concept of East Meets West, Everyday Food, Real Simple, Everyday Baking.
Mostly I love Julia Child and her French Chef Dvd's. I was just telling my dad the other day what a huge difference food tv was in the beginning. Julia messes dishes up, she chokes on food and she lays it all out there--these days all mishaps are edited out and everything always looks perfect. We need another Julia on tv, but I doubt there will ever be anyone quite like that fab woman!
Sadly last weekend, and tomorrow they aren't showing the cooking shows in favor of fundraising shows--booooo.
bobcatsteph3 at 7:23PM on 02/29/08
Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie is hand's down, my favorite food related show. Ming Tsai has reruns that are fun. So do Martin Yan and Julia. Great fun!
FigswithBri at 4:32PM on 03/01/08
The first cook book by a(n) (in)famous tv chef that I got was Jeff Smith's The Frugal Gourmet.
I just looked up his recipe for Bigos, (Polish Hunters Stew) last week.
srhcb at 4:55PM on 03/01/08
I look SO forward to the Saturday afternoon cooking block on PBS here in Philly. My kids know the kitchen TV is mine all day!
Chef Keller is a nice addition.
donnie at 8:06PM on 03/04/08
Hello to all my names Shawn and I'm new here.:)
Anyways I have lot's of fond memory's growing up watching the cooking shows on PBS.
I credit the fact that I can cook today to Jeff Smith.:)
Hopefully someone will remember the other Chef I'm thinking of.
He was an older guy, I remember this guy getting drunk on wine and cooking steak and eggs like 3 times...LOL
It was one of the most hilarious moments of TV.
Does anyone else remember this crazy French Chef?
shawninohio at 12:29AM on 03/30/08