5 Ingredient Fix? Really?
Okay, so I'm watching this Claire Robinson girl right now (and by watching, I really mean it's on in the background), and I'm a little astounded that we have a whole half hour devoted to making bacon and french toast, essentially. I by NO means am an accomplished cook, but I feel relatively certain that I don't instruction devoted to combining eggs and cream to make french toast. And using brioche? Wow. Never would have thought of that. Brilliant.
Sorry for the negative nature of this post. I'm just disappointed that this 'filler' is on when I'd really love to be watching somebody else, like Alex G.
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19 Comments:
LOL, that's funny! Yea, I saw that show was coming on. They'll give anyone a show on FN nowadays, huh?
arm1970 at 9:56AM on 04/18/09
the premise of it sounds good. I figured they would be making nice or at least innovative dishes with their "5 ingredients or less". I checked out the website to see what recipes she has to offer.
Thinking over it again, though, i feel like... a lot of my weeknight meals include dishes with only 5 ingredients.... maybe a few more if you count salt and pepper. Also, a once-over of her recipes.. none of them include salt or pepper in that 5 and under list.
Its a good concept, but useless to me. But maybe other FN viewers are drawn to it just because they want new ideas??
live and let live. I'm not 'offended' by her show.
engmcmuffin at 11:14AM on 04/18/09
ha ha-glad to know i'm not alone in thinking that.
gastronomeg at 11:48AM on 04/18/09
I honestly haven't seen the show yet, so take this as you see fit.
Maybe the simple premise of a 5-ingredient fix may not appeal to the typical "serious eater" or accomplished cook, but I think the point of many shows on the FN is to reach a broader spectrum of viewers. Not all viewers have a fully stocked pantry with a rolodex of recipes.
Just a thought!
lisapieinthesky at 12:46PM on 04/18/09
It's a pretty arbitrary cut-off point, but I think there are a whole lot of people who will be interested in streamlined versions of recipes. And those are the people who aren't bright enough to know that if a French toast recipe asks you for cinnamon or nutmeg, that you can leave it out and the bread won't explode. So they need someone to give instructions with just the basic ingredients.
The show has been on for a few weeks now, and the recipes I saw were okay, for what they were. But if she wasn't restricted to 5 ingredients by the concept, she could have made the dishes a little less ordinary by adding things like vanilla or basil or whatever.
And yes, she doesn't count salt or pepper as ingredients. Or water.
She did manage to get around the 5-ingredient thing when she was making some dish (I can't remember it, so it must not have been all that impressive, eh?) where each component of the dish had fewer than 5 ingredients. So there were more in the total creation, but each component had fewer than five. If you go with that rule, you could actually make some reasonably complicated dishes.
This sort of show does have an audience. There are people who really don't know the basics, who don't have a pantry full of spices, and who would like to learn from the ground up. Or who are afraid of spices. Or who don't want to bother with measuring out a half teaspoon of this and that but want the recipe to be edible at the end. They need to know how much can be left out.
I'll probably watch a few more of these before I decide whether to keep recording. On the plus side, she's using basic ingredients and not pulling out cans of pre-made frosting. And she's not immediately irritating, as far as her personality.
dbcurrie at 1:08PM on 04/18/09
I haven't seen the show yet. I think the idea makes sense. I've spent the last few years living at school so groceries/budget were limited. I think something like this would have been useful. Also, I was taught to cook at a young age. A lot of my friends are just now learning how to make things beyond frozen pizza and mac and cheese from a box. I definitely think something like this has an audience.
gingercookiewithlime at 2:14PM on 04/18/09
I watched about 5 minutes of the show and was not impressed...anyone seen the previews for Schmandra's new show? She's giving out tips on how to save money at the supermarket...can't wait for that trainwreck.
mayoxqueen at 2:58PM on 04/18/09
Is this a new show on FN, I am out of touch have not been with Tv for the last 2 months.
pjracz10 at 3:20PM on 04/18/09
@mayoxqueen - I just heard about it, and like you say, can't wait for that trainwreck. I wonder if somebody ever told her that she should start with buying actual vegetables and fruit instead of washed, peeled and cut ones at the salad bar!
brooke29 at 5:04PM on 04/18/09
@brooke29 - I know, right? That doesnt bother me as much as the fact that she cant flavor anything without a premade spice blend...
mayoxqueen at 12:07AM on 04/19/09
@mayoxqueen - but you know that she can see the flavour when she uses those packets, right?:-). The pre-cut/washed/etc stuff wouldn't bother me as much if she didn't pretend that whatever Semi-Ho crap she makes saves time AND money, while for the most part, it saves neither.
As regards "5 Ingredient Fix" - I've seen promos, and have no desire to check it out, frankly. But it doesn't mean that it's a bad show - from what I hear, it's much better then the above-mentioned Semi-Homemade. I believe that it's much better when people who don't quite know their way round the kitchen, learn it from a show like this rather than think that if they can fix a cocktail and find a pair or two of rain boots to make a tablescape of, it doesn't really matter what their family is eating (as long as the "food" is colour coordinated with the said boots).
brooke29 at 2:16AM on 04/19/09
I haven't seen it, but I have seen books here in Australia based around the concept of 5 ingredients or less.
To be honest, I just don't get the point, particularly if one of those ingredients is a pre-made spice blend ugh.
Thing is - unless those same 5 ingredients are going to be the base of every meal ever, why can't you use more than 5? Surely it would be better to set up a pantry of staples, plus some homegrown herbs, then supplement with fresh seasonal produce? Or am I on planet crazy foodie land?
I can see the benefits of making food and cooking accessible and I think that concept is a great one - but surely there is a better way than this. Isn't it better to teach people the basics so they can improvise with what they have and is available (locally in season!! not imported from a faraway land) instead of relying on regimented recipes and "rules"?
beyondbeeton at 2:29AM on 04/19/09
In the new morning light, I see that maybe I was a tad "judgy wudgy was a bear" yesterday and likely came across incredibly negative. I do appreciate the fact that Claire is likely targeting a different audience than where I now fit in along the home cook continuum. She is admittedly creating a much more desirable product that Sandra Lee, in my opinion, so there's a definite plus for her. And @engmcmuffin - yes, live and let live. And on that note, I'm turning off the tv so I can get outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine on a perfect Sunday morning!!
mollykate678 at 9:51AM on 04/19/09
I watched the French toast episode last night, and I've got to say that much of what she did was well beyond the effort that a lot of people I know would be willing to make. So if she could inspire one of those folks to whip their own cream instead of opening the Cool Whip container, I'd call it a sucess.
But really, if someone is looking for recipes with few ingredients, I also think those people are going to want quick and easy meals, not just those with few ingredients. If that's the case, I think her scrambled egg recipe is going to fail, considering she suggested that it would take 20 minutes of gentle cooking.
@beyondbeeton, I can't see how a show about "locally in season" would work, because what's local and in season varies so much across the country. For example, if you wanted to talk about local and in season where I live...well, it snowed yesterday. Local and in season pretty much doesn't exist in winter. So either you're buying non-local or you're forgoing vegetables for a good portion of the year.
dbcurrie at 3:14PM on 04/19/09
I've been watching FN for about ten years (since the day it was available on my cable) and I feel like it used to be so much better. I can't figure out if my skills have advanced that I don't learn anything anymore, or if they have dumbed it down the past few years.. any comments?
GinaPet at 3:28PM on 04/19/09
@GinaPet - both?
brooke29 at 4:22PM on 04/19/09
Wait...who is Alex G.? The commercials of that show look decent but I could see where it would be a dud. Haven't watched it yet though.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 4:18PM on 04/22/09
I have been watching her show and I don't think it's terrible. I haven't made a single thing from the show, which says a lot, that I have not been inspired by anything she's made.
I am a bit suspicious of the concept too - 5 ingredients is totally arbitrary. What is being left out of some of these recipes that would make it taste better, just because it would make 6 ingredients? To me, the little add-ons are what makes something special - chopped chives, thyme, garlic, onions, pepper flakes, two types of cheese, etc.
However, she does emphasize cooking from scratch with good quality ingredients. I think she's kind of on a Sandra Lee type level. If I have to choose between Sandra Lee and this lady having her own show... well, I don't think I even have to finish that sentence!
So like I said - she uses fresh ingredients, makes things pretty much from scratch (haven't seen her whip out a package of pre-chopped onion yet), and obviously using quality "special" ingredients is a big deal to her... so even though she doesn't inspire me, I see nothing wrong with it.
I do have to admit, before I watched her show this weekend, I had no idea that cream corn was made with "corn milk". Anytime I've seen a professional chef make it, they generally add cream or whatever. So I do intend to try that when I have a chance.
Oh, one last thing - I was reading a blog elsewhere that had a lot of comments on this show. The vast majority of them refer to her appearance or mannerisms. No wonder Food Network has become the cult of personality. Call me old fashioned - I couldn't care less what a chef is wearing, or how their ponytail is bedraggled, I want to know how they can cook!!
KristiMetz at 10:29AM on 07/27/09
I watched this show for the first time today (5 ingredient fix), it will definetly be the last. First of all, she made a pork roast and said to cook it for 30 minutes, are you kidding me??? Well when she cut into it, it was RAW, who in their right mind eats RAW pork??!! The rest of the show, including her and the recipes were just plain strange! She even said at one point, this next recipe is so good I almost didn't share it with you. (Huh?). And, it was an odd recipe. She forces trying to be perky and humorous, and just falls flat. She's lousy and I hope gets pulled.
Now about the comments about Sandra and her new show, about saving money. I have never been a fan of hers and don't watch her, but I did happen catch her new show last week, and have to tell you it is not "a train wreck". It was actually surprisingly good. She told about how much you would pay per person at a restaurant if you were to order the dishes she prepared, and broke down how much it costs per person, when you buy and prepare it yourself. So give her new show a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised yourself.
jandtsmom at 1:20PM on 10/24/09