Question of the Day: Don't put that _______ in my _______!
I second altosaxchica!
Keep that bacon grease out of my anything.
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The Ten Most Recent Comments By Aerin
What 3 foods are always in your refrigerator?
The three must-haves for me include: ketchup, hot sauce, and vermont cheddar.
Have you ever tried absinthe?
I had absinthe a few years back in the UK. I'm not a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, but I've heard some horror stories. I thought I was taking it easy and only took a couple flaming shots. The next morning I was disgustingly hungover, to epic proportions It is all very hazy, but it felt like someone was sticking knives down my throat and a mac truck had parked on my head. After a few hours of crawling on my stomach to the bathroom, dry heaving and trying to keep down some water, I promised myself I'd even look at absinthe again.
Inexpensive dinner in NYC's Village. Recommendations?
Dojos- Japanese Inspired and delicious, very veggie-friendly too. Don't think you could find anything more reasonably priced for the value. There's one on St. Marks as well as one over by University.
Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?
Favorite: Seems like Alton is the hands-down fave, which I absolutely agree with. He is hilariously dorky and I love how he couches cooking in chemistry. He's always fun to watch. Also great: Tyler's Ultimates, Paula, Ina.
Least Favorite: Robin Miller. She seems nice, and maybe her repositioning will make her program more palatable, but her recipes have never appealed to me. Sandra's recipes rarely appeal to me either, but at least her goofiness is entertaining and she looks like she's at least having fun.
The famous no-knead bread: does it work for everyone?
I too had a problem with my bread. After reading that it is better to let it rise for the maximum amount of time, that is what I did. However, the dough was SO sticky. I coiuldn't shape it at all. It was a sticky blob. As for the final product- I had to give it extra time in the oven as it was still pretty raw on the interior. The crust was very crisp (which I like and was directly related to the fact that I had to give it much more time in the oven seeing as how it was still doughy). I want to get it right and love the recipe, but I need to try to work out the kinks. I used organic white flour.
Question of the Day: Any vegetarians out there? Why'd you go meatless?
I've been vegetarian for 12 years now, and gave up red meat/pork almost 14 years ago. Whenever anyone asks me why I went veg, I simply say for all the reasons. I feel good about my decision ethically, as I feel like vegetarianism is kinder to our ecosystem that the meat industry. I feel healthier and kinder to animals, and I like that I'm limiting (at least somewhat, afterall I still eat milk products) the number of inadvertent antibiotics that I consume. Most importantly, my decision was influenced by my realization that if it comes down to it, I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable killing and skinning an animal to eat it, so then why should I force someone else to do it for me?
Responses to Comments by Aerin
Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?
First of all I have to recover from laughing sooo hard at the remarks from:
Nance- re: Sandra Lee on the Kwanzaa cake (topping in with corn nuts) please tell me your joking, I don't know if you or Sandra's Kwazaa cake recipe want to kill ME. rotfl.
Jensings- your comment also made me roll off the couch, well put.
Alssa- same as above
Thanks y'all for a very good laugh.
Now who I like:
Alton - becuz he is silly and informative, I like that.
Emeril- becuz of due respect, but he needs to (or has) retire, his "bam" has gotten a little too old.
Ina- like her soft spoken demure and her recipes seem very good, but did she make a pact with the devil? Read her bio eveything thing she did she is successful at... hmmmmmm. That nervous laugh does get to me though.
Tyler- tried some of his stuff....really good.
Sara Moulton- like her alot, she is so relaxed, I like her cooking, she teaches, and she covers UP!! I miss her.
Cat Cora-total professional, she is very pretty but like all chefs ( iam one myself) cover's UP!! She wears a chef coat. I like her demure and professional knowledge.
Anthony Bourdain- Love his shows, they tell the real shit that goes on in cultures.
Mario- real authentic chef. Love his shows and his foods. Wll miss him too.
Duff-I like but other then his oux and Mary Alice many of his workers seem liike there on drugs.
Guy- I like him. his show makes me sick becuz my city has very few diner, drive-ins and dives anymore( I live in Seattle). His other show I only saw a few times, but I liked what he made so far. He's funny.
Symon- I like him. He's professional and his giggles crack me up. I like his food.
Flay- His actual shows bore me to sleep but I do respect his success and I 'm sure his food is good. I hear good reviews about his restaurants.
Ming Tsi- I miss him, he too is a Pro. and I loved his show. I made a dish of his for Mother's Day once and it turned out great but man, I almost had to hop a plane to Asia to get some of the ingreds. for it.
Now for my dislikes:
Paula Deen- I like her home program (she's somewhat mellow) but the shit she makes.......
Paula's party- That is enough to make my ears bleed. Is she drunk on that show? She is flirting, forgetting what they are doing she is hamming it up. Nooooooooo!!
Robin What her name- Boring.
Giada- I liked her pogram when it first aired, but now it is a joke. Yes that phoney accent, the Farrah Fawcett smile, yes the low cut shirts. Shit she is making Italian food (maybe), she should be professional and wear a chef coat. You get shit all over yourself making Italian food. It's food food porn.
Sandra Lee- Ah wtf is she doing on FN? Yes she has a concept for making things go easy in the kitchen, yes someone above wrote that some chefs use canned this and that for fresh and its true, and that is good, but she can at least come through with some dishes that are homemade 100% for the times one has day off or special occasions ect. Anyone can open a box or packet and just add shit to it, but I thought the FN was to educate people how to make real dishes.
Bobblehead aka Rach Ray- She is over the top of WHAT???? Yes I play a game with my boyfriend, everytime 30 mins. airs we get beers ready and when she says her imfamous words "EVOO, sammies, delish, garbage bowl, awesome, eyeball it, giggles, ect., we take a drink. Guaranteed your tipsy (if not drunk) in 30 minutes. FN needs to restructure what their goal is really quick. Do they want the true chefs that really show people methods, ideas of real cooking or do they want to have circus acts like they are airing?
Have you ever tried absinthe?
it was legal in europe when i lived there so we had it several times -- it's like sambuca times 20.
Have you ever tried absinthe?
I have had several absinthes now - and strongly recommend a new one on the market - just arrived I hear - Absinthe Mata Hari. It is a Bohemian Style - less on the licorice flavor than the other ones like Lucid or St. George. You can try it like they say above - or straight with cold water - 3 parts water to 1 part Mata Hari
Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?
Rachael, Guy and SLoP should be BANNED. Every Rachael recipe I've tried has come out like s**t.
I love just about everyone else on the FN.
Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?
Wow.....the animosity towards Sandra Lee in some of the comments is quite interesting. I’ve worked with and have hired professional chefs over the years and the short cuts they use in their cooking isn’t much different from Sandra Lee’s. She’s just honest about it. I know of one 5-star restaurant that opens a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, adds some garnish, gives it a fancy name and charges a ridiculous price. Anyone who utilizes a can of San Marino for a tomato dish cannot possibly sit in judgement of others.
I’ve tried some of the recipes of the highly rated “chefs” mentioned here and found them to be quite disappointing. The end result is what it’s all about....not how much one slaved in the kitchen.
Sandra Lee makes cooking fun....especially for those just starting out. And nowadays, with so many young folks working many hours in serious careers, I’m sure it’s nice to have a quick, fun recipe when one finally gets home at 7:00 pm and the kids are famished. I can’t wait to try some of her recipes with my grandson when he gets old enough.
I liked Alton Brown better before he went gimmicky and goofy.
Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?
I watch Food Network much more for technique and principles than recipes. Travel shows and food competitions are time-wasting. How about healthful cooking, vegetarian recipes, dairy substitutes, ethnic cooking other than Italian, bread baking? I can't eat pork or shellfish, or mix dairy and meat. How about cooking with those limitations.
FAVORITES: Alton Brown. More time and less clowning, please.
Giada. Reasonable recipes; fewer distractions (2), please. Maybe her body is too small.
Robin Miller. I respect her as a wife and mother. Realistic recipes. A nice lady.
WORST
Paula Dean, Ina Garten are toxic. Rachael Ray has too much TV and commercial exposure. Why does every one of her recipes have to contain cheese and pork? Emeril is generally boring, but occasionally he shows an excellent technique. His "Live" show is dreadful. Sandra Lee: I just turn off the sound and watch. I don't care what she's doing.
Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?
I think Food Network made the gradual decision to make the channel more about food and life and less about cooking technique... what with the average American's non-stop hectic life. Cue: 30 Minute Meals and the like.
I supremely enjoyed Batali's program with the three guests observing, asking questions and sampling his dishes - it was a beautiful and simple concept for a cooking show. It was what cooking should be, about learning and sharing with people. To whoever said he moves too fast and undercooks everything, I am going to fight you.
I don't like Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee either. A lot of people go bananas over Ray though. I've never watched an entire Sandra Lee.
Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?
Wow...who spelunked the archives to find this gem of a thread!!!
There are very few shows remaining on TVFN worth watching if you are amongst those with tastebuds. TVFN has switched its target to the Cool Whip Contingent instead of sticking with hardcore foodies (such as us).
Ina Garten, Michael Chiarello, Alton Brown and Giada DeLaurentis are the last holdouts doing valuable cooking instruction at TVFN. The rest is fluff and nonsense - i.e. Unwrapped and The Secret Life Of... One exception might be the "challenge" shows which, depending on your interests can be intriguing.
The absolute worst hack on TVFN is without a doubt Sandra Lee. Her show is nothing about cooking. She assembles boxes of this with cans of that, pours in a little envelope of "soup" powder and calls it cooking. After attending one of Shamdra's Junkfests, I imagine her guests go out for dinner. If they can drive.
Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?
Favorites: Alton, always. He's a genius, funny, and has resisted the pressure to get hairplugs. : P I viewed what I'm guessing some people were declaring his rude behavior on the Food Star, and I think they need to take a breath and grow up a little; after all, these contestants were presenting themselves as both knowledgeable about cooking and having the charisma and creativity to create their own show--I don't think his expectations were too high. It's the network's that should be much higher.
Nigella I have loved for years, although I am dismayed by some of the shortcuts on the new show.
Jamie Oliver has had some great recipes in the past, so I'm interested to see the new show.
Anthony Bourdain is more himself, and therefore more entertaining on the Travel Network, but certainly worth watching in the original Cook's Tour.
Should be cancelled immediately, if not sooner:
Paula Deen, please sit down and allow Southerners to retain some semblance of self-respect. Every time I hear her, I can feel my brain cells committing suicide, and her recipes nauseate me. Less is more, Paula.
Rachel Ray--I used to find $40 a Day marginally bearable if only for the locations, but eventually stopped tuning in not only because of her overdone, annoying banter, but especially because of the appallingly paltry tips she would leave the kind people who served her food. It's no wonder she always wound up eating alone--no one else wants the waiter spitting in their food because they're sitting with a cheapskate! Since those early days, it's hard to escape Rachel. She chases me from one network to another, and even if I don't stumble onto one of her myriad shows, I can't escape her hawking something in commercials, nor her unnaturally shiny eyes in the grocery checkout line. God save us.
Sandra Lee: like a clone gone awry, she has followed Rachel in the Food Network's race to the bottom. I came across an amusing article that addresses this on a wider scale: http://chriswalkerversus.blogspot.com/2007/04/chris-walker-vs-dumbing-down-of-america.html Atrocious doesn't adequately describe her show. Just how stupid does FN think we are--and are we? *shudder*
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