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cant keep straight what the h... she'd doing.

Just saw this show for the first time today. The fact that I went to the internet to look up Anne Burrell and found this blog is interesting. The fact that I am actually taking the time to post a comment is also interesting. (I think this might be my second post...ever...anywhere.) Anne definitely has a presence and she seems like a very knowledgeable chef. Yes, I was mildly surprised by the phrase, 'cooking the crap out of it' and calling onions 'sweaty'. But hey you know what, not that big of a deal. Believe me, I've heard much worse in a restaurant kitchen, having worked in restaurants for 13 yrs. And 'sweating' the onions is a chef term. Sweaty - not so much, but whatever, no bd. She had incredibly helpful tips i.e. supreming grapefruit - something I had seen before but did not know the term. Great! And also about how to clean the mussels and prep before steaming. Again, very helpful, especially for home viewers. That's why we watch, right? To learn secrets from a restaurant chef. I don't know if the show I saw today was a new or old episode, but there did seem to be a little nervousness which is completely understandable if you are new to the camera. It takes time and with experience, it gets easier. Regarding the set/styling - I honestly think you should put it a restaurant style kitchen, industrial kitchen, or a cooking school kitchen. The show is called, "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef". I think perhaps it would be a more realistic, natural setting for both her and the show itself. Also, dress her in a chef coat or something more simple. The bright colors seem to be forced by someone's vision of ' hey she's got personality - so let's amp that up and put her in really bright colors to go with her bright demeanor and spiky hair!' It's overkill. Her personality comes through on its own - no help needed. The bright wardrobe and garish set actually make the show look cartoonish. Which some people might read as Anne looking cartoonish. Let Anne do her thing and what she is good at. The talent is clearly there. Let her do her thing, get her bearings, and do what she is good at. I will watch again. I really hope the directors take all of these suggestions into consideration. Try an on-location shoot at a restaurant kitchen or her teaching to young chefs. In chef coat, on home turf. It would be interesting to see the difference in presentation. And good luck!

Sorry, but she's an IDIOT. Yes, she does have some professional cooking techniques (perhaps even worthy of sharing with others) BUT, her one dimensional personality is very off-putting. And note......she NEVER seasons with pepper...you know, just plain black cracked pepper. She uses just tons of salt and red pepper flakes. Annoying to watch her butcher dish after dish. I'd never hire her. Hope her 15 minutes is over soon!

Okay. So she isn't Giada DeLaurentis as far as charm factor is concerned, but she is a great chef and terrific instructor. I have made her bolognese sauce many times for many people and it never fails to elicit a response such as "Oh my GOD, this is the best pasta I have ever eaten in my LIFE!" Just keep doing what you do, Ann. I'll keep watching!

I love Ann Burrell!!!! I think she is very entertaining and fun to watch. I find her menu's easy to follow and I'm always eager to try them.
Don't change Ann you are the best!

Fair enough, Perky. Just don't be misled. If you knew this woman, you'd eat your words. You're probably right about my bitterness, though. I'll just let it lie there. Good luck to her. We'll all see how she gets on in the future.

Everyone's banging on here about Ann being a "Pro Chef", and how she's a great restaurant professional. What separates a Chef from a cook is the ability to lead a group of kitchen staff to believe in your food and produce it faithfully and consistently.
Ann was fired from Centro Vinoteca for making a real mess of the team there, both front and back of house. Her cooks didn't respect her and turned over at a rate you wouldn't believe. She was arrogant and offensive to the service staff, allowed no dietary adjustments, and peered out of her open kitchen, judging and belittling guests, and sniggering at peoples' dress sense or haircuts with her singular floor staff ally. She would not accept constructive criticism, preferring to send out sub-standard dishes than admit she's human and needs help from the experienced crew around her.
Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. The only secrets that this cook, who was fired from her last restaurant, could share, would be along the lines of how to lose friends, a clientele, a reputation for good food, the faith of an entire restaurant crew, and healthy arteries.
There is one, singular useful message that I take from Anne Burrell. Brown food does indeed, taste good, and I remember it every time I cook. As for anything else, let the sycophancy rest. Unless you haven't noticed, no-one's rushing to hire this "Restaurant Chef". Her reputation in this industry is completely shot.

Reading the comments about refrigerating tomatoes (with which I strongly agree), I laughed remembering a friend who stayed one summer with a doctor in Paris. His host returned home in the evening to find that the American guest had helpfully wrapped and refrigerated the cheese left from the last course of the midday meal. "You've murdered the cheese!" the doctor exclaimed in horror. Our friend was still shaken by the accusation when he told us the story.

About the catsup in restaurants- the issue was how pretty the bottle looked. At the end of the night the front of the house would top off the old bottles with new catsup. It became a rather rancid disagreement between my kitchen and him.

I never use the catsup in a restaurant if it is already on the table!

We never refrigerated ketchup in the restaurants in which I worked (or any condiment, actually, except for the hyper-creamy salad dressings). But the turnover for a bottle of ketchup in a restaurant is much faster than at home. (Unless you have kids, maybe.) Also? It does go bad in restaurants, too. As a restaurant manager, I apologized and paid the cleaning bills for more than one ketchup-gone-bad victim. (Usually it was that bottle that didn't get rotated out often or fast enough.)

Refrigerate ketchup!

The peanut butter, I think, should be refrigerated if you are a double-dipper kind of PB eater. (Yes, I eat PB by the spoonful.) Refrigeration will slow the bacterial growth. I hope.

Every everything gets refrigerated in my house with the exception of olive oil and salt.

If we were looking for entertainment, we wouldn't be watching the food network. Why don't they get it? They aren't actors....they are regular people who cook. Personally, I don't think any of them are star quality. Being on the food network is like being "a flash in the pan." None of them have lasting power. You're in....and then your're out. Not so on PBS

I enjoyed the show and put it on my DVR to record list. But I'd like to see a few things change, should she make it past the first few weeks.

What I liked: 1. She's a real chef! 2. Good recipe. 3. She actually made something that took more than 30 minutes (this is where the network has really upset me - with their 30 minutes or less outlook) 4. She actually taught me something (Food Network isn't too big on teaching us these days)

What I didn't like: 1. Too much arm movement 2. A little less "superstah" would be nice

I like to see a real chef doing something I admire and teaching me something about food. I wish the Food Network had more talented chefs and fewer personalities. I won't watch most of their shows anymore and I don't like their marketing perspective.