Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I can't speak for the recipe, because I haven't tried it- but I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was super-tasty, because she is Anne Burrell and regularly makes amazing food.

However- I couldn't help but feel like I was watching a crazy person making Muppet voices. I can't imagine she is normally like that, so maybe it was nervousness/bad direction? Also, something tells me that she doesn't normally keep a "thanks for coming" bowl- it just seemed a little too RR-contrite to me.

Hooray! I love The State! So many good food-related sketches: the mailman who delivers tacos, Blueberry Johnson, eating muppets... )

I know I talk about Weight Watchers a lot, but I can't say enough good things about their Giant Fudge Bars. They are only 1 point each (not sure of the calorie count, but it must be LOW) and huge! They don't taste artificial at all, either.

I thought I was the only one who loved these cookbooks! I have a collection of 20-30 of them, and I've been threatening my friends with a mid-century dinner party for some time! This may be my final inspiration....

Dark! White chocolate isn't even chocolate!

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.

@Liz - what a great observation. It's like someone at TVFN woke up late because their alarm didn't go off and their first thought was, "OMG! I have to make a new show today!"

@guttergour - ITA - Burrell kicks the crap out of the non-chef, cooking-wannabes on TVFN.

Also - to her prepping many dishes at once - I do this all the time! Especially for a party - I can have four things going at once. Two of them might be hands off like something in the oven or something cooking a long time on the stove but it's unrealistic to think people cook one course at a time. Burrell prepared two courses and the most efficient way to do this is to consider the steps and amount of time required for all tasks in both recipes then figure out how each task can be accomplished in a timely manner to have everything ready when needed.

Oh good, glad we're talking about this. I was freaking out while I watched!

Ok, so while I don't think every food network show needs to be the same, I think she could benefit from a little chat with some of the pros - Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay or Ina Garten. The voices and general craziness was really off-putting, but the information she relayed way great. I hope she finds a happy medium that makes her watchable.

Also, I agree with whoever said that this should be shot in a restaurant kitchen. I think it'd lend some more authority to it - I get that the point of the show is that we can cook like that at home, but c'mon Food Network. trust that your audience is smart enough to understand that they don't have to have a restaurant kitchen to cook like a restaurant chef.

And one last thing - anyone else noticing that the new crop of Food Network shows seem to be really thrown together? The new Sunny Anderson show, the Neely show and Anne's show all included, they just seem very forced and cold. Like no one took the time to think of a set that works for the concept, or to give the host a second take when she talks too fast. It honestly looks more like the super old food network stuff from the 90s, not like their other good shows.

Maybe I'm just too crass for my own good, but I don't really understand what is so offensive about calling fond "crud." I have to put on my 'bloody irritating social scientist' cap for a second and say that while I understand the need for terminology so that everyone's on the same page, I also think that sometimes jargon has the potential to be "used" to build boundaries around groups. A way to keep some initiated - and a way to keep some people out. I have no problem if someone makes the choice - consciously or just because they're naturally a plain-spoken person - to use "earthy" language. But admittedly, that's just my own opinion.

Geez, am I irritating. Sorry for the diatribe.