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The Ten Most Recent Comments By vinovamp

New York's Best Gelato Maker Weighs in on the Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Cream Controversies

I'm with VoraciosMatt...the olive oil gelato is friggin' HEAVEN. We live in Jersey and frequently make trips in just for that! What I want to know as a novice ice cream maker at home, is if Meredith would consider even hinting at her recipe since I'm sure she'd never give it up completely...I'm moving to Miami soon and will only be able to dream of the olive oil gelato. If I could make something that even comes close I'd have the undying gratitude of my family!!!

vinovamp at 4:23PM on 06/27/08

From Required Eating

Cook the Book: Wine Bar Food

I like a little champagne with my champagne...and perhaps a small side dish of champagne.

vinovamp at 3:44PM on 05/15/08

From Required Eating

Top 10 Awesome Nostalgic Foods We Want Back

My mom and I were just discussing the other day how much we miss McD's fried apple pies. What were they THINKING? Who was the marketing guru who decided to draw the health line at frying pies? "Burgers with fillers and fat from cows pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones? No problem. Beef extracts in the McNuggets? Fine. Flavoring agents in the fries? Great. Fried apple pies? Not health conscious at all...bake them!" I feel a road trip to a still-fried apple pie in my near future.

vinovamp at 12:15PM on 04/16/08

From Talk

A change of heart concerning Sandra Lee.

@MelsDiner....truce, friend. Now what's say we have a get-together to celebrate the peace and we'll make that Kwanzaa cake Karen keeps talking about! :-)

vinovamp at 10:04AM on 04/10/08

From Talk

A change of heart concerning Sandra Lee.

@MelsDiner...oy, OK, in no way did I mean to offend or turn your comments into something they weren't. If YOU read carefully, you'd note that I never implied you thought her creations were healthy or tasty. I merely used something you said (which made complete sense) as a spring board to a point i was trying to make. Yes, I completely agree that the least healthy food is the cheapest...as a working mother I get it, believe me. As much as I'd like organic food in my kitchen, it isn't there, so please don't think I'm preaching. Lastly, please don't pretend to know what I do and don't do with my time and my passion...THAT is a leap in judgement. And if you noticed, I conceded to someone else's point about her being a step up. I don't think I mocked anyone other than Sandra and the Food Network. C'est la vie.

vinovamp at 3:52PM on 04/09/08

From Talk

A change of heart concerning Sandra Lee.

Point taken kjgibson....valid point taken. I can't wrap my head around her being a step up, but you're right...SOME fresh ingredients are better than none. I'm so disgusted now I think I'll go drown my woes in a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich....on WHITE bread.

vinovamp at 3:23PM on 04/09/08

From Talk

A change of heart concerning Sandra Lee.

Thanks, Karen. To respond to you I'll say that yes, to many people cooking may very well be unnecessary...but should those people be hosting cooking shows? Seems highly ironic to me. My sole problem is that the network airs her under the guise of someone who is trying to make cooking accessible. She simply isn't. Mel's Diner said, "While many who love to cook desire being able to afford only the best...of ingredients and kitchen gadgets, it's getting harder every day to put a reasonably healthy and tasty meal on most American tables." Here's the rub: what she is teaching you to put on your family's plates is NOT reasonably healthy (and reasonably tasty is up for debate). Have you checked the sodium on a can of mushroom soup? Or the fat? Or the calories?

In the time it takes Sandra to open a can of mushroom soup, pour it over chicken breasts, and add more sodium-laden crap like those onion rings in a can, she can take a whole chicken, stick a few garlic cloves (perish the thought) under the skin, rub it with salt and pepper and throw it in the oven. Not liking to cook doesn't have to translate into not caring what you serve.

vinovamp at 2:16PM on 04/09/08

From Talk

A change of heart concerning Sandra Lee.

Sorry folks, but some of the blame is still well deserved, although as much to the network as to Sandra. What’s airing now is simply a how-to on combining processed food with a little fresh food and warming everything up to a golden crisp. Ask viewers to think about cooking as a form of creation, not as a form of reconstitution. This is not about demanding culinary expertise; it’s about stimulating interest and curiosity. It’s about building pride in a mom or dad that has just managed to pull off a 30-minute meal without the aid of Campbell’s, McCormick’s, Ragu or Jell-O. In the same time it takes her to open a can of peaches and drain the syrup, she can simply cut up 2 fresh peaches. Sandra, when asked why she doesn't use garlic, said "Bleck. It smells." It's GARLIC! Its primary culinary allure is that it smells! Somewhere there’s a loyal viewer that relates to it all because she or he hates to cook each night, too. And you’re more apt to hold on to that viewer if you validate their misery by showing them how to race through making dinner each night so they can get to more important things like watching Survivor. Telling them that every meal is worth the effort would mean questioning their values, and that doesn’t exactly make for stellar ratings. I’ll tell you emphatically that she is not making cooking accessible—she is making it seem unnecessary. When a big serving bowl of pasta is set in the center of the table and the folks sitting at that table begin to rave about the tortellini, there is a certain sense of pleasure a cook takes in hearing it all—in knowing that what you’ve crafted is the cause of all those smiles. But if you’re sitting at that table silently thinking that they are raving about cheese-colored mush squirted out of a can, how much pride can you possibly have? Do you begin to feel guilty that your cheese sauce contains no cheese?

vinovamp at 1:22PM on 04/09/08

From Talk

What one famous chef would you choose to emulate?

Although this doesn't quite fit the question, I would choose MFK Fisher. While I realize she wasn't technically a "chef", her passion for food and the artistry with which she communicated that passion deserve the ultimate praise.

But, OK, if I'm playing by the rules, I'll pick Rachel Ray...that way I could make a crap load of money for making up acronyms, carrying a balancing act of groceries around the kitchen, and rolling my eyes at everything I eat....That's an attainable dream I think I'm fully qualified for without having to bankroll tuition at the CIA.

vinovamp at 11:48AM on 04/09/08

From Required Eating

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

i've got a weak spot for the marshmallow Peeps...regardless of color or animal shape. But the best part is opening the package and letting them get a little stale for a day or two...then they're nice and chewy!

vinovamp at 12:29PM on 03/19/08

Responses to Comments by vinovamp

From Required Eating

Top 10 Awesome Nostalgic Foods We Want Back

Anybody remember Sprinkle Spangles? Anybody? It was a cereal made of star shapes, sprinkles and lots of sugar. Beautiful rocket fuel.

elderberry_crunch at 9:04AM on 07/01/08

From Serious Eats: New York

New York's Best Gelato Maker Weighs in on the Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Cream Controversies

Thanks for the tip Delfina!

collegekid19 at 3:00AM on 06/30/08

From Serious Eats: New York

New York's Best Gelato Maker Weighs in on the Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Cream Controversies

Hey Collegekid,
Dunno about hazelnut (sigh.... my favorite) but look around the stores for coconut gelato in a blue container with pictures of Italy on it. It's awesome.

Delfina at 11:24PM on 06/29/08

From Serious Eats: New York