I love to watch food and cooking shows, but I don't have cable TV, so the shows on PBS are the only ones available to me. My 2 favorite shows are Jacques Pepin's "Fast Food My Way" and "Simply Ming" with Ming Tsai. Pepin is like a smart, kindly uncle who, instead of showing you how to change the oil in your car, shows you how to efficiently put together wonderful meals. Ming Tsai is very creative, with his "master recipe" plan that can be used in multiple dishes. I also have a huge crush on Ming because he's just so dang cute. However, they aren't showing those shows on either of the Chicago PBS stations now, for whatever reason. Until/unless they come to their senses and bring back Jacques and Ming, I'm reduced to watching the also-rans: "Lidia's Family Table," "Everyday Food," "America's Test Kitchen," and "BBQ University." Don't get me wrong--I like all 4 of those shows for various reasons, but none of the hosts is a Jacques or a Ming.
Of the 4 shows, "Lidia's Family Table" is the best, by far. Lidia Bastianich is a great TV host. I like her personality and vocal style, and she makes some fabulous recipes. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that she puts way too much olive oil in things. There will be a dish made with butter and/or fat rendered from a piece of meat, and she'll still garnish it with more olive oil on top. Sometimes I can't believe how much fat is in those recipes. It would make me sick to eat such overly rich food. But it does look good, and I'm sure I could adapt the recipes to my own tastes.
"Everyday Food," which is produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, is the show for harried, working moms who are looking for simple things that can be thrown together for a decent meal at the end of the day. I like the recipes (I also subscribe to the companion magazine), but the hosts are all kinda boring. I mean, they seem like nice people, but they aren't exactly sparkling personalities. Maybe that was done deliberately, so that none of them would ever compete with Martha Stewart's celebrity status. As a result, I often get bored/distracted before the last segment of the show.
"America's Test Kitchen" is the show for food geeks. They deconstruct classic recipes and test several versions before coming up with the perfect one. The recipes are often overly fussy, with multiple steps that I think are unnecessary. However, I have learned a lot from the show, especially from the equipment rating and food tasting segments. My main complaint about the show is that the host, Christopher Kimball, is very annoying. Among other faults, he wears a bow tie. I'm sorry, but the only bow-tied men I ever respected were Orville Redenbacher and the late senator from Illinois, Paul Simon. I also find the sexual tension and flirting between Kimball and the 2 blond female cooks, Julia and Bridget, very disturbing. He's obviously old enough to be the father of either of them, and that just weirds me out. I think they should have Kimball introduce each segment and then step aside and let the ladies work their magic.
Finally, "BBQ University" is a show devoted entirely to grilling. I like the host, Steven Raichlen, a lot. He's low-key and not annoying, but he also seems to be passionate about grilling. I appreciate his enthusiasm. He presents really creative recipes, including desserts cooked on the grill; it's not just about throwing pieces of meat over a fire. The only drawback to the show is that it makes me sad, because I live in a small city apartment with no deck or balcony and can never try the recipes. It also makes me nostalgic for all the outdoor grilling my family did on our patio when I was growing up. But the show itself is well worth your time.
So now you know where I am most Saturday afternoons--parked on the couch watching food shows on PBS. Pathetic, isn't it?
Of the 4 shows, "Lidia's Family Table" is the best, by far. Lidia Bastianich is a great TV host. I like her personality and vocal style, and she makes some fabulous recipes. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that she puts way too much olive oil in things. There will be a dish made with butter and/or fat rendered from a piece of meat, and she'll still garnish it with more olive oil on top. Sometimes I can't believe how much fat is in those recipes. It would make me sick to eat such overly rich food. But it does look good, and I'm sure I could adapt the recipes to my own tastes.
"Everyday Food," which is produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, is the show for harried, working moms who are looking for simple things that can be thrown together for a decent meal at the end of the day. I like the recipes (I also subscribe to the companion magazine), but the hosts are all kinda boring. I mean, they seem like nice people, but they aren't exactly sparkling personalities. Maybe that was done deliberately, so that none of them would ever compete with Martha Stewart's celebrity status. As a result, I often get bored/distracted before the last segment of the show.
"America's Test Kitchen" is the show for food geeks. They deconstruct classic recipes and test several versions before coming up with the perfect one. The recipes are often overly fussy, with multiple steps that I think are unnecessary. However, I have learned a lot from the show, especially from the equipment rating and food tasting segments. My main complaint about the show is that the host, Christopher Kimball, is very annoying. Among other faults, he wears a bow tie. I'm sorry, but the only bow-tied men I ever respected were Orville Redenbacher and the late senator from Illinois, Paul Simon. I also find the sexual tension and flirting between Kimball and the 2 blond female cooks, Julia and Bridget, very disturbing. He's obviously old enough to be the father of either of them, and that just weirds me out. I think they should have Kimball introduce each segment and then step aside and let the ladies work their magic.
Finally, "BBQ University" is a show devoted entirely to grilling. I like the host, Steven Raichlen, a lot. He's low-key and not annoying, but he also seems to be passionate about grilling. I appreciate his enthusiasm. He presents really creative recipes, including desserts cooked on the grill; it's not just about throwing pieces of meat over a fire. The only drawback to the show is that it makes me sad, because I live in a small city apartment with no deck or balcony and can never try the recipes. It also makes me nostalgic for all the outdoor grilling my family did on our patio when I was growing up. But the show itself is well worth your time.
So now you know where I am most Saturday afternoons--parked on the couch watching food shows on PBS. Pathetic, isn't it?
Comments
OK, every now & then he is funny, but the other 85%..just a bad distraction to the real stars.
Yes, he does better with the segments with male costars, and if their is any tention with the women, its their obvious dislike of having to share the screen with him acting as carnival jester.
on a side note, I wish PBS (I guess I could do it), would have a REAL MEN COOK show (ironically this is true for women today too), that showed how to make dinner with ONLY typical supermarket items, or whats in a typical pantry. I was taught to "cook" by an uncle who's rule was, USE WHATS HERE, and improvise.
IT drives my wife nuts that I almost never use a recipe, except for guidelines.
and, yes, Olive oil everything gets old. Though we American have nothing to boast about, healthwise.
Chris Kimball is per his bio..
Founder and editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine and also host of America's Test Kitchen
mystery solved, though... sometimes, it is best to step back and manage, enjoy, not host?