Food Network

I stopped watching Food Network. It was great when it was about learning about interesting stuff that I cold even make at home, but when in the wake of Iron Chef it turned into a seemingly unending string of cooking competitions (each more outlandish than the last), I turned off.

 

If you see some of the chefs/cook on Triple D competing on GGG, then you know that he really respects those chefs and thinks high of them.

 

I watch Good Eats whenever it’s on, but it’s no longer in my 7+/-2 channels I frequent.

 

I don’t know how long it takes to crank out 20 half-hour programs, but over the last few months I was surprised they didn’t have Kitchen 101 programming for all the people at home: measuring and cutting tips, how to sauté, how to take canned soup and elevate it into something a bit more exciting, yada yada ... Lots of interesting things they could have done.

 

We use Food Network as our before bed TV when we are done thinking or we are reading. Love GGG, Beat Bobby Flay and DDD.

 

The Food Network became the entertainment and the Cooking Channel, at last check, was more of the cooking instructional.

But I like Alex Guarnachelli. She seems like she doesn't take herself too seriously and actually enjoys cooking.

 

Flay caused some chatter a few years ago when he decided to take on The Biscuit Lady at The Loveless Cafe. Thing about Loveless is at one time, the food lived up to the hype. Hasn't done that for a while, but it was still a hit because the people who ate them up had never had a biscuit that didn't pop out of a can.

Bolton's, The Neeleys, and Prince's HC made biscuits that would make you slap your Aint Ruthie, they were so good. Loveless got too big and too busy and their food got too institutional.

So Flay showed up and either editing or real life showed him preparing to take an L. IIRC, it was a shutout for Team Grillboy. The Loveless people were gracious, but they looked stunned.

 

I loved it when it was recipes and learning techniques and recipes more than it is now, like Game Show Network does food.

Back when Emeril was at the start, Bobby Flay was with Jack something for "Grillin and Chillin" and David something did half-hour shows on how to make one dish - I still make Philly Cheesesteaks from his show. Add in Sara Moulton, early Mario Batali, Ming Tsai with East Meets West, Good Eats, and a ton of what I know about cooking is straight from them.

I realize that is old guy Get Off My Lawn, but I'd gladly pay for a channel that is nothing but classic Food Network.

Can't remember the name, but read an oral history of Food Network a few years back that was worth it.

 

I loved Emeril Live. It was a fun two-hour show on cooking. He did some fun recipes that you felt like you could do and it was still entertaining television.

Watching Ming Tsai cook is what I would imagine watching Einstein demonstrate equations would look like. That guy is so brilliant and smooth in the kitchen. One show I remember it seemed like he was cooking 10 dishes at once and he's just moving from one pot to the next without any problems.

 

Agree. I'd forgotten about how good the network was overall back then. Emeril's cookbooks are hit or miss. I still have my copy of "Louisiana: Real and Rustic."

Was it From Scratch: The Uncensored History of The Food Network?

 

I loved the original Japanese Iron Chef. I could never tell what was real and what was a work. Remember the Haikaido Bear who kept sending chefs to compete as he was mad about some variance from traditional Japanese cooking.

Bobby Flay caused the stir when he jumped up on the counter and stood on the cutting board.

Fully agree with this. Ming Tsai was a cool dude. The original Bobby Flay show - Grilling and Chilling? with the dude in the overalls was fun. Then he ditched him and had a cooking show with a bunch of yuppie types watching him cook. Opening credits prominently featured Stephen Baldwin lol.

I have a bit of DDD overdose. Used to watch all the time but sort of burnt out on it. As mentioned upthread I’ve come around on Guy thinking he may be a genuine guy. His raising money for broke Covid workers is super impressive.

All time fave cooking show is Top Chef ‍ n Bravo. Seems mainly about the food and like watching these guys work. Wish each episode was 2 hours.

 

That's the one. Some good inside stuff about how close they were to going under several times, and their move from instructional to pure entertainment.

Grillin and Chillin was with Jack McDavid, and had them cooking the same food, Jack on a charcoal grill and Flay on gas. Was very informative and entertaining.

Saw some interview or clip with Flay saying how much he enjoyed that show and working with McDavid. Sounds like they are still relatively close.

I'd love for there to be a revival of Guy's Big Bite. He knows his shit and is much more palatable (to me, at least) when he's cooking and isn't babbling about taking the first train to Flavortown.