The Food Network

While I thank the kind people over at The Food Network for teaching me how to cook and keeping me entertained I've realized I cannot watch it at all after 7pm.  It's killing me.  Alton Brown is a BRILLIANT man, the science plus food thing is awesome but Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.....it just makes me think I'm starving.....evil, evil food network

I hear ya!   The way he takes a big CHOMP and rolls his eyes makes me feel famished too.  Until I watched that show, it never occured to me that eating a chili dog, double-dipped in batter and deep-fried, might be a heavenly experience.

I love the Food Network. I like seeing how it all works and comes together for different people so I can re-apply. I'm just not a Guy Fieri fan though.  I've tried watching his cooking show and Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and I guess he's just not my chef type. Lol, but I adore Alton Brown. And I can never watch Ina Garten cook without getting little hunger/jealousy pains.

Ina-Garten-da-vida

Ina Garten is the most boring and pretentious cooking show host ever.

I've never watched anything on the Food Network, but I did catch an episode of The Barefoot Contessa in a doctor's office once.  (Is that even a Food Network show?)  I was appalled at the amount of milk, cheese, eggs, olive oil, etc. that she used in the recipes that she prepared.  And it was a meal for two!  Six muffins (two sticks of butter in the muffins), an omelet that used six eggs and a half pound of cheese, three cubed potatoes swimming in olive oil; need I go on?!  Good grief!  And I thought Paula Deen was bad!

I agree that the Barefoot Contessa is a very boring show and she is not a skilled cook in the least.  She also overuses cream and butter, etc. no wonder she is overweight.

The Food Network isn't geared toward weight loss, it's geared toward foodies. I love using all the oldschool "French" ingredients. But I admit, I rarely cook that way because of the cals. :)

I get strange delusions after watching Ace of Cakes that I can build things out of cake, I'm like gimmie some sugar and some coat hangers I'll make a cake Deathstar!

Heh. I have considered using fondant, but evidently they make it look a lot easier to use on TV than it is IRL. It has a propensity to be either too moist or too dry and is difficult to get 'just right'.

I don't really like the Diners, Drive Ins show. Most of it can and should be on that website "this is why we are fat". Just some greasy stuff smeared in more grease. Also not a big fan of bare foot contessa. It's a boring show and she is not all that great or imaginative cook. Then of course there is Paula show which I actually hate. Lets see typical menu is pound of butter and whatever she can cook/fry in it. Bleh.

I just watch it for Iron Chef, Chopped, Alton Brown Good Eats show, and Ace of cakes.

UD

I don't think she's pretentious, but then again, so many people like Paula Deen and I think she's disgusting. I like the challenge in recreating a lower calorie version of recipes from Food Network, so I'm not offended if maybe a chef uses a little much butter, or too much cream. 

I've never had a cake with fondant, but I've heard that it's disgusting? Is fondant even supposed to be eaten? But definitely, after watching Ace of Cakes or Cake Boss, I totally want to be a cake decorator.

ETA: I LOVE CHOPPED!

Original Post by adolphs:

I agree that the Barefoot Contessa is a very boring show and she is not a skilled cook in the least.  She also overuses cream and butter, etc. no wonder she is overweight.

 Although I do find Ina Garten to be a bore ("Jeffery, is going to LOVE this"..."Jeffery, Jeffery, Jeffery") I do feel the need to defend her here. She is quite skilled and has an impressive resume. It is probably just that her "French" style of cooking is not what you are used to.

Original Post by lbh:

I've never had a cake with fondant, but I've heard that it's disgusting? Is fondant even supposed to be eaten? But definitely, after watching Ace of Cakes or Cake Boss, I totally want to be a cake decorator.

Most people don't really like the taste or texture, but it is perfectly edible and made to be consumed.

Kathygator - if you want to try using fondant, I suggest making it yourself. Google 'marshmallow fondant' for the recipe - it tastes much better than the Wilton's crap (although I still don't much like the taste), and it's much more forgiving, due no doubt to the gelatin in the marshmallows!

I'm actually not much of a fan of any of the Food Network regulars, but I do like Iron Chef, mostly for the spectacle.

Original Post by alaskanmama:

I've never watched anything on the Food Network, but I did catch an episode of The Barefoot Contessa in a doctor's office once.  (Is that even a Food Network show?)  I was appalled at the amount of milk, cheese, eggs, olive oil, etc. that she used in the recipes that she prepared.  And it was a meal for two!  Six muffins (two sticks of butter in the muffins), an omelet that used six eggs and a half pound of cheese, three cubed potatoes swimming in olive oil; need I go on?!  Good grief!  And I thought Paula Deen was bad!

 I see nothing wrong with those ingredients or amounts.

:)

And Sandra Lee makes me want to gouge my own eyeballs out.

She's atrocious.

"My nephew Timmy is having a birthday party!  I'm going to make him a Betty Crocker cake mix and put some canned pineapple in it.  Now let's make a cocktail!"

hahahahaha Sandra Lee is not my favorite either.  Duff I loved until a friend of mine ordered a cake and was heartbroken about what a dbag he is.  Alton Brown is my favorite, Paula Deen is just fun to watch, and I wonder every day how Rachel Ray's face hasn't cracked from smiling like that. 

hee hee. And look at this beautiful table scape...and it was so easy, all you need is a dozen bic lighters, a bag of wood chips and a cocktail...

Original Post by pavlovcat:

And Sandra Lee makes me want to gouge my own eyeballs out. *ME TOO!*

She's atrocious.

"My nephew Timmy is having a birthday party!  I'm going to make him a Betty Crocker cake mix and put some canned pineapple in it.  Now let's make a cocktail!"

 Ha! I LOVE the cocktail part - she has my her priorities straight.

paula deen made cookie dough balls that she dipped in milk chocolate and refigerated. ri-diculous.

i actually started making cakes after watching ace of cakes. i just use mix but i carve it and use fondant and stuff...rarely ever eat it because yeah, fondant is gross. it really just has no taste.