The Good. The Bad. And The Really, Really Lame.

I have been a huge fan of the Food Network for about six years now. Ever since I moved to NYC and got a cable package that included the network. Most of my weekends, while I sit working away on search marketing stuff on my laptop, I have the Food Network on in the background.

The best shows on the channel include:

Anything with Rachael Ray: LOVE her. She is personable and a normal person. She doesn't come across "holier-than-thou" and cooks based on instinct. She knows her ingredients welll, and knows how to mix them.

Everyday Italian: I also love Giada, the host of this show. She is awesome. And she was groomed in the art of Italian cuisine.

Good Eats: Alton Brown (the host) comes across as more "scientist" than skilled chef. And I love that. He takes you inside food and particular dishes and really shows you whythings are the way they are. It's really an educational program in food science.

Nigella Lawson: Love the self-dubbed "domestic goddess." You can tell she enjoys food, and she is very genuine. Plus, I love her recipes for basked goods... Like cupcakes. They are heaven.

Barefoot Contesa: I have all of Ina's cookbooks. Her recipe collections are fantastic... And I enjoy watching her tinker around in her kitchen. That kitchen is my DREAM kitchen. EVerything is organized and there is so much space.

And of the Food Network Challenges: Sometimes, I get so anxious for the contestants while watching, I have to change the channel momentarily and flip back. But I always love seeing the final creations.

The Bad include:

Emeril: This man, and his evening show "Live," are WAY past their expiration date. It's tres boring to watch.

Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee: This has got to be the MOST painful show to watch ever in the history of the Food Network (next to that cancelled show with Sara Moulton.) Is it just me, or does this woman come across extremely fake? Plus, I hate all that "table-scape" crap she does at the end of each show. In my opnion, when you have to do up your table like that for every freakin' special occasion you have, that really says something about your cooking skills... It says that they SUCK. In fact, they SUCK so bad, you have to make up with it by decorating your table in fake flowers (which i detest) and ugly fabrics. You should skip out on spending money on teh fake stuff for the table, and put that money (and energy you spend putting the crap table-scape together) into buying better ingredients and making most of your meal from scratch.

The Really, Really Lame, Include:

Party Line with the Hearty Boys: These two cracker jacks won the Food Networks reality show competition in 2004 or 2005 (can't recall.) As a result, they got their own show. And it is obvious that they are still trying to learn how to be comfortable in front of the camera. They're timing with each other leaves me feeling empty. I don't feel like they connect with each other, or teh audience. They need to better choreograph their show. Their recipes also kinda suck.

Good Deal with Dave Lieberman: I don't really think this show is lame... But I just haven't really connected with this guy while watching his show. maybe, after a few more seasons, he'll become more polished in his presentation and start connecting.


There are a few shows I haven't commented on... I am somewhat indfifferent to those. But overall, the Food Network really kicks ass.

Comments

Anonymous said…
You know, I enjoy the food network mostly (esp. being from the bay area, where food reigns supreme) but the commercials are aggravating. Rachael Ray's shows (I like her ok, but I really don't like most of her ingredients and some of the things she makes I would never serve to someone I like; I do like her attitude, though) must have 5 commercials. I love Ina Garten and Giada is good but her show is shot like it's porn! Emeril does suck (but, to be fair, the food in his N.O. restaurants is mostly fantastic). I also like Tyler's Ultimate... series, but again, the amount of commercials can turn me away. Being a trained pastry cook, I most often stop to ogle desserts when I see them, esp. Ina. Just 2 cents worth. Sorry.
Anonymous said…
Molto Mario is pretty good too, altough it's on early afternoon so tough to watch.

Ham on the Street cracks me up and you are right - anything with Alton Brown is great.
Anonymous said…
There was a big write-up about the Food Network in last week's New Yorker. It was very interesting, pick it up if you get a chance.

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