Celebrity is as celebrity cooks.
There are a lot of TV chefs. Once upon a time, you got who you got on PBS. Julia Child, Graham "The Galloping Gourmet" Kerr, Justin Wilson etc.
Then, one day, PBS had the brains (or "sheer dumb luck") to air a show called Great Chefs. Next thing you know, real restaurant chefs are getting airtime and this, of course, begat Food Network.
However, not everyone on PBS or Food Network can actually cook, mind you. Some can cook their @$$ off, some are hit or miss, some can't cook, and some REALLY can't.
Sandra Lee - Badger has already explained why she can't cook. It's basically a parade of prettified preprocessed $#!+ and cocktails.
Emeril Lagasse - Can't cook either. His cookbooks are NOT what you want if you're fixing something the first time for a promising romantic prospect. The few things that do work are ankle-widening and artery-rupturing.
Alton Brown - Can cook. His recipes are pretty foolproof. But not the stuff you want if you're an eyeballer.
Mario Batali - Can cook. Most recipes are flawless both as writ and tinkered with, a few require WAY too much tinkering.
Jamie Oliver - Can cook like a muh fuh, and the guy is a born eyeballer almost all recipes work beautifully with or without improvisation.
Tony Bourdain - Can cook, and his recipes include all manner of excellent cheats.
Giada di Laurentiis - Can cook pretty well, although a few things are dumbed down.
Paula Deen - Can sorta cook. I'm kinda "meh" on most of her stuff, which is too shortcut-ish, but her for-real Southern stuff rules.
Ina Garten - Can sorta cook. Her stuff is geared more for richness than strong flavors. That is, if you prefer butter to really sharp EVOO, she might be your girl.
Sara Moulton - Cooks pretty damned well. Recipes require modest tweakage.
Tyler Florence - Cooks pretty damned well also.
Cat Cora - Cooks pretty damned well also.
Ming Tsai - Cooks like a muh fuh AND a bastid.
Willoughby & Schlesinger - Cook beautifully...and their books are fun to read, besides.
Later, a list of what you need in your cookbook shelf.
-J.
Then, one day, PBS had the brains (or "sheer dumb luck") to air a show called Great Chefs. Next thing you know, real restaurant chefs are getting airtime and this, of course, begat Food Network.
However, not everyone on PBS or Food Network can actually cook, mind you. Some can cook their @$$ off, some are hit or miss, some can't cook, and some REALLY can't.
Sandra Lee - Badger has already explained why she can't cook. It's basically a parade of prettified preprocessed $#!+ and cocktails.
Emeril Lagasse - Can't cook either. His cookbooks are NOT what you want if you're fixing something the first time for a promising romantic prospect. The few things that do work are ankle-widening and artery-rupturing.
Alton Brown - Can cook. His recipes are pretty foolproof. But not the stuff you want if you're an eyeballer.
Mario Batali - Can cook. Most recipes are flawless both as writ and tinkered with, a few require WAY too much tinkering.
Jamie Oliver - Can cook like a muh fuh, and the guy is a born eyeballer almost all recipes work beautifully with or without improvisation.
Tony Bourdain - Can cook, and his recipes include all manner of excellent cheats.
Giada di Laurentiis - Can cook pretty well, although a few things are dumbed down.
Paula Deen - Can sorta cook. I'm kinda "meh" on most of her stuff, which is too shortcut-ish, but her for-real Southern stuff rules.
Ina Garten - Can sorta cook. Her stuff is geared more for richness than strong flavors. That is, if you prefer butter to really sharp EVOO, she might be your girl.
Sara Moulton - Cooks pretty damned well. Recipes require modest tweakage.
Tyler Florence - Cooks pretty damned well also.
Cat Cora - Cooks pretty damned well also.
Ming Tsai - Cooks like a muh fuh AND a bastid.
Willoughby & Schlesinger - Cook beautifully...and their books are fun to read, besides.
Later, a list of what you need in your cookbook shelf.
-J.
Comments
I loathe Emeril. I hate that BAM shit and, IMO, NO cooking show on the planet needs a freakin' back up band. What, exactly, the fuck?
Although, I hate to admit it, but his chili recipe kinda rocks.
I'm pretty much in agreement with you on everyone else. Giada whatsit bugs the crap out of me, mainly because her hair! is always in the food! And it looks like her head is going to split open every time she smiles.
Tony Bourdain - well, I believe I have gone on record of my lust for him. And his food.
And Ming Tsai annoys me too - but he went to school with my hub, so I forgive him somewhat.
I want to SCRUB Mario Batali - he always looks DIRTY. But his food looks amazing.
What about Rachael Ray, Joke? ; )
I tried her Bloody Mary recipe once and thought it was pretty darn good.
One time she said, "Most people think I start my recipes with a pound of butter. Today I'm not. This is only a half pound."
(not verbatim)
I LOVE her kitchen, not that I could ever keep mine that clean.
I told my husband we were benefitting from your wisdom.
Rachael Ray is...alright some of her recipes work, and some are beyond salvage. When you place an artificial limit on your food (2 ingredients or fewer! 10 minutes or less!) Her cooking-for-kids book is pretty good, though.
So there you have it.
-J.
But mostly, I'm with Perceptive Reader. I don't watch cooking on television, but I love, love, love to read cookbooks. But they have to be really well written.
I read them when I eat alone and have no one to talk to. It's like eating ... and eating.
(Is this why I'm fat?)
Tony Bourdain. Sigh. I am a red-blodded woman with a passion for food and travel. Enough said.
Tyler Florence? I did him. OK, so that is totally a lie. But I would.
If my sources are correct, all you need to do to bring #3 to pass is to stand in front of him.
-J.
and it's hilarious to me, how, whether love Giada or hate her, EVERYONE ALWAYS agrees about her ginormous head.
-J.