chubbyalaskagriz
New member
Cath and MsMai... they're proll'y on the channels you ladies don't subscribe to! Ha!
Cooking Forum
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K
KYHeirloomer
Guest
"I watch Food Network every day even if just for an hour after work. I love Sandra Lee's recipes. "
An hour is about the sum total of new programing they have on any particular day. So you're probably just lucking out with the timing. Everything else is a repeat of a repeat of a show they aired three years ago.
What else can they do, after firing the three people who made the network viable in the first place.
The fact that you like Sandra Lee's recipes isn't the issue; although, frankly, I don't think she's really all that good even within that genre. The point is, using her approach might put food on the table that you like, but it is not an inexpensive way to go.
The very idea that she can demonstrate "money saving meals" (that's the name of her new show) is oxymoronic at best.
An hour is about the sum total of new programing they have on any particular day. So you're probably just lucking out with the timing. Everything else is a repeat of a repeat of a show they aired three years ago.
What else can they do, after firing the three people who made the network viable in the first place.
The fact that you like Sandra Lee's recipes isn't the issue; although, frankly, I don't think she's really all that good even within that genre. The point is, using her approach might put food on the table that you like, but it is not an inexpensive way to go.
The very idea that she can demonstrate "money saving meals" (that's the name of her new show) is oxymoronic at best.
The Ironic Chef
New member
Going back several years to PBS there use to be a cooking show called the Frugal Gourmet.
The guy cooking was Jeff Smith.
My impression after years of watching his program was that being Frugal in the kitchen wasn't necessarily cooking cheap. It was not wasting anything.
Going back in time I grew up on a farm. When a pig was slaughtered my grand parents used every single part of that pig. The parts you wouldn't think edible went into head cheese. Now to me, that is being frugal. Knowing what went into head cheese, I could never eat it myself, lol.
Now to speculate on what a program is going to be like is one of the things I hate more than anything these days. It's like Fox news setting the hound reporters on some suspecting news story before it even pans out. There may be a story and there may not. But just in case, Fox will bring all kinds of spe******t in to speculate what just may happen. Sometimes one or two of them spe******t just may be right.
All in all, it's just TV.Some may find it interesting and some may hate it and others will just pick it a part and grab what ever blooper they can.
The way I see it, my TV has an on and off switch and if I'm not working I'm sure there are some weeds to pull in the garden.
The guy cooking was Jeff Smith.
My impression after years of watching his program was that being Frugal in the kitchen wasn't necessarily cooking cheap. It was not wasting anything.
Going back in time I grew up on a farm. When a pig was slaughtered my grand parents used every single part of that pig. The parts you wouldn't think edible went into head cheese. Now to me, that is being frugal. Knowing what went into head cheese, I could never eat it myself, lol.
Now to speculate on what a program is going to be like is one of the things I hate more than anything these days. It's like Fox news setting the hound reporters on some suspecting news story before it even pans out. There may be a story and there may not. But just in case, Fox will bring all kinds of spe******t in to speculate what just may happen. Sometimes one or two of them spe******t just may be right.
All in all, it's just TV.Some may find it interesting and some may hate it and others will just pick it a part and grab what ever blooper they can.
The way I see it, my TV has an on and off switch and if I'm not working I'm sure there are some weeds to pull in the garden.
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K
KYHeirloomer
Guest
Most analogies are poor, IC, but yours is particularly so.
It isn't rocket science figuring out how a new show will be formatted. You just look at the promos, lay them out against what you know about the host, and you're in business.
In Sandra's case it's really an easy shot, because everything tells us what the show will be like:
1. Unless she's prepared to repudiate everything she's made her reputation on, she has to continue in some version of the 70/30 mode.
2. Recent episodes of her show have (no doubt as a subtle promotion of the upcoming new series) dealt with "money saving meals." They were exactly the same as all her others---lots of canned, boxed, and frozen convenience foods.
3. The promotions for the new show indicate that the only thing different is that she'll be taking us shopping to see how she buys the stuff she uses. Oh, joy! Field trips!
I wonder if part of that will include the 28 people on her staff who actually do the shopping, prep work, set building, etc.
FWIW, my dictionary defines frugal as 1. Avoiding unnecessary expenditure of money; thrifty. 2. Costing little; inexpensive
"IIRC, she grew up poor so she might have something for us beyond what her current show is about."
That might be true, Bubba. She spares no opportunity to tell us about how sometimes she didn't know where her next meal would come from. But, at the same time, when it suits her purposes, she's always telling us how she's been entertaining "ever since I was a little girl."
Let me tell you something: I grew up dirt poor. And we didn't do any entertaining. We were too busy surviving.
It isn't rocket science figuring out how a new show will be formatted. You just look at the promos, lay them out against what you know about the host, and you're in business.
In Sandra's case it's really an easy shot, because everything tells us what the show will be like:
1. Unless she's prepared to repudiate everything she's made her reputation on, she has to continue in some version of the 70/30 mode.
2. Recent episodes of her show have (no doubt as a subtle promotion of the upcoming new series) dealt with "money saving meals." They were exactly the same as all her others---lots of canned, boxed, and frozen convenience foods.
3. The promotions for the new show indicate that the only thing different is that she'll be taking us shopping to see how she buys the stuff she uses. Oh, joy! Field trips!
I wonder if part of that will include the 28 people on her staff who actually do the shopping, prep work, set building, etc.
FWIW, my dictionary defines frugal as 1. Avoiding unnecessary expenditure of money; thrifty. 2. Costing little; inexpensive
"IIRC, she grew up poor so she might have something for us beyond what her current show is about."
That might be true, Bubba. She spares no opportunity to tell us about how sometimes she didn't know where her next meal would come from. But, at the same time, when it suits her purposes, she's always telling us how she's been entertaining "ever since I was a little girl."
Let me tell you something: I grew up dirt poor. And we didn't do any entertaining. We were too busy surviving.
The Ironic Chef
New member
I'm sorry that you didn't appreciate my view KY.
I view TV as entertainment though. I do agree with you on the subject matter concerning the food network and this program. I believe that it could be successful though if done right even taking into consideration of her past record. Not every viewer is going to make everything from scratch which is more economical. Whether we like it or not, food prep now is all about convenience in a good majority of house holds. Mentioning a staff of 28 people is a look behind the scenes. I'm not sure that's really a concern to very many viewers.
I just think the word Frugal has different meanings to the two of us. My interpretation is not from the dictionary. Being Frugal to me is the use of products available economically.
If the writers and staff for the program think that making a box of pasta and dumping jarred sauce on it and serving 6 people as being frugal, then so be it. It will not interest me but I am sure out of the possible millions that view the show, there has to be those out there that find it to their liking.
I view TV as entertainment though. I do agree with you on the subject matter concerning the food network and this program. I believe that it could be successful though if done right even taking into consideration of her past record. Not every viewer is going to make everything from scratch which is more economical. Whether we like it or not, food prep now is all about convenience in a good majority of house holds. Mentioning a staff of 28 people is a look behind the scenes. I'm not sure that's really a concern to very many viewers.
I just think the word Frugal has different meanings to the two of us. My interpretation is not from the dictionary. Being Frugal to me is the use of products available economically.
If the writers and staff for the program think that making a box of pasta and dumping jarred sauce on it and serving 6 people as being frugal, then so be it. It will not interest me but I am sure out of the possible millions that view the show, there has to be those out there that find it to their liking.
K
KYHeirloomer
Guest
So, the first installment of the new show is history. I see several problems with it, some objective, one subjective.
The subjective one is that I don't think anything she showed us is particularly earth shattering or creative. I mean, using day-old bread. Yeah, that's a radically new concept.
Of course it pre-supposes you live in an area where there are 1. real bakeries, and 2. that they have a day-old bread counter. The vast majority of us are not so fortunate.
Now, as to objective criticisms.
1. Her cost figures are meaningless. They represent what she supposedly paid where she shops, on the day she filmed the show. The odds of your local costs being the same are pretty slim.
For instance, she claims to have paid $1.79/lb for asparagus. I want to know where she shops. Around here, in the supermarkets, the lowest current price is $3.79. At the faux farmers market in Lexington, yesterday , imported asparagus was selling for $7/lb. At our real farmer's market locally grown was four bucks.
2. Her price comparisons do not compare like to like. For instance, she compares her "homemade" breakfast syrup to real maple syrup. Sure, there's a vast price difference. But if she compared it to commerical syrups (i.e., Mrs Butterworth's, etc.) the prices are just about the same.
I also resent the idea that I would have to go to the FN website to find recipes that are part of her meal but which she didn't prepare. For instance, she supposedly has an asparagus soup as part of her brunch. But she couldn't be bothered showing us how to make it.
Even more are her sneering references to make it the items from scratch. Sure you could make your own much cheaper, she says, but that would involve spending some time in the kitchen---God forbid!
The subjective one is that I don't think anything she showed us is particularly earth shattering or creative. I mean, using day-old bread. Yeah, that's a radically new concept.
Of course it pre-supposes you live in an area where there are 1. real bakeries, and 2. that they have a day-old bread counter. The vast majority of us are not so fortunate.
Now, as to objective criticisms.
1. Her cost figures are meaningless. They represent what she supposedly paid where she shops, on the day she filmed the show. The odds of your local costs being the same are pretty slim.
For instance, she claims to have paid $1.79/lb for asparagus. I want to know where she shops. Around here, in the supermarkets, the lowest current price is $3.79. At the faux farmers market in Lexington, yesterday , imported asparagus was selling for $7/lb. At our real farmer's market locally grown was four bucks.
2. Her price comparisons do not compare like to like. For instance, she compares her "homemade" breakfast syrup to real maple syrup. Sure, there's a vast price difference. But if she compared it to commerical syrups (i.e., Mrs Butterworth's, etc.) the prices are just about the same.
I also resent the idea that I would have to go to the FN website to find recipes that are part of her meal but which she didn't prepare. For instance, she supposedly has an asparagus soup as part of her brunch. But she couldn't be bothered showing us how to make it.
Even more are her sneering references to make it the items from scratch. Sure you could make your own much cheaper, she says, but that would involve spending some time in the kitchen---God forbid!
I concur, pretty lame as far as figuring costs, etc. And a rather boring menu, after all, many fruits are in season now, brunch without fruit? Cooked bananas don't really count and I would prefer a big girl mimosa with fresh juice, oranges have been on sale here.
Nan
Nan
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Cook Chatty Cathy
New member
Amen Brother!!!!
And we must not forget, time to be spent with our families having REAL Fun, and sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs and sipping on ice tea and watching the world roll by!!!
So different strokes for different folks. I can understand that but where oh where is the food show for people who know how to cook and are actually looking for some inspiration? A spark of creativity to fuel our passion for cooking? Gone, gone, gone. I turn to blogs and forums for that mostly these days.
K
KYHeirloomer
Guest
I like Iron Chef America for inspiration, Jfain. But that's about the only FN show that does it for me. The other competition shows are, for me, either uninteresting (such as the pastry contests) or just silly (like Chopped).
I'm told that there are some good ones on the PBS channels. But our local affiliate doesn't air them, preferring the really cheap needle arts shows. We used to get Lidia, but they dropped that.
I'm not much on blogs, per se. Once you start with them they could easily use of every hour of the day. I did enjoy Leite's Culinaria, but, for no particular reason, stopped checking in there.
I find a couple of forums inspirational. For me, ChefTalk.com is the number one location. Second choice would go to the Culinarians group at Yahoogroups. I used to enjoy Epi, but you know what it's become like over there. So I don't even monitor it, let alone participate.
Taken as a whole, upscale cookbooks are really my main source of inspiration. I'm always looking at a recipe and asking myself, "what if I...."
I'm told that there are some good ones on the PBS channels. But our local affiliate doesn't air them, preferring the really cheap needle arts shows. We used to get Lidia, but they dropped that.
I'm not much on blogs, per se. Once you start with them they could easily use of every hour of the day. I did enjoy Leite's Culinaria, but, for no particular reason, stopped checking in there.
I find a couple of forums inspirational. For me, ChefTalk.com is the number one location. Second choice would go to the Culinarians group at Yahoogroups. I used to enjoy Epi, but you know what it's become like over there. So I don't even monitor it, let alone participate.
Taken as a whole, upscale cookbooks are really my main source of inspiration. I'm always looking at a recipe and asking myself, "what if I...."
Cook Chatty Cathy
New member
Like you Brook I believe my very favorite inspiration is a great cookbook, but even better is when I visit with my customers at work and we start talking food, it is like an adrenaline injection when we get to talking food!!!
!!!I like Iron Chef America but I don't seem to be able to catch it any more. I used to watch the cooking shows on PBS but our station doesn't have them anymore. Actually most of the recipes that I have tried in the last 6 months or so have been from cook books but DH thinks I have enough cookbooks and that I don't have space for anymore. :-(
K
KYHeirloomer
Guest
He's just too lazy to build you a new bookcase is what it is.
Hey, I recently went through that myself. Built a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, 4-feet wide, just for the burgeoning cookbook collection. Got tired of tripping on the piles everytime I turned around.
Hey, I recently went through that myself. Built a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, 4-feet wide, just for the burgeoning cookbook collection. Got tired of tripping on the piles everytime I turned around.
Mama Mangia
Super Moderator
Sandra Lee and Ann the Salt Queen (who I swear is a transvestite!) as well as Giada and Rachel Ray - plus a few others - have turned me off to the food network. As far as I'm concerned they are all in the same sinking boat as Martha Stewart - and I don't know who I hate more - Martha or Ann the Salt Queen.
PBS has much better cook shows - real cooks, real chefs, real recipes and no game playing.
PBS has much better cook shows - real cooks, real chefs, real recipes and no game playing.
Does any one here remember why Jeff Smith was relieved
of his Frugal Gourmet duties? Anyone other than myself? And he claimed to be a pastor at that. Oh, my. Those poor young men that he mentored.
I grew up in the poor South also. Thank God my Mama taught me to put a meal together with few ingredients. A good meal at that. Let's hope that Sandra will offer some budget meal planning in her new show (AKA EDUCATE) to benefit the poor who have not yet worked as hard as have to make it out of poverty. I think she will, afterall I heard her comment that as a child many times she never knew where the next meal would come from. God blessed her real good!
of his Frugal Gourmet duties? Anyone other than myself? And he claimed to be a pastor at that. Oh, my. Those poor young men that he mentored.
I grew up in the poor South also. Thank God my Mama taught me to put a meal together with few ingredients. A good meal at that. Let's hope that Sandra will offer some budget meal planning in her new show (AKA EDUCATE) to benefit the poor who have not yet worked as hard as have to make it out of poverty. I think she will, afterall I heard her comment that as a child many times she never knew where the next meal would come from. God blessed her real good!
K
KYHeirloomer
Guest
"I think she will, afterall I heard her comment that as a child many times she never knew where the next meal would come from."
Yeah, she does say that a lot, when it suits her purposes. But in the next breath she tells us how she's entertained ever since she was a little girl.
Uh, huh. As I've said before, I grew up dirt poor. And we didn't do any entertaining cuz we were too busy scrambling to survive.
And, I've often wondered, where does somebody that poor come up with 30 grand in tuition money (let alone international travel, rent, etc.)---only to throw it all away.
A lot of us remember Jeff. Putting aside his proclivities, as a cooking personality and instructor you couldn't fault him.
Yeah, she does say that a lot, when it suits her purposes. But in the next breath she tells us how she's entertained ever since she was a little girl.
Uh, huh. As I've said before, I grew up dirt poor. And we didn't do any entertaining cuz we were too busy scrambling to survive.
And, I've often wondered, where does somebody that poor come up with 30 grand in tuition money (let alone international travel, rent, etc.)---only to throw it all away.
A lot of us remember Jeff. Putting aside his proclivities, as a cooking personality and instructor you couldn't fault him.
Mama Mangia
Super Moderator
The Frugal Gourmet was an enjoyable show - unfortunately messing with young boys cost him his TV slot.
As far as POOR Sandra goes - there is no way she was brought up dirt poor - ditto with Paula Deen who claims that they were so poor - but yet they entered her in all kings of beauty pagents - and that is not cheap.
And there is no way Rachel Ray noshed on all she claims to have had in her life.
One thing about FN cooks - if you listen close enough - they lie quite a bit. I love when the older ones always enjoyed, where brought up on, and there great-great grams made recipes that never came out till 1970!
As far as POOR Sandra goes - there is no way she was brought up dirt poor - ditto with Paula Deen who claims that they were so poor - but yet they entered her in all kings of beauty pagents - and that is not cheap.
And there is no way Rachel Ray noshed on all she claims to have had in her life.
One thing about FN cooks - if you listen close enough - they lie quite a bit. I love when the older ones always enjoyed, where brought up on, and there great-great grams made recipes that never came out till 1970!
I missed the "enjoyable" part of Frugal Gormet.
I attended college on scholarships as many others have. You don't have to be rich to make it in life although it does help. Believe me, I know what poor feels like. Today, many would never believe that I was once poor as we were. I am not rich, but I am making it in life.
OEO Affirmative Action in Education educated many; however, not to include Sandra, Paula, myself and many others.
I agree that the big dogs at FN really put a lot into promoting their cooking stars that we all know is much exagerated. As many of the folks here, there are some that I do not care for but so many that I adore. I hope they are around for a long time to come.
I attended college on scholarships as many others have. You don't have to be rich to make it in life although it does help. Believe me, I know what poor feels like. Today, many would never believe that I was once poor as we were. I am not rich, but I am making it in life.
OEO Affirmative Action in Education educated many; however, not to include Sandra, Paula, myself and many others.
I agree that the big dogs at FN really put a lot into promoting their cooking stars that we all know is much exagerated. As many of the folks here, there are some that I do not care for but so many that I adore. I hope they are around for a long time to come.