Food on the Tube – Do you like guacamole?
Do you like guacamole? The Food Network likes guacamole … a whole lot. With the Super Bowl right around the corner, the Food Network is celebrating with a new section of their website dedicated completely to one of my favorite dips.
Mmm, the avocado is a tasty little fruit. You have to love a vegetable that has as much fat in it as an avocado. It’s one of those foods that I think makes just about anything better. Eating a sandwich? Throw some sliced avocado on there. Ditto for salads, pastas, breakfast cereals, desserts … alright, I’m getting carried away, but so has the Food Network.
Food on the Tube – Is Chopped worth watching?
This week, the Food Network premiered their new, very hyped, competition show: Chopped. I gave the premiere episode a look and I have to say that it seems a little derivative. It is very similar, as well as inferior, to Iron Chef. The main difference is that the show begins with four chefs competing, and eliminates one chef at the end of the three courses: appetizer, entree, and dessert.
Like Iron Chef, the contestants have a set of secret ingredients for each course that they have to work with. Each round is timed, with the chefs having only 30 minutes to make a dish. A panel of judges tries and critiques each dish and decides who stays and who goes. The last chef standing gets a prize of 10,000 dollars. Not too shabby.
Food on the Tube – Anne Burrell is nuts, and I like nuts
One of the new Food Network shows that I have really been enjoying is Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, with Anne Burrell. If the beaming, blonde face attached to this post looks familiar it’s because Burrell has been on Iron Chef America many times, serving as one of Mario Batali’s regular sous chefs. You can usually find her rolling out pasta dough for the orange-clogged Iron Chef.
She has her own show now, and it’s been quite an eye-opener. We rarely get to see the sous chefs on Iron Chef America, so I didn’t know what to think when Secrets of a Restaurant Chef started up. I had no idea that Burrell had such a strong personality, but it certainly makes for an entertaining program.
Food on the Tube – Is Mario Batali MIA?
As I was watching the New Year’s Day Iron Chef America marathon this week something struck me: I haven’t seen Mario Batali cook for a very long time. It’s true that he and the Food Network had a bit of a breakup back in 2007, but at the time the Food Network said that he would still be appearing on Iron Chef America.
The only catch is, I haven’t actually seen Mario compete on ICA for quite some time. A quick jaunt over to wikipedia to check the episode guide for ICA tells the story. Mario hasn’t competed at all this season and only competed twice last season. The only appearance by the ginger haired gourmet this season has been to check out his new, Marc Ecko designed battle attire.
Food on the Tube – Good Eats is good TV
Last night I was hanging around with my sister watching Food Network and an old episode of Good Eats came on. It reminded me just how much I love the show.
I don’t think it’s news that Good Eats is a fun and informative watch, but I figured I would throw it some love too. Alton Brown is my favorite Food Network personality and it all started with Good Eats. Being a bit of a science nerd myself, I love that the show focuses on the science of cooking, along with the history of the food that Alton is working with. It’s amazing how much information AB manages to stuff into every episode.
Food on the Tube – Food Network Holiday Cookie Recipes
The snow is falling here in the Northeast and I’m planning on being snowed in all weekend. I’m taking the opportunity to cozy around the oven (I don’t have a fireplace) and do some baking. Banana bread is already baked, and I’m going to be moving on to some cookies soon. I thought that I would share some of the great Food Network cookie recipes that I have picked out as good possibilities.
My only problem is that I have no cookie cutters, so I’m not sure if I will be going with the ever festive circles or perhaps try cutting cookies out freehand.
Onto the recipes…
Food on the Tube: I see it, I must eat it
As cruel as it was, I really think Saturday Night Live had it right when they dubbed the Food Network “porn for fat people.” I know this from personal experience. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been watching something on the Food Network, or a cooking show on another channel, and I had to have it. Nothing is as good at setting off cravings as cooking shows. Just last weekend I caught Paula Deen’s holiday cookie special, and there I was the next day, making chocolate chip cookies (Tyler Florence’s recipe. I highly recommend it).
This problem becomes so much worse at holiday time. It seems like every episode features some ridiculously good looking recipe. Whether it’s cookies, cakes, or even a big holiday roast of some sort, I can’t help wanting whatever I see.
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