Your Favourite Cooking Shows Past and Present

[launderess]

Since it seems besides doing the wash many of us here enjoy cooking and baking, so who are some of your favourite cooking shows?

Mine?

Taste - Has to be the hands down for class, and great recipes.

Two Fat Ladies - How can you not love a show with such a name? Many of their dishes are a bit on the "heavy" side with cream, butter and what not, then there is the AGA range!!!

Galloping Gourment - Fond (if not vauge)childhood memories of sitting in front of television with Mama watching Graham Kerr do his magic. Cannot remember exactly what he cooked, but it looked good. That and he was fond of having a glass of wine (or two), whilst cooking.

Julia Child - Another one from my childhood, early youth, but her French recipes seemed more complicated than they should have been, and used up too many *things* to get the job done. Old school French cooking with tons of butter, cream, meat and so forth at it's best.

The French Chef - Jacques Pepin, enough said! Still enjoy his shows on local PBS stations and books. More straight forward than Mlle Childs and gets you there without using everything in the kitchen.

 

[washernoob]

Well for present, since I didn't watch them when I was young (and I am not too old!)

I have to say I am a huge Iron Chef fan. Watch it all the time. Also a fan of Bobby Flay.

 

[whirlcool]

Julia Child's first show complete with mishaps.
"Taste" early show on FoodNetwork.
I like "Good Eats", but I think Alton Brown is a nutjob.

 

[washernoob]

I think Alton is funny. I love his show as well. He is crazy, and I like that. Makes watching more fun! Also seems quite well educated on his stuff.

 

[lordkenmore]

I never watch cooking shows now. I don't watch much TV, plus cooking shows are pretty depressing when your average meal is "what can I fling together fast?" (I suppose I could do more, but living and eating alone, it somehow never seems worth it.)

In the past, I really liked Jeff Smith/Frugal Gourmet. I actually use some of his tips ("hot wok, cold oil, foods won't stick." I seldom use a wok, but I do use this approach for regular pans.) I seem to recall he also preached the value of spending money on experiences, rather than material goods, something I agree with.

I watched his show years back, when going through a bad time in my life. It was one of the few things that kept me sane.

 

[spookiness]

Julia

I watched her when I was I was pre-teen and teens, because she was entertaining. As I got older I enjoyed her because she showed you technique, and told you about the importance of food in culture, and that details and quality mattered. Yes some of her recipes were complicated, and you could not realistically watch on TV then prepare on your own in the kitchen, but that wasn't the point. You could still always learn from her, even if you were making simple uncomplicated food.

Just a few months ago, I was watching vintage late-nite episodes that were being shown during a local PBS affiliate pledge drive. She did an entire show about how to properly make an omelet. The next morning I did it as she had instructed, and it was perfect. I had been doing it all wrong for years!

 

[appnut]

LordKenmore

John, I've lived alone all my adult life. Yes, I enjoy cooking, but as I get older not as much. But, I've always subscribed to the notion that I shouldn't always short-change myself when it comes to meals. I do make my own lunches (casseroles) and freeze them in individual portions. I also do similar things with food I would make for dinner, largely some sort of meat portion or another casserole. So, I end up having a few options to select when I come home form work to drfrost and heat up in the microwave and add some veggies. This way I sitll eat well; am not tempted to do the fast food thing which is also not as healthy and is expensive; and I don't feel like I'm always alone. Just a thought I'm passing on.

 

[sudsmaster]

That would be Phil Hartman's cooking show on Saturday Night Live.

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[maytagbear]

Just a few of my favourites:

Julia Child's programs, except for the disastrous "Dinner at Julia's."

Cooking Live with Sara Moulton.

Two Fat Ladies (In Clarissa's autobiography, Spilling The Beans, she said that neither she nor Jennifer (RIP!!!) were fans of the AGA, but eventually adapted to them.)

How to Boil Water with Michele Urvater.

Ciao Italia, with MaryAnn Esposito!

Cooking From Quilt Country, with Marcia Adams.

We're Cooking Now, with Franco Palumbo. (I think it was syndicated.)

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Some I used to like:

Good Eats (but only the first few seasons.)

Taste (Dr. Rosengarten could be far more pedantic than Julia, and more over the top than Charles Nelson Reilly.) {He has a PhD in Theatre, which is no real surprise.}

I liked The Essence of Emeril, but seriously detest the one with the live band.

One I cannot abide AT ALL:

America's Test Kitchen, mostly because of Christopher (Too Tall) Kimball.

I like a fairly low-key cooking show, one where any "flash" and "verve" is saved for the food.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[foraloysius]

Delia Smith!

One of the best British cooks. She teaches basic techniques and the recipes are great. Ofcourse she has her own website.

Welcome

Delia's official website is the ultimate destination for trusted recipes, cooking tips, and expert guidance. Find classic dishes, step-by-step videos, meal planning ideas, and seasonal inspiration—all crafted by the UK’s beloved cook. Perfect for home cooks of all levels. Explore now!

www.deliaonline.com

 

[nmassman44]

For me its....
Cook's Country
America's Test Kitchen
Any show from Miss Paula Deen
Ciao Italia
Lidia's Italy
Giada's Cooking shows
Chef's Secrets
There are a couple of others on the CookingChannel that I am liking as well and one of them I think the name is Bake! Its a British show and of course The Two Fat Ladies.
One I cannot stand is Racheal Ray. Nothing comes out right that I have tried from her and there is always something missing in the recipes. Paula Deen on the other hand..every recipe I have tried comes out like she says it will. And I know that alot of people say she cooks with alot of butter...its really not that bad.

 

[angus]

Anything by Mrs Child. No matter what show, I continue to learn from her. While some may think she is a bit pedantic, she had the goods to back it up, And she made sense to boot
Jacques Pepin - another one that continues to fascinate me. His latest show on PBS "Fast Food My Way" is terrific, I could however do without his daughter.
Lidia Bastianich - another who has truly broadened the scope of what is considered "Italian cooking". As an Italo American, I love knowing about the regional differences throughout Italy. And for anyone interested, she does her show from her home kitchen in Douglaston Queens, Again, I could do without the grandkids, but she is appealing to a wide audience. However, although she never had a cooking show, Marcella Hazan is still the reigning authority on all things Italian. She started long before Lidia at a time when America thought all Italian food had to be smothered in paint trowel thick tomato sauce and reeking of garlic. I have most of her books and she can sometimes come across as a stern authority on things. But when you think of the bad habits she was trying to get Americans to undo, she had no choice. Her food is remarkable and not complicated,
Back to TV:

Mary Ann Esposito's Ciao Italia and related shows: Not as technically well known or global as Lidia, but good homey food. Her recipes work and reflect my own family cooking.
Ming Tsai - East meets West: I love watching him and his parents.
America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country: Anyone serious about cooking should watch these. The most important facet of these shows is that they explain why things should or shouldn't be done. They test equipment and are right on point. You just have to get over Christopher Kimball. He's not that annoying...
With the exception of Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa and occasionally Giada DeLaunretiis, I have no use for the Food Network or any of it's so called chefs. They have turned that channel into the "tract housing" of cooking television. These people churn out books by the hundreds and shill everything from their own food products to cookware to linens. But, I shouldn't be surprised - like everything else we do in America, it has to be extreme, excessive and over the top.
I too remember Franco Palumbo - he was very early on in the cooking show genre - and he was a local guy, grew up in my town and maintained his home base for years. I knew him and he was a great guy who died much too young, In fact his mother just passed away recently.
One set of books I have been recently fascinated with is Edda Servi Machlin's "Classic Cuisine on the Italian Jews" volumes I and II. A combination of history, sociology and recipes, they are incredible works, They were written in the 80;s and are long out of print but the history is amazing and the food so unlike what we know as traditionally "Jewish" food since the Italian Jews are really Sephardic, not Ashkenazic like the Eastern European folks.

 

[norgeway]

None of the above!!

They are all good, but those of you from North or South Carolina will remember the Betty Feezor Show, For 24 years from 1953 to 1977 when she became ill with cancer, she was THE STAR of WBTV Charlotte, everything came to a standstill in most homes from 1 to 1.30, and you were QUIET when she was on, if you would like to see her, one of her last shows is on youtube,it brings back so many good memories,I have all 3 of her cookbooks and there is not a bad recipe in them!

 

[bleacho]

new and old...

galloping gourmet- so cool. and a real innovative show at the time... it was so unique. i was a kid, and i remember all the praises of this type of unique shoe.

like lydia- good wholesome regular kind of italian dishes.. like her style.
like alton brown. he put learning and cooking in an entertaining format..

i like the dishes of paula deen, but simply cannot tolerate that fake affected southern accent she puts out..

bobby flay- always seems to have an attitude. dosent reach me at all.

liked essence of emeril, before he tried going "hollywood" with that new live format.. always seemed to be like he was trying to be entertaining,and would slop through the recipies..

 

[mrb627]

For Me

America's Test Kitchen is the only one that I DVR on a regular basis. Some of my BEST meals have come from that show. The information and technique provided is top notch.

I do like Good Eats but more for an entertainment factor.

I also have a thing for Nigella and Giada.

Malcolm

 

[laundromat]

I liked the Galloping Gourmet because the appliances he used were FRIGIDAIRE !!!!!

 

[danmantn]

New: America's Test Kitchen by far the only true "teaching" show left on air. And Cooks Country TV as well (on Sundays on my PBS station). Of course I still count Ina Garten as top notch, but Paula Deen, I've sadly written off as a clown/master sales person. She's lost the elegant southern appeal that she once had with me when she first began. I mean I don't turn in to watch a southern cook make Italian meals. She said that Food Network is forcing her to do that, but who knows?

Old: A passion for cooking started with the Frugal Gourmet for me back in the late 80s...regardless of what later happened to Jeff Smith, I would love to learn all kinds of things from him--including lots of history. I recently found a cookbook of his (probably the last one) for 25 cents at the bookstore...brought back memories of the PBS show.

 

[maytagbear]

As for America's Test Kitchen,

You can get essentially the same material by reading Cook's Illustrated, and that is exactly what I do. By reading the magazine, I can skip over Christopher Kimball's column, which is not nearly as interesting as the rest of the magazine. His column, which I rarely read, is never about anything interesting, like what's going on in the test kitchens, or what's coming up in the next issue. It's all this nonsense about his country home, his kids, and his horses. Or it's about the extremely colourful characters in the town near his country home.

In the December issue (out now,) they highly rated the KitchenAid KPF750 food processor, and I agree. (A kind friend gave me one.) This processor is THAT good. Perhaps the best processor I have ever used, and I have used MANY of them. Best of all (at least as far as I am concerned,) it is nearly SILENT!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[jeffg]

I love Chris Kimball. Some of the recipes featured on ATK are pretty ridiculous, e.g. one episode featured a "crockpot" beef burgundy that took like six hours of work. By far the best parts of the show IMO are the equipment reviews and taste tests. Love to see a separate show devoted just to those two.