Cooking show suggestions?

[Treklady]

I love Emirils personality, but he cooks to fancy for me. I prefer something I can fit into my budget and the average Joe can relate with.

I prefer whole food cooking, so little of anything from a box or can. That is not to say I don't use them, just rarely if ever. they do serve a purpose and I recognize that.

So I take form Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee and believe me, they have some great short cut tips and use them where I can. But Paula Deen, that women is a "No Holds Bar" type of cook. she uses butter, sour cream, mayonnaise and does not apologize for it. that is my kind of cooking and it doesn't hurt that I am from the south, so many of her dishes hit home for me.

But I mostly like to use these recipes if I can walk down my grocery store aisles and purchase the same ingredients. I don't have the time or the finances to be spending money on a cut of veal that costs me half of my savings account (You get my meaning).

But I get great tips and some cool recipes from ever show I watch. Just got one from Giada, that was a vegetarian pasta, and with only 5 ingredients. Now that is up my alley, and all under 15 minutes. Life is good.

 

[mitmondol]

I hardly ever watch FN anymore, it is so not what I'm interested in.
But really like Discovery Home channel's Chef at Home and Kylie Kwong.

 

[GotGarlic]

I am looking for some good cooking shows, and instead of wasting my time watching several different ones I thought I would ask the people who know best. So what are your favorite shows and what’s so good about them? (please no Emeril, I know he is great but I am not a big fan) Thanks for your help!

I discovered the Food Network a few years ago when I was home for 6 weeks recovering from surgery. I loved Rachael Ray, because, even though I'm a pretty experienced cook, many of her recipes are quick and easy, and she does entire meals, not just single recipes. My husband, who was never much into cooking, learned a lot from her, too, and started cooking occasionally after that.

I also like Good Eats, although I've only made a few of the recipes (I like learning about the science and history behind different foods) and I love Italian food, so I like Giada's recipes, but not the show so much. Barefoot Contessa makes some good-looking stuff, but it seems to take more time than I want to invest on a weeknight after working all day, but once my kitchen renovation is done, I might try more of her recipes.

 

[Michael Cook]

I love Good eats, Alton gives you the why behind cooking and understanding why things work is so much more important than collecting large numbers of recipies. My wife likes Paula Deen and Rachael Ray but they drive me crazy with their terrrible hand washing techniques. I have a hard time learning cooking from someone who can't take the time or effort to prevent cross contamination.