Who are your favorite TV chefs?
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Same as ever, Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.
I miss Justin Wilson and his stories. I don't watch much food TV anymore, got bored with the "Celebrity" chefs.
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
I like Michael Smith and Laura Calder.
Steve Kroll
Wine Guy
I don't watch Food Network at all since it turned into the Food Game Show Network. These days I only catch the programs on public television. Some of my favorites are Rick Bayless and Jacques Pepin.
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
Jacques Pepin and Rachel Allen
RPCookin
Executive Chef
I like Michael Smith. We got to watch his shows when we lived in the Bahamas on Canadian satellite. I've never seen him on the US version of Food Network. I've gotten quite disenchanted with that channel anyway. I'm sick of food competition. It used to be about cooking, now it's all about the competition. Cooking is an art and a science, not a sport.
Jacques and Julia is good. I wish someone would start rerunning The French Chef right from the beginning. I'd watch that religiously.
Also always liked Martin Yan.
larry_stewart
Master Chef
+1 on Jacques and Julia
FYI, Im pretty sure Jacques Pepin ( and his daughter Claudine) will be appearing at the Newport RI Food and Wine show in September 2015. Probably promoting his new and last Book/ Series), and most likely doing a cooking demo/ book signing ...
Larry
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Thanks for the info Larry.
gumbotc
Assistant Cook
I agree about food network. It has become more about entertainment instead of cooking. Years ago I probably watched it 4 or 5 hours a day. Bring back actual cooking shows!!!!
GA Home Cook
Sous Chef
Can't understand why u would treat Paula dean the way they did and allow Hell's Kitchen on. Others where people r cursed at does nothing to educate me about cooking. I guess there r those who like it but not me. My time on FN is limited to Alton brown and Ina Garten and a limited others. I find it hard to see where reality tv fits into education about cooking but to each his own.
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CraigC
Master Chef
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I prefer shows that are more about the cooking than the person doing it or cool camera angles of things being chopped or tossed.
Alton Brown teaches How-Tos and instructs. He's also interesting and funny, which is a nice bonus (!), but when I watch Alton, I get what I came for: How To Make Stuff.
Julia Child took her job seriously, IMO. She was amusing at times and had a charming, unpretentious personality that made her easy to watch, but she kept the focus on teaching. She remains better than everyone who is on today (except Alton.)
I like Kelsey Nixon's recipes (a lot!) and her show does a kinda-sorta decent job of instruction. It seems to be a little more focused on camera angles and Kelsey's adorableness (and she is adorable) than the food and instruction so I don't watch it a lot. Her cookbook is really good, though, IMO.
I haven't seen Jacques Pepin and will have to check him out.
Alton Brown teaches How-Tos and instructs. He's also interesting and funny, which is a nice bonus (!), but when I watch Alton, I get what I came for: How To Make Stuff.
Julia Child took her job seriously, IMO. She was amusing at times and had a charming, unpretentious personality that made her easy to watch, but she kept the focus on teaching. She remains better than everyone who is on today (except Alton.)
I like Kelsey Nixon's recipes (a lot!) and her show does a kinda-sorta decent job of instruction. It seems to be a little more focused on camera angles and Kelsey's adorableness (and she is adorable) than the food and instruction so I don't watch it a lot. Her cookbook is really good, though, IMO.
I haven't seen Jacques Pepin and will have to check him out.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
creative, Jamie Oliver had a TV show here on network (non-cable) TV for about a year or so a few years back. He does appear as a guest on shows sometimes.
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With no cable/dish, I'm limited to network and PBS offerings. I try to catch Jacques Pepin when I notice a show of his listed. I make a point of watching Sara Moulton - just as informational as Julia, but with a more conversational style of speaking. Makes sense, since Sara learned her stuff from the Grande Dame of cooking.
RPCookin, the ION network does run old episodes of Michael Smith. Maybe you have that where you are? I enjoy Chef Smith, but he has a tendency to sway - watching him makes me a teeny bit seasick! I also was a dedicated viewer of "The Chew". Not so much anymore. I still enjoy Michael Symon (he of Cleveland, OH lineage) and Mario Batali, but I can do without one of the other hosts, and would be happy if the remaining two left.
**************
With no cable/dish, I'm limited to network and PBS offerings. I try to catch Jacques Pepin when I notice a show of his listed. I make a point of watching Sara Moulton - just as informational as Julia, but with a more conversational style of speaking. Makes sense, since Sara learned her stuff from the Grande Dame of cooking.
RPCookin, the ION network does run old episodes of Michael Smith. Maybe you have that where you are? I enjoy Chef Smith, but he has a tendency to sway - watching him makes me a teeny bit seasick! I also was a dedicated viewer of "The Chew". Not so much anymore. I still enjoy Michael Symon (he of Cleveland, OH lineage) and Mario Batali, but I can do without one of the other hosts, and would be happy if the remaining two left.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
Our library system has the collection of DVDs in their rotation. Maybe you can spend time with Julia by watching borrowed DVDs.
larry_stewart
Master Chef
Same as always too.
As a reminder, Jacques Pepin will be appearing at the Newport Food and Wine Festival this upcoming September, Newport RI.
larry_stewart
Master Chef
DIdn't realize this was an old thread and that I answered it already
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
+2 with Andy.
I am fortunate in that Julia began her original series when PBS here was ETV. Educational Television. Black and white, and between her dropping items on the floor due to her nervousness and an inept cameraman it was a hoot to watch But eventually they both got there act together. WGBH didn't have the facilities to film the show, so she used the Boston Gas Company kitchens.
Jacques was an instructor at Boston College in their Culinary Department. That is where Julia met him. She wanted to see how he taught a class. And she used some of his teaching methods in later shows. They remained the closest of friends from there on in.
Quite often you would run into Julia eating at any of the restaurants in the Boston/Cambridge area. The folks of Boston were kind enough to not interrupt her dinner asking for autographs.
I love the calmness of Jacques when he is in front of the camera.
I am fortunate in that Julia began her original series when PBS here was ETV. Educational Television. Black and white, and between her dropping items on the floor due to her nervousness and an inept cameraman it was a hoot to watch But eventually they both got there act together. WGBH didn't have the facilities to film the show, so she used the Boston Gas Company kitchens.
Jacques was an instructor at Boston College in their Culinary Department. That is where Julia met him. She wanted to see how he taught a class. And she used some of his teaching methods in later shows. They remained the closest of friends from there on in.
Quite often you would run into Julia eating at any of the restaurants in the Boston/Cambridge area. The folks of Boston were kind enough to not interrupt her dinner asking for autographs.
I love the calmness of Jacques when he is in front of the camera.
Of course the 'Gold Standard' of all cooking shows is Keith Floyd. There's lots of his shows on YouTube.
JC and JP's shows are all excellent.
Rick Bayless [sp?] is very good.
I'm afraid Alton Brown went well off the rails a few years ago. Before that his shows were informative.
The punk with the bleached hair and ball cap he wears indoors is simply a parody of himself.
The Canadian Food Network is a farce.
I used to laugh when M. Smith first started doing his show. He had a grip walk behind him carrying the same pan every twenty seconds. First from right to left. Wait twenty seconds then moving from left to right. You could set your watch by the idiot.
When good old 'wandering eye' Michael started mentioning his 'precious' son Gabe in every sentence I turned him off permanently.
Martha has done some good series in spite of herself.
M M did some excellent cooks.
JC and JP's shows are all excellent.
Rick Bayless [sp?] is very good.
I'm afraid Alton Brown went well off the rails a few years ago. Before that his shows were informative.
The punk with the bleached hair and ball cap he wears indoors is simply a parody of himself.
The Canadian Food Network is a farce.
I used to laugh when M. Smith first started doing his show. He had a grip walk behind him carrying the same pan every twenty seconds. First from right to left. Wait twenty seconds then moving from left to right. You could set your watch by the idiot.
When good old 'wandering eye' Michael started mentioning his 'precious' son Gabe in every sentence I turned him off permanently.
Martha has done some good series in spite of herself.
M M did some excellent cooks.
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