I am a cooking show addict.
I'm neither proud nor ashamed. It's just a fact.
I started young. The Galloping Gourmet and The French Chef are my earliest TV food memories. I loved watching Graham Kerr dance wildly around his kitchen and Julia Child manhandle various cuts of meat.
They were the gateway shows.
The Frugal Gourmet, Biba's Italian Kitchen, Ciao Italia!, Yan Can Cook, Justin Wilson, Nathalie Dupree, Jaques Pepin and the seemingly endless episodes of Cooking At The Academy have all left their mark on me.
A young cooking show viewer is wild, unpredictable, care free. You sample anything as long as it has a host and a mixing bowl. No regrets.
Today it's a little different. Today we have The Food Network. The Food Network has an element of danger not found in cooking shows from back in the day. It's a potent mix of mind-numbing challenges, EVOO, and Ina Garten. Some days you're flying high on the love of Ina and Jeffrey and then you crash after thinking you can handle Big Daddy's House.
I'm a bit more discerning with my viewing now. I show restraint with the competition shows, I sneak a little Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee in for kicks, and I have added the hilarious and talented Anne Burrell to my DVR. What can I say? My palate has evolved.
The hours I have spent watching these shows could rival the dollars some spend on the more unsavory vices. So yeah, I'm an addict. An addict with a freakin' awesome culinary repertoire.
My Top Five Current Cooking Shows Paired With My Top Five TV Shows From 1978
Barefoot Contessa and Laverne and Shirley
Top Chef Masters and Welcome Back Kotter
Secrets Of A Restaurant Chef and The Love Boat
Jaques Pepin's Fast Food My Way and Eight Is Enough
Chopped and Little House on the Prairie
I'm all about Paula's Best Dishes and Alice. Can you imagine Paula Deen and Flo in the same room together? It'd be so grit-kissing fantastic my head would pop clean off my shoulders!
ReplyDeleteLove the blog, Cindee. You've been bookmarked! -Ryan
Cindee--One person I love paired with one favorite ingredient
ReplyDeleteCindee and chocolate ganache--best with the best
I love you, Ma
I am the only person i know who can stand the host of Diners, Dives and Drive-ins. But what can I say, I like those places!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Rachel Ray grates and Gianna's head and mouth are way to big. That's my two cents!