While a "food tv" watcher (Jamie Oliver, Emeril, Good Eats, American Iron Chef)

I think the better food programming on TV these days is from PBS. America's Test Kitchen, Bittman Takes On, Everyday Fast Food with Pepin and Lidia's Italian American Kitchen are really the standouts for me.

As somebody that enjoys the act of cooking, I find the PBS shows to be much more rewarding and not as watered down as some of the Food TV fare.

alton brown and Good Eats forever!

I second that emotion on the America's Test Kitchen post..... SUCH a great show.... want there cookbook.

I hate RachAel Ray.... I hate her really bad.

I voted for Barefoot Contessa (she's like my chubby midle aged alter ego) BUT I also realy love Paula's Home cooking. It is very different from the kind of cooking I do at home and I love the gusto with which she doles out butter....mmmmm......

The correct answer is Good Eats. Ina Garten's show is next best though.

I third Good Eats.
I heart Good Eats.
Silliness + Science + Yummy Food...how can I possibly resist???
:)

Totally a Good Eats guy. The dude's a nerd. In the kitchen. I'm a nerd. In the kitchen. How can I not love it?

i heart ina! she fills in the domestic goddess void that martha stewart left. i love how all her friends does something. one arranges flowers while the other is a party planner etc.
(come back martha! stop your silliness!)
i hate rachel too and her revenge of the nerds laugh. evoo and yummo.. ack.

I love The Secret Life Of...

i heart giada on everyday italian. ina is a close second, for sure.

alton is in a field all his own.

Alton! Alton! Alton!

And then Ina because I want her to be my mommy.

I am firmly in the Alton Brown and Jamie Oliver camps. But may I also suggest Andreas Viestad on Scandinavian New Cooking (not on the Food Network but on WLIW 21 in NYC). See also Scandcook.com.

seriously? sandra lee?

she is all about the processed foods and making people feel like adding a few storebought hydrogenated oil-laden products to your otherwise simple but healthy meals is somehow a happy medium. fancy is not always better, sandra.

check out this "kwanzaa cake"

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_25303,00.html

I so wanted to vote for Bobby Flay because he is SO cute but, I guess that's not what the survey is all about. Voted for RR even though people here can't stand her. What's the beef on that anyway?

I strongly suspect that sandra lee is a lush.

I used to hate rachael ray but she has grown on me because she's just so honest and doesn't have any sort of filter. I saw some hate sites about her that made me sad. She seems like a good person.

I almost said yum-o yesterday when i made paula deen's fried chicken (her simplest one) and i had to stop myself, because i don't love RR THAT much. But it was yum-E.

I have to agree about PBS and the food shows. Nothing on the Food Net floats my boat, except for the occasional guilty pleasure of Iron Chef.

Bittman Takes On, and Lidia are both terrific.

i, too, used to hate rachael ray. but i'm coming around to her. she's really annoying but a lot of 30 minute meals really only take 30 minutes. i've taken to buying her cookbooks and her new magazine because it's a little easier than watching her.

but my favorites on TV are jamie oliver, nigella (is she even on anymore?) and dave lieberman, who is new on the food network. i like ina, too.

Where's Alton??

After that, oh, I don't know... anything without Rachael Ray.

Alton Brown! I also like Michael Chiarello's show - his other show on PBS was nice as well.

Can't stand Rachel Ray or Emeril, but then again, I didn't like Bobby Flay a few years ago and now I think he's okay. I also enjoy Paula Deen's show. Yes, I watch entirely too much Food Network.

Finally, I still enjoy the old "Great Chefs" shows from the Discovery Channel . . .

Good Eats with Alton Brown

I'm totally with the Alton Brown camp...He's my favourite, too. Sandra Lee's show is totally absurd, but must be seen once to appreciate the vile nature of her cooking. I try not to watch the Food Network because I rarely learn anything new (eg: there's no show on perfecting one's knife skills)-- Good Eats being an exception. Besides, the more Food Network one watches, the less one cooks.

Alton Brown is the best. I could watch Good Eats all the time.

Good Eats is the only show worth a flip on that station.

do not watch that Semi Homemade show. it is insulting and ludicrous to anyone who prefers scratch cooking/baking. all that woman knows how to do is open a box/can.

Rachael Ray is a joke.

You missed out on a lot of favorites, but I suppose that's excusable if you don't own a television :)

I prefer Good Eats, Mario Batali's shows and Jamie Oliver's, but they're only on every now and then.

I don't watch Food Network either. I went through and Emeril phase (short lived) and an Iron Chef phase (even shorter - HOWEVER, a friend of mine was just on Iron Chef America so I have to catch that rerun! :). But for the most part, I don't like the way the shows look, most of the hosts are whatever, and Food Net doesn't do it for me.

I loved all of Oliver Naked Chef guy's shows and I loved Nigella Bites (which wasn't on Food Network, but I'm saying...). I loved the way the shows looked, I loved the pace, and I loved both hosts attitudes about food and cooking. The American shows are visually blah and just... yeah.

If I'm wrong and there is some amazing show that I'm not hip to, please let me know. :)

It delights me to see that Sandra Lee hasn't received any votes. Any show that spends 10 minutes making the actual food then 20 minutes dressing the table with crepe paper and "the cutest" junk from the dollar store just isn't worth it.

I whole-heartedly agree with everyone on Alton Brown and America's Test Kitchen (the cookbook is great!). But Ina's recipes always turn out pretty good, even if they're not explained with science.

And is it me, or does Giada have a hard time measuring by eye? I swear she dumps far more ingredients into her recipes than she says.

carignane, that kwanzaa cake is so wrong on so many levels. sandra lee went further down the totem pole with that one. she obviously doesn't celebrate kwanzaa because most things are made from scratch and alcohol is nowhere to be seen.
putting those large tapers on a cake..way to go for multiculturalism.

and CORN NUTS!!! who put corn nuts on a cake?! she must have picked them up at the liquer store.
rant ends.

Good Eats with Alton Brown is my favorite Food Network program.
I still like Emeril, too.

Iron Chef and Iron Chef America are both good, I find the original more fun to watch.

Good Eats all the way. I especially love the equipment guru/dominatrix character and the weird sexual tension that arises when she's around.

I also love Daisy Cooks! on Thirteen. She's great, down to earth, and makes delicious Latin food while explaining the cultural significance. Also, not too perky. Perky is annoying. That's why everyone dislikes Rachel Ray. She's the happy overachiever you hated in high school.

Ok, I'm so glad this is topic came up.

Does anyone think that Giada DeLaurentis has an enormous head, or is it just me and my mean fiends?

p.s. I heart Paula because I heart butter!

I like Rachel Ray and am not ashamed to admit it! She's the patron saint of kitchen rookies like me. Sure she's cheesy, but she loves food and so do I. But her $40 a day show is a washout. I wait for the day when she DOESN'T close her eyes after tasting something.

And yes, America's Test Kitchen is THE BEST.

Good Eats.

yeah, i musy agree with majority - rachel ray is like finger nails on a chalkboard. im sure she's a nice person, but, oh man, with the "EVOO"... PLEASE STOP.

love paula dean. she made something once with krispy kreme donuts, evaporated milk and fruit cocktail with heavy syrup - it was ridiculous! but i love her to death. she is a friend in my head.

but really, why the 'no tv' thing? what do you guys do, TALK???!!!! ;)

PBS has a whole bunch of clips and segments online from Julia Child's Lessons With Master Chefs. You can watch Julia cooking with Alice Waters, Jacques Pepin, Madhur Jaffrey - even Emeril, for those so inclined...

http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/video.html

Has anyone seen the trailers for the Iron Chef that RR is on? You see her with hand to forehead wandering around the "stadium" trying to figure out what to do. I guess, since the surprise ingredient wasn't canned, she didn't know what to make. It airs in Nov. Maybe they need all those months to doctor it up to make her look better than she really is.

I like Emeril - not for him but for the fact that you see just how easy it is to make some of these recipes. I hate that he "dirtys up" the plate once it's done. All that stuff he throws all over it really bothers me.

I like Paula. That southern accent used to bother me but I think she's just adorable and wish she were my mom.

I think Bobby Flay is too arrogant for my taste. I'm so surprised to see how many are big fans of Alton Brown. I like him, too but he gets too technical for me sometimes.

ALICE WATERS !!!

I know she's not on the list but god I love her!!

Alton Brown is a god, a nerdy nerdy god. C'mon! Power tools! In the kitchen! He used a drill to core a pear. I'm so in love forever.
But I guess I'll vote for Iron Chef.

Alton is a blast, and Mario when I can catch him. It, of course, started with Iron Chef...

I'm warming up to Ham on the Street. Funny guy+food=winner!

But like a bunch of you I am INFATUATED with America's Test Kitchen. Lidia and Jacques Pepin as well.

I was shocked and saddened to see AB and Good Eats left off the survey, but my heart warmed like butter over medium heat to see all the support in the comments. Alton rules!

I'm trying to figure out how Giada makes all that heavy food and manages to stay so damn thin? WTF is up with that???!

I voted for Ina because I have actually made a few of her recipes. The stand out one for me is roasted chicken - I followed her recipe and my Mom (an AMAZING cook) said it was one of best roasted chickens she's ever had and started roasting hers that way also.

I also really like Paula Deen simply because she's Southern and makes her food with great love and gusto. PBS does have superior shows. Bobby Flay's boy meets grill is okay.

Hey, let's hear it for Tyler Florence! (Food 911 and Tyler's Ultimate)

It's clear that over the last few years, the Food Network's strategy has shifted. It's more about entertainment than about serious cooking now -- They got rid of people like Sara Moulton in favor of idiots like Sandra Lee and Giada De Laurentiis.

While I do continue to watch Food Network programming (Ina, Michael Chiarello, etc.), I agree with others that the best shows are currently on PBS -- I love to watch America's Test Kitchen, Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way, Mark Bittman's show, and others like them.

GR, you're completely right about the shift in programming. Such a shame that Sara Moulton got canned so that Sandra Lee could throw some Kandy Korn on top of a store-bought cupcake and call herself a chef. (Though I don't mind Giada DeLaurentiis at all.)

I truly, madly, deeply can't pick a favorite on Food Network. I am a big fan of Paula Deen, Ina Garten, went through a real strong Emeril period a couple of years ago, and really like watching Bobby Flay even though I don't have a cool rooftop deck with grill in the City.

Alton just irritates me on Good Eats, though less so on Iron Chef. Though I do like the original more than the American version. Allez cuisine!

Jamie Oliver's always a trip. And a shout out to Nigella Lawson even though she's on Style. She really does deserve her own FN show, because I'm tired of having to explain to friends who she is.

After several attempts, I've found myself unable to even use that Ray-person's name in a sentence.

i hate to break it to you guys, but i'm home sick today, and i just saw Michael Chiarello use the dreaded term "EVOO"
lol
even napa isn't immune to rachel ray!
and btw, i love cooking tv shows, but i just do NOT get the appeal of america's test kitchen!
i just don't get it
they hosts are annoying, the dumb stuff down far too much, and well, as stated above, i just DON'T get it!!!

but i second whomever shouted out the scandanavian cooking shows on PBS, andreas is amazing, and i have SUCH a girly crush on the woman that is hosting season two, she is just SO cute and SO talented!
i thought i was going to melt when she went boar hunting
yao-WEE!

I don't understand the appeal of Test Kitchen myself. Jacques Pepin is dreamy always (sigh). I just have to give much props to the Freugal Gourmet for striking my interest in cooking. Kickin' it old school. Miss his show. It's how I learned hot pan, cold oil, won't stick.

okay, and as stated above, i'm home sick today, and as we speak, sandra lee is "cooking" (i decided to check it out since she had been mentioned as hateful a few times)
all i can say is:
EWH!
she's out there, and people choose to hate on rachel ray??
wow...
she's cooking something called a "tri-tip steak"
what the heck is that?
and she also made beer baked beans using canned baked beans
she added bacon, beer, ketchup, mustard and TONS of molasses to canned beans
aren't canned baked beans already packed with these things?
arent they bad enough for you already?
EWH, and now she's putting SPAGHETTI sauce on her "tri-tip" steak for w hoe-down
oy vey, julia child has to be rolling over in her grave right now
OMG!
and now shes rubbing the cheese from kraft mac&cheese on CORN ON THE COB
i think i might pass out

I go without cable, which suits me just fine, especially with the PBS Sunday line-up of cooking shows. Bittman to Bastianich, they're all there to share their culinary wisdom. We have made a Sunday tradition of prepping for dinner while watching the masters do their thing.

Sara Moulton, hands down
Alton Brown is a close second

Giada is good for eye candy. Emeril is annoying and Bobby Flay is a pompous *ss.

Rachel Ray = besides her HOAQ (Highly Obvious Annoying Qualities), the problem I have with her is that she is a bad cook. I've been making 30 minute meals for 15 frickin years.... I should have a TV show. She is no big trick there. The girl (1) sautes something, (2) maaaaybe deglazes the pan, and (3) throws in some prewashed vegetables/salad. Yawn.

Sandra Dee is Truly Awful. Only good to check out her occasional Bad Porn Hair (see her holiday special) and droopy boobs.

Iron Chef! Iron Chef! Iron Chef! (the original)

Octopus battle is a classic. Those things were still squirming on the stove! Chairman Kaga looks like a Japanese, Victorian, vampire. That's entertainment!

" i'm home sick today,"
"i think i might pass out"

Posted by ann at 01/24/06 5:44 PM

Or throw up!

Man, we sure come alive when asked our opinion of shows! I love it!!

I hate it when Iron Chef has to cook with something alive. I have to turn the channel. I just can't watch that (nor do I eat things that have to come live). I'm glad I missed the eel episode!

I am an Italian American born and raised in New Jersey a 20 minute car drive away from Manhattan. My entire family cooks. And cooks. And eats. I have never seen or heard of pouring olive oil on food after it has been cooked. Never. I don't get Lidia's pouring tablespoons upon tablespoons of olive oil on cooked food. Whenever I see her doing it I can just hear my Uncle Louie yelling out at her "What the hell's going on here!" while waving his arms as he jumps up from the chair.

this is a really funny thread.

i like watching shows like iron chef and paula's home cooking purely for the entertainment, but i have to admit, i can't cook. im pretty clueless. and i find most shows intimidating. love Martha, but her recipes scare me. i find that America's Test Kitchen at least doesnt make me feel like a moron, and though like someone said earlier, they feel it is dumbed down, its exactly my speed! are there any other good shows out there for beginners??

here's the thing, i don't cook the recipes on these shows but i tivo all of ina garten and tyler florence's shows. they are people that are fun to hang out with and learn something.

Thinkin bout Sandra Lee: girl is a trainwreck in the making.
http://armchaircook.blogspot.com/2005/10/sandra-lee-trick-or-treat.html

Ms. Lee is in the midst of a divorce from her hubby Bruce Karatz, CEO of KB Homes, a developer. Interestingly, KB just paired with Martha Stewart to market houses ..... not with Sandra.

DO you get Restaurant Makeover in the US? It's a Canadian show...it's a fun mix of design where they update the decor and cooking where they update the menu. Then they re-open the place and give an update on how the restaurant fared after the renos. Fun to watch the chefs getting told their menus need modernizing.

Uh, what? Who are all these other people, and why did they push Alton Brown off the list? That's the only food show you need.

Mario's good too.

OK, Gianna De Laurentiis is great with the sound off...

And oh yeah, America's Test Kitchen. Add a little iron chef, and you're good to go.

Bobby Flay? Emeril? Bunch of chuckleheads.

Good Eats!

And Michael Chiarello. Not necessarily his show. But DEFINITELY Michael Chiarello. ;)

Alton Brown of Good Eats is the absolute best!
Knowing the whys of many things makes me a better cook and better able to experiment and come up with something edible.
Rachel Ray really has some simple everyday fare to add variety.

rachael ray is a little too perky for my tastes, but she has a lot of good ideas for economical cheats for those of us whose palates are richer than our paychecks. :)

i luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuv alton brown best, however, and was very sad that he was not in your survey.

sandra lee annoys me intensely. all she does is congratulate herself on her cleverness. i was home sick and watching her show one day, and decided that you could turn it into a great drinking game--just take a shot every time she says the words "i" or "me."

Michael Cheerlo ! is fun to watch. The ease and the comfort the way he hangs around in the kitchen.

I vote for the cooking shows on PBS

Alton Brown - Why don't you send a CD to Sandra Lee and Giana or Jana , the so called pseudo italian lady , the italian mamas will be rolling in the grave watching her shows.

Most foodnetwork shows teaches us to stir and use the food processor

Sara Moulton (whatever her show is named) = #1
Alton Brown "Good Eats" =#1.5
America's Test Kitchen (PBS) = #2

Please let's not call what Sandra Lee does "cooking"--her antics may involve food and food-like substances. However I wouldn't consume any of the end results of her endeavors.

Great discussion. Thanks for letting me vent.

Okay. I voted for Ina but I have to say I've recently become a huge fan of Michael Chiarello. Though, he can't say "perfect" - he says "perfeck" and it drives me completely nutzo. He has a show on the Fine Living channel called NapaStyle and it's equally fabulous. I love his kitchen.

Sandra Lee, eeehhhh, she speaks in such a grating and pandering cadence that I pull all my hair out after 5 minutes. And half her food looks unedible. BUT, I dig how she decorates her kitchen for every episode. And my husband thinks she has a nice rack. Of lamb. Hah?

Finally, Alton Brown used to be sooo cool, but now his shows are a little random. Too many characters, too much plot, not enough wonderful Alton just being a geek. It's too bad, really.

Aaand...

You know, Paula Deen is hil-arious. I would only eat something of hers on a total fat-day because they are so calorriffic, but MAN she makes it look fun.

The guy on The Secret Life Of DOT DOT DOT is my Food Network Husband. And I love him.

Ok I must admit though I can't sit through an entire Sandra Lee show without spitting insults, I am jealous of her pantry (though there is a huge window in it. that can't be good). It takes me back when Martha guided us through her pantry shed and had all these different kinds of sugar and flour in it. I can keep insulting more people (big head everyday italian lady, bobby flay, emeril, etc..) but that'll be hateful. But I take all of them for what they are- entertainment.

ALTON! Alton rules because he is such a fabulous geek. And he has hand puppets on his show on a regular basis. HAND PUPPETS! :) And, also, because he had a grand sense of humor when mentioned in this comic strip -- which is pretty accurate and should give you a good idea of the geekness.

(The fact that I enjoy and read said comic strip should tell you about *my* geekness.)

Mario Batali, too, has pretty good shows -- I'm way more likely to watch Iron Chef America if he's on, as he just seems happy to be there -- he talks and jokes and doesn't take it too seriously.

:)

Oops -- trying the comic strip thing again -- if it doesn't work, cut and paste into your browser:
http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/archive.asp?nextform=viewcomic&id=974

Mario Batali is the Iron Chef that RR is cooking (I use the word lightly) against. Gee, I wonder who's going to win??

The guy on The Secret Life of... is my big crush. He had a TV show called The Best Of.. but I think it's off the air now.

I miss Sarah Moulton. She and I were born on the same day! But besides that, she is so down to earth and truly helpful.

i love alton. I feel like alton and the two guys from mythbusters would be really great friends.

Sandra Lee is a fool that was lucky to get a television show. PT Barnum. If I combined Alpo with canned beans and tomato sauce and called it chili con carne, could I have my own show? She's only about one step away from doing that.

Mario comes across as sooo much more arrogant than Bobby Flay!

As arrogant as Michael Chiarello is earnest. : ) Though his show is way too Cali-Pottery Barn for me.

But I can't wait to watch Mario show RR where she can stick her $40.

she can stick her $40 in her EVOO. i used to like her alot but i think she's overexposed.

I wonder how on earth Sandra Lee even got a show in the first place. What was Food Network thinking? She seems like the perfect example for college kids with a bunson (sp?) burner in the dorm room to make something to eat. Other than that she's useless. And what kills me is when Martha went to jail, there was all this speculation about who was going to be the next Martha and her name kept coming up!! Can you imagine!?

it is SO all about Alton Brown, other people almost aren't worth mentioning. It's not just the geeky godness, or the overactive-imagination plots, it's the SCIENCE that actually makes me a better cook because I understand what's going on with my ingredients. And it's fun-like-a-ferris-wheel to watch.

America's Test Kitchen, of course.

The original Iron Chef is awesome, but I just started watching Iron Chef America, and Alton Brown beyond-redeems the show and makes me love them equally.

I love Jamie Oliver, even though I can't make most of his food because I'm vegetarian.

Emeril makes cooking look easy because he's not really a very good cook. He's a showman. And I'm surprised that so many people hate Rachael Ray but don't seem to notice how thoroughly obnoxious Emeril is.

On the topic of Rachael Ray: she's almost-unbearably annoying, but I got over it to watch her show because I really do love a lot of her recipes.

And: I miss Surreal Gourmet, that show was great.

Giada is hot andI l love the way she touts/shakes and stirs. Cover her in chocolate and eat her up, guaranteed she'd enjoy it also.
Come to Orlando baby to work on the Tan.

I've been watching a LOT of food network lately. I think the reason Food Network airs Robin Miller ("It's crazy but I love it, i love this crazy life!" - theme song kills me) and Sandra Lee is because they don't seem to have always focused on cooking. I mean, look at the guy from Double Dare who talks about candy all day on Unwrapped. I think they are trying to hit a lot of levels.

I picked Rachael for entertainment value, but I realized tonight that I actually use more of Giada's recipes. Her head looks big because A) she's a size 2, and B) they use a wide angle lens. You might notice how the pot or pot lid will drastically shrink when she moves it back/to the left on her burners.

I want Ina to be my mommy, too! And perhaps Paula as my aunt (making me incestious b/c one of her sons is a one-way ticket to delicious-town). And Giada as my big sister. LOVE THEM ALL. But esp. Ina!!!

Did ya'll see the one time RR had her brother on? It was evident that even he thinks she's CRAZY. Probably the most annoying person ever on TV. I kind of get a kick out of watching her eat her food at the end and roll her eyes in enjoyment...she is queen of the nerd herd!

p.s. Kate - I can't watch Emeril, either. He's the Donald Trump of the Food Network...too loud and abrassive for me. I think it's funny that his show isn't even in the survey b/c it's on ALL the time. I wish they'd run Ina's and Giada's shows later on weekday nights.

I also love Restaurant Makeover and Recipe for Success!!!

Alton Brown's Good Eats

I love this show, I love the explanations, the science behind the methods.

Everyday Italian rules. I changed my long-planned Christmas Eve bouillabaisse after seeing Giada make a Cioppino the day before Christmas Eve. She makes it look easy, and frequently it is. LOVE Alton Brown (I'm into smart alecky) and Ina Garten. Rachel is tolerable, but I change the channel as soon as "EVOO" departs her lips. Chiarelli is luscious, but difficult. Flay & Sandra Lee, you may go now. Iron Chef is colossal in both languages. On the PBS front - Love America's Test Kitchen and Jacque Pepin.

My favorite show is Tyler's Ultimate and Food 911. How come such a popular chef from the network is not on your list? I couldn't pick anything off that list you have here. Sandra Lee??? puleezeeeeee She isn't any chef. If I had to choose from your list I would pick Boy Meets Grill but you need to add Tyler onto the list!

Giada acts like her viewers are idiots.
Ina's my favourite, and the scenes with her husband are adorable, especially the one where he burnt the bag of coals over the barbeque and Ina stood by laughing.

I AM TERMINALLY ILL AND CANNOT GET AROUND AS I USED TO. BEFORE I RETIRED FROM PUBLIC SCHHOL I LOVED COOKING AND THE WHOLE HOMEMAKING LIFE. NOW THE ONLY THING I LOOK FORWARD TO IS WATCHING THE FOOD NETWORK. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR I REALLY LOOK FOFWARD TO YOUR SHOWS. MY MOST FAVORITE SHOW IS PAULA DEENS HOMECOOKING. I CAN RELATE TO HER SINCE I TOO HAD A PASSION FOR COOKING AND BAKING. SHE BRINGS SO MUCH JOY TO MY HEART THAT I FEEL I'M LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUHG HER, GOD BLESS YOU PAULA!!!!!!

i am 12 years old i am autistic i can not talk but love to see rachael ray cook she is my friend i would like to send her a picture of me cooking thanks shawn burke

Everyday Italian is great - I need an Italian Everyday like Giada! The great camera angles down her blouse is all I can see when she is cooking - lets just say if she was in my kitchen, she'd be rolling in the dough naked and shaking more than a mixer around!!! I'd like to she her boobs shaking as she does other things in the kitchen!!!!!

I am literally watching Rachel Ray right now and I am almost about to smash a brick into the tv.
I'm sorry but wtf? Not only does she appear drunk, she keeps doing this bizarre thing with her mouth, like pulling it to one side and rolling her eyes in the same direction. She talks out of one side of her mouth.
I cannot comprehend why she was given a show. It's like she's overacting at all times and there's this weird awkwardness when she tries to crack a joke.
Plus, I find it hilarious that she often (if not always) says she's making a quick "healthy" meal in 30 minutes. Today she made smoked fondue (I cannot tell you how many times she said, "I call it FUN-due!" Grrr...shut up Rachel!), with bacon and to dip in it? Veggies and sausage! Wow! What a healthy meal!
She is unbearable. Hence I turn off the tv.

Bobby Flay-complete pompus frat boy. I lost all respect for him when he jumped on the counter during Iron Chef and yelled "Raise the Roof." What a loser.

Giada-I like some of her recipes, but the show is shot in such a weird way. All those close-ups of her perfectly manicured fingernails. Slow shots of her washing her hands...there's obviously a sexual element that is on purpose.

I do like Ina Garten. I like the pacing of the show.
Same with Paula Deen. Her recipes are usually fattening and at times, gross, but she seems a genuine and funny person.

In terms of entertainment there seem to be few hosts that I actually like, but, I do find recipes on the Food tv website.

why dont they just let Giada pop those melons out of her top and let us get a good look at them!!! We could ice them and then lick them clean - sounds like a great show to me!!!! Next course on the menu, sweet cream filled pu_sy!!!!!!

I voted for Barefoot Contessa - Ina is genuine and I love the fact that she's fat! As for Rachael Ray - I can't stand her anymore, with his stupid giggling and talking out of the side of her "Joker Mouth"...ugh! As for Emeri - he's the most overrated chef on TV. His dishes are all done for him, but when he dishes them out he makes an utter mess out of all of them. His restaurants are obscenely expensive and not worth it. Lastly, if Sandra Lee's breasts go any lower, they'll be in her socks.608125

I would thank Mrs. Paula for a wonderful cooking show she has. I am a southern girl who lives in SC and all the older women (mu age and older) love you to death!!!(A southern saying.) Please keep up the entertainable show, as is a great cook show!!!
If you could come on our TV station earlier in the morning, you could cheer me up better for the day. Keep it up!!!! I wish you good health and send to you and your people my southern love and prayer.
Jackie

Alton Brown for all the qualities of a superior person---intellence,capability,knowledge of the ART of cooking,explaning serious information in a humorous fashion-----then there are the plots and fasinating folk he portrays. I could go on & on but I need to also mention my favorite female----Nigella Lawson(not due to same name!)Ithink she has more style and "class"(even if this gets me in trouble with the P.C.people) and is simple in presentation making fine cooking available to all.

Rachael Ray appears to be on drugs as of late.

I voted for Giada, she is very patient and explains the use of each ingredient. Her ingredients are also fresh unlike, Semi Homemade. As far as I'm concerned if it isn't home made, it's store bought. Has anyone checked out the set of that show? It is trailer park trashy. The deco is just beyond gaudy!! Rachael Ray is extremely annoying with the loud crazy gesticulations. Did anyone catch her on ET when she got married? Talk about lack of couth! She is another can cook on the network. I love Bobby, Ina, Emeril, Alton and Michael. Paula I love, but she irrks me talking about Michael. I know she's happy, but please calm down!!

I watch food network everyday, if I get the chance. I love Sandra Lee, Giada De Laurentiis, Michael Chiarello and I don't know why people hate Rachel Ray cause I think she's great.

All you haters out there get a life. You are jealous of Sandra Lee and Giada's hot looks. Alton's brains, Emril Bobby and Mario's talent and Rachel's perkiness. The best show on the Food Network is The Secret Life Of...

Because we all know Jim's secret!

I agree with the comments on the PBS shows. New Scandinavian Cooking is the best! The hostess is Tina Nordstrom, she is totally charming and has the cutest accent ever. I was a little wary of the show at first--I imagined endless variations on fish and potatoes--but every episode has a ton of delicious-looking dishes.

BTW, what's up with the guy who hosts Unwrapped? He has such a bizarre way of speaking!

I'm kinda new to the FN, but have seen a few shows. Rachael Ray annoys the crap out of me--her attempts at being funny and "cute" are very forced. And she's getting really fat lately (I watched her a year ago for awhile because my 13-year old son loved the show); I guess that's a drawback of being a cook. I would cut back on the cheese if I were here.

I watched Giana DeLaurentiis (why is everyone calling her Giada?) for the first time this week, and I love her. Don't understand why so many people don't like her (jealous?). I made 2 of her dishes tonight after watching her today and they turned out great! I love the simplicity of her recipes and think she has a winsome personality.

I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments, except all of you gross men who can only think about sex while watching a cooking show! There are other websites for your kind of comments.

Well im 13 and my favorite chefs are ina, giada and duff from the new show ace of cakes. I think sandra lee is a big hunk of white trash, she make poor food and mabey an alchoholic.

P.S GO ALTON BROWN and as for rachel i just try to avoid her.

If Giada Delaurentis wants to be taken more seriously, I suggest she cover up some more. Consumers are supposed to be watching her cooking, not her body. Besides, more flesh makes her head look really big.

I absolutely CAN NOT STAND Giada. She is so PHONEY in her personality the way she comes across and is too obsessed with "glamour" and being around "glamourous people" as if the entire world is going to fall in love with her (or should). She reminds me of the type of person that would be nice to your face and then stab you in the back.

Could her eyes get closer together? It is so obvious she has had so much facial surgery done from how pinched her face looks. It's the plastic italian attack!

Go back to Italy Giada- and stay there. You're not even a trained chef. You sucked on Iron chef and lost. HA HA! How'd you like that one replayed over and over to remind you of how bad you suck in the kitchen. I cheered when you lost!

Rachel Ray may not be a trained chef either, but at least she is likeable and not obsessed with this persona like everyone will or should fall in love with her.

I Think Rachal Ray is the best out there...but Gianna comes in as a close second.