jnm123 wrote:Katie, as long as in your initial post you called this a bash-free zone...
I have made linguine & clam sauce and also Sloppy Joes numerous times from Rachael Ray's recipes, only doctoring them a teensy. They are easy and killer.
:::ducking:::
I've not seen the two shows you mentioned (Luke Nguyen's Vietnam and Greater Mekong and Bite of China). What channel or channels are they on?
Katie wrote:jnm123 wrote:Katie, as long as in your initial post you called this a bash-free zone...
I have made linguine & clam sauce and also Sloppy Joes numerous times from Rachael Ray's recipes, only doctoring them a teensy. They are easy and killer.
:::ducking:::
Now I don't know if you're razzing me or what. Could be I'm slow on the uptake. I'm a simple sincere soul.
Katie wrote:Speaking of Vietnam, botd, I recently discovered Martin Yan's show on Vietnamese cooking. Learned some interesting things. And I think I could do a Martin Yan imitation now ("beeeeautiful! beeeautiful!"). I do admire his enthusiasm. And man! That guy's got some crazy knife skills.
I've not seen the two shows you mentioned (Luke Nguyen's Vietnam and Greater Mekong and Bite of China). What channel or channels are they on?
jnm123 wrote:Katie wrote:I've really enjoyed the episodes I've seen so far of "I'll Have What Phil's Having." Not really a cooking show; it's a food-centered travel show.
That's exactly right, Katie. Phil Rosenthal's premise is good, the camerawork is really, really nice, but boy, I sure would like to see more substance. His constant wide-eyed 'best-I-ever-ate' countenance is somewhat cloying and borderline distracting. And the problem is, that idiosyncrasy of his is getting more prominent. He kept it in check more or less in Tokyo for his debut episode, Florence was pretty much over the top, and last night's Paris was Phil simply being out-and-out weird. As I said, the production work absolutely saves the show for him.
MariaTheresa wrote:Only for those who understand German (or just enjoy watching something without understanding what anyone is saying -- also very relaxing, I hear), there's Deutschlands Bester Bäcker
The goal of the show is to award a prize to Germany's best baker. The thing that makes if fun: each week, they travel to a different region of Germany and visit actual bakeries. They first do a random-sample test of some item from the bakery case or bread rack, then come back to taste the "specialty of the house," and only then do 3 teams of bakers compete by making a specific set of items. All of the bakers are experienced, some of them having worked in the trade since they were 14 or 15 years old. Many of the bakers describe the time and effort (e.g. traveling to Switzerland to study with another baker) they've put into developing just the right recipe for a certain kind of bread that may take 2 or 3 days to make. Or the lengths they go to in order to get the perfect ingredients. This show may explain why there is no German version of "Cakewrecks."
The baking and the judging are all based on ideas of craftsmanship and skill (the judges talk about things like the pore density of one baker's sourdough rye, or the exact color and texture of the bread crust). If you don't love baking, this would be very dull. There's no interpersonal drama at all. The only drama involves ingredients, recipes, and baking times. I love it.
stevez wrote:Has anyone seen Thailand Kitchen of the World hosted by Arun Sampanthavivat and a mugging Steve Dolinski? I'm not lovin' it.
nr706 wrote:stevez wrote:Has anyone seen Thailand Kitchen of the World hosted by Arun Sampanthavivat and a mugging Steve Dolinski? I'm not lovin' it.
Yeah, Dolinsky doesn't addd much.
rickster wrote:MariaTheresa wrote:Only for those who understand German (or just enjoy watching something without understanding what anyone is saying -- also very relaxing, I hear), there's Deutschlands Bester Bäcker
The goal of the show is to award a prize to Germany's best baker. The thing that makes if fun: each week, they travel to a different region of Germany and visit actual bakeries. They first do a random-sample test of some item from the bakery case or bread rack, then come back to taste the "specialty of the house," and only then do 3 teams of bakers compete by making a specific set of items. All of the bakers are experienced, some of them having worked in the trade since they were 14 or 15 years old. Many of the bakers describe the time and effort (e.g. traveling to Switzerland to study with another baker) they've put into developing just the right recipe for a certain kind of bread that may take 2 or 3 days to make. Or the lengths they go to in order to get the perfect ingredients. This show may explain why there is no German version of "Cakewrecks."
The baking and the judging are all based on ideas of craftsmanship and skill (the judges talk about things like the pore density of one baker's sourdough rye, or the exact color and texture of the bread crust). If you don't love baking, this would be very dull. There's no interpersonal drama at all. The only drama involves ingredients, recipes, and baking times. I love it.
Another interesting foreign show is Le Meilleur Patissier, episodes available on Youtube (in French), more like a competition show, but using relatively young professionals rather than amateurs. Sort of a cross between Top Chef, The Great British Baking Show, and this German one.
BR wrote:I had never heard of "I'll have what Phil's having" until reading this thread, and then his Paris episode popped up on television yesterday. I guess different strokes for different folks -- I enjoyed it. It's more lighthearted, less serious than a lot of food travel shows, but the photography and scenery were terrific, the food mouth-watering, guidance from David Lebovitz, etc. I'll be checking out future episodes. I much prefer Bourdain's shows (even if I don't love Bourdain), but I still found the Paris episode full of solid content.
jnm123 wrote:Katie wrote:I've really enjoyed the episodes I've seen so far of "I'll Have What Phil's Having." Not really a cooking show; it's a food-centered travel show.
That's exactly right, Katie. Phil Rosenthal's premise is good, the camerawork is really, really nice, but boy, I sure would like to see more substance.
tcdup wrote:I like "I'll Have What Phil's Having". But then again, I really love travelogues and especially love travelogues that focus on food....
I really like the show's website, because it lists the places he goes. And I also like his conversations with his parents. I especially liked the Italy show, too.
I'm heading to Spain next May, so the Barcelona show was of particular help!
jnm123 wrote:I have made linguine & clam sauce and also Sloppy Joes numerous times from Rachael Ray's recipes, only doctoring them a teensy. They are easy and killer.
Katie wrote:jnm123 wrote:I have made linguine & clam sauce and also Sloppy Joes numerous times from Rachael Ray's recipes, only doctoring them a teensy. They are easy and killer.
I've been meaning to tell you, jnm, that these are two of Sweet Baboo's favorite dinners, and I have the Rachel Ray versions on my list to try out in the next week or so.
Bean observed:The Great British Baking Show appears to have started a new season on WTTW:
http://schedule.wttw.com/series/21771/G ... king-Show/
It's season 3 that we're watching with two episodes under our belts. It seems to be on @ 9PM on Fri. We may have missed some info, so feel free to enlighten me.