The Food Network

[Deleted]

I really love FN, but I detest Bobby Flay. What a pompous asshole. I was so happy when he lost that first Iron Chef, and how he initially thought he had won it. Sweet, sweet, well deserved schaden.

I usually love Rachel Ray, but her occasional YUM! makes her sound like she should be riding the short bus. I totally agree with the poster who said her lavish praise of absolutely everything negates her opinion and renders it worthless. But she's so cute! And actually has a nice, well fed figure, as opposed to looking starved like most women I see on TV.

I had the hugest crush on Ming Tsai. I luved me that sexy Asian man. I'm upset to read the comment on the last page about him saying something rude to his mother. Did anyone else see it?

[cyclonevkc]

I know most of the discussion so far has been about different chefs (or "chefs" as the case may be), but I want to give a shout-out to Unwrapped. If you haven't seen it, it's about yummy food and how it's made. I have seen segments about taffy, pizza, nuts (a Mr. Peanut segment was fun!), popcorn, Pringles, candy... well, you get the drift. And Marc Summers hosts it! Double Dare, people! Anyway, it's a fun show.

[shawnalanne]

Rachel Ray just annoys me so much. It's not just that on her $40 a Day show everything is the best evah. But that is obnoxious. What really bugs me is that half the time when she does the 30 minute meals show she doesn't include prep time. Yes, it would be awesome if everyone's job was to come up with quick recipes and go to resteraunts to eat cheap -- and then maybe they'd have both the inclination and the time to cut their veggies before putting them away. But I don't have the want or the time to do either. Also, last night she made some desert where you unwrap a bunch of caramels, smoosh 'em and then put a bunch of stuff on them. The unwrapping and smooshing would be ten minutes alone.

I know it's nit pickey, but when I see a show that is about making meals in 30 minutes (or less) I actually expect prep time to be included!

Wew! Sorry. That really bugs though.

Edited because it always looks different on the board.

[Deleted]

Giada is filmed with a normal lens and her head has metamorphosed from Gargantuan to merely Very Big.

hottuna, that is a riot!

Come on, people. I can't be the only one here with a huge, unabashed crush on Ray Ray, can I?? I don't care what you all say - she is HOT!

[kateln]

You know, right now Food Network is showing early episoded of 30 Minute Meals vs. the newer ones, and the difference is amazing. She's gone from this naturally cute, kind of perky, funny girl--into a miniature Rosie O'Donnell, and it's scary.

[hottuna]

I can't be the only one here with a huge, unabashed crush on Ray Ray, can I??

Actually, Mulva, I think RR couldn't be cuter. She does seem to shrink when standing next to Mariel Hemingway, though, as if she's swimming at the other end of the gene pool, but hey - I'm on this end, too! At least there'd be some one to play with! I think she'd be a great girlfriend: (1) Dinner would be ready in half an hour, so more time for snuggling. (2) She always looks so clean and wholesome, and evidently does not squander a fortune on clothes (or tips, for that matter!) (3) When she dines out, it's never with another guy, it's always alone and costs less than $40. (Look, it's my fantasy, OK?) (4) Even the chatter wouldn't bother me, because who listens anyway?

[soul]

Even the chatter wouldn't bother me, because who listens anyway?

Chatter? The woman doesn't chatter, she screams at the top of her lungs.

[Deleted]

I am by no means crushin on Rachel Ray but I do think she's silly and fun and cute - I like watching her show. (Plus it fits in with my attention span)

[frenchy]

Low Carb guy made a curious statement the other day about how you don't need to count the carbs in what you eat. I went online and found out he came up with his own "low carb" program called "Stella Style," where as long as you cook what is in the book (and on the show), you can eat however much you want. Apparently, it's caused a bit of a stir because the carb counts are deceptive and people are putting on weight following his recipes. Anyone ever try anything from his show? There was also some drama over his son who was soliciting people for donations to finish his weight-loss book and because he was "tired of mooching off [his] dad." Turns out the son lost most of his weight eating low-fat/low-cal and not "Stella Style." One of the chapters in his book is something like "Why I Want To Grab Fat Kids By The Neck." Aggression, Party of One? Your table's ready!

He occassionally makes me laugh with his slang, though. He slam dunked his towel onto the counter, spun around, and said he'd be back after the break to "bust some 'ments on stocking your pantry."

The new guy, Dave Lieberman, looks bland. I wish they would've used the time slot to run some vintage cooking shows instead.

[polygal]

One of the things (there are a lot) that bugs me the most about Rachael Ray is her insistence that everything is either "date food" or "great for entertaining." Someone really needs to tell her that's not always true. The way she always talks about her making these dishes for parties and all makes her sound about as sad as Sandra Lee and her made-up friends. She sounds so damn needy.