Good tv cooking hosts

Echoing others with Julia, Jacques, Martin Yan, Justin Wilson and Jeff Smith - they are my pantheon of tv cooks that I grew up with. And I must've seen Ken Hom's BBC shows somewhere 'cause I was a big fan of his late 1990's and have a couple of his cookbooks. And what happened to Ming Tsai? I miss him. Currently, I'll fangirl over Tyler Florence and Bobby Flay. I love, love, love Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson. I'll also throw in Lynn Rossetto Kasper, who, I think, has THE BEST foodie show.

OK, not to throw a handgrenade into the spagetti sauce, but while watching Gordon Ramsey's "Hell's Kitchen" last Thursday, a movie trailer came up during a commercial break. The movie looked intriguing, and will come out in early August.

The movie is "Julie & Julia" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135503/.

For me, Alton Brown (perhaps my favorite televsion show in the history of television) and Michael Chiarello.

Also, while I'm not a huge fan of her cooking, Ina Garten's show has a very calming effect on me.

Ina Garten is a little too calming for me.....i get bored.....

Nick Stellino makes me queasy in a way.......its like he wants to make love to the camera.....the food....anything he comes in contact with....... weird..........

The movie is "Julie & Julia" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135503/.

A little more background - the movie is based upon a book in which the author, Julie Powell, sets out to cook every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Apparently, Powell blogged about her endeavor and then got a book deal from it. I've been meaning to read the book....

I'll add my vote for the Frugal Gourmet!

I never saw Yan Can Cook, but I met Martin Yan at Sullivan after watching a cooking demonstration, and he autographed his cookbook for me "To Laura, the most sensuous." Seriously, I have no idea. He was very entertaining to watch, though, and obviously mad talented.

As I've already mentioned, I'm a Giada fan. I also like Guy Fieri a lot, and of course Alton Brown. How could you not like Alton? And then there's the beautifully curvy Nigella Lawson. I want to be like her when I grow up. Ina Garten is just like your sweet aunt or something. Watching her cook is kind of relaxing, I think.

Also, don't think anyone else has mentioned Robert Irvine from Dinner Impossible. I think he's pretty awesome too!

Also, don't think anyone else has mentioned Robert Irvine from Dinner Impossible. I think he's pretty awesome too!

I liked him too, for the most part, but soured on him a little after his crash and burn when it came to light that he had doctored his resume pretty substantially.

Alton is funny, intelligent, and informative, and I love his recipes. Ina seems like she'd be really interesting to have at your dinner party, and I love how she takes simple ingredients and turns them into such wonderful things! I love her! Paula makes my arteries cringe. She puts a stick of butter or a jar of mayo into everything. I try to eat more healthfully, so most of her recipes are off limits to me, but I bet she'd be fun to have a drink with! I love Giada's recipes. They're almost all healthy, and they're delicious. I love Michael Chiarello, as well. Wish his show aired with more frequency.

Also, don't think anyone else has mentioned Robert Irvine from Dinner Impossible. I think he's pretty awesome too!

I liked him too, for the most part, but soured on him a little after his crash and burn when it came to light that he had doctored his resume pretty substantially.

Eh, I am overlooking that and choosing to focus instead on his cute accent and big muscles. lol

When I first truly got into my own kitchen, I was watching anyone who was cooking. Some of my favs were Julia (of course), Graham Kerr, Yan, James Barber, Jeff Smith. I also watched this French chef, and I thought his name was Pierre Franne, but now I think I made that name up. There was this Italian woman who cooked authentic Italian meals who was fun and informative, and an American woman who was obsessed with Mexican cuisine, and had spent a lot of time in Mexico learning the authentic cooking methods and techniques. I don't remember their names - sorry about that. I even watched some chef on Lifetime, Low Cholesterol Gourmet? Something like that. I still have a great, rather Moroccan-inspired, vegetarian recipe from her show, even tho she was a bit annoying. And it was on her show that I first heard, and consequently sought out/used, harissa. I also used watched 'Great Chefs', which taught me a quite a bit, but that was nowhere near the style of cooking I was shooting for.

I digress, but I loved them all, and learned something from each of them. I was pretty poor at the time, and with the help of these shows, I learned: a) how to open your pantry/fridge and create a good meal, and, b) how to make beans and rice (or some facsimile thereof) taste great!

I also watched this French chef, and I thought his name was Pierre Franne, but now I think I made that name up.

You are close. Pierre Franey

I was pretty poor at the time, and with the help of these shows, I learned: a) how to open your pantry/fridge and create a good meal,

that is the basis of my cooking! I always find that when I throw something together from the pantry it always comes out awesome.

b) how to make beans and rice (or some facsimile thereof) taste great!

beans and rice are always great!!!

This may be slightly off topic. But did anyone else go to see Paula Dean when she came to The Palace a year or so ago? Someone gave me a couple of tickets. So I thought what the heck. It's free. And it might be entertaining.

It turned out to be just plain weird. Paula came out and launched into a story about her bra malfunctioning and how she fixed it with a safety pin. I think she may have even have showed the audience the pin.

Then she explained why she doesn't really cook anything during these live shows. I can't recall the reason. A few more off color stories about her and her husband. Then her cooking assistant starts preparing to do the live cooking demonstration. Paula introduced her, but was also weirdly insulting to her. Paula's introduction was something like "This is so & so. She's going to be doing the cooking. She works for Paula Dean Magazine" Paula then turns to the girl and says...."What is it exactly that you do at the magazine again?" Then the girl informs Paula that she's the Food Editor.

It was just odd.

For the entire show, there was visible tension between Paula and the girl cooking. The girl looked like she would love to throw a pot at Paula. ....And Paula kept it up with the thinly veiled insults.

.......oh, and Paula mentioned "Smithfield Meat" (her new sponsor) about 1,437 times during the show. And there was a group of 4 or 5 Smithfield execs positioned at a round table on a corner of the stage. They just sat there through the show. I don't think they ever ate anything. Or said anything. They were just inexplicably sitting there....on the stage.

Thank goodness those tickets were free. I felt like I had mistakenly walked into bad dinner theater. We left early.

I also watched this French chef, and I thought his name was Pierre Franne, but now I think I made that name up.

You are close. Pierre Franey

Yes! Thank you!

I was pretty poor at the time, and with the help of these shows, I learned: a) how to open your pantry/fridge and create a good meal,

that is the basis of my cooking! I always find that when I throw something together from the pantry it always comes out awesome.

That's awesome, Becky. To me, that's a sign of a great cook!