Alright, as mentioned last night, I'm going to be reviewing the new episodes in Food Network's lineup this morning. The reviews kick off with a new episode of 30 Minute Meals.
30 Minute Meals--Penny Saving Picnic
Rachael's making an indoor Italian picnic to save money; today's menu is san marzano gazpacho, chicken thighs with onions, fennel & roasted peppers, and corn bread crostini.
When I first fell in love with food in 2006, 30 Minute Meals was the first show I saw and I fell in love with it too. I loved how friendly and personable Rachael was and how the stuff she made not only looked and sounded good but wasn't too complicated to make. Regardless of whether the meal can really be made in 30 minutes, the show still does easy meals that don't cost an arm and a leg yet manage to be just as hearty and filling. Ray comes across as someone who knows her way around a kitchen but doesn't feel the need to be kitchen chef material; she cooks her meals just as a person on a weeknight would prepare the meal. Definitely not alot of needed prep, which takes up time if you have hungry kids and schoolwork/work to finish. The ingredients she uses are neither fancy or expensive; just normal ingredients and food items.
I also like how Rachael makes sure to mention how much of each ingredient she uses for those like me who try to write down the ingredients and steps as she goes. I am not an experienced cook so eyeballing my items and measurements hasn't hit me yet; she's doing that now with each ingredient she adds to the food processor for her gazpacho. And in 8 short minutes, she has started the pan and put the chicken in for one dish and has entirely prepped the other. Great time if you ask me.
I know alot of people over the years rendered Ray either slightly or immediately very annoying upon watching her show, and the only time I would have slightly agreed was back in the early years of 30 Minute Meals, when I think she was still getting comfortable in front of the camera. She was going a mile a minute, I believe trying maybe a little too hard to come across as friendly, seemed at ease with the food but didn't yet seem like she felt at ease with the cameras and having to be "on" for 30 minutes. Now, she looks like an old pro and her strategy hasn't really changed much. She seems much more relaxed than those earlier days therefore much more comfortable, but she still tells her family stories, still offers up substitutes for ingredients when/if necessary, and still offers helpful tips throughout the show.
We're a little more than halfway through with the show and everything's cooking and getting off to a good start. The only thing I have to say I am not overly fond of is that because it moves so quickly, it can be hard to get actual step by step instructions by just watching the show. Putting the recipes online on FN's website is a godsend, partly because it helps us keep track and leaves us room to modify if necessary.
Its about 2 minutes before show end and as Rachael went through each main component of the meal, she gave a brief rundown of the prep to make it, another positive part of the show. This would be a good show for those with TiVo so they can pause to write down each step since she goes back over it. In short, today's show was a good one, she kept us informed and didn't break our bank with expensive things.
I skipped about an hour and a half of the lineup so I could sleep, but I'll restart the reviews with the next show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.
Secrets of a Restaurant Chef--The Secret to Fresh Pasta
This isn't a new episode and today Anne's doing broccoli rabe ravioli with parm and pistachios, with fresh pasta. I'm a fan of the show and her technique grew on me after watching a few episodes. I eventually want to own my own restaurant so I enjoy watching how its done in a restaurant and how an actual chef prepares their food. This is much different from a Rachael Ray, who does the everyday cooking, different from Ina who does entertainment cooking, and even different from Giada, who does simple gourmet cooking. At first I found Anne rather rough with the food, but it only taught me that you don't have to be gentle with it. With things like the fresh pasta she's doing today, rough is actually required and probably encouraged. Not to mention it releases aggression. :) I love watching how the food comes together from being individual ingredients and from the skeleton to cooking and coming together, to being a full meal. I can tell Anne enjoys watching the process and making the food, putting her own spin and effort into it. She also provides some helpful tips with the things she does and you can guarantee she uses fresh things each time.
The rest of the reviews kind of went up in smoke because I fell asleep. Fail. lol Maybe the next time I decide to do 4 hours straight of reviews I should make sure I get some sleep first, huh?
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