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Post by Snake Eyes on Jul 9, 2008 23:44:29 GMT 12.75
Just wondering who you like to watch on the tube when in comes to cook shows. Also who was the greatest influence that got you interested in cooking. My greatest influence was my mother!Although I didn't always like what she served,I never doubted the love that went into her meals. My favorite TV cook was Justin Wilson. My favorite Chef was Julia Child. I learned a lot of the basics from them all.Justin & Julia also liked a bit of the grape,which I am no stranger to snake-eyes
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Post by Two Tales on Jul 10, 2008 19:11:55 GMT 12.75
I can't say for sure if any one person influenced me..it was/is more the love of food...I did learn a goodly amount from Mom, Grandmothers, Aunts and even Uncles, but to try and single out one as most influencial...can't do it... what or which TV Show/Chef/Cook.... I like Rachel Ray...I like watching that new British kid, Oliver, Mario...and of course Alton Brown...From the past, there was Justin and Julia, Jeff Smith and Martin Yan (he is the most clever knife handler I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them)...But the TV Chef that taught me the most about flavor and texture was Graham Ker{sp}...he was an absolute fruit cake...but....his dicriptions of how things should feel and the sensations each ingrediant should give ones palet challanged me to test foods and try and duplicate what I had eaten in resturants, diners and even homes of friends....and because of this I have developed (or maybe I was born with it) the ability to eat some thing and go home and make it without the aid of a recipe...Alton Brown has added science to the mix...you can learn a lot of neat stuff from this guy and his shows are pretty entertaining to boot (he also has abunch of neat Gadgets)...Rachel has made it ok for the world to own a can opener and to buy premade pastas...as much as I like all these folks, my favorite would be Justin Wilson for obvious reasons...There is one fellow I would like to mention here and I never missed an episode of his show and that was Chef Pasqualli...on "Pasqualli's Kitchen" ...he brought Italian cooking to America's living rooms and kifchens when the rest of the shows did nothing but French...if I missed anyone, sorry
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Post by Paws on Jul 11, 2008 0:17:11 GMT 12.75
Who was the greatest influence? Hunger! Momma, God bless her heart, was a lousy cook. I never really knew the difference until I was around eight or nine when all of a sudden I was doing more of my own cooking than she was doing for me. Hardly ever was there any breakfast and I guess that is where I got started fixing food. When we got home from school there might be a pot of beans or some kind of soup for supper. Nine times out of ten we would fend for ourselves with sandwiches, or maybe some Chef Boy Ar Dee. We ate school lunches until I was around fourteen and then I was pretty much doing most of the cooking for the family. By then I was working part time and usually mowing lawns or odd jobs on week-ends so I had started doing the grocery shopping as well. But when there was a Holiday get together at Grandma's things were different. Grandma Slater and Grandma Foreman were both "old school" everything from scratch and that is where I learned the skills. I was about the only kid what didn't get told "Get outside you make me nervous!" Grandma Slater let me watch as long as I stayed out of her way but Grandma Foreman taught me by giving me part of the job and explaining everything she did as she went along. She would have made a terrific teacher. Then I hung around a couple of Aunts and picked up what I saw. The better cooks were Aunt Margie and Aunt Betty. Oddly enough they were the eldest and the only ones still alive. I guess by the time I was twelve I could handle most anything in the kitchen at a basic competency level. I think I was thirteen when the school offered a program of "try it" electives that were a series of six week long classes. One of those was Home Economics which was all culinary so I took that. That is where I began to see the science in cooking which really grabbed my interest. Plus we got to eat what we cooked! Of the masters, my Favorites are Wilson, Yan, Tsi, Brown, Smith, Childs, Kerr, "The Late, James (The Urban Peasant) Barber", Morimoto, La'Gasi, Bitali, Bordaine, and Ramsey in that order.
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Post by Paws on Jul 11, 2008 0:51:15 GMT 12.75
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Post by Snake Eyes on Jul 11, 2008 0:51:29 GMT 12.75
Paws, I was a big fan of the 'Frugal Gourmet',Jeff Smith and then it came out he had molested young boys. I never saw any follow up on the story,but I do know I have not seen or heard of him sense.Never heard any outcome to the accusations,but we seldom do. A mere accusation is enough to destroy a mans life work. Two Tales, I was a big fan of Graham Kerr till he had his heart attack.Then he started taking a lot of good stuff out of the kitchen and would try to convince viewers that without it,everything was just as good.Healthier maybe,better tasting,I don't think so.IMHO snake-eyes
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Post by Paws on Jul 11, 2008 0:55:37 GMT 12.75
I had never heard that of Smith. I never really liked Kerr's presentation but his skills are top notch.
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Post by Two Tales on Jul 11, 2008 12:04:10 GMT 12.75
The charges ageist Jeff Smith were dropped and reputedly pr oven false, however, the damage was done; he wrote one or two more cookbooks and faded from sight...he passed away a few years ago, Cancer I think....My least favorite...Booby Flay (no that aint a spelling error) there are several others I just don't care for...
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Post by Paws on Jul 11, 2008 13:06:44 GMT 12.75
I don't care too much for Flay either. I think he thinks he is a lot better than he really is. Somehow I get the impression his restaurants came from family money rather than blood, tears, and sweat equity on his part. I liked Jeff Smith quite a bit. I didn't know he had passed.
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Post by Snake Eyes on Jul 11, 2008 23:26:17 GMT 12.75
I didn't know that Jeff Smith had passed either.I'm sure the accusations against him didn't help matters. Another lady I liked to watch was the show with Sara Moulton.She always made things look so easy,which in most cases actually were when she explained it. Paula Dean is fun to watch,just because of her personality.She could sell shit to a shepperd I'm with the rest on Booby......He may be talented....but without a doubt the' most of himself man' I have seen. I like "Iron Chef America" but they need to have an entire new panel of judges with each show.Get rid of that old fart in the first chair.Bet he has not paid for a dinner in 25 years. I would suggest snake-eyes,Paws,Buck'n Beans and Toby with all other members of the OCC in the audience.OK I'll stay home but my proxy must vote for Cat Corra no matter what she makes. BTW the secret ingredient will be " Live Snapping Turtle".Now that would be a show snake-eyes
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Post by Paws on Jul 12, 2008 0:59:26 GMT 12.75
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Post by brittonfaith on Jul 12, 2008 6:11:02 GMT 12.75
I would suggest snake-eyes,Paws,Buck'n Beans and Toby with all other members of the OCC in the audience. Judge heck. Didn't you know I am the iron chef....Either eat what I fixed or it's your neck is on the chopping block! Today's secret ingedient is 'possum.
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Post by Paws on Jul 12, 2008 7:25:49 GMT 12.75
Been a while since I had any of that! Oh! You said p o[/size]ssum. Sorry, I must have read it too fast.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Jul 12, 2008 15:30:01 GMT 12.75
My greatest influence was Granny and Momma. You'll have to search long and hard to find better cooks. Both Great-grannys on my Momma's side were reknown cooks and so very proud of it to. The ladies in my family all take great pride in their cooking! TV chefs? Justin Wilson was the first I can remember and I always loved his shows. His humor was without a doubt classic and the food.....oh damn! Great stuff. We ate a lot of his recipes or others from Paul Prudhomme's family cookbook! Good cajun meals! I used to like Chef Tell from the eighties. He was a character..."I see you!"
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Post by othmar on Jul 14, 2008 17:43:24 GMT 12.75
My greatest influence was my mother. No matter how simple or elaborate the meal, it always was fit for the Kings table. My mother loved to cook and bake, the kitchen was her domain. Fondly I remember first watching and later helping and learning at her side. I also remember the elaborate pre-hunting season dinner she would cook, what my father called the “freezer space maker dinner”. Venison, waterfowl, upland birds, fish, wild fruit, berries and herbs were masterfully and lovingly transformed into a six-curse dinner attended by family, relatives and friends often exceeding over fifty people.
It was this unique mastery of the kitchen, love and creativity with food that made me wanting to be a chef too. But before I could attend the chef school I had, as promised to my father, finish first my butcher training. Today butcher and chef have given me the opportunity to carry the professional legacy of my father and the cooking legacy of my mother on.
There are several Chefs that I admire, to many to list here, but they all have one thing in common. They are all fanatic about the freshness of the food and proud of their craft.
I like to watch the Iron Chef and I am continually amazed at the variety of food they cook with one main ingredient. Cooking truly is an art.
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Post by Snake Eyes on Jul 16, 2008 1:06:13 GMT 12.75
I like to watch the Iron Chef and I am continually amazed at the variety of food they cook with one main ingredient. Cooking truly is an art. othmar, There must be some kind of a break in the action,between when they find out what the secret ingredient is,and when they start their preparations.They show no conversations between the Iron Chef and the Sous Chefs,yet they all start at the same time and all have the exact ingredients they need and the utensils that will be needed.I really think the Sous Chefs are the unsung hero's of Iron Chef. I still would like to see a common person on the judges panel.Either you,me or whoever. Just one person that would say Booby this taste like dog poop.Even when the judges don't like something they are way too kind in their criticism.IMHO BTW,othmar I love your webb site. snake-eyes
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Post by Paws on Jul 16, 2008 5:12:28 GMT 12.75
Somewhere Snake I saw something that talked about the show and you are correct. There is a free form planning "off camera" session prior to taping. After the time alloted is over there is another "off camera" period of forty five minutes to allow the plating of I think six servings of the dishes prepared before judging.
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Post by Snake Eyes on Jul 16, 2008 23:22:14 GMT 12.75
Be nice if Alton would let viewers know that prior to the cooking ......Heck, that could be a half hour prelim show in itself!I know I would like to see it. I figured something like that had to be going on! Things just run to smooth for it to be spontaneous. snake-eyes
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Post by brittonfaith on Jul 19, 2008 5:48:54 GMT 12.75
I don't watch enough TV to warrant having our set. If I catch the national weather dopler, I'm good to go. And don't even think of getting between me and the TV during football season!
That being said, I'd have to say my favorite cook is my Granny Jean. She started teaching me young. I'd guess around 3 or 4 yrs old. Last night I found a faded yellow recipe card with my name and "my first recipe card" printed in orange crayon on the back. I remember sitting at her kitchen table in Plain City asking her to spell all the words for me. I also remember how patient she seemed with me although she was getting ready to hostess either a Maid of Scandinavia, Wilton, Tupperware or Avon home party. On the other side, also in the orange crayon and printing was the first recipe I was allowed to make on my own, french toast topped with strawberries and dusted with powdered sugar.
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Post by othmar on Jul 20, 2008 3:30:25 GMT 12.75
I like to watch the Iron Chef and I am continually amazed at the variety of food they cook with one main ingredient. Cooking truly is an art. othmar, There must be some kind of a break in the action,between when they find out what the secret ingredient is,and when they start their preparations.They show no conversations between the Iron Chef and the Sous Chefs,yet they all start at the same time and all have the exact ingredients they need and the utensils that will be needed.I really think the Sous Chefs are the unsung hero's of Iron Chef. I still would like to see a common person on the judges panel.Either you,me or whoever. Just one person that would say Booby this taste like dog poop.Even when the judges don't like something they are way too kind in their criticism.IMHO BTW,othmar I love your webb site. snake-eyes Yes sake eyes they do have breaks, retakes and whatever it needs to make a catchy show. I can’t speak of the Iron Chef show, but I have been involved in well over three hundred TV shows as guest and host and can assure you that nothing is left to chance. The filming of such shows can take many hours sometimes days, then in the cutting and editing room they easily spend another few days to get it the way the producer wants it. In reality shows the emphasis is on “show” not reality. Thanks for your kind words about my website. As soon I get around to it it will completely redesigned with lots more information and hopefully a few meat-processing videos. We're filming as I write this.
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Post by Snake Eyes on Jul 20, 2008 18:40:03 GMT 12.75
othmar, Be looking forward to any additions to your site. snake-eyes
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