Favorite TV Chefs

[JolyV]

My vote for Bobby Flay

[linguinelisa]

Emeril is my all-time favorite!

[Chocolatl]

I used to like Emeril a lot, but I think he started being more of a character than a chef.

["LB"]

I'll reiterate what I said about the femae chefs - these guys are entertainers, not chefs. Alton Brown and Rick Bayless are good chefs. Read their books, you will see depth to their cooking as well as some entertainment. They use their brain - not their looks. The rest of them are a waste of time - you can get more instruction from a good recipe book than from them - they are too busy with the cameras.

[Chocolatl]

[quote=LB]I'll reiterate what I said about the femae chefs - these guys are entertainers, not chefs. Alton Brown and Rick Bayless are good chefs. Read their books, you will see depth to their cooking as well as some entertainment. They use their brain - not their looks. The rest of them are a waste of time - you can get more instruction from a good recipe book than from them - they are too busy with the cameras.[/quote]

That's a vast overgeneralization. I've learned a lot from Paul Prudhomme and Steven Raichlen, among others. Rick Bayless, not much (although I enjoy his show).

Forgive me for saying this, but Alton Brown HAS to use his brain--he doesn't have any looks!

["LB"]

Couldn't resist: since when do "looks" cook?? Eye candy for the girls?? I do agree with you on Steven Reichlin and Paul Prudhomme - they have knowledge to impart.

[I'mPat]

OMG loving the comments but cannot comment myself as I have never seen or heard of some of these chefs - do you have links for them (particularly video ones) that I could post in the index of Celebrity Chefs and Famous Cooks so that others may view and leave their comments.


Pat

[Chocolatl]

[quote=""LB""]Couldn't resist: since when do "looks" cook?? Eye candy for the girls?? I do agree with you on Steven Reichlin and Paul Prudhomme - they have knowledge to impart.[/quote]

It IS TV, after all. While "looks" don't cook, people don't want to watch a show that looks unpleasant. And I don't watch food shows to "get instruction," and I know most people probably don't, either. I already know how to cook. That "now I'm going to teach you something" stuff gets boring really quickly. There has to be more to a show to sustain it than giving instruction. PBS found that out; that's why public stations aren't labeled "educational stations" any more.

[CookieWeasel]

My favorite chefs don't have TV shows anymore! Alton Brown, the Two Fat Ladies, and Wolfgang Puck. I learned so much from all of them, and I miss them so much! Maybe Marcus Samuelsson will have a TV show someday.

[Riverside Len]

While they are entertaining, I've found most TV chefs over salt, over fat and under cook their food. I really like the crew on Cooks Country Kitchen and America's Test Kitchen. I've actually been able to use some of their recipes. Back in the day I liked Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet, again, I was able to use some of his recipes. I also like Alton Brown.

[threeovens]

I have to disagree a bit with all of you. While many people who participate in this website know how to cook, there are a vast number of people who do not. Now while I currently find folks like Rachael Ray and Giada DiLaurentis annoying in the extreme, that was not always the case.

Ray got me interested in cooking; she made it seem that I could do it. DiLaurentis was my friends a little later and inspired me to expand my cooking horizons.

Funny, while I see where people may enjoy ATK, I do not. I have been disappointed in some of their recipes and I feel like the cast members have a superior attitude and talk down to their audience. I am very sensitive, don't ya know...

Currently, no one really excites me. I used to enjoy Eric Ripart and Hubert Keller, but can't find their shows.

[PiercedKiss]

Marcus Samuelsson , Rick Bayless, Gordon Ramsey, Michael Chiarello

My absolute favorite chef is David Rocco

[duonyte]

threeovens wrote:
Currently, no one really excites me. I used to enjoy Eric Ripart and Hubert Keller, but can't find their shows.

Hubert Keller is on PBS - I cannot recall the name of his show just now, but I'll try to make a note of it the next time I run across it.

[I'mPat]

duonyte wrote:

threeovens wrote:
Currently, no one really excites me. I used to enjoy Eric Ripart and Hubert Keller, but can't find their shows.

Hubert Keller is on PBS - I cannot recall the name of his show just now, but I'll try to make a note of it the next time I run across it.

The following site may be of help

HEBERT KELLER.


Pat

[panchocs]

Oh god! I'm actually new around here, I have never heard most of the chefs you name here.

I think celebrity chefs can be divided on a) actual brilliant chefs and b) charismatic chefs that are meant for tv. Those exist to show people, ordinary people, that cooking is actually easy, fun, and a great way of showing love to others. That's the case of Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver, to name a few, and my personal favorites.

Jamie REALLY helps on showing easy, familiar cooking. He is the one who made me feel I could do it. On the other hand, Nigella (I know, I know she's not a trained cook) shows the pleasure involving flavours, colours and textures in the kitchen.