Why I’m no longer addicted to Food Network

I used to be a food network junkie.  I recorded several shows and really enjoyed watching wonderful meals be prepared.  The last couple of years, however, I’ve almost stopped.  Looking back it was not a conscious decision but an evolution.  Either they changed or I changed.  I’m not sure and will let you be the judge.

I think a few years ago, I came away with more practical ideas.  Now it seems many of the shows have ingredients that are not in the frugal kitchen.  And they seem to constantly stress using quality ingredients.  How many times did I hear, use

• high quality extra extra extra virgin oil (real life – only evo if you can taste it)
• imported such / in / such cheese (real life:  kraft cheese you got with a coupon.)
• a rustic bread from your baker (real life:  If you get bread with oats on top, you splurged)
• organic meats (real life:  you shop at 9:30 when the clearance meat is out in abundance)
• wild salmon – not farm raised (real life:  you rarely buy Salmon b/c it is over $2 a pound – catfish is the fish of choice)
• fancy greens (like arugula) – (real life – your grocery store only sells romaine, butter, green & red leaf and iceburg)
• creme fresh instead of sour cream (real life – even I have never purchased creme fresh)
• fresh herbs (real life – only if you get them from your back yard)
• special salt from such / such sea (real life – special salt is mortons over the generic brand)
• real organic butter – (real life – a box 79 cent imperial margarine for baking and real butter saved for spreading on bread)
• eggs that you picked up from an organic farm (real life:  what ever is cheapest at the grocery store)
• chocolate imported from mars (real life:  getting nestle choc chips instead of the store brand )

If you’ve watched this network for long, then you know what I”m talking about.  One time I watched one of the guy chefs (not bobby flay but the one that looks like him)  make chicken broth.  He roasted an organic chicken, then boiled it.  After he was finished, he tossed the chicken.   I was yelling at the TV like guys do when watching a football game.   I do not know anyone who uses a whole chicken to make broth and then tosses the meat.  We roast a chicken, eat the chicken and then boil the bones for broth.

I’ve also noticed a political theme starting to run in their shows.  I have not enjoyed a Paula Deen show after she had on Jimmy Carter.  I have no problem watching a cooking show with a past President.  I’d even watch one with Michele and Obamma.  I respect the office.  But when Paula started drooling and expressing what a great man and how he had done wonderful things… again I’m yelling at the TV.  If I want to watch political spin, I’ll turn to CNN.

Then we have the social agenda.  I don’t mind watching non-traditonal family folks celebrating life together.  Some of my favorite neighbors choose lifestyles that don’t line up with mine.  That doesn’t mean I don’t love hanging out with them.   What I do hate is when it is put in a TV show with a social agenda.  When I watch Barefoot Contessa, it doesn’t bother me because she has a couple of guys over.  If my kids are in the room, it is not something that draws their attention.  However, their cake decorating show did a wedding cake.  The girls love making cakes so we were watching this.  And wouldn’t you know, it was two girls getting married.

Another reason I watched was for the quick fix and make ahead shows.  I really like Robin Miller.  But them more I watched, the more I saw how expensive it was to make these dishes.  For example, when she makes shrimp – it is jumbo shrimp prepared by the fish shop.  When I make shrimp, I got it at a rock bottom price which means it is smaller, with shell and frozen.  I have to defrost and prepare the shrimp.  So it is not a quick fix without the extra cost.  Quick fix can be really easy when you have no budget.

And let’s talk about cleavage for a minute.  I don’t watch a cooking show to see Giada’s breasts.  It grosses me out.  When ever she turns on a blender they zoom right into where she flips on the blender switch, which is about right around her chest area.  Yes, I know this is an accident.  I love her recipes, but am over the skimpy shirts that go down to her naval.

And I used to love Nagela Lawson.  This past weekend I watched her making chocolate dishes.  With all my bags of chocolate from the Kroger Mega Sale, I curled up ready to be educated on wonderful chocolate dishes.  The whole show was sexual innuendos.  It was over the top.  It was so distracting from what I was there to learn.  I love her accent and her cooking, but I don’t know if I can watch her again.

I wish there was a really good show that used frugal ingredients and stuck with cooking.  Food can be entertaining on its own – we don’t need the extra stuff.  But what they’re doing must drive up ratings.  Maybe I’ll start youtube videos one day.  Cooking with Kris.  We’d have to learn how to use our video camera first – now that is a whole store in itself.