Anonymous wrote:I really like her chicken florentine pasta recipe. I've tweaked it a bit and it's now one of our summer favorites for when we have fresh tomatoes and spinach from the garden.

Also, I really like her drip beef recipe. Not sure what PP was talking about. But now we do it all the time with roasts, it's one of DH's favorites. I do admit though that I don't follow her recipe anymore but originally used hers and tweaked that also.

Anonymous wrote:I feel exactly the same way about Rachael Ray. I think it's the "tool" factor. She works a little too hard trying to fit a mold and it makes her look like a phony caricature. PW is the same way but she doesn't annoy me as much as RR.

Anonymous wrote:I really like her chicken florentine pasta recipe. I've tweaked it a bit and it's now one of our summer favorites for when we have fresh tomatoes and spinach from the garden.

Also, I really like her drip beef recipe. Not sure what PP was talking about. But now we do it all the time with roasts, it's one of DH's favorites. I do admit though that I don't follow her recipe anymore but originally used hers and tweaked that also.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love food network don't always love their "stars" I had made some of her recipes and have to admit they were good but I have this thing where I cannot watch her, I hate to admit it. Something about her looks and that frozen smirk on her face with no matter what she is doing and then her voice. Am I alone?

My H is a "hobby chef" so its on 24/7 in my household!

I love to cook, its my thing and I am an especially great baker if I do say so myself. I had read all about her fakery and how she stole from and screwed over other bloggers to get to the top but hey she had the money to buy the resources and producers to get her to the food network, so what are you going to do?

I do have a husband who is from the midwest and loves a dose of comfort food every so often so I have tried a good sampling of her recipes. I always follow a recipe exactly the first time around.

The good:
her cinnamon rolls are fantastic
the shrimp with vodka cream sauce was wonderful, but its a pretty universal recipe and the one she makes is her sister Betsy's recipe

The bad:
Almost universally her food is overly salty. If there is mustard or worcestershire in her recipe it is used so heavy handed that it becomes the prevalent flavor in the dish. Think yellow mustard beans or worcestershire salad dressing. Her cooking times are always less than they need to be. Especially on meat, even when cooking mid rare.
You can always half the butter/cream in a recipe no problem and still have a creamy rich tasting dish.

Most of her baked goods are rather meh. Always need some tweaking.

Don't make any of the three variations she has for beef dipped sandwiches, two were horrible and I didn't bother with the third because it was so similar to the others.

I have to wonder if she smokes, because anytime she uses tabasco or any type of heat it is WAY too much. Even to someone like myself who enjoys spicy food.

which brings me to...

The ugly:
Her chipotle pop pulled pork was so hot it ruined a beautiful piece of meat. We love hot and spicy food too. I followed it exactly against my better judgement and used the entire can of chipotles. The meat was so hot (and stringy because she has you basically braising it in 20 ounces of dr pepper.) that it was inedible. I made my own later with two peppers (seeded), onions, garlic, s&p and a bit of modelo negra and braised it all day then pulled it, degreased and blended the sauce and its now a family favorite for homey comfort food.

When I got to her recipe for marinara I just couldn't anymore with her. She made a fairly basic meat sauce (way too much undrained ground beef - but thats pretty much her style) then she added a jar of store bought pasta sauce "It's my secret ingredient." Um... then why did you just bother with the onions, garlic and canned tomatoes??? Just buy two jars next time and call it a day!

Anyway, thats how I feel about her. She irks me too.

For good food network comfort food, try Heartland Table, everything of Amy's I have tried has come out perfect and delicious. Especially her maple toast with cheese for a treat!


Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:Annoying as she may be, she is at least human. Giada is a grey alien in a human suit.

Anonymous wrote:I love food network don't always love their "stars" I had made some of her recipes and have to admit they were good but I have this thing where I cannot watch her, I hate to admit it. Something about her looks and that frozen smirk on her face with no matter what she is doing and then her voice. Am I alone?

My H is a "hobby chef" so its on 24/7 in my household!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i really like her show. It's my favorite on the network. lol you are funny.

It's m fav show on that network too. But I don't really like her. I like her recipes though. I haven't tried any yet.

Anonymous wrote:i really like her show. It's my favorite on the network. lol you are funny.

Anonymous wrote:She's no more or less a fraud than any of the FN stars, really. I know several personally, and it always amazes me how much of their biography they can selectively enhance. It's not that they are lying exactly, more like buffing the truth to a misleading shine.

Mind you, this almost has to happen for any prodcucer to sit up and take notice. They want that juicy/cliche backstory so viewers immediately connect with them.

FWIW, I'm once removed from a good friend of PW. Said friend cannot speak highly enough of her and her genuine generosity. Granted, not sure how much they were using each other for personal gain but it does sound like PW is a good mentor.

As for her on air personality, I find it hard to watch but I feel this way about all home cooks on camera. And her recipes, while tasty, just aren't on point with the trends that need to be reinforced when it comes to healthful and mindful eating. But sugar and fat sell so most likely this is a choice her producers have made.

In any case, for a blogger to reach her level of success she's had to make a lot of sacrifices, even if it all looks lucky and effortless. I applaud her tenacity even if I think her food and lifestyle are a farce.