America's Test Kitchen

I have always had a bit of a fascination with cooking shows, even back when I was in high school.  Back in the day before entire networks were committed to illustrating the culinary arts.  In those days, enlightening Culinary arts shows were limited to Public Broadcasting (PBS).  As Americans grew into watching more and more specialized channels like ESPN, The Weather Channel, and Music Television, the Food Network and Cooking TV arose.  Brining with them personalities like Paula Deene, Emeriald, Bobby Flay, and Iron Chef.  (In all honesty I would hear people talking about iron chef, and assumed that is was a show about cooking with cast iron.  Little did I know that it was a competition between chefs with wild ingredients.  The original series, shot in Japan used ingredients like eel, peaches, octopus, really interesting dishes.  Just think of the challenge in including eel in your desert).  The channels had good programming that was entertaining, yet informative.  While they did not cook anything like Honey (my mother) or Marian (my grandmother, yes there is a story why we called her by her first name, no time here to discuss it) they showed the possibilities of cooking.  Food combinations, food pairing, what you could do with truffles (and for me and explanation of what truffles are).  

Then like all other networks, they fell prey to the realitaty TV.  Now you can watch a chef with a British accident berate restaurant owners for a variety of issues and problems at thier establishment, without giving much in the way of useful information to the home chef.    There is nothing about the wait staff, or ambiance of my dinning room/kitchen that will change the clientele eating at my house.  No matter how many ways I try to cook zucchini, one of my regulars will have nothing to do with it.  They all like grilled steak, pork chops, and grilled chicken.  This change to "reality" cooking has left foks like me who want to learn while watching moving back to the tried and true PBS.  

A few weeks ago I had written about America's Test Kitchen, and was given a nice new apron with America's Test Kirhen on it.  I made an attempt dressing like the host, however I think the beard throws the look out.  Or perhaps it is only the glasses. So many thanks for the new apron, not only is it from a great show, it is in one of my favorite colors!

I consider myself to have very conservative views when it comes to government spending, size and intrusion in my life.  I fully support government funding, which makes up only part of the current funding, of public broadcasting.  Mr C and Ms E have learned all sorts of things about the world around us by watching Nature, NOVA, NOVA Science Now, and even Seasme Street.  When you move to adult programming, there are very informative and thought provoking shows.  Programming that showcases real Americans and their challenges.  If you want to learn about America and it people, take a peek at American Experience, or POV.  If you are concerned that a little NPR or PBS will transform you, it will not.  Some of the shows will be entertaining Dowington Abbey, others will provoke you to ask questions that may change the way you look at things.  You will leave filling more fulfilled than even watching an episode of Seinfield.

Sunday Supper

Sunday Supper has degraded over the past year, from me spending a good portion of the afternoon, to a I am going to throw something together.  There are several drivers for the change, one is that the kids were not always big fans of what I cooked.  I cannot wait until their tastes expand past the basics.  I am very excited that Mr C actually ate tacos a while back.  I think their was some cousin peer pressure involved, they must be good of my cousin is eating them.  They are contet to have Cheerios (multi-grain of course) for dinner.  

Tonight it was hot dogs, a few weeks ago it was natchos.  They (the children) turned down nachos for dinner and elected to eat oatmeal.  I love hot dogs, always have and probably always will.  They have to have chili, mustard, ketsup, cheese, and relish, to be good.  Tonight's had those ingredients, laid on a whole wheat bun.  It was might tasty, and I only used a sauce pan for the chili, so there is not much clean up.  The kids grinned when I informed them we would be having hot dogs for dinner.

The chili out of a can and into the sauce pan, being heated by natural gas.

I have also always enjoyed cooking shows, and have made the switch to public broadcasting for my cooking show fix.  PBS here has a channel called Create which has the best cooking shows.  Shows with a wide variety of topics and techniques, without the recent reality TV slant which the Cooking Channel and the Food Network consist of.  Most of my knife techniques I learned from watching the tele...  So, here to PBS and create for providing a platform to learn about cooking while being entertained.