Though you may not like his style (and I do like it), Bourdain hits the nail on the head in this rant about the Food Network. I occasionally flip back and forth between that channel and PBS on Saturdays, and the quality of the cooking on PBS is so far superior that I rarely end up back on the food channel.

Thank goodness I get Food Network Canada where I am - which oddly enough is in Canada!!!!

We have a much better selection of programming up here on the network - The government requires a major percentage of the programming be Canadian, and the network has been lucky in getting some top notch chefs and presenters to put shows together.

If I was forced to watch IronChef every night I would give up cooking and take up pot-washing!

FoodTV's classed itself up - just a bit - with the recent addition of Nigella Lawson (*swoon*), but of late, it's been a sinking ship.

The channel seems to be pandering more to people pressed for time with food prep, as opposed to celebrating the joys of food - real food: fresh, slow, unique, ethnic...whatever.

Evidenced in the hype of Paula Deen (The Heart Attack Queen), Sandra "Open a can and decorate it! No one will EVER know!!!" Lee and don't even get me started on Rachel "Kill your guests in 30 minutes or less" Ray. Even Emeril seems to be getting sloppy. Bring back Jamie Oliver!!!

I read this a few days ago after finding the link on another favorite website. I've been a Bourdain fan for years - love his acerbic wit, dry sense of humor, and absolute inability to pull any punches. I laughed out loud reading this post, because he really hit the nail on the head over and over again. While I think he's maybe a bit too nice to Emeril (ultimately a one-trick-pony), overall it's a great post. I would have loved if he'd kept going, however, and given an opinion about some of my other favorites such as Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson...

I am a huge fan of the Food Network yet Bourdain is someone I cannot watch. His "ego" is too much for me. As for Mario, he was entertaining and made wonderful Italian dishes but more than what I would make at home. Sandra Lee makes many things that I would, and I have, made at home. She keeps things simple and easy. I do have a questions though... how does Sandra Lee and Giada stay so slim when they seem to like to eat?? Do they have a secret they are not sharing???

While I am not a fan of Bourdain (I find him just a little too brusque for me) I do usually find his assessment to situations to be spot on - this being no exception.

I miss the old Food Network. When it started 12 or so years ago, and it was REAL chefs making REAL food, no reality TV, no Johny-come-lately types who have some personality who think they can cook and then become a marketing genius with 3 shows and her face plastered on every box of Nabisco product in the grocery store (no, I am NOT a fan of the ubiquitous Rachel Ray either.) Anyway, I miss how the chefs had no real TV "personality" but that was part of the charm. We tuned in because they could COOK! And they cooked all kinds of wonderful things we only ordered in restaurants and we watched with a sort of "ah HA!" as we saw how those wonderful dishes were created.

I think the Food Network today tries to be too much for too many people. I watch PBS more than anything else these days. Commercials are non existent (for the most part) and no sell-outs hawking their latest pan, knife, cookbook or whatever sauce or boxed brownie mix they're peddling. AND it's the real cooking I miss seeing on the Food Network.

(O.K... I'm hopping down now...)

I regard it as a sad commentary when rampant name-calling passes for entertainment. And yes, I do have a very healthy sense of humor, and I don't particularly care for Sandra Lee's show either. (But that's why the remote has buttons).

There's one reason these shows are still on the network -- they make money. A lot of people find value in them, and watch them, or they'd have been cut by now.

Bourdain's rant struck me as being similar to that of a spoiled rich kid who was forced to take public transportation once, and spent the next three weeks boring everyone within ear-shot with tales of how ghastly it was. I hadn't heard of him before, and now (thanks, Elise!), I'll know to avoid him in the future.

Not a fan of Bourdain's but everyone has an opinion.

I did get a quick giggle at his smiting of Sandra Lee, though, as I'm sure did anyone else who knows that flour tortillas are not crepes :)

I don't understand the attack's? What now,
bickering chef's after bickering wives followed by bickering news anchormen with a dose of real cops pushing black people all over the place
and don't forget Fox channel pi----- on every other channel and commentator on TV!!

I blame myself because I pay for this entertainment.

CB

Anthony Bourdain writes with verve and style, and yes, with a healthy dash of sarsasm. Like the use of hot pepper in cooking, it is perhaps not for everyone. I find I appreciate him, personally. I think you can find crud like Sandra Lee's show most anywhere, it's about a half step up from potato chip sandwiches in my not so humble opinion. Clearly someone watches that awful show.

True, he is name calling, but he does so with style. That's more than I can say for Sandra's cooking.

Bourdain's no rich kid -- well, he may be one now, after the popularity of his books and his tv show "No Reservations" (Travel Channel, Monday nights). He is definitely someone who cares deeply and thinks deeply about food.

His distaste for many of the Food Network shows is well-documented. Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee seem to be at the top of his hate list, and I tend to agree. Sandra Lee is fairly horrid. She's all plastic-surgery-and-makeup flash and no substance. Watch her show a couple times and notice how her wardrobe matches the decor on the set (am I the only one to notice this?). The only part of the show where she shows any real passion is at the end, concocting her boozy drinks that her friends always seem to "just love". Maybe it makes her food more palatable when you've had a few beforehand.

I haven't read the blog yet. I'll have to see if Bourdain has anything to say about Paula Deen (great, authentic, southern food, but you need a heart bypass afterwards) and Alton Brown (my favorite).

Good comment about the quality of the PBS cooking shows vs. Food Network. The Saturday shows here in the DC area are Jacques Pepin, Lydia's Kitchen, and America's Test Kitchen, and they run circles around most of the Food Network shows. Yet another reason to support Public Television!

My wife and I watch the Food Network every once in a while. I find a few shows interesting... Alton Brown always give this science-perspective of things that make 'Good Eats' quite interesting for me, overall his tips are right on.

I don't care too much for other shows. Rachael Ray maybe grew up a bit too fast (she's everywhere!!!) and we agree that she keeps getting louder and louder. And everything is Yumm-o and Dee-lish... it gets tiring.

I, however, feel intrigued by Bourdain's style. There have been quite a few shows that I've found bold and makes people realize about the 'common' and popular meals in other countries, far from the 'touristy' restaurants. And packed along with it, tons of the social issues that many countries (mostly third-world) have, and he presents them (as cheesy as it may sound) with No Reservation.

It is funny that anyone would really care what Bourdain has to say. You are correct, everyone has a right to their opinion, but some opinions are more highly regarded than his. If he does have a valid point to make, he might try showing a little sophistication. He is a bit of a pompous jerk though.

Charles,

Yes, the remote does have buttons, but I think Bourdain is making these remarks because he doesn't want Food Network to lose or tarnish it's reputation. It's like being on a winning football team, and seeing new recruits come in that can't even catch a pitch. You start to worry about the reputation of your team because you remember how great last season was, and want to carry on that tradition. Bourdain obviously values chefs who cherish food as much as he does, and has a strong distaste for programming that undermines the value of real cooking knowledge and skills. While it may be "sad" that he uses name-calling to get his point across, as Housman said, 'the world has still much good, but much less good than ill.'

I watch Anthony Bourdain with the same kind of horrid fascination with which I would watch Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee or a house fire. While Bourdain does inform while he offends, the same can't be said for either Ray or Lee. Sometimes I will watch Ray with the "mute" button on when I'm in a depressed mood. Seeing the captions reading "yumm-o, delish, evoo" is much more amusing than having her yelling at me about her scary food. I, too, am sorry that Foodtv is so proud to advertise that "it's more than just cooking". What happened to Jamie Oliver and Tyler Florence? It seems the latter sold out to Applebees. I enjoy watching real chefs make real food that real people can afford and enjoy, and think it's a shame what passes for food programming on the one network we should be able to count on for the right stuff.

Yes, Sandra Lee is horrible. Trying to get through her show is like when I was little and had to get through Mr. Rogers in between
Sesame Street and Electric Company. I'd love to see more Ina Garten and less "quick fix" shows like Lee and Rachael Ray. But I guess they show what sells...

The Food Network is following MTV's path. MTV started with music videos and live sessions. Now it's full of beach parties and "reality" (yeah, right) shows, then panders to a very small group of artists of very limited genres.

Now The Food Network is doing the same. I still watch it because I'm a total foodie and there's very little competition. Marie & Emeril are the exceptions. I do love Bobby Flay when grilling and Tyler Florence too.But when PBS has their cooking shows on, I'm there.

I'd love to see a different chef featured each week.

As much as I usually like freedom of speech I can only say that as great as Anthony may be himself as a chef, he is a poor writer.

Granted he can write in a verbosely beautiful manner but i don't think anything is ever gained in bashing, even if its your worst enemy.

I don't need to be told just how much FoodTV sucks, I can be the judge of that myself. That said, if you've got something better to suggest, by all means please do. Instead of bashing, promote!

If Anthony doesn't like FoodTV, why not respond by re-creating his own FoodTV ? call it GourmetTV! and show FoodTV that actual, real nice food still has a place.

I live in Canada so i don't get the US FoodTV but i can tell that, being a joe anybody, i like most of the shows on FoodTV canada, not that i watch all of them. Shows like Ricardo and friends and chef at home and even occasionally nigella feast (which i call "The Naughty" because there's just this "way" she does cooking that makes it look, well, naughty)

FoodTV is not the first channel to undergo this type of transformation, I can only recall the lost of my favorite channel, it was called "TechTV" a specialized channel like foodtv but for technology. Most of the shows were very good, not all for me but it was really techno oriented. Then at some point they merged with G4 - a more, hum... pop techno oriented channel. more for teens and gaming stuff. But, in a very short time, that merging killed all that made TechTV so nice and left us with shows that lets teens see their favorite porn stars play dead or alive volleyball on tv.

I'm not super in love with many of these new chefs. I'd rather learn something about good cooking/baking technique than see one of Rachael Ray's 250 burger recipes (YUCK-O!). That said, I think that Mario has had his day...there has to be some sorta happy medium between a Julia Child's cooking show model and the new shortcutting model of todays shows

So what happened to Molto Mario? Did they cancel it? I totally agree with Bourdain. Foodnetwork is midly entertaining whereas when I watch Mario I feel like I take a piece of him with me to the kitchen.

Bravo Bordain! His "rant" has hit the nail on the head! Bring back chefs who can cook! I want MORE Mario and Bobby. Bring back Two Hot Tamales and David Rosengarten! Julia Child must be rolling in her grave!!! When Emeril looks good, THAT's scary!!!!

BRING BACK THE FOOD NETWORK that foodies can stomach! Must the dumbing down of America ALSO become the destruction of quality cooking? If we wonder why our kids are getting fatter, just look at some of the YUMMO food that Rachel, Paula and Sandra are foisting of on an unsuspecting -- and increasingly tasteless -- public!!! I can't think of better food to clog the arteries and plump up the fat cells!!!

Completely agree with him on Sandra Lee. She's a cooking abomination. But I do like Ina Garten.

Wow. Another great read. I have been going crazy with what they call the Food Network for a few years now. PBS is still wonderful; however, where I live, it is not on often enough. I need someone who knows what's what to develop a new network of quality food programming. I'd pay; i'd pay for it. How do we go about doing such? Look at all the wonderful foodies on here yearning for true food education.... we found "entertainment" from learning and watching great, interesting chefs and those that love to simply cook. Help! We are drowning in Food Network crap. Excuse me... hum....I am passionate about this. Love this, Elise.

Thanks, Elise, for this post today - it gave me a chuckle. As the saying goes, the truth hurts.

Much like the earlier analogy made to TechTV by the earlier poster, I think that FoodTV is lowering the bar too low in an effort to gain viewership (TechTV never broke even catering to the REAL tech enthuasists...check out TWIT.tv, CJMcD...Leo Laporte is there now). Let's be honest, the everyday person probably doesn't have the same appreciation and interest in real, time-consuming food. FoodTV is trying to be keep everyone happy, but in the end may end up disappointing the 'purists', of which I include myself.

FoodTV really has to rein in the growth of these "fast,easy,fake" cooking-oriented shows. As much as some of my fellow posters hate Paula Deen, she takes no shorcuts. It's true Southern decadence - take it in moderation.

IMHO, Sandra and Rachel are not real cooks, much less chefs. I like Mario Batali's spirit, but honestly, he can be a little too inaccessible for my tastes. He tends to use ingredients that are difficult to acquire, and you almost need a minor in Italian to know what the hell his recipes are about. But I do honor and respect his culinary skills. I also like Alton Brown and Ina Garten. David Lieberman reminds me of a helpful, knowledgeable friend, so I like most of his stuff too.

I don't have cable and don't watch FN too often, but when I do I have trouble understanding the appeal. Just what are these "chefs" teaching people? Open a can, doctor a cake mix.....this isn't cooking.

There is some credibility to some of the true chefs on the show, but I wouldn't group all of them in that category.

To answer the question about Sandra Lee and her slim look. Has anyone ever seen her actually eat food? Every time it "appears" she is putting something in her mouth the show goes to commercial and she is running of the set to probably spit it out. I never have seen her swallow anything.

I like Anthony Bourdain but he is just another chef with an opinion, of which there appears to be many in this day and age. I personally watch the FoodNetwork almost exclusively to any other channel on TV. Being a new gastric by-pass patient, I need all the suggestions I can get on eating/cooking from scratch. I like Mario but Italian eating is NOT conducive to watching one's weight in this country. Maybe it works for them over in Italy. I like him as an Iron Chef, he's entertaining and fresh. I love Bobby Flay, Emeril, Rachel Ray......Paula Dean is alittle too froo froo for me personally. I'm glad that he likes Mario, but he doesn't have to put down the other stars of the network in order to uphold his friend. His friend stands just fine all on his own, in my humble opinion.

I miss Ming Tsai, Two Hot Tomales, Bobbie Flay, Jamie Oliver How to Boil Water and all those real cooking shows. Ming Tsai is on PBS where I live at 6:00 am on Saturday ...
Now, watching FoodNetwork is like watching Trading Spaces - you look to see if you can spot the camera and the behind-the-scenes assistance and if they can get it done in 30 minutes. Lately FN has been chopping up some of the shows to provide us with "new" shows. The specials on chocolate were just chopped out of previous shows and taped together with
voice-overs.
There is nothing original or informative anymore - a cop reviewing restaurants? A grumpy caterer stuck in no-where? What does that get me?

Alton Brown and his road show was interesting but not nearly long enough. I enjoyed Rachel Ray when she was only shown once a day but good grief! The girl is everywhere and way, way too perky for reality. I never did like Sandra Lee and American Iron CHef is booooorrrriiing - the original cult classic had voiceovers that cracked us up.

Bourdain brings up good points. I wonder if FN will listen. I like the previous suggestion of watching RR with the subtitles.

He sounds like a bitter old hack to me. Didn't they kick him off of there?

I think there are several good Chefs on there. I like Paula Deen too. If you notice, any cook worth their salt will use butter and not margarine because it is one molecule away from being plastic, bugs won't eat it, and neither will rats. I recently read in a magazine that butter has NO TRANS FATS while margarine does so which is the poison now? This rant is to those who are worried about their health and the way some Chef's cook. Everything in moderation.

Now, as far as opening cans you can do too much of that but who here makes all their ingredients they use in a recipe from scratch? You cook your own beans to go in your chili? How about your tomatoes? You use fresh every time? See where I'm going with that? Besides, it's a cooking network not some high faluting snobby chef show. While there are some Chef's on there (Emeril for one) the others are what is called cooks and cooks use short cuts most of the time. I like some and watch them at times and others bore me so I change the channel.

I can make anything any of those Chef's can make with the right directions.

Being a fan of Bourdain and The Food Network, I am torn. I love Iron Chef America, but do hate Sandra Lee.

My problem with the Food Network is that it's not diverse enough. It seems like the majority of the cooks are white. I just don't understand why it seems like the only ethnicity on the Food Network truly represented is Italian cooking. I used to love watching "Yan Can Cook" on PBS. Not sure if he's still around. I love all kinds of ethnic foods and would like to be able to tune into see a Thai chef making Thai food, a Greek chef making Greek food....the list goes on.

I do like a few of the shows on the Food Network, but they definitely need to change it up A LOT!! It seems like at night time all they have on is Iron Chef. How much of that can one possibly stomach?

I wrote to them in December and told them my opinion and got the automated response of
"Thank you for writing and we'll pass your response along blah blah blah." I think maybe if enough people start writing them to complain, maybe they will listen. Or, maybe another Network will pop up and leave Food Network in the dust.

I am a huge Bourdain fan and his attitude is exactly why. He calls things as he sees them, and isn't afraid or emabarrassed to have an "unpopular" opinion. The FN has grown into a huge money making empire, and I guess that is always the name of the game. I will still watch "No Reservations" and take Bourdain's opinions to heart when trying to "eat local". And, incidentally, Sandra Dee is ridiculous, and Rachel, unfortuantely, over-marketed.

Bill Buford wrote an interesting article about the Food Network and their change in philosophy and vision for The New Yorker magazine. The article is available online here.

I'm a fan of what is described in the article as "dump and stir" cooking shows but apparently the Food Network is broadening their viewer base by dumping shows of that format and concentrating more on "entertainment." But happily for those who like real cooking shows, PBS still has some great ones -- Lidia Bastianich and Rick Bayless most notably.

Anthony my good man you are dead on in your analysis of FN. We travel extensively and are both into cooking, and I would hate to think that those from some of the great centers of cuisine in the world would turn on some of these "slapstick cooks", and equate me as an American with a true appreciation for the finer arts of food preparation and presentation, with some of these hacks being mass marketed to us. Thanks for your candor in a world that has become so sickeningly politically correct, that we are lead to believe that it is somehow wrong to state our opinions for fear of offending someone somewhere! Keep up the good work on "No Reservations".

A couple of years ago I stumbled into watching the first episodes of the first season of Bourdain's "No Reservations" and gradually became hooked. Now my husband's gotten sucked into watching, and we often have lively side conversations about Bourdain's "without a net" approach and his unblinking, no B.S. opinions about food, culture, and engulfing as much of both as possible. Yes, he's not for everyone, but his approach always includes food for thought as well as food for the body. We're also "Iron Chef" fans here as well, and I had wondered why Mario seemed so underutilized on that show. I think Bourdain is right to rise to his defense and give the Food Network the stinging rebuke it deserves.

Alton Brown's various shows on FN are pretty much the only ones we regularly watch now - that Road Food one was awesome - and I wonder if he's noticed that a lot of other "chef shows" have disappeared from there. We miss Ming Tsai, and would love to see Martin Yan again, too. Apparently, Yan is still active, or was until recently - he made an appearance at a local Chinese restaurant a few years back.

Done!

I actually LIKE Sandra Lee and Rachel Ray. They are both good looking women who look like they are enjoying what they are doing. And while I like to make REAL FOOD when I can. There are many days that I'm happy to jazz up a store bought meal, or feel lucky to have a whole 30 minutes to make dinner. So I think both shows have their place.

What I do agree with, however, is the general lowering the bar on FN as a whole. I wish they would give Mario another show. One where he could be more creative and maybe even make things that I could make. I think he is the Iron Chef of Iron Chefs. His food almost always leaves the judges swooning.

As I was telling my wife recently, it is interesting, yet sad, to watch all of the niche channels become bland copies of the others. There had been a day, years ago, when it looked like we would have a separate channel dedicated to each and every single thing. But they are all becoming copies of the same 'reality/challenge/popularity show' network.

MTV may have been the first niche channel, and they have all but lost their way. Even the weather channel, and headline news no longer do what they do exclusively. Who knows, maybe internet video will one day give us the variety we really want.

Rachel Ray has specifically said she is a cook, not a chef. So, other than overexposure (of the bad, not good, kind), I think she is not the problem. I think there is room for both chefs and cooks on FN.

Bourdain is my hero. If you're not familiar with his style, his written rants can sometimes seem over the top but if you imagine him saying it in his signature oratory style it comes to life even more! I, too, am disillusioned with the Food Network. It's become the Rachel Ray network (does she NEED so many shows?) lately. The reason I watch cooking programs is to learn things that I couldn't come up with on my own. Sandra Lee is a perfect example of what's bad with the network. Anybody can take a can of frosting and slap it on some store bought cookies. Who hasn't thought of that on their own at some point? I recently met Alton Brown and I asked him how much pull he had at Food Network. He said he didn't know but what did I need. I asked him to bump off Emeril. I thought he was going to blow a cheek trying not to laugh and he replied "Emeril is god over there." Sad. I'm glad Anthony Bourdain found another network were we could see more of his thoughts and travels.

I hear you Tony....
I've watched food network since the begining and I don't understand what they are trying to do?
I agree with you about ace of cakes I like it and I usally hate cake and desert baking shows.
What they did to Bobby Flay makes me sick. And that Iron Chef crap IT'S RIGGED. My wife and I used to love it, till it seemed some of the chefs were being robbed. We love Alton and as for all this 30min meal crap. I'M a chef and my wife is my right hand women and this ain't cooking our 30 min meal is prepared night before and put in crock pot for 8hrs. FOR THE KIDS we work 2nd shift. Rachael should be the only fast cooked meal show on the network. It's the Food Network not the McDonald's network.
SORRY but I gotta love Emeril. He's like Dale Earnhart(RIP) and Nascar. Wouldn't be the same without him and it isn't!!!
I'm gonna cut this short cause it's getting late.
Here's the show I'd like to see, a reality show. It's Friday 4pm. 2 line cooks didn't show up; a prep cook is a no show; 2 dishwashers call off, and you're a very busy place. Tickets keep rolling in. YOU'RE IN THE WEEDS! Running middle (the line) but you have to stay focused. You get through the night. It's just a blur. You stink of sweat and food. You have to go bail the pit out (dishwashers). Can't leave till everything is clean. And finally it's 3am and you go drink the whole night off. So you can have the balls to come back in the next night to go through it all over again. BUT WE LOVE IT. THE RUSH. That's the kind of show I'd like to see. That's what it's like working in kitchens. Well, busy ones.
I miss your old FN show; your new show is pretty good.
BISOUS
RON AND MARTY

Iron Chef America is one that I have a love hate relationship with. It purports to be a blind box competition (a blind box competition is where a group of chefs is given a box of ingredients and told to create a full four course meal with soup, salad, entre including protein, starch and veg, and dessert). But with the way the chefs and their souse chefs just dive right in grabbing ingredients
and everyone going right to work without any discussion as to what each person is doing, it is obvious the chefs know well ahead of time what the "secret" ingredient is. Iron chef america should be replaced by Blind Box America which would be a true blind box competition.

So many on the food network are nothing more than hacks with purty faces. Julia Child may have been funny lookin and talked funny (especially for a California girl) but she was brilliant in the kitchen, and was if I am not mistaken a former WWII spy. Her classic recipes were on the mark.

We are all not 5 star chefs & the food network appeals to the everyday chef. I do agree with his Sandra Dee comments. If you look at her recipes online they are the lowest rated, I remember her frosting truffles being compared to a lump of turd. I do agree with one writer stating they need a more then just Italian and American food.

I would like to address everyone who has posted. The Food Network like every company on the planet sells what people are buying. If the ratings for a show suck they will be canceled, and like wise if the ratings are high they will stay on the air. If you don't like a show don't watch it, PERIOD end of story. I hear it all the time, people complaining about this show or that show being trash, but still they watch it. Take Jerry Springer for example it has fake fights, ugly people show much more than they should, and some of the dumbest made up stories you could posibly think of. Its on the air because there are people who watch it inspite of it being trash. My point is that if you don't like a show find another show to watch or get off you butt and do something besides watch tv.

I agree with most of the comments already published here. The food network has begun to slide in quality and variety. It is such a shame that everything falls to commercialism. I am an avid food network watcher but I find myself switching off the network more than watching these days. Please go back to something we can watch and learn something from.

Some may think the Food Network has changed for the worse, but in reality it has changed because their audience has changed. It seems as though the channel is gearing towards the new cooks….meaning younger generations with shows like Ray and Sandra. I hate to say it but many of today’s younger cooks want quick and easy meals and these shows are just that – quick fixes.

I personally can’t stand to watch either show, but that is when I take the remote and change the channel. There are still good cooks on the network though: Alton Brown, Ina, Giada and Paula Deen. Paula is a “real” cook; she uses real ingredients that most cooks would use in their own homes. Some may call her the “Heart Attack Queen”, but I call her a traditional southern cook. That’s how food is cooked in the south and if you don’t like her cooking – change the channel.

Either way “we” are to blame for these types of quick food shows. Families don’t cook together anymore, everyone eats out, children are not taught the joy of cooking from their parents and cooking traditions are not passed down from generations. If you want things to change then we will have to change things. You can’t blame the Food Network for trying to make money off the shows that are popular with their audiences.

Network and cable television exists for one reason alone: To Make Money (ie: sell advertising). And FN must've found it more profitable to get rid of chef-type cooks and replace them with this round of personalities.

I'm curious when people say they appreciate these time-saving cooking shows. But really, how long does it take to make good food? A roast chicken can be tossed with a broken up head of garlic and some herbs in less than 30 seconds. And how many seconds does one save by opening a bottle of pre-made salad dressing as opposed to mixing together a few spoonfuls of olive oil & vinegar? Is it really that much easier to rip open a box of cake mix than to drop a stick of butter in the mixer, add some eggs, then stir in some flour?

And don't homemade foods taste better, and are far healthier (and much less-expensive), than all those convenience foods? Other than as a gimmick, I don't see how how saving a few minutes is really worth sacrificing your family's health and well-being by using all these processed foods. While I don't begrudge any tv chefs cooking with real ingredients, it's quite a disservice to spray things with aerosol cheese and call it dinner. (Although I'm sure the advertisers like it, since it's far easier, and more profitable, to convince people that a packaged cake mix is a better choice than a bag of flour or a dozen eggs.)

It's sad that everyone's too busy to cook, when cooking and eating are two of the most basic, fundamental human functions.

I became a foodie because of the old TV Foodnetwork. My husband still tells how Mario's pasta carbonara was on the menu the night he realized I was "the one." (ultra sappy, I know)
TV Food of today has about 23 hours too many dedicated to Challenge Shows.
As for Sandra Lee, I'd rather stick a salad fork in my eye than sit thru her Chef Boyardee style of cooking.
New acronym for the 30 minute screamer: RRLIM. Rachel Ray LESS IS MORE.
LOVE LOVE LOVE the Alton Brown show and Giada, every show makes me want to watch their next one.

Finally, it's been said! Sandra Lee IS evil. How in the world does someone like her get a show on television. Oh right, answering to the common denominator. It's not surprising what gets broadcast on FN, look at whom the network sponsors are. FN is not all bad. There are some entertaining and talented chefs still on the network, however many have left, Bourdain being one of them. Yes, he can be caustic and arrogant, but he really speaks the truth.

I agree with many of the posts here. Too many people want quick solutions to food. They think that restaurants like Macaroni Grill serve good food and are authentic. It's understandable given many circumstances at home, two jobs, late nights, etc. However, it really doesn't take too much time to make a good meal from scratch. It just takes effort and a little planning. Shouldn't we take care of ourselves and our loved ones this way?

On the flip side, there is a growing culture in the U.S. that wants to eat good, fresh food and are willing to take the time to make it and/or buy it. Remember, it should be a rare occasion when you open a can, and when you do, it should not be the main ingredient of the meal.

Anthony's posting is right on! The food network has been going down the drain in the last few years. It used to be about cooking food that you wanted to try, and would be proud to put on the table. Now most of the programing is about fixing fast slop, or pretending that cooking is a sport! Cooking is not a sport or expected to be fast and furious, leave that to road racing and football! If we were really needed speed why would we be taking the time to watch TV. The Food network has lost sight of who their viewer's are: people that have a love of cooking and want to do it better, and love the challenge of trying something new. This channel used to be something I watched regularly, now it is just Alton Brown and Giada. It looks like the beginning of the end for what was a something good on TV. Because you can only watch Emeril so much, and with most of the other good chefs canned; there is not much to see. It is now the "McDonald's" of the cooking networks.

While I agree with just about everyone that's responded - Sandra Lee just seems lazy and her cocktails are made for people who start drinking at 9AM; Rachel Ray gets old after 2 episodes; Giada, Ina, Alton, Mario, and Ellie are worth watching - I have to admit that I started watching the Food Network because I found out how easy it was to make a meal, thanks to Rachel Ray. I have always known that I am a good cook, but after getting a real job and having a real schedule, 30 minutes was about all I thought I could spare for cooking. Then as my taste progressed, and RR's show became more like learning to read through Hooked on Phonics rather than the alphabet. I was moving up from cook to foodie.

I can understand why Food Network has people like Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee on the schedule - it attracts people who originally thought that cooking was reserved for chefs. However, the network does need to improve the programming for those who have already discovered their love for cooking and need something a little more challenging and engaging to watch.

I miss the old days of the food network when it was about FOOD! Now we have pizza contests where everyone juggles dough and bartenders throw around bottles and mixers. And don't get me started about kitchen makeovers.

Where are Two Hot Tamales, David Rosengarten, even Sara Moulton and Chef du Jour?

If I hear Rachel Ray talk about Grilled Cheese "SAMMIES" again, I swear I will puke!

Karen,

You make an excellent point. I think that Rachel and Sandra may be useful to bring in new "cooks". But I think a lot of people will grow beyond that and want to see real chefs cooking REAL food. There is a place for both.

I'd still rather them free up more space on their schedule by dumping all the competition shows and other shows that aren't about cooking. Who ever learned a single dish watching a Food Network Challenge show?? One challenge a quarter was entertaining. One or more a week just takes up space.

The reason FN has hosts like Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee is because there are people who are intimidated by cooking. The reason? Because of snobs like all of you that make beginners feel inadequate in the kitchen. This is why convenience foods have taken over because people like you make the rest of feel like crap in the kitchen.
Rachael has always said that she is not a chef and the same with Paula Deen. Paula was just a single mother trying to make enough money to raise her sons. Success came to her because of hard work.
Another observation...
Maybe the decision for discontinuing of Mario's show came from him. Maybe he wanted to focus more on his restaurants. The same with other chefs that have come and gone from FN.
Maybe Bourdain is simply jealous of the success of others.

Boy, lots of interesting posts on this topic, and most everyone is right in one way or the other -- the quality of FN shows has dropped precipitously over the past year, but if you don't like it, don't watch it.

My beef with Rachel Ray isn't her cooking. She has a concept show -- a full meal in 30 minutes, and, frankly, it's a great idea. Anyone who is in a pinch for time and wants something more than McDonald's or plastic-pouch-nuke food, she's saying you can make a good meal for yourself. Of course, she also kind of paints herself into a corner with the 30 minute limit, but more often than not, she comes through on her concept. If she has to use bagged greens, so what? I've learned a few things from her (oddly enough, they all seem to involve mushrooms), and I like the way she takes classic midweek dinners and puts her own spin on them.

The problem with Rachel Ray is that, somewhere along the way, she was captured by aliens -- or worse, an image consultant. Usually, FN will run a newer show at 6:00 ET followed by an older show at 6:30. The difference is striking: in the new shows, she's made up, and her hair is styled, and someone told her to talk excitedly, wave her hands around, grin like a demented clown, show a little cleavage, and come up with some catch phrases that she can trademark. It's like they planted a Tony Robbins personality chip in her head. The fact that her face is now on every Triscuit box ("Spritz a little EVOO on your Triscuit. It's YUMMO!") isn't helping any.

Back to FN, they're just like every other network. If something works, throw together ten more shows just like it. If people love Alton Brown riding across country on his motorcycle, let's send Paula Deen's boys out on the road. If people like watching 3 guys spend 2 days making a scale-model Sears Tower out of confectioner's sugar, only to have it implode while they carry it to the judges' table, well order up some more big-sugar-building competitions and hope they all fall apart!

Now that I'm all fired up, I think I'm gonna write FN and tell them the shows I like, and the shows I don't like, and wait for the form email to come back. At least I'll know I tried.

Bourdain is a culinary hero to nearly everyone in the business. If you don't like him, then you're probably just a little too "betty crocker".

He personifies many aspects and traits common to "real" chefs. If you don't like him, you probably wouldn't like too many chefs :)

I love Anthony Bourdain but I can't stand Mario.. ick. I don't like to watch him cook at all. He's got zero sense of humor. I've only watched Mario a few times, but that's because I never had a reason to stay put. Anthony, however, keeps me glued (even though he likes Mario, I won't hold it against him). Keep doing your thing Ant. You know you're right, and I do too. :)

I know Anthony's face but that's about it. For some reason his image brings something to mind and its not a good something....

But he definitely hits the nail on the head with his review of Sandra Lee and the Food Network. She reminds of the women in the OC - plastic, plastic, plastic! Not only is her food artificial but I'm sure other things are as well... wink, wink ;0

The only shows that I find a appealing are Giada, Ina, and now Nigella. The PBS stations are interesting as well.

I used to love Rachel but the whole YUM-O/EVOO thing are just too annoying for me. She should have steered clear of the O.

I'll have to give Anthony a try and see if he really is as good or as bad as the comments say he is.

Thanks for posting this Elise - it's always good to hear other peoples opinions and get a fresh point of view.

I think that it was Fred who observed that it seemed that the chefs on Iron Chef knew the secret ingredient in advance and that is why there seemed to be so little discussion and planning before they start cooking. It is my understanding that the chefs are given a list of five possible secret ingredients about a month in advance of the competition. Most of teams create menus around each of those ingredients and practice preparing them. They provide their shopping lists for the menus associated with each possible secret ingredient to the Iron Chef production crews in advance so that the correct items are on hand when the secret ingredient is revealed at the beginning of the competition. So no, it isn't a true "blind box" competition. It explains all the unusual ingredients that show up in the dishes that are prepared.

There is criticism and then there is vicious criticism. With the usual elitist and disdainful attitude that chefs have for the average home cook, Mr. Bourdain went way beyond common decency with his vitriolic attack on the “home cooks” of the Food Network.

I believe that the intention of SRP (Sandra, Rachel and Paula), was to share what they know, much like I share with my friends. They are not demanding that you agree with them but they encourage the viewing public to at least try something new. Mr. Bourdain’s intention seems to be bringing attention to himself.

I’d personally prefer SPR’s approach, “This is what I’ve done, if you would like to try, I will help you” to Mr. Bourdain’s approach “This is what I’ve done”

I have to admit I’ve never actually seen him cook.
Eat grasshoppers – yes;
Act as sous chef to a woman making mole – yes;
overindulge in alcohol – yes;
offer his contemptuous view of people around him – yes,
guest on Mario’s show – yes;
cook - no.

The screed about the trials in his life did me in, remote in hand, the channel was changed, and thus I denied myself the wonderment of his culinary skills. He has done an informative cooking show, hasn’t he?

Tony Bourdain pointed out the obvious, in his own wonderfully acerbic style. I love his writing style!

Food Network has gone in the tank. It's been a gradual process to reach these depths, so much so it escaped my notice.

I always check out what's on Food Network Canada (I'm up north), and am usually disappointed. Only recently did I put two and two together.

I miss learning something while watching the network. A great chef and teacher like Ming Tsai has fallen by the wayside for Rachel Ray?? (and in Canada we don't even get the 'almost homemade' lady).

It seems like there's always a party show on the Food Network. It makes me wonder why I'm not entertaining more.

Is this what people want? Phoney plastic hosts preparing tidbits for yet another upscale downtown Toronto/upstate NY party?

The worst is This Food, That Wine, where the 'money shot' is when the female hosts sample their fare and enjoy the wine. The camera zooms in so close to their glossed-up lips while drinking the wine I feel like I'm watching soft-core food porn.

I enjoy Alton Brown. He's fun and shares his unique passion. I almost never watch Good Eats because of its poor time slot.

I like Iron Chef America when Mario is competing. But there's only so much I can take of the concept.

It's stale and the kitschy lustre from the Japanese original faded, in my mind, years ago.

My favourite food shows aren't on the Food Network. I enjoy America's Test Kitchen and Ming Tsai on PBS, where I 'cut my teeth' on food programming as a kid in the 80s.

I guess I've come full circle.

I remember 20 years ago when it was real people
doing the cooking not want-to-B's in the "SHOW
BIZ'' with yum yum and all the cutsie sayings ...

I retired from the Fireservice and enjoyed cooking in the house and now in my HOUSE.

You keep them stright Tony...
Thanks Ray { formally fron NJ]
[ now Nags Head]

The show is NOT about you! It is not the Gourmet Food Network.

Just about any network tries to be popular. The popularity of these shows exist because this is where most of the cooks are today. Moms aren't staying home preparing a meal all day. These shows help those that don't do any cooking, to be able to make a meal and something healthy instead of fast food 3 times a week.

I love Bourdain! I also love Mario Batali!! Too bad they cancelled his show.
I hate Food Network...especially Sandra Lee. She must be having sex with the producers to keep that show on because all of my girlfriends hate that show as well. Food Network is going downhill...

Bordain is a gifted man and a treasure.

I agree that TFN sags like unsupported mammaries.

Boys with over-active gonads drool over shows like Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee, Giadia and Ingrid Hoffmann.

Let's have more Jaime Oliver, Michael Chiarello and Tyler Florence.

While most of intlligent people like me live in the politically correct or fake world and don't have a guts to tell truth because of fear of crucification;
Anthony Bordain, a non-intelligent, rough on the edges construction type person, is a breath of fresh air.

Tony,

You rock.

And I am from the South.

Anthony is halarious, witty, and kinda' sexy in a strange rock star way. I dig cynasism, and truthfullness. He isn't always sarcastic, but he tells it like it is or how he sees it. I used to watch Rachel Ray, then I grew up and moved onto PBS and discovered a world of great cooks and commentators to learn from. Rachael Ray is not a chef, and she admits it. Sandra Lee, in my humble opinion, is sophmoric at best...I want to learn how to cook like a pro, whether in a commercial kitchen , or at home!

Thanks for the great education Anthony!

Wow. I thought I was the only one who felt like this (whenever I would say, "GOD, I can't stand Rachel Ray!", my friends would go, "Oh, I LOVE her! 30 Minute Meals, YEAH! You're just jealous!"). Am I a chef? No. But I'm a die-hard foodie and a passionate cook. What do I think should be done with instant mashed potatoes? Well, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say that on here.

My only reasons that I tune into the Food Network anymore are Giada (sure, she has an enormous cranium, but she doesn't cook with it!), Mario, and Alton (his mad-scientist-meets-Masaharu-Morimoto demeanor also gives him quite a bit of sex appeal).

Speaking of Chef Morimoto, ever since they thoughtlessly hacked the original Iron Chef (as in Iron Chef Japan)episodes off the station, I have had a lukewarm if not strained relationship with Food Network. What were they thinking? The talent! The pageantry! The rising of the culinary masterminds out of the floor in a awe-inspiring atmosphere of fog and regality! And if this isn't good enough television for you, how about aspects such as the lobster battle between Hiroyuki Sakai and Chen Kenichi, or even better; Chairman Kaga's wardrobe?

Oh right, this was all swept off the table like stale breadcrumbs in order to make sure that Rachel Ray's "$40 A Day" can air more than 3 times a day, or Sandra Lee can open another can of frosting to spread over her cake-from-a-box. Yeah, such a great replacement.

Bourdain? I'd like to drink with the man, personally. I'm not sure he could keep up. He's a soft, TV manifestation of personality that can and will quickly fold under the weight of reality. Let's dissect it. Bored Dane. I don't know his lineage, personally, but his words seem to indicate the bored part more often.

Here's what's fun about a TV personality berating a TV personality. First, it's the medium in which they operate. A travel channel guy lambasting a few women food network gals. Interesting. If it was reality, one could ask him why he picks on women. Is that a personal character flaw? Or is it routine? If you probe deeper, you know that the Bored Dane had a Food Network show, but it isn't shown anymore, is it? Tends to make one wonder about motivation. You can couple that with his Top Chef appearances, and might find a direct and competitive reason why he might lash out at girls on a different network. There's a motive, obviously, but there's also a little twinge of... How to say this... Something from his past that may provoke him to rage against women.

Not saying that's the truth, it's my speculation. I do think it's curious, though.

All that said, Bourdain is an enigmatic fella. I've enjoyed the things I've seen from him. He's a personable, but detatched figure.

I'm not going to defend Lee or Ray here. I think each have their place. I will say that when it comes to food, it's a finite medium. How many times do you want to be told to salt the water of your greens or pasta? How many times do you want to hear the 'secret' when simmering greens is a little nutmeg? Anyone that is a longtime viewer begins to get redundancy as a matter of course.

Bourdain is a chef. He needs to shut up about convenience food. There are probably 7/10ths of humanity that rely on that. When you start calling out folks that open cans, you might find those empty cans thrown directly at your upper occipital lobe incased in skeletal matter that may protect it. Place little portions of food on a plate with your artistic flair, Ant, but DON'T think that THAT is some nutritional marvel, nor is it an excuse for providing calories to a body.

When it comes to actual process and consumption of food, this rant posted is weak. Above all, food is fuel, not something to be marvelled at. It only becomes so when opulence divides a hungry man from a 'taster'.

Anyone for grilled cheese?