Is “How to Boil Water” in Your Top Eight?
Friday, September 08, 2006 | posted by Mike
Madeline (a.k.a. Everything Rachael Ray) and I traded a couple of e-mails recently. Let me paraphrase the exchange:Madeline: Hey…apparently Food Network has a blog. Did you know this?OK, maybe I’m being a little overdramatic, but let’s just say that the powers that be seem to be keeping the Food Network Kitchens blog pretty quiet. Not quite the marketing plan we’ve adopted here at TVFF.com (i.e. “Shameless Self-Promotion”), but maybe it works for them.
TVFF.com: Yeah. Kinda. I think I knew that. Now I’m not sure.
Actually, after poking around a little bit and seeing a not-very-well-hidden test blog, I’m guessing they’re using this as a pilot project for future endeavors. Actually, it’s a bit of a shame that they’re not trumpeting it more because they take a pretty interesting angle.
The blog is written by a number of the chefs who work behind the scenes in the Food Network kitchens. This is certainly a perspective that we don’t usually get, and it really serves to personalize the apparatus that supports all of the big stars of the network. I think they could probably stand to update it a little more often. Of course, this is a side thing and I’m sure they have other things to do, like prep Sandra Lee’s tube of Pillsbury Grands. (Sorry, I can’t help myself sometimes.)
Anyway, their latest post (and the reason for the title of this item), is about a new How to Boil Water cookbook. I’ve always enjoyed the show (in all of its various incarnations) as a great starter-level instructional. I remember it being on when I first started watching FN and getting a lot of the basics in terms of techniques and ingredients.
In addition to providing a helpful link to FN’s online store to buy the book, their marketing department has also created a Myspace page for the book. Admittedly, the whole Myspace phenomenon is beyond me, but the kids seem to love it. Hey…even Bob Dylan has a Myspace page, so I guess I’m the one missing out.
Again, I say “kudos” to FN for hopping on the new media bandwagon.
Labels: Food Network
