Guest Editorial: Food Offerings Abound on DIRECTV
Friday, October 28, 2011 | posted by Mike
Brought to you by tvbydirect.Food television has been one of the most popular sorts of entertainment over the last number of years. It almost seems strange, actually, how very popular food television has become. Yet, whether people like to cook along to certain shows, or prefer competitive chef television for the sake of entertainment, these shows tend to bring in great ratings. In fact, the shows are often so popular that fans even look into tvbydirect offerings to gain access to more programs, or HD streaming of their favorite shows and channels, such as Food Network. If you, however, have never experienced the fun and interest of such channels, here are a few words on some of Food Network’s most popular shows.
- Iron Chef – Perhaps the most popular show on Food Network, Iron Chef is based on a very successful Japanese cooking show of the same name. Essentially, it features a lineup of famous and/or impressive chefs who compete against each other to see who can make the best dish, with each chef using the same key ingredient. In recent years, the chef lineup has featured big names such as Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Marc Forgione, and several others. Generally, this is less of an imitation show and more of an entertainment competition, though it can still provide some very appealing recipe concepts for those inclined to challenge themselves in the kitchen.
- The Best Thing I Ever Ate – This is a show that puts a bit of a spin on food television by showing you popular food that is available to you, rather than food that you can make. Essentially, the show features chefs picking out their favorite meals and foods in different categories, giving you specific ideas of where and what to eat if you want to experience what great chefs recommend. These people live for food, and they have ideas and opinions well worth considering!
- 30 Minute Meals With Rachel Ray – This is a show more geared toward people who want to either get new ideas for recipes or even cook while watching. Rachel Ray demonstrates a number of ways to create high quality, delicious meals at home in half an hour or less, which is a trick that not just anybody can master immediately. This is a great show to watch if you’re looking to expand your home menu and enhance your capabilities in the kitchen; though you may want to cook while you watch, because you’ll likely be hungry following an episode!
ES Takes a Look at the Hopefuls
Thursday, February 05, 2009 | posted by Mike
Check out the latest post over at Endless Simmer! We take a look at the applicants for the upcoming season of The Next Food Network Star. Some of it isn't pretty.
Toby Young, Take Two
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 | posted by Mike
Getting geared up for tomorrow's Top Chef? Then you'll want to go over to Endless Simmer to catch the latest Toby Young Insult Tracker. Labels: Top Chef
Adam Gertler Goes "On The DL"
Monday, January 19, 2009 | posted by Mike
It's been documented on this site that, while I do love me some food, there are a couple of other hobbies/interests that surpass it. The BIG one is sports. While I'm still smarting from the loss of my Eagles in the NFC championshiop yesterday, at least I can console myself with the memory that my Phillies are World F___ing Champions and I got to stand at Broad and South for the first parade in 25 years.Because it's impossible to be a sports fan without becoming completely obsessed, there are a number of podcasts that I listen to regularly. One of the absolute best -- On the DL with Dan Levy -- has a Philly flair since he's in the area and a Fightin' Phillies fan as well, but his show focuses on sports media and he manages to snag some huge names, including ESPN's Tony Kornheiser, NFL Films' Steve Sabol and even Philly sports enthusiast Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. Dan and his co-host Nick are knowledgeable and the show is informative, fun and funny.
From time to time, the show also brings on some interesting non-sports folks, including a chat with Chuck Norris. So it was a pleasant surprise when I heard he was going to have The Next Food Network Star runner-up Adam Gertler (who also hails from the City of Brotherly Love) on to discuss his new show, Will Work for Food. He talks about the new show, his experience on Star and his experience owning a restaurant in Philly.
You can catch the episode on their site, but if your interested in sports, do yourself a favor and subscribe to the podcast while you're there.
Sandra Lee in D.C.?!?!
Sunday, January 18, 2009 | posted by Mike
Hey, maybe you're not a fan of Sandra Lee. But you've come to grips with your feelings about her because you know that she really has no access to the levers of power. What if you were no longer secure in that thought?Sure, it' a long shot, but check out my latest entry on Endless Simmer to find out how she could expand her Semi-Homemad empire.
Labels: Sandra Lee
Simmering Away
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 | posted by Mike
Hey, everyone. Sorry for the layoff. Yes, I'm a bad, bad blogger.Enough of that, I'm going to make it up to you.
A while back...over a year ago, we pointed you to a great site called Endless Simmer which knocked our socks off at the time and which has churned out consistently top-notch food blog conent and which we've referenced in a number of our own posts here on TVFF. BS, gansie and the crew over there are the complete package when it comes to writing...prolific and good.
So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when, in the course of an e-mail conversation, they mentioned the possibility of contributing posts to what I think is one of the best and funniest food blogs around.
We're kicking off the party with a post on the newest judge to join the Top Chef stable. Swing over to ES and check out The Toby Young Insult Tracker, which analyzes and grades the British critic's attempts to put down the show's contestants.
Be sure to go check it out and, of course, bookmark and/or subscribe to Endless Simmer for all the great content, including some more stuff from TVFF.
Anyone Still Out There?
Sunday, January 11, 2009 | posted by Mike
Well, maybe you're still subscribing to the feed.Anyway, we'll have some news for you in the very near future.
You may have thought TVFF was dead, but we're like one of those George Romero zombies, man. If you don't shoot us in the head, we don't stay down. That'll teach you.
Check back soon!
Mike
"Hey, is that...? Yes, it is!"
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 | posted by Mike
Hola, everyone. Been busy around here lately, but you know how it is.Anyway, I haven't been going in to work the past two days. Insteady, I've been taking a computer training class in Philly that doesn't start until 10:00, which means I'm heading into the city about an hour and a half later than usual. It's nice...there are fewer commuters at this point so it's pretty relaxing. Plug in the headphones, fire up the This American Life podcast and zone out.
That's what I was up to when I was standing on the PATCO train going over the Delaware River this morning. I casually glanced around the car, looking at a couple of the riders. One of them caught my eye, though, and I immediately thought to myself, "Hey, is that...?"
Yep
That's right...the fellow sitting there in the sunglasses is Aaron McCargo!
(Don't worry -- his companion did actually have a face. I just didn't want to subject her to my staker-azzi photo, so I blurred her out. )
He was obviously in a conversation, so it didn't feel right to swoop in and ask for a photo, hence the surreptitious iPhone picture. But he did see me and I gave him a bit of a "head nod of recognition" that he returned and flashed a quick smile, which was nice.
Labels: Aaron McCargo
My Guess: The Pancetta Cologne Makes Him Irresistible
Monday, September 22, 2008 | posted by Mike
Perhaps in celebration of the debut of his Spanish food show, it appears that Mario Batali is singing a little "Besame Mucho" to rock star/humanitarian Bono in this photo over at Best Week Ever.The show, Spain...on the Road Again (which would probably be even cooler if it featured Willie Nelson) debuts this coming weekend in the Philadelphia market...go here for your locale. The DVR is officially set and ready to go.
Labels: Mario Batali
TV Food Fan Mentioned in Baltimore Sun's Article on Geof Manthorne
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 | posted by Mike
Regular readers of the site know about our man-crush on Ace of Cakes Renaissance man Geof Manthorne, which goes back to the early days of this site. So it was a pleasant surprise when we got a call from Jill Rosen, a reporter at the Baltimore Sun, for our take on what makes Geof so appealing.We were more than happy to weigh in on the topic and you can see the results in the article, 'Ace of Cakes' fans have a thing for bakery artist Geof Manthorne, which is up on the Sun's site. Be sure to check out the whole thing...with special attention to the last couple of paragraphs, of course!
