TV Food Network - Crimes Against Cuisine

Do you remember when you could actually watch trained Chefs cooking on the TV Food Network? They were not pretty, they were not perky, they didn't have cleavage, but they could cook! Gone are the days when you could learn recipes and techniques from actual professionals. Now, all that you see are "personalities" who have no business even being around food. I mean, come on! The lack of food sense and technique is mind boggling. I don't know where they find these people. Just what are the culinary qualifications to be the "Next Food Network Star"? How can a show that teaches you how to cook from a can and powder pouch be considered good food programming? When did we lose sight of learning to cook good and wholesome food for our families and friends. Dinner should not take 30 minutes to prepare. Good food takes time. Have they heard about the Slow Food Movement? Have they heard of Alice Waters? Cooking is an ART!

I am a professional Chef. I have devoted the last 12 years of my life to the pursuit of the Culinary Arts. I cannot believe that a network that was built by Chefs has degenerated into a clearinghouse for talentless, homey "cooks" who don't even have the sense to teach their viewers about using seasonal produce. Could one of these fools take us on a tour of a Farmer's Market? Could one of them teach the art of subtlety instead of over-the-top, in-your-face, overwhelming flavors? Could we not see the Deen Brothers anymore?

All of the original Chefs that were once part of Food Network were either forced out in favor of the mediocre, or jumped ship to save their reputations and dignity. Have you noticed, there is no more Emeril, Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Tony Bourdain, Sarah Moulton, Etc...? Why?
These professionals were replaced with 30 Minute Semi-Homemade Iron Chef Chica Down Home Cookin' For Real Y'all... So sad...

Also, the Food Network marketing machine has made it all but impossible for the unknown Chef to get a cookbook published. Most publishers don't want to take the risk on an unknown, regardless of talent. They would rather publish the jokers on Food Network. Next time you go into a Borders or Barnes & Noble check out the cookbook section. Pride of place is given to books packed with recipes that are culinarily mediocre and don't work. You can now buy Paula Dean Bakeware in the cookbook section of the Barnes & Noble in Evanston, IL. I haven't had the heart to check in other places.

So join me in saying NO to the TV Food Network. It will be hard. Where else will you get to hear some one say "Stoup"? Where else will you learn recipes that contain butter, sour cream, and mayonnaise as the main ingredients? Where else will you learn to design the perfect cocktail for Veteran's Day? Where else will you get to watch people's eyes roll back in their head when they take too big of a bite of ooey, gooey, toffey, chewy? Where else will you see an obsessive-compulsive over think a bowl of oat meal? Where else will you get to see commercials teaching you the wonders of cooking with tomato soup from a can? Where else will you learn how not to hold a knife? Can these people learn to cut? We must be strong, and drastic times call for drastic measures.

The best cooking shows can still be found on PBS. Check them out, and you will actually learn something. Support PBS and the Chefs who do these shows. We live in dark times and the plug could be pulled at any time. We deserve something better.

ARS CULINARIA AD VITAM AETERNAM

French Meringue

Here is a standard recipe for meringue that can be used on the top of lemon meringue pies, or to make pavlovas. I am providing this recipe and the technique at the request of a reader of Beyond The Kitchen Wall who made a lemon meringue pie (her first!) for her husband but felt that the meringue that she made fell short, literally. She wanted a tall, luxurious meringue to crown her pie, but instead her recipe left her with skimpy results. The key to a tall meringue, besides following the rules below, is to use enough eggs! My recipe uses 5 egg whites instead of the standard 4. The extra white will lift your pies to new heights.

Meringues can be tricky, but if you remember a few simple rules, you should have great success:

• Only use the freshest eggs.
• Allow the egg whites to come to room temperature, or warm gently.
• Don't add the sugar too soon.
• Don't over beat the whites prior to adding the sugar.

French Meringue
Makes enough to top a 9 inch pie

• 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Place room temperature egg whites into the bowl of a standing mixer, or gently warm the egg whites in the mixer bowl over extremely low flame, whisking constantly. The whites should feel warm to the touch. The warmer the eggs, the greater the lift.

Add cream of tartar and salt. Place on mixer and start whipping on low speed to break up the egg whites. Once egg whites begin to foam, increase speed to medium-high. Continue beating the whites until they just begin to form stiff peaks. Turn down the mixer, add the sugar, and increase the speed to high. Continue beating until the whites become glossy, and the sugar is melted. At this point, you can't over beat the meringue. It is only before the sugar is added that the whites can be over beaten. The meringue should look smooth and glossy, not grainy and lumpy.

The best way to master a meringue is practice. It is not as simple as it seems. You have to learn when the whites are ready for the sugar. If you add it too soon, your meringue will not achieve its full airy potential. If you wait too long, your meringue will break and get lumpy. Practice. Making meringues is an art, and is taken very seriously in the French Kitchen.