Who's your favorite chef?

Bam! I love Emerial. I buy a lot of his sauces and products whenever I come across them. He's great because he's manly, funny, entertaining, and good at what he does. He's one of the few chefs that keeps my interest throughout the whole show. Sorry to you but I can't really stand Rachael Ray. She's actually one of the guest starts at the Charity night of the Auto Show (tonight) and I heard on the radio this morning that it's the first year that the Charity tickets are not completely sold out. What a weird choice for a guest star!

Yeah, a lot of people really dislike her. There's something about her, I guess she's a typical loud Italian (I can say that, I'm Italian and I KNOW typical! LOL) and that rubs the wrong way with a lot of people. For me it's like a sister in the kitchen! lol So you're not alone for not liking her. I guess to many she can be annoying.

I think someone else from Malaysia mentioned him. He must be good!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEE! Thanks hockeygal! That's rockin' LOL He even made the "Newcomers" list in People's Sexiest Whatever List for 2006. My husband just tolerates my fascination with this Aussie man ;) And you know... he cooks some pretty amazing recipes. Most of what he prepares are easy to duplicate dishes because the idea of his show (for those who don't know) is that he meets up with a random person in a supermarket or other food shop. He offers to buy all their groceries and go back to their place to prepare a dinner for whomever they were going to be cooking for that night. It's a combination of having a cooking lesson, right in their own kitchen, plus the services of an actual chef to make them a meal. Fun concept for a show, really :) Who doesn't like a man that cooks?

omg.. and he has an aussie accent!!!!!!!! Now I do have to find him on tv! lol

ROFL! Yeah he's definitely Australian ;) Ummm... do you get TLC (The Learning Channel) where you are? That's where I find him lol

Mario is an excellent chef for sure! His stuff is a little more time consuming and takes a lot more work and I'm a lazy cook! I love his quirkiness too. Just one look at the picture I posted of him and you will understand, look at his shoes! lol He's just him. Ponytail, crazy shoes and very laid back.

Yeah, I love her style and the meals she prepares are so realistic. It's rare that she will whip up something that you can't find the ingredients easily or even usually have them in your pantry. Some people don't like her style, her humor and such but I just love her. Thanks!

I'm so addicted to the food channel that now I actually am seeing repeats of the shows I watch! lol That's sad! I love all the ones you mentioned too but my faves are Rachael Ray, Emeril and Sandra Lee for sure!

Hehe, gotta agree with you on how Rachael Ray could be a tad too cutesy sometimes--especially when she laughs--sorta reminds me of Betty Rubble ;) but yup, I do take some pointers from her when it comes to time saving tips like her garbage bowl...as for Alton Brown, hehe just love his concept of presenting his show...have a great day =)!

I've watched Alton Brown many times, although something about him annoys the heck out of me! lol I just refuse to search for something to watch for only 1/2 hour while I wait for the next show on the food network! lol Sometimes he does some great recipes, I do agree. In the end I usually don't mind him, just don't get overly excited about him. No, Rachael does not have a formal education as a chef at all. She's a cook from the heart. That's why I love her so much, she doesn't get all 'fancy' and use big words. She has recipes that a normal person would cook. She can be annoying at time, I think it's her little 'cutsie act' where she pulls her shoulders up and giggles like a little girl. Annoying. But I get past it cuz I love most everything else about her and her cooking rocks. lol

BTW.. here's a pic of Alton Brown for those who don't know who he is by name. He's on the Food Network and has a show called "Good Eats".

Yeah, I love Sandra Lee's great quick ideas. It doesn't really bother me that Rachael Ray isn't an authentic "chef" though. Some people it upsets. I guess I just love the way she cooks because she's a lot like me. She just goes for it, changes things up to fit her style and makes it. Even the measuring is more of a "what looks right" way. That alone deters some people if it's not your style of cooking for sure. It can frighten people away if they're not confident cooks and need a step by step with measurements style recipe. I like Paula Deen but a lot of her stuff is so time consuming that it's not realistic for me.

Here's a recent recipe she shared when doing her travels to different towns. I'm using this for SuperBowl Sunday! White Cheese Jalapeno Dip Recipe courtesy Bukowski's Tavern 2 1/2 pounds white American cheese, cut into small chunks 1/2 white onion, diced 1 cup chopped jalapeno peppers 1 cup chopped canned green chiles 2 cups milk 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup diced tomato Chips, for serving In a double boiler, combine all ingredients except tomato and chips. Cook slowly over low heat until melted, stirring frequently. If you don't have a double boiler, a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water will work. Add tomatoes. Serve warm with your favorite chips. This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results. Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings User Rating: Episode#: RY0102 Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

That's why I like Rachael Ray too, she's actually not even a trained chef. Her skills are just like most of us, learned from mom in the kitchen. Her recipes are usually down to earth and real, not something you could only find at a 5 star restaurant where you pay way too much for way too little! lol Paula Deen definitely does some great southern style cooking!

LOL.... I think Emeril rocks! I'm telling you, it has to be the attitude and the smirk that drives me wild but for some reason (even thought I know technically he's not hot at all LOL) he drives me wild! And he cooks. What more could a woman ask for? LOL

Yeah, Rachael Ray is the 30 minut meals and she also does something like $40 a day eating out at different places, although by the looks of her in most of those it's fairly old. Plus she has a regular daytime show that is produced by Oprah, or Harpo Productions technically, that runs daily on I think it's NBC? it might be ABC... i can never remember! lol I just know I love to watch her. And as for CJ growing up to be a chef... what more could you ask for as a mom... a kid that will cook and then grow up to make some woman very happy as a cooking man! lol That's my prerequisite for my next "man"... he has to love cooking and we'll trade off days in the kitchen. I had one guy I dated that loved to cook. He would call me up at work and say "Babe, bring the kids for dinner... I'm making that recipe you sent me in the email yesterday for such and such" and man I'll tell you... I was a fool for letting that one go! lol Funny part is we're still great friends today. It's weird. But he's married now (not happily... which is also sad because I left him to try one more time to make things work with my ex, for the kids sake and he went off and married the first girl he met after me because we split and he figured he couldn't have the girl he loved.... *sigh*) But anyways... she doesn't appreciate his love for cooking either. It kills me! lol

True, she has not training as a chef, she is someone that creates realistic recipes that most of us would try at home. A true "chef" in the words is someone that is so well trained and specialized that we could probably never do what they do and come out with the same results. Their training alone is what provides them with an edge versus a real person like us in the kitchen. So I guess if you take the word 'chef' by it's truest form then you would be correct in saying Rachael Ray doesn't count. I personally think a chef is anyone who cooks. How great of a chef, how educated, etc. can come into play if that matters to you but to me it's a matter of who creates something that I'd like to create myself. Mario Batali is a great chef, I love to watch him in action. But he also does creations that I would never do so to me that's just 'entertainment' and not something I'd watch to recreate. Gordon Ramsey, I can't really say as I have never watched him due to his ignorance and rudeness. I can't tolerate that in anyone, let alone watch it on purpose! lol The other 2 I've never heard of, sorry.

Her 2 boys are also on the food network and do their own show. She does make a lot of great food. And she's definitely not a chef to watch if you're dieting at all! She LOVES her butter! lol

Yeah, we have Hells Kitchen here and to be honest with you if I had to be in a kitchen with him I'd probably stab him with a paring knife! lol I haven't really watched him, simply because I won't tolerate rudeness. It's just a thing I have. But he must be good!

I'm not a seafood person so a lot of what Emeril cooks I wouldn't eat, but I have taken some of his recipes and substituted chicken instead of the seafood. I watch him all the time too. I love the 30 minute show with Rachel too. She actually proves you can do this in about 30 minutes without being stressed out! I love that! Simple enough to do but elegant enough to look like you cared!

Thanks! I agree.. mom's cooking is always the best, along with Grams! That's why I had to say MOM and GRAM not included! lol

moms and grandmas don't count!!!!!

I agree,it's hard to make a choice. I love watching anything cooking too and 9 times out of 10 my tv is set to the food network in my bedroom. I love to read and catch what they're cooking! I often use the basic ideas of these shows to create my own versions. I tend to be a cook that cooks from the eye and not so much a recipe. I do use recipes, don't get me wrong, but most times I will end up seeing a dish prepared, think in my mind what I'd like to do to add to the dish and go for it.