Cooking Channel: Food Network Offshoot Courts Younger, Food-Obsessed Crowd

[KatWrangler]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/di...d=1&ref=dining

Called the Cooking Channel, it is lining up low-key programs targeted at a hipper crowd interested in the grass roots of food culture.

Oh interesting! I hadn't heard they were doing this.

[Arduinna]

Intersting article, I've been saying for a few years that I want to see more diversity in the cooking shows and more international cuisine with it's own show. Don't really care that they are going for the "younger" "hipper" crowd though and don't care for the whole, be on the cutting edge of cool. I'm more interested in authentic international food hosted by native cooks. They aren't going to get me with cool. My biggest complaint about food network is the shows are too repetitive and there are wayyyyy too many contest type shows.

[KatWrangler]

I agree. I would like to see Mexican, Greek, Indian etc. Especially Indian since I would love to try it, but have no idea where to start.

[JessicaS]

I would like a channel with just cooking shows or shows about food. A show about "what is this weird ingredient in my CSA box and what on earth do I do with it?" is something I would like.

I don't like contests.

EDITED:: Ok I do like Iron Chef, I *love* Iron Chef But I don't like these other contests.

I do NOT like these travel shows. I really don't travel very much. If my city was in any of them I might try the restaurant but my city is not hip or exotic so it really only shows up on shows about barbecue (and we are REALLY picky about barbecue) or that show about Diners.

I am from the South I know how to make most that food, I need other ideas. (and some of the stuff I don't know how to make I would never eat. I am NOT EATING deep fried pie, I also do not want my sandwich deep fried. And I know queso is good but I don't want a quart of queso on my french fries, my burger or doughnuts!

Some stuff they show is healthy but some is WOW!



I do not want to watch a show about people eating bugs, fermented tofu or drinking with natives. If I wanted to watch that I would just watch Anthony Bourdain.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by KatWrangler

I agree. I would like to see Mexican, Greek, Indian etc. Especially Indian since I would love to try it, but have no idea where to start.

ITA I want to learn to make good Indian and Greek food.


You should watch Rick Bayless' Mexican cooking show it is on PBS.

http://www.rickbayless.com/tv/season7/

[caiesmommy]

It would be nice if they could dedicate a half hour show once a week that was strictly vegetarian...that might make me get cable

[HarperRose]

Originally Posted by caiesmommy

It would be nice if they could dedicate a half hour show once a week that was strictly vegetarian...that might make me get cable

I'm not vegetarian, but I'd love to have more options for food prep and non-meat dishes!

[BookGoddess]

I would love to see a great Indian and/or Southasian cooking show with a host like Madhur Jaffrey or someone else with real expertise in that cuisine. I don't want to see Paula do curry y'all. The Food Network is now more about entertainment rather than cooking. The channel used to be about cooking, but now it's more concerned with contests and cookoffs rather than catering to people who are foodies.

About the only person I care to watch on Food Network now is Ina Garten since a lot of those I used to watch on that channel have been let go.

I like the PBS cooking shows. I love Ruth Reichel's cooking/travel program on PBS. PBS cooking programs aren't about finding a really extroverted person with a big personality.

Originally Posted by Arduinna

Intersting article, I've been saying for a few years that I want to see more diversity in the cooking shows and more international cuisine with it's own show. Don't really care that they are going for the "younger" "hipper" crowd though and don't care for the whole, be on the cutting edge of cool. I'm more interested in authentic international food hosted by native cooks. They aren't going to get me with cool. My biggest complaint about food network is the shows are too repetitive and there are wayyyyy too many contest type shows.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

Intersting article, I've been saying for a few years that I want to see more diversity in the cooking shows and more international cuisine with it's own show. Don't really care that they are going for the "younger" "hipper" crowd though and don't care for the whole, be on the cutting edge of cool. I'm more interested in authentic international food hosted by native cooks. They aren't going to get me with cool. My biggest complaint about food network is the shows are too repetitive and there are wayyyyy too many contest type shows.

Originally Posted by KatWrangler

I agree. I would like to see Mexican, Greek, Indian etc. Especially Indian since I would love to try it, but have no idea where to start.

[Arduinna]

So has anyone been watching? My new favorites are Everyday Exotic and French Food at Home. Both of these shows feature recipes I don't see everyday and the chefs are great.

[cristeen]

Ive been watching. There's an Indian show that has me inspired - i'll be making Indian tonight. I've noticed that several of the shows are BBC imports (incl the Indian one).

I used to be a food network devotee, but in the last few years theyve really dumbed it down, and its so repetitive like a pp commented. I'm not having those issues w the new channel.

[JessicaS]

Dang! Everytime I turn it on it is a foodnetwork show or one of the old ones. I might need to change my whole routine.

[Arduinna]

Oh yeah, they are showing a lot of the old FN stuff too. I just tivo'd a bunch of the new shows and then weeded out the ones I don't like and I'm down to 2 shows now.

[Pariah]

Hmm, I haven't seen this...is it a special channel you have to pay extra for? I'm really interested in checking it out. I like Food Network a lot but it is sometimes pretty boring. I like Alton Brown, he's cute and geeky which I love, but most of the hosts of other shows are considerably older than me and kind of bland. I don't know if it is the age/generational gap or what. The recipes are good, the shows themselves are just not able to keep my interest. I also hate all of the contest and reality shows except for Ace of Cakes because they're not anywhere near as dramatic and annoying as the other shows get, plus the bakery is about 20 minutes from me and I'm all about repping Bmore.

I'm going to check on the list of channels we have to see if we get this. I'd love to see some more interesting, diverse shows with more "me" types of cooks.

It would be nice if they could dedicate a half hour show once a week that was strictly vegetarian...that might make me get cable

I've been wondering for years why FN hasn't had a veg cooking show! I feel like that's such a HUGE demographic that they're totally ignoring!

[rhiOrion]

Originally Posted by abimommy

I am NOT EATING deep fried pie, I also do not want my sandwich deep fried.

But how about deep fried lasagna?

I actually think Paula Deen is cute in an obnoxious way. But I'm from the south, too, and I don't need to deep fry things very often. Sometimes I'll fry up some chicken tenders or fried green tomatoes, but that's about it.

I hadn't seen this thread until now, and I sort of wish I had cable. I wonder if Hulu has any cooking shows.

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by Pariah

Hmm, I haven't seen this...is it a special channel you have to pay extra for? I'm really interested in checking it out. I like Food Network a lot but it is sometimes pretty boring. I like Alton Brown, he's cute and geeky which I love, but most of the hosts of other shows are considerably older than me and kind of bland. I don't know if it is the age/generational gap or what. The recipes are good, the shows themselves are just not able to keep my interest. I also hate all of the contest and reality shows except for Ace of Cakes because they're not anywhere near as dramatic and annoying as the other shows get, plus the bakery is about 20 minutes from me and I'm all about repping Bmore.

I'm going to check on the list of channels we have to see if we get this. I'd love to see some more interesting, diverse shows with more "me" types of cooks.



I've been wondering for years why FN hasn't had a veg cooking show! I feel like that's such a HUGE demographic that they're totally ignoring!

cooking channel replaced Fine Living

[Arduinna]

Ok I really love the new Spice Goddess show, her food is great and I like the format.

[JTA Mom]

I'd love it if they'd do ethnic food. However, I don't see it being 'marketable' for some reason. I mean, if almost all the popular 'ethnic' food restaurants are really Americanized, I can't see how having accurate recipes would catch on.

However, there is youtube. Authentic recipes & techniques for lots of ethnic foods:

Middle Eastern food (she says Meditteranean, and yea, if you don't go any farther west than Greece, she's right):
http://www.youtube.com/user/dedemed


Japanese Food (with awesome Francis narrating):
http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog

Indonesian Food (with English translation)
http://www.youtube.com/user/IndonesianFoods

Korean Food (with a couple Kimchi versions too!)
http://www.youtube.com/user/Maangchi

Indian Food (vegetarian)
http://www.youtube.com/user/Manjulaskitchen

Indian Food (with Meat dishes)
http://www.youtube.com/user/ShowMeTheCurry

Authentic Mexican food, but you need to know Spanish. Or at least some spanish.
http://www.youtube.com/user/larecetadelaabuelita


Moroccan Food, with some western dishes:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithalia

Jewish Food (well, from the German/Western Europe tradition) made by a Grandma & her Grandson:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChalutzProductions#p/u

Mexican food (some Americanized)
http://www.youtube.com/user/TRpicapica

And yes, I subscribe to all of them. Now, if anyone can find me a Persian, Greek, Vietnamese and Spanish cooking show, I'd be super happy.

Ami