Originally Posted by
emma69
Part of my dislike (not hate) is that fact that she, and others (including a fair number of magazines and cook books) are dumbing down food prep. I am SO sick of reading 'Take a store bought pie crust' or 'Take one store bought vanilla cake' etc. Really, does anyone think a basic pie crust or cake are rocket surgery??? People seem suddenly scared of baking, or making something as simple as pastry. Sure, by all means, buy pre-made puff or filo, because they are more fiddly and time consuming. But a pie crust? In a pie dish, where small tears bumps etc are not going to be noticed? This is cookery 101 stuff, not haute cuisine!
You know what's one of the easiest things in the world to make? Marinara sauce. But that doesn't mean it isn't smart to have some jarred marinara on hand for those times when you just don't have the time. Same for pie crust, cake mix, canned soup, pizza dough, pesto, etc. etc. etc.
People like to get on their high horse and put people like Sandra down but I guarantee you she doesn't always cook "semi-homemade" at home. Sometimes she makes things from scratch. And I guarantee you that Ina Garten doesn't cook from scratch all the time but instead breaks out that store bought hummus when she needs to.
Has anyone ever seen the
Next Food Network Star? One of the things FN pushes the contestants to come up with is their "niche" or "theme" or "message". They are always encouraged to stick to the thing they came up with that defines their potential show. Their established celebrity chefs are no different.
It's just TV cooking people. No reason to take it so seriously. Something Anthony Bourdain would do well to remember.