"TodayShow" news and stories

Paula Deen had a bit of a freak out last week on the set of the "Today Show" after an NBC staffer accidentally walked into the shot and hid behind a kitchen island.

"Oh my goodness, can you all see? What is he doing in here? Does he work here?" Deen asked Al Roker as she prepared her Nutty Orange Coffee Cake to promote the New York City Wine & Food Festival. "He doesn't have a gun does he? Should we pull out our knives?"

Roker laughed along with Deen, although it became a bit awkward after he asked her what she was making.

"Nervous. That's what we're making -- nerves, nervous," she said. "Is he from this country?"

But all became hunky-dory once more when Deen learned the man did indeed work for NBC.

"Oh so you do work here, well here," Deen said as she handed him a slice of cake.



[Via Huffington Post]

Our pals at Epicurious's Epi-Log pointed us to this lusciously awkward Today Show cooking segment wherein Sam the Cooking Guy shuts Kathie Lee's cakehole not so much with cake, as with a heaping helping of STFU. It's no doubt soured his relationship with the show, but makes for some mighty sweet TV.

Is this the most deliciously cringe-inducing in the history of food television, or can you dredge up any others? Post your thoughts and video links below.

See the whole segment here.


[via: Epicurious]

I grew up in a household where we embraced leftovers, composted actively and had a dog with an iron-clad stomach, so very little food went to waste. As I got older and started living on my own, I realized what a feat of meal planning and conservation my mother had been pulling off all those years, as I found myself tossing heads of lettuce, moldy cheese and sour milk at the end of each week. I worked to change my habits, learning how much food I needed for each given week, working hard to use up my leftovers and buying an indoor composter to ensure that my vegetal waste didn't go into the landfills.

As food and fuel prices rise, more and more people are becoming concerned with the amount of food that we waste. This morning the Today Show aired a segment on food waste and in it they interviewed journalist and blogger Jonathan Bloom. Bloom runs the website Wasted Food and is currently writing a book about the amount of uneaten food that gets sent to landfills each day.

The segment is interesting and is an excellent primer for those people who are new to the idea of food conservation. They suggest that more frequent trips to the supermarket, in which you buy less, is one of the answers to preventing food waste. While I think that's a good idea, I wish they had stressed tactics like shopping at farmers markets (the food is fresher, so it stays good longer, giving you more time in which to use it) and using your freezer (if you make a large meal, halve it and freeze a portion for another time).

Source

The Today show is running a contest in which they are attempting to name the best sandwich in America. They solicited recommendations from all over the country and have now narrowed it down to the top five. The finalists are a New Orleans Muffuletta, Pastrami on Rye from Katz Deli, Vesuvio's Cheesesteak BLT, a Maine Lobster Roll and Chicago's Frenchy's Fantasy.

I'm really excited to see Philly made the list with the Cheesesteak BLT from Vesuvio's (although I must admit that I've never tried that particular sandwich). However, I am sort of surprised that there's no Primanti Bros. sandwich, as that's a fairly outrageous and delicious sandwich concoction. And, where are the options for vegetarians? I can't believe that there's not some amazing sandwich out there constructed of greens, cheese and eggplant. You can cast your vote here, but in the comments, why don't you tell us about your favorite sandwich.