"nigella" news and stories

Earlier today, Joanne gave you the results of the Food Network Awards, and now chef/writer/adventurer Anthony Bourdain gives his opinion of the ceremony.

Bourdain hasn't been shy in giving his opinion on what he thinks has become of the Food Network (too much focus on "star" chefs, bad food being cooked, an emphasis on too many things that have nothing to do with cooking, etc), and he has some choice words for the awards show:

We have heard that formal dining rooms are back in vogue on the restaurant scene this year, which means that the combination restaurant dining room/kitchens, where everyone had a clear view of their food from start to finish, will gradually be phased out. Patrons are now more interested in eating the food and appreciating the subtleties of a well-prepared meal than they are in watching it be prepared. With the massive number of cooking shows on TV, can you blame them? Everywhere you turn, you can see great pictures of food and videos of how its made, but the restaurant is where you can taste every delicious looking item that you wouldn't ordinarily get at home.

The UK Guardian is saying that the "Nigella Effect" is responsible for this change, as the sultry chef's recommendation is enough to make people try anything. She sold the public on 250,000 tins of goose fat over Christmas, so the end of open-air kitchens was easy by comparison. But although she may have helped to speed up the trend, it is far more widespread than Britain already - and like it or not, it seems as though this trend could be here to stay.

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Garlic used to be the go-to ingredient of both pros and of home cooks. If you ask chefs like Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver what their favorite ingredient of the moment is, they might just say chilis, instead. Chilis, as Nigella puts it "are quite exciting... [and] quite apart from the fact that chillies are so red and shiny, I feel they've been fashioned by Santa's elves." It seems unlikely that the first thought that pops into other people's minds when looking at chilis is that they are produced by elves, but their versatile and spicy flavor is just as likely to excite the imagination of a cook as a new toy is to excite a child.

In addition to being tasty, chilis have proven health benefits, which makes them fit neatly into the trend for foods that have to do with wellness and overall good health. Capsaicin, a chemical in chilis that gives them their heat, has been shown to slow the growth of and even kill cancer cells, alleviate inflammation, relieve chronic pain and even help to reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart attacks.

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Some of us love the Food Network. Some of us want to hate it, but can't. I am of the latter group. I want to ban the channel from my television for some of the things they have done to my viewing pleasure (Iron Chef! Bring back Iron Chef!), but I can't. I just can't do it because there are a few things that still capture my attention:

1. I love watching Michael Chiarello throw together some seriously delicious looking Napa-terranean meals; better yet, I love watching him stroll through the vineyard in his jeans, caressing his grapes. (Oh my, did I blog that second part out loud?!?!)
2. Tyler Florence is hot. I'd like to be Tyler's Ultimate.
3. There is a rumor that the original Iron Chef is coming back (it is on the schedule at 4 am right now). Not confirmed, but a rumor is better than nothing.
4. Paula Deen's food scares my fat cells, but she is too adorable when she is cooking with her sons.
5. Alton Brown is good eats. 
6. They will have Nigella Lawson some time this year
7. By some glorious semi-homemade alignment of the stars, every time I turn the television on, Sandra Lee is not scheduled (unfortunately, Rachael Ray is, but that's a different post).
8. Even though I am not a fan of Giada de Lauentiis, I like her taste in kitchens and clothes.