Anne Burrell = No pepper?

[gregb]

I have noticed that Anne Burrell has NEVER used black pepper in her cooking show. Whether it be seasoning a steak, roasting vegetables, or making mashed potatoes the pepper is nowhere to be found. She is professionally trained, so who am I to criticize, right? Anyone know if she has a reason for the lack of beautiful ground peppercorns in her cooking or is it just personal preference?
I tune in sometimes in the hope that she might say "I never use pepper because..." but she never does and now it is a great curiosity of mine.

[desshak]

I personally never use black pepper or any kind of pepper in my food except bell peppers. They are way, way too spicy for me. I personally wish that most of the chef's would lay off of the pepper. They never consider us out there in the world that can't tolerate it. I go to restaurants and ask the waiter or waitress is the dish spicy and they will assure me that it is not and sure enough, I won't be able to eat it. Of course, Anne Burrell uses red pepper flakes and those are more spicy than the black pepper.

[Parrotgal]

I sympathize with you, but to me everything has indigestible bell peppers in it, and they always say it doesn't! Funny, but even though we have opposite tastes here, I totally relate to having a hard time finding something you like without what you don't. I think sometimes if you don't mind something you don't even realize it's there. And no, you can't "just pick them out"--they permeate the dish.

I personally adore black pepper (and pink, green, white) as well as spicy peppers, just not bells--or other peppers grown too near bells! Love me some red pepper flakes.

[alkapal]

my brother in law can eat cooked bell peppers, but raw bell peppers do not agree with him at all.

[irishnyc]

I think those of you that cant' tolerate black pepper are very VERY few and far between. Very. Interesting first and only post.

[monavano]

I sometimes gasp at the amount of salt AB uses. Seriously, food does not need that much salt. My fingers swell just watching her!
I do find her chef insights to be helpful, however.

[bjc]

I was wondering the very same thing! Thanks for asking. It was bugging me, too. Now I know.
And, like so many others, I'm really tired of looking at Giada's cleavage and would be SO relieved if they all were required to wear chefs' jackets. Who cooks with their hair hanging down and w/jewelry on anyway?

[irishnyc]

She doesn't even allow black pepper in her restaurant.

[KTinNYC]

She no longer runs a restaurant.

[mels]

She owns Centro Vinoteca in NYC.

[KTinNYC]

No, she was the chef at Centro Vinoteca and she has now left.

http://gothamist.com/2008/09/23/anne_...

[mels]

Interesting! I was under the impression she owned it.

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Leah Cohen from Top Chef is now the Chef de Cuisine at Centro Vinoteca(she was the sous chef)

[sarabean]

omg she is the worst. now i don't like anne burrell as much since she obviously hired her...

[C. Hamster]

Then maybe you don't want to read about what else allegedly happened there .....

http://www.slashfood.com/2009/12/04/a...

[sarabean]

ok, i need a shower after that one!!

[eLizard]

she did make a pepper exception for her carbonara....

[LindaWhit]

Earlier thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/576533 It seems she just doesn't like it, according to an interview with The Gothamist: http://gothamist.com/2007/08/10/anne_...

[alkapal]

didn't she used to not use salt, or am i "mis-remembering"?

now, i know she uses it, certainly.

ps, show producers, can we cut the shocking colors and cluttered set? she by herself is quite a bit going on. the show in its entirety is unsettlingly distracted in tone. then again, maybe it's just me.

[stellamystar]

Yes, poor Anne. She needs a set decorator like yesterday. And, her show is "secrets of a restaurant chef" - right? Why not a more industrial setting so you really know she's a Pro?

[gregb]

I find her grunts and the use of the word "earl" entertaining.

[cuccubear]

lol, those are the things I dislike about her most :-)...that and her non-stop chitter-chatter. I only catch the show occasionally but her constant patter is distracting.

[HungryRubia]

I agree...I think her wardrobe is distracting. I would prefer to see her in a chef's jacket.

[eLizard]

what about her wardrobe is distracting? most of the other chefs on the network don't wear the chef's coat: Giada, Tyler Florence, Flay (in some instances), and Emeril (in some instances). I don't know if Guy Fier or Alton are considered chefs, but they don't wear whites, either, at least I don't think.... Would you prefer all the trained chefs wear coats?

[HungryRubia]

Whoa...down boy!
I just don't care for the bright colors. I don't think all TV chefs should wear chef's coats, but considering the title of the show and her culinary pedigree, I would like to see her in more chefly attire and not trying to look like Giada or Sandra or any of the other "chefs" on the Food Network.

[eLizard]

first, i'm a girl. second, i meant nothing by it. just asking out of curiousity. sorry if my tone didn't jive with my intentions.

but i think giada is a trained chef. or am i wrong.

[alkapal]

the word on giada is that she attended culinary school, but did not graduate from culinary school, and since she has not run a professional kitchen, by definition she cannot be a "chef". (if she'd run a kitchen she could be called "chef").

has anyone noticed that giada's speech is becoming more breathless and intimate in tone? i mean, haven't they already sexed her up enough?

~~~~
anne burrell would be flattered by a chef's jacket. her clothes (knit tops, esp.) are too tight and you can see her bra-bulges, straps digging in, etc. i'm not bein' mean, just bein' real.

[KTinNYC]

Giada did run a catering company and by some definitions she could be called a chef.

[HungryRubia]

That's exactly why I would prefer to see her in a chef's jacket...I just didn't know how to say it with out sounding petty and snarky.

[LindaWhit]

While I agree with the fact that her current outfits would be better covered by a chef's jacket, I think the purpose of her show (or one of them) is to say "You at home can make food just like restaurant chefs do!" and being in street clothes is less intimidating than her wearing a chef's jacket. She's not cooking in a "restaurant kitchen atmosphere" - the set is, essentially, a "home kitchen"; hence, the street clothes.

[HungryRubia]

Hmm never thought of it that way, Linda.
I guess I can see how the audience that FN is going for these days could potentially be intimidated by a chef in a coat. I guess they want to make her more accessible to those folks.

[smtucker]

Anne Burrell has stated often that she doesn't like black pepper, so she doesn't use it. I don't think that she forbids others from using it, so add away!

[dmd_kc]

I'm generally with Anne. I don't care much for black peppercorns, especially cooked, unless they are the focal spicing of a dish (but there, I love them). I don't really get what it has to do with a lot of flavor profiles, especially those with a lot of umami.

I think it's flavor noise and just too assertive for most things. And the preground stuff? I don't think it even smells or tastes remotely like freshly-ground.