Love Anne Burrell

[MaryKatesMom]

I just finished watching a "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" show and I really like what she does. She has the same enthusiasm for food and cooking a young Emeril had in way back when he first started in Essence of Emeril. Such as when he said, “Lamb shank’s you see ‘em, you buy ‘em baby.” I tried her Beef Bourguignon and thought it was excellent. She marinated the chuck overnight with large and easily extractable hunks of onion, carrots and celery. I hadn’t seen that before but it did a great job of tenderizing the meat.

Her show has a nice balance of professionalism without snobbery and accessibility without pandering. Just seems a nice cooking show without the host being more important than the food. Feels like what the food network used to be.

[ttoommyy]

Anne's an OK gal. I used to lover her restaurant in NYC, Centro Vinotecca, when she was head chef, but she hasn't been there for quite some time now. I wish she would open another restaurant.

In addition to the grunting, she needs to stop using the word "crap" on her show. It's an unappetizing word to hear when watching someone cook.

[CapreseStacy]

Anne is definitely a favorite of mine. I can get past the Cookie Monster sounds because I do learn stuff from her show. I like some of her euphemisms ("Brown food tastes good" and "Thank you for coming" bowl) Can't get on board with her aversion to using pepper, and I've never noticed the tasting/retasting thing (but now will probably be distracted by it), but every recipe of hers I've tried has been a smashing success. I enjoyed watching her on Worst Cooks and Chopped. You go, Anne!

[MsDiPesto]

One of my favorite shows, she actually shows you how to do things, and she has mad skills. She has a competitive streak too, as evidenced on Chopped.

[invinotheresverde]

I can't recall exact examples, but I remember thinking she seemed like quite the cocky douche on Chopped.

[wincountrygirl]

Anne is one of the few chefs on FN who you can learn something from. She is up for an emmy.

[mels]

Anne Burrell's show is one of the few I have actually been inspired by or learned something from on Food Network.

[cstr]

I've made several of her recipes, all came out very good, she does offer some good techniques and cooking tips, like drying off fish before putting it in a saute pan to get it crisp etc. Also, like most celebs, I take away what is valuable for me. As for most of the other celebs on FN fagetaboutit.

[paris221966]

I like Secrets of a Restaurant Chef too. She has a strong yet fun style of cooking. Out of every single female chef, I like Anne Burrell the best.

You go girl - snap around and a high five =P

She should be on TV even more! Ciao! =)

[Robinez]

I like her, too. She just has an infuriating habit of double dipping. With a spoon, her fingers...

Now, I know that she isn't feeding anyone on this show, except for maybe the crew, she should just know better. And the fact that this is a teaching show should lend itself to proper hygiene.

[cowboyardee]

I like what she does - she's all about the food, she teaches real technique, she has obvious passion for the food and actual knowledge of how to prepare it. As the food network goes, she's one of the good guys.

But I can't watch her. Her mannerisms make it seem like she's perpetually talking to young children, and I can't believe no producer has stepped in and asked her not to do that creepy, grunting 'hubba hubba' voice she uses every third sentence.

Which is a shame, because she's got it right in all the more important areas. Her cooking is also a little basic for me (I know that sounds cocky, and I don't even mean it as a criticism, but it's true - I'm generally not gonna sit through 30 minutes of TV for tips I already know).

[scubadoo97]

Well most of the shows are a little basic in technique. If I can learn one little pearl of knowledge from a show I would be happy but it takes quite a few to find that one pearl. I think her show is at least more about the food and classic prep. I really hate the grunts as well

[cowboyardee]

Most cooking shows are a little basic, granted. But there is some variation. I'm more likely to pick up something I don't already know, even if it's not a cooking tip per se, watching Alton Brown. Julia Child packed her show with so many little procedural tips that I'll still often pick out something I didn't know watching her reruns. Heston Blumenthal's shows are packed with techniques and information that's new to me - it's a shame he hasn't done more TV. And then of course, anybody teaching a type of ethnic food that I haven't practiced cooking very much is useful to me - my other issue with Burrell is that she's working in a cuisine that I know fairly well (again, not a criticism).

I never meant the comment about her show being 'basic' as a criticism. Just a disincentive for me personally to watch her.

[James Cristinian]

Yes, the creepy grunting makes her totally unwatchable.

[James Cristinian]

I really wanted to like this show, as I liked her on Iron Chef with Mario Batalli, but I can't get past the noises.

[paulj]

Mute the sound and turn on close captioning to follow the program without the noises.

[scubadoo97]

You listed the exceptional shows where it's about learning. Toss in Jacques Papin and Great Chefs programs and a few more and you have a winning list of shows where you can possibly learn something to adapt into your cooking methods.

Most of the shows on FN are just not that good. Personalities and a shtick that makes them likeable. More reality TV in cooking shows today with all the competitions. To sum it up the majority of cooking shows out there are more entertainment than education. Some purely entertainment.

[mcf]

If it gets rerun, record her bolognese sauce episode. I love her food and technique, but also find her manner irritating. AND her unhygienic taste and retastes, as another poster mentioned.

[EWSflash]

+1 with your second paragraph- I loved watching her on Iron Chef when she was working for Mario Batali, though.