[Food] Favourite/ least favourite tv/celeb Chef ?

[Deportivo Seagull]

Keith Floyd was an arse. I was in training at HMS Raleigh( Leading Cooks course, not basic training) when he came to do one of his Floyd on Fish programmes. He arrived by helicopter, the down draught of which blew the ‘galley’ we had built out of waste timber, scrap iron etc over 2 days to shit. The premise of that section of the course was we had landed in a place where some kind of disaster had happened and we had to build a functioning galley out of scrap and feed 100 people.

He was just obnoxious and treated his poor young researcher, who actually did all the prep etc, like the shit on his shoe.

Anthony Worral-Thompson isn’t a very good cook.

What was it about Naval Chefs that were great laughs as junior ranks but as soon as the got their PO’s up they turned into miserable bastards? The exception being the PO chef on the Reliant who was a great laugh. I think mostly due to the prodigious quantity of alcohol that he consumed.

 

[Acker79]

I think I like most of them. I used to watch a lot of the food network and good food, it would be what I'd put my TV on when there wasn't anything in particular I want to watch. There are very few whose recipes I've tried I have enjoyed. I like picking up some techniques and approaches, but any time I've tried a whole recipte they've not worked, I followed a recipe from Ching He Huang that forced me to use toasted sesame oil and that totally changed my stir frys for the better.

Even when I was younger I would enjoy cookery programmes (even those that I later realised were reruns), Yan Can Cook, Julia Child, Ken Hom, Graham Kerr.

Watching cookery channels I got exposed to some international or less mainstream chefs such as Bill Granger, Luke Nguyen, Molly Yeh, George Calombaris, Rachel Khoo

On youtube I enjoy Sam The Cooking Guy. I usually also enjoy Mike Greenfield of Pro Home Cooks (though he can seem a bit like a culinary equivalent of a techbro at times, like when he wants to add a but of "salt and pep").

Generally I enjoy most of them. I do enjoy his programmes, but James Martin can seem like a precious whinebag at times. The sort of person who can ruin a holiday by moaning about the smallest inconvenience. And Rick Stein can come across as a petulatant sulker at times.

But they all generally have a love of food, which I appreciate and enjoy.

I would also highlight Big Zuu, who has a new programme on ITV this week. He previously hosted 'Big Zuu's Big Eats' on Dave, where he and his friends Tubsey and Hyder would cook for a 'celebrity' guest each week. I think his new show has a travel element to it.

 

[bhafc99]

Love me a bit of Rachel Khoo...

But more seriously, was sad that Bill Granger died over Christmas though, like a lot of his books.

 

[jackanada]

Jamie Oliver for me. I don’t care that he’s a bit annoying. His recipes work, and that’s all that matters.

Last time I gave him a chance I was making onion bhajis.
I totally winged my first attempt with zero reference to any recipe. I was very disappointed with the result.
Checked a few recipes, one of which was his. It turned out to be identical to what I'd done but he chose to call it deconstructed and stick it in a book rather than try again. Though I note someone has since pointed him in the right direction.
Not his fault, never finished learning his craft before he got lauded as god's gift.

 

[tedebear]

I am completely and utterly captivated by Tiny Chef on Nickelodeon at the moment...I haven't a clue how it turned up on my socials, and or why it tickles me pink, but the best tv chef EVER!!!

 

[Beach Hut]

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall​

 

[Arthritic Toe]

Love Nadiya

 

[Triggaaar]

yet I find nearly all his recipes either incredibly complicated, or have difficult to source ingredients or both. ... she bought herself one of his cookbooks two years ago and it's never been used....

So, which chefs come up with the simplest and best recipes on a regular basis ?

Maybe we could have a thread where people post their favourite simple recipes (with thread rules on max no. of ingredients or prepare time). I'd like to be better at cooking simple food.

 

[lawros left foot]

What was it about Naval Chefs that were great laughs as junior ranks but as soon as the got their PO’s up they turned into miserable bastards? The exception being the PO chef on the Reliant who was a great laugh. I think mostly due to the prodigious quantity of alcohol that he consumed.

Only miserable bastards made PO.


Except me, obviously.

 

[vegster]

Maybe we could have a thread where people post their favourite simple recipes (with thread rules on max no. of ingredients or prepare time). I'd like to be better at cooking simple food.

Last time I gave him a chance I was making onion bhajis.
I totally winged my first attempt with zero reference to any recipe. I was very disappointed with the result.
Checked a few recipes, one of which was his. It turned out to be identical to what I'd done but he chose to call it deconstructed and stick it in a book rather than try again. Though I note someone has since pointed him in the right direction.
Not his fault, never finished learning his craft before he got lauded as god's gift.

I still use recipes from Jamie's Ministry of Food book. Plenty of recipes in there are staples in our house. Maybe the relentless pressure of celebrity/business has pushed him past his abilities ?

 

[Weststander]

Last time I gave him a chance I was making onion bhajis.
I totally winged my first attempt with zero reference to any recipe. I was very disappointed with the result.
Checked a few recipes, one of which was his. It turned out to be identical to what I'd done but he chose to call it deconstructed and stick it in a book rather than try again. Though I note someone has since pointed him in the right direction.
Not his fault, never finished learning his craft before he got lauded as god's gift.

I think of Delia and Jamie Oliver as chefs/bakers who’ve never claimed to have a classic training, almost self taught, they brought practical cooking to the hoi polloi.

Ronay, Worrall Thompson and Rhodes all mocked Delia in the past. Snobs.

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Only miserable bastards made PO.


Except me, obviously.

Clearly. Obviously a WAFU in disguise.

 

[lawros left foot]

Clearly. Obviously a WAFU in disguise.

 

[Jesus Gul]

Has anyone mentioned Thai chef Poo of Cooking with Poo fame? Obviously a big seller at Bangkok airport gift shops for the play on words.

Not really chefs but I like the bitetwice pizza review boys on social media

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I like Mary Berry, and will watch whenever she’s on.
Nadia is also so enthusiastic, it’s infectious. I don’t like cooking, but have tried some of her recipes with success.

Least likely to watch Gordon Ramsey, who’s just a sweary bully.

 

[Muzzy]

Not on mainstream TV but a YouTube legend is the curry king Al. If you love an Indian, watch this guy and follow his recipes. You won’t find the need to order a takeaway again. Search Al’s madras or similar for whatever curry is your go to, and he will educate you in how to make them yourself. Every recipe is banging!
The fella has saved me an absolute fortune over the years.

 

[vegster]

I kind of hoped that most of the responses to my original post would be recipe based....I'm not too worried about the personality of Chefs, just their ability to come up with something nice from fairly mainstream ingredients which does not involve a faff. So no need to hate or love on personal terms, just the recipes.

 

[Machiavelli]

Floyd was probably the best watch. Delia is just a treasure. I love Raymond Blanc's infectiousness. Bourdain is a good call. Jamie Oliver is enthusiastic and I like his recipes.

Glad to see the pelters aimed at Martin, not that I allow him to cross my radar much.

 

[vegster]

Floyd was probably the best watch. Delia is just a treasure. I love Raymond Blanc's infectiousness. Bourdain is a good call. Jamie Oliver is enthusiastic and I like his recipes.

Glad to see the pelters aimed at Martin, not that I allow him to cross my radar much.

Good call on Blanc...he comes over as very passionate and a great bloke....oops I've fallen in now !

 

[Machiavelli]

Good call on Blanc...he comes over as very passionate and a great bloke....oops I've fallen in now !

On to your topic: I like Yotam's recipes, they work well and don't tend to take as long or be as difficult as most think. And not on TV but, if you don't know her, Rachel Roddy is another treasure, and the recipes are wonderful.