Mark Bittman -

by BS

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

– ESers are officially on the Mark Bittman bandwagon. Nicky:

I have to say I couldn’t agree more. I love Bittman or M. Bitty (as we jokingly refer to him in our house). His cookbook How to Cook Everything is excellent. It’s a wonderful resource.

ChiCityDame:

Yes, yes… I look forward to the online videos on Bitten every week. Please put this man on my DVR!!

You heard the people, Food TV execs — more M. Bitty!

– A few weeks back we covered the story of the world’s biggest cupcake. But cupcake queen C. Christy Concrete returns with a very good point:

A giant cupcake? Wouldn’t that technically just be a…cake?

Hmm…we might have to consult the Guinness people about this one.

– Finally, I’m not exactly clear how Summer‘s comment relates to powerful women in food, but she hits on Kraft singles, patriotism, and Heidi Montag’s boobs all in one go, so I’d say this one’s a winner:

by tvff

Please, Sir, I Want Some More…Mark Bittman

It’s not every day that I find myself advocating for more exposure of a middle-aged food dude with a somewhat elitist tone to his voice, but I have to say, we could all stand to be getting a higher daily allotment of Mark Bittman. Sure, his weekly column in the NYT is terrific and his cookbook, How to Cook Everything, is plenty good enough that we would be happy if that was all we got, but relegating him to the printed page or computer monitor is a bit of a disservice.

So I’m calling on the TV gods to grace us with even more Mark Bittman. He manages to bring obvious authority and knowledge to the audience while providing sound, simple recipes and tips, finding the difficult balance between being a food snob and a just-get-it-on-the-table home cook.

Not convinced? He’s got a few other things going for him. Here’s three compelling reasons Mark Bittman should be turning up on or TV screens at least as often as Guy Fieri.

in Celebs / TV / Veggie 8 comments

by Lyndsey

A Solution for the Crust-Fearing

I love baking pies, but I can’t tell you the amount of times that a pie crust has torn, fallen apart, or landed awkwardly into my pie plate, and I know it’s one of those uncomfortable predicaments for most home bakers. Am I right or what?

Fortunately, one of my favorite food writers, Mark Bittman, recently posted a recipe in the New York Times for his “Stone Fruit Patchwork Bake,” his cobbler-like solution to the finicky crust of many pies, and the difficulty of moving crust from the counter surface to the pie plate. Usually wrapping it in the rolling pin and transferring it that way works for me, but for those of us who are so crust-averse that they won’t even make a crust at all, Bittman suggests cutting the crust into small squares or rectangles and just overlapping them, instead of worrying about the whole transfer-in-one-piece process. And, by calling it a cobbler instead of a pie, you avoid the whole bottom crust altogether, increasing the fruity-goodness of each spoonful. Genius! Ahhh, Mark Bittman just makes it sound so easy. Check out Bittman’s inexplicably gangsta-tinged video instructions here.

So, what do you piemakers think? A brilliant solution to an age-old dilemma, or just semi-cheating? And to the crust-averse, will Bittman’s suggestion get those of you who don’t like handling pie crusts to give it another go?

(Photo: NYT)

in Desserts 2 comments

by tvff

Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: But She Has Sassy Bangs!

Hey, Food Network! What the hell are you doing?

Far be it from me to tell you how to do your job, but I’m starting to think you blew it with the first episode of The Next Food Network Star. Did you really start off the season by eliminating the cute, perky blond who identified herself as “Housewife 2.0?” She appeals to both the guys and the girls! I just don’t think you have the right mindset. And by “mindset,” I mean the typical reality show producer technique of keeping contestants around solely because they appeal to the audience and make for plenty of news coverage. In other words, the reason they kept that marginally-talented Susan Boyle on that British show for so long. (ZING!)

In other news, we’re running another contest here at Endless Simmer. Just give us your “last meal on Earth” and you can score some bad-ass Top Chef gear. I know what you’re thinking…”another contest?!?” It’s all part of our master plan to run as many contests as your local top-40 radio station. Be sure to stop back next week to nab some tix to the monster truck rally.

Shall we smörg?

A look at the folks on the upcoming Top Chef Masters: Slashfood thinks Kelly Choi could be “the new Padma” and Eat Me Daily wonders who the hell Jay Rayner is (other than an extra from Pirates of the Caribbean, by the looks of it.)

Gordon Ramsay finds out the hard way that Australian women don’t like to be called “pigs.” Who knew?

Post-jump goodness: a video podcast worth checking out, some gratuitous meat (and a burger, too) and a new way to get your gambling fix.

in Celebs / TV 7 comments

by tvff

Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Stop the British Judge Trend Before It’s Too Late!

How are you going to spend your tax refund? You know…that money that you overpaid in taxes but which you act like comes from hitting the pick-three lotto. It’s amazing how eager we are to blow it on luxury items when we get it on April 15th, but which we’d otherwise put away into investments if we received it every other week. Of course, these days, I suppose it’s less about “luxury items” and more about “mortgage payments and food.”

Times are tough, but you still need to splurge sometimes. This week, don’t feel bad about buying yourself some Fancy Feast for tonight’s dinner! On with the Smörg…

– Gee, Top Chef Masters looks like a pretty classy operation. You know what it needs? A British judge. Kill me now.

– “Hot” off his stint on the short-lived Chopping Block, Marco Pierre White will be cruising the world and showing tourists how to cook. For the traveler who likes to mix in some verbal abuse with his rest and relaxation.

– Mark Bittman rails against…well…the concept of edited cooking shows, I think. At least Bourdain narrows down his scorn to Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee. Focus, man, focus!

After the jump: Masochism…or a reasonable reaction to Gordon Ramsay? And Padma Laskhmi without any clothes (no, really!)

in Celebs / TV 6 comments