The Barefoot Contessa on Food Network - Doesn''t anybody else watch this?

I''ve been watching the show on and off for a few months. It''s oddly soothing to me but Ina Garten (sp?) is a bit too ''precious'' for me to relate to. She''s constantly entertaining her ancient gay friends and when she HAS made food for groups of people, I get the impression they''re all uber entitled Hamptons types.\ \ She seems okay but I don''t get the impression this little tea kettle of a woman would give me the time of day on the street. She seems to live in a perfect little bubble. UGH! Yet, something draws me to the program when I''m channel surfing and come across it.

• Get with the program, OP: Ina is the faggiest of all Food Network fag hags. In fact, she doesn''t even know any straight men...

  Marie Cohn

• Not even my husband, R1!

  http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/fart_1.wav

  Ina Garten

• By contrast, I like the "Neelys" from ''Down Home with the Neelys'' or whatever that show''s called, but I can''t handle watching it more than a couple of minutes with the way the husband says "GEE''NA" and they always find ways of getting their eye-rolling kid on camera. They may be big in Tennessee, but they''re fucking annoying on television.

• My fantasy would be a dinner party catered by Ina and hosted by Jean and Lionel Hardcastle in their London townhouse.%0D\ %0D\ How soothingly gay is that?

• For those not willing to download R2''s wav, Ina has a flatulence problem which has been addressed on DL.

• I downloaded R2''s wav and I''m glad I did!

  Julie

• My bf loves to put her on and zone out. He says it''s like those old shows on PBS where the guy would paint pictures of pine trees and speak in a hypnotically low drone.\ \ Ina doesn''t strike me as a very confident chef -- I hate her chopping techniques and her obsession with measuring salt and pepper -- but some of her recipes that I''ve prepared have been really good, e.g., chicken piccata and fruit salad with limoncello (big hit at a dinner party).\ \ But give me Lidia Bastianich anyday -- there''s a chef who knows her way around a stove!

  Beano

• While I have no doubt that Ina in real live is little like her TV persona, I have never heard or read anything that would lead me to believe she is not a nice person in real life.\ \ As far as those Neely people (mentioned above) are concerned, I CAN''T STAND THEM! That wife talks to that guy like he''s retarded. She''ll ask him to chop a half an onion and when he''s finished she says in that silly ass childish voice of hers "GOOD JOB"! I wonder if she says that every time he pops his load when they fuck.\ \ One thing I do know about a TV cook is that all those supposed "friends" Giada cooks for on her show are just employees of the food network. I''m quite sure Giada wouldn''t invite any of those people into her home if her life depended on it, unless it was to clean.

• Yeah - someone wrote that a few "friends" on Ina Garten''s shows are also paid extras. But she does have her stable of older gay men that frequent the show who do seem be friends. \ \ Giada''s "friends" are all her assistants (her makeup person, her personal assistant). She says so much during the show. She used to include her family members, but I guess they got bored with the filming process, which is probably a huge drag.\ \ The Neeley''s are impossible to watch. He looks like he would hit on any intern under the age of 23, and she''s got one of those voices that could cut steel.

• There was an error in one of Ina''s books and I e-mailed her and she personally called me and left a message on my machine to thank me for the correction and sent me a package of elegant recipe cards the next day as a small thank you. So, I''d probably say she''s pretty close to her TV persona in real life since she was so nice to me.

  Ina''s Prissy Fart

• [quote]But give me Lidia Bastianich anyday -- there''s a chef who knows her way around a stove!%0D\ %0D\ Marry me, R7. Marry me now!

• I''m not crazy about Ina''s show for two reasons:\ \ Her constant, irritating nervous laugh when the show has her cooking with another person. She end almost every sentence with this unnecessary cackle.\ \ The show inserts these shots of Ina, her husband or one of her gay friends going to a shop for supplies, flowers, bread, whatever. These bits are set up to seem spontaneous but YOU the viewer knows that someone had to get to the store beforehand and set up the camera, lights, etc. Save the money and cut these stale outside shots.

• Lollipop Giada can''t eat around friends, because they actually eat. She picks at teeny-tiny portions and then heads to the john.

  Candi Rue

• R10, did you hear her fart during the message?

  Just curious...

• She has amazing skin for a 60-something.

• I like her. She comes off as the real thing, although some threads lable her as bitch. I like the way she speaks and her recipes are good. She''s a keeper...

• Ina is like watching on TV on qualudes, in a good way. One annoying thing: when she sets to taste something, she always looks like she''s about to lose her dentures. I don;t know if she even has dentures, but she forms her mouth around the spoon or fork as though it will break her teeth. It''s really strange.

• Ina''s show is my favorite on the network. I agree with many of the comments regarding her friends, especially all those shots on the outside or in shops, etc. If they got rid of the B.S. she could cook a lot more. Her recipes are great, but I prevented some disasters by reading the comments posted with her recipes on cooking times, ingredients,etc.%0D\ %0D\ The Neelys are terrible. Count how many times he says..Y''all.

• Lol, R17. It''s like she''s not sure how she looks on camera and doesn''t want to make a mistake and spill everything down her shirt.

• I like her show, and I like her recipes. They''re pretty straightforward and all but a couple have turned out perfectly.%0D\ %0D\ I also love the fact that her "Family Style" cookbook makes express reference to same-sex couples as among the definition of "family."

  Ina''s Self-Amused Giggle

• I love Ina, wish she would invite me to dinner.

• "I don''t get the impression this little tea kettle of a woman would give me the time of day on the street. She seems to live in a perfect little bubble."\ \ I get the impression you are a very insecure reverse snob of a twit.

• I like her.

• She does have a lovely complexion, & she''s thoroughly gay-friendly -- but possibly the best thing about her is her recipe for Blue Cheese Cole Slaw.

  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blue-cheese-cole-slaw-recipe/index.html

• I like her. I have heard she is the real deal and very down to earth not at all like the Hamptons set. The old time Hamptons set maybe. Not the new Jewish princess set.

• Love her! I agree with everyone who said her demeanor is soothing. Watching her show is like watching golf - very relaxing.

• at one time didn''t she work in government as a diplomat or something? she cooks too much seafood for my taste (allergic!), but some of her sides & desserts look wonderful.%0D\ %0D\ the neeleys are too lovey-dovey for me. c''mon, they''ve been married how long? i love their recipes, but it''s just too much luuuuv for me. gag me with a wooden spoon. i can''t bear to watch it.%0D\ %0D\ i like rick bayless on PBS. it''s called something like "mexico one plate at a time."%0D\ %0D\ btw: someone please slay that grub-eating andrew zimmern.

  pumpkin

• I like Ina, but I''d like her show a lot more if she had two hot sons like Paula Deen''s helping her out on the show. The genteel, dowdy queens of Southhampton she hangs out with ain''t cuttin'' it.

• Ina has some really good recipes. I''ve made a couple of them and gotten rave reviews.%0D\ %0D\ As for the Neeleys, I live where they have some restaurants and there have been times where their scores have been pretty conserning. There have also been a couple other issues there. While the food was pretty good, I won''t be going back.

• spelling, ugh! *concerning*%0D

• I love Ina. Watching her show inspired me to get some better knives and really start cooking. Most of her recipes are fairly easy to make, you just have to watch out for the butter content. Yeah, I know - how bad is that?%0D\ %0D\ I went to a cookbook signing (MARY!) and Ina is very sweet and chatty in person. But she SMOKES! I didn''t see her do it, but I could smell smoke on her clothing. Tsk tsk.

• I miss Sara Moulton-Howe...big glass of red and a few friends watching her cook a nice, simple meal.

• r29 are you referring to their inspection or sanitation grade?%0D\ %0D\ oh dear...

  pumpkin

• I love her because she''s rich and fat and doesn''t doll up like most Hamptons broads do.\ \ I can''t stand that shrewish Giada with her 20" waist and those damn huge teeth of hers. I don''t trust a supposed celebrity chef who isn''t at least pudgy. Giada probably goes to her dressing room and purges during every commercial break.

• Ina''s Indonesian Ginger Chicken is wonderful. %0D\ %0D\ 1 cup honey %0D\ %0D\ 3/4 cup soy sauce %0D\ %0D\ 1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)%0D\ %0D\ 1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root %0D\ %0D\ 2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed %0D\ %0D\ Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. %0D\ %0D\ Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. %0D\ %0D\ Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. %0D\ %0D\ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. %0D\ Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. %0D\ %0D\ Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you insert a fork. %0D\ %0D\ Makes 4 to 6 servings.%0D\ %0D

• Her royal plumpness will never be first lady of NY, like me. My tablescapes will adorn the dining room of the Governor''s Mansion.\ \ Suck it, Fatty!

  Sandra "Kwanzaa cak" Lee

• r36 yum. also sounds very easy.

  pumpkin

• It''s soothing to me, too, OP.

• How easy is that?

• Liz Lemon and her bf Caroll watch it.

  "I Can''t Be Like Jeffery Garten! I''m Not As Strong As That Guy!"

• I''m watching the "Two Fat Ladies" on the Cooking Channel. I miss them.

• I had to give up cable. Is there a new season of Ina''s show, also are there new Good Eats episodes?%0D\ %0D\ Oh and I adore Ina. Her house is my dream house. %0D\ %0D\ I can''t stand Giada. She is as phony as a 3 dollar bill.%0D\ %0D\ When I had cable I could never watch The Neelys. %0D\ %0D\ Back when I could afford the ingredients I made many of Ina''s recipes and each and every one turned out great, even the first time.%0D\ %0D\ I like Lidia''s recipes too but I heard that off camera she is a snooty bitch and her son acts like he is God''s gift to earth. %0D\ %0D

• From what I hear, she can be somewhat uncouth, (as can many women of her background). \ \ She belches and breaks wind in public frequently. Her farts are also not silent, but they are deadly.

• I love her, she has a sweet kind face and reminds me of my aunt Melanie that just died.

• Did she die of shame because you don''t know to use "who" instead of "that," R44?

• r45, how eager and tiresome you are.

• Should we have ended with "are," R46?

  Auntie M.

• Yeah, I love Ina''s soothing program. Her food really does look great, spending a half-hour in her little Hamptons bubble is soothing indeed, and she''s so sweetly gay-positive.%0D\ %0D\ Giada''s food also looks very good, but her program is not soothing at all. I sit there wondering if she ever eats when the camera is off (I think not), and the scenes with the "friends" are so damned awkward. %0D\ %0D\ But my favorite program is still the unintentionally hilarious "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee". That woman honestly doesn''t care about taste, it''s all about eye appeal. And she has dreadful taste in clothing and decor, too, it''s just mind-boggling to watch.

• I can''t watch Giada because her teeth are so huge, they''re distracting.%0D\ %0D\ But then I also can''t watch Nigella because her breasts are distracting. (And being gay, I don''t mean that in a good way.)%0D\ %0D\ I actually like that Indian woman who''s on Sundays at 12 - the one who won the New FN Star a month or so ago. She''s pleasant enough - as opposed to when she was whiny and insecure during the contest - and her recipes look do-able. Although that curried hot dog thing she did a week or two ago was a bit strange.

• Television academy members watch Ina, OP.\ \ They awarded her this year''s Emmy as Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host for her work on "Barefoot Contessa".\ \ She beat Rachael Ray for "30 Minute Meals", Bobby Flay for "Grill It", Peter Ishkhans for "Peter Perfect", and Ming Tsai for "Simply Ming".

  Ina and her gays celebrated by eating Aunt Sandy''s Kwaanza Cak

• Contrary to at least one other here, I LOVE Ina''s laugh. I love a gal who will let out with a big ol'' belly laugh like Ina does. She doesn''t try to be all upper crust demure and fake ass hoity toity. \ \ Ina''s good people!

• OP? Why on earth does everything in the US have to be geared toward the lowest common denominator? What the hell is wrong with a show about fabulous living, fabulous food and fabulous parties? Instead of "reverse snobbery", you should look upon this program as a means to better your life.

• R48, just wait until Sandra is First Lady of NY & has free reign to decorate the Gov''s mansion & decide menus for state dinners. Tomato soup lasagna & tablescapes galore!

• I love how Lidia''s son never fails to remind people that he has 23 restaurants; leaving out the fact that they''re all because of his mother''s celebrity. He seems like a total douche and I almost didn''t watch Master Chef because of him.

• Lidia's son Joe is Mario Battali's business partner. I love Lidia, but I think she's a bitch in RL. I particularly love that she gets sloshed at the end of each show.%0D %0D Giada has a huge head to go with her huge teeth. Her mother is very attractive.I like many of her recipes, but she is very awkward.%0D %0D I adore Ina even tho maybe she isn't always so nice.I think she would be very polite to you, but in your place. You can't over step yourself with Ina. %0D %0D I get tne impression she's a snob in that she collects people of accomlpishement. It doesn't matter what they actually do as long as they are creative interesting and successful. Ordinary investment bankers are nothing to her.%0D %0D Sandra Lee's fun to watch but I'd never eat anything she cooked. The one who grosses me out is Paula Deen. Watching her eat those huge portions, with the whipping cream smeared around her mouth makes me gag. She is clearly a woman who doesn't get enough sex, if any.%0D %0D The Neeleys get on my nerves. I cannot watch them! I have many Black friends who think they are gross, too. They are very offputting. I think they are phoney, and they act like clowns. %0D %0D They try too hard, they're self-conscious, and they are putting on an act because they think that's what the audience expects of them.

• Lollipop Giada''s grandmother was the fabulous, glacially remote Italian film star Silvana Mangina, er, Mangano.

  Candi Rue

• Try her fish in a mustard/creme freche sauce. Excellent and done in 15 minutes.

• I like Ina. I do have to be in a very low key mood to watch a whole episode.\ \ But I''ll take her any day over Down Low with the Neelys.

• I wonder if Lidia's pukey son is a party in the lawsuit against Batali. Batali is accused by several employees of stealing their tips for years. He's one I literally get nauseous when I see him. He's just a big fat pile of sweat and I don't like dirty looking people handling the food I'm about to eat. As far as Sandra Lee is concerned, I like the woman. She's come a long way from her less than humble beginnings and I hear she's a very nice person in real life. Regarding her set designs I'm quite sure she has little to nothing to do with that. Food Network employs people to do all that stuff. Sandra likes her tables to look pretty. So what's so wrong about that. Her show is the #1 show on the Food Network. And I have tried a few of her recipes when I was in a rush and they were all enjoyed. Not everything has to be 100% from scratch to taste good. If everyone was forced to cook like Martha and Ina do on their shows, everyone would starve to death. And trust me, they may not admit it but Martha and Ina and all the other celeb chefs do things like Sandra Lee does all the time.

• Batali stole tips from employees? I''m not surprised since Eataly is a complete ripoff. You want quality imported goods from Italy at a reasonable price? Go to Brooklyn.

• I love watching Inas show, but I wish she wouldn''t do the "my favorite place in PARIS" thing. She doesn''t need to do that, it''s absolutely unnecessary.

• I''m always surprised to see that Mario Batali is still among the living.\ \ He''s cardiac arrest waiting to happen.

• Ina''s Tuna Rolls are delish and fast to make. \ She''s a sweetie.\ \ Paula Deen''s recipes are good too, but way too fattening and she seems so greedy and desperate when she starts tasting her buttery food.

  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/grilled-tuna-rolls-recipe/index.html

• What is up with the fart story? Is it at all true? Please, etymology of fart story please.

• If you really want to get shit-faced in the afternoon, turn on Ina and do a shot every time she pulls an Ina-ism.\ \ Every time she says "flavor" drink. (She says it ALL the time. "I like food with great flavor." "Make sure your soup has great flavor." "Parsley adds so much flavor.")\ \ Every time she says "How _____ is THAT?" drink. \ \ Every time she giggles nervously, drink.\ \ Every time she tells you to "use the good kind," drink. \ \ You''ll be in the gutter in a half hour.

• Ha!\ \ Take a drink everytime the Neelys make you nauseous and you''ll end up in the hospital for alcohol poisoning.

• Pat Neely has to be on the down low.

• *Very* funny, r65

  "Jeffrey loves my chicken...I think I hear him now"

• "If you really want to get shit-faced in the afternoon, turn on Ina and do a shot every time she pulls an Ina-ism."%0D\ %0D\ Yeah, use THE GOOD KIND. Because it gives such GREAT FLAVOR. She uses these the way most people use "you know" and "um".

• Every single time she uses vanilla extract she exhorts her viewers to use GOOD vanilla extract. As if people hadn''t ever thought to use good ingredients, only really shitty ones.

• Ina and Martha always say to use the expensive Nielsen & Massey vanilla extract, but Cooks Illustrated did a blind taste test and found that most people actually prefer the cheap imitation vanilla in baked goods. It gives a more pronounced vanilla flavor. However, when preparing something that isn''t cooked, the real vanilla extract is preferable.

• No, R40. If you want quality imported Italian foods Brooklyn isn''t the best place to get them. YOu gotta go to Jersey. Seriously.%0D\ %0D\ The problem with Ina''s farts, OP, is that they are a reflection of her diet. You really are what you eat. %0D\ %0D\ Since she loves all that heavy cream and butter, whole eggs, dairy, etc. and she''s a meat eater, her farts are ripe and pungent and remind you of s distinctive rotten egg-like odor. %0D\ %0D\ It doesn''t just waft thru a room, It sits there like heavy incense. And God help you if she''s eaten garlic. They had to close down one establishment to fumigate after she left. Poor dear.

  LidiaB

• I prefer the Bare Ass Contessa. It''s from the same outfit that did The Naked News.

• I love Ina - but prefered her show when it was in her own kitchen for some reason. The barn just doesn''t cut it for me.%0D\ %0D\ Her gay posse - T.R., Jack the Realtor, Michael the Florist, Miguel,etc. are all proof positive of who she is and how she feels about gay people. %0D\ %0D\ Her brownies are wonderful. Her Asian noodle salad with peanut butter - OMG so good. %0D\ %0D\ Ina said she was inspired to do her tv show because she loved Nigella Lawson''s show and I had been a Nigella addict before I knew about Ina. And oh yes, miss the Two Fat Ladies!!

• R60, I''ll bet one of the places you''re talking about is D. Coluccio & Sons on 60th ST. If so I love that place and they have fair prices.

• Ina''s recipes are great. %0D\ %0D\ The Seafood Gratin is to DIE for!!!%0D\ %0D\ %0D\ The one time Lidia''s son was a judge on Iron Chef, he seemed like a complete snob, devoid of any personality. He took it all so seriously. %0D\ %0D\ Although I do love Lidia''s food as well. Her cookbook was the first one I ever bought and actually made stuff from. %0D\ %0D\ The Neely''s are disgusting. %0D

• I think both the Neelys probably had their stomachs stapled, if they eat what they cook.%0D

• Downlow With The Neelys...THAT should be the name of their show if the FCC really cared about fairness and truth.

• I imagine Ina Garten''s farts to smell of Land''s End denim, vichyssoise, and the green layer of 100 hardboiled organic mallard eggs.\ \ Sandra Lee''s farts just smell like Kahlua and the off-gas from a poly-blend Talbots twin set.

  Farting With the Stars

• Speaking of Kahlua, I made Sandra''s Kahlua tiramisu, and it was pretty good. She also did some kind of quick curry dish with shrimp once that was okay with very little tweaking.\ \ I don''t hate the Neely''s, though I did try their muffuletta spread recipe and it was bland.

• I really like her, but I grew to like her. She''s a very pleasant human being. Which is rare for TV.

• "The Seafood Gratin is to DIE for!!!"%0D\ %0D\ %0D\ It sure as hell is! And if you eat enough of it, you will.%0D\ %0D

• I love Ina''s show for the complete phoniness of it. I have known women like Ina and places like the Long Island area in which she lives and can now look upon them with a tolerant amusement. But for real hands on cooking give me Lidia for Italian and Jacque Pepin for everything else. These two have worked in the trenches and researched their dishes. The rest of the so called chefs are hacks who spew out over done meals that were conceived by someone else and have been disgorged upon the public at inflated prices for decades.

• The Nellies are horrid. Look at her TONGUE! Good lord, there is enough yeast on it to bake five wedding cakes. And, she is ALWAYS sticking that thrush infected monstrosity out of her mouth when she laughs, talks, cooks. Awful.\ \ I think he and his brothers are the real deal. The back story is he with his older brothers had several restaurants and were approached by Food Network to do a show. The other brothers did not want screen time so their youngest bro came up with the idea to make it a wife and husband team. She is not really a cook but has taken over the show because of the money. Supposedly the other brothers absolutely hate her and resent her fake ass.\ \ Also, local gossip is, he is on the downlow, she knows it and married him only after her first husband left her in huge debt.

• r83 is correct. Lidia, Pepin, and I would add Ming.

• I doubt there are any DL''ers who live on Staten Island, but if you live in Monmouth County get thee to "Top Tomato" for your imported Italian specialties. And for prepared foods.\ \ But most especially for fresh produce, which is unbelievably inexpensive. I don''t know how they do it.\ \ There''s one in Freehold and one in Brick.

  http://www.toptomatosuperstore.com/

• She may be nice and cook nice things, but I get the creeps from her show and it''s pretentiousness. Put it on a Hamptons PBS station, but spare the rest of us.%0D\ %0D\ There are so many more interesting people who cook for real folks. Not many us get to have garden parties on our personal estate.%0D\ %0D\ When she comes on, the channel changes.

• [quote]The Nellies are horrid.%0D\ %0D\ Hey, now. The show was called The Hearty Boys, and it ended a long time ago.

  Lidia''s Hair Plugs

• Oh my goodness, r88! Lidia really is losing her hair!!%0D\ %0D\ I''ve been watching her shows on that PBS CREATE channel and she does not have a lot of hair. %0D\ %0D\ %0D\ Lidia is absolutely real and her way of teaching is great. %0D\ %0D\ I''ve only made the Seafood Gratin once. Way too expensive ingredients.

• Who farts louder? Ina or Debra Monk?

• She ate my pussy in 1978.

• I ain''t gonna eat no ood by some broad who cooks barefoot.

• [quote]Ina said she was inspired to do her tv show because she loved Nigella Lawson''s show and I had been a Nigella addict before I knew about Ina.%0D\ %0D\ The style of the Garten''s show has much in common with Lawson''s. Though Garten is more ambitious and serious-minded about cooking, it''s Lawson who has the superior talent for easy familiarity and seeming effortlessness in all things. She has a great talent for persuasion, to the point that things I know I wouldn''t like seem somehow appealing, even mouthwatering. Lawson could just about sell a peace plan in the Arab-Israeli conflict -- and have time left over for running a few light errands and whipping up a quick dinner party for thirty.%0D

• Nigella is a true Goddess.%0D\ %0D\ My god the woman is beautiful.%0D\ %0D\ %0D\ Too bad the kids look like her 1st husband and not like her. %0D\ %0D

• I think Ina''s show has the same producers as Nigella''s show. Or at least it did at first.

• I first became aware of Ina Garten from her appearances on the Martha Stewart show. At the time, she was running her very successful food store, Barefoot Contessa. She used the recipes she developed for the store in her appearances on Stewart''s show. I always enjoyed her, and every recipe I tried was quite good.\ \ I don''t really care how wealthy she is. She has worked very hard for a lot of years and she earned it. I think I would mind the references to her posh lifestyle a bit more if she weren''t so hard-working.\ \ Eli Zabar was her mentor, and he taught her that the best ingredients are vital for good cooking. I think that''s why she stresses that so often.

• You don''t get Eli Zabar as a mentor or even as a friend or acquaintance unless you''re already wealthy and one of the "in" people. So that had to have come before all the hard work.%0D\ %0D\ Ina was born to well to do folks and then worked at the White House. It wasn''t like she was some poor person that started a business from nothing. Also Barefoot Contessa was already a successful business when she bought it. She did work very hard once she had it. I''m not saying she didn''t but it''s not like she had no money or connections when she began. She also had a very well to do husband so she had lots of room to fail and that lessens a lot of the pressure of having a business.%0D

• How bitter is R97?

• Give me Sandra Lee''s drunken rags to riches story over Ina''s sanguine Hamptons lifestyle any day.

  The Voice of the Night

• I like Ina but I really like Ann Burrell from Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. \ \ Hate Rachel Ray.

• Burrell is good and her recipes are tasty. But her show is equally suited to be a drinking game if you drink whenever:\ \ -she says "brown food tastes good"\ -she deposits something in the "thank you for coming" bowl\ -she uses her Fat Albert voice (saying, for example, "BIG MEAT")\ -she calls herself a "happy girl"\ -she uses salt by the fistful\ -she says, "that''s how we roll"\ -she mentions "the whole shootin'' match"\ -she''s going to "rock _____ out"

• Ina and her poofter husband are right wing Republicans who worked in the Nixon Administration.\ \ She laughs at the aged twinks in her life doing the gay step-n-fetchit routine.

• That''s bullshit, R102. She''s a registered Democrat.

• Burrel is as gross as the Neely''s, especially when she growls.

• There was some story about her selling the Barefoot store to friends and then proceeding to make sure it when under or they had to sell.

• Ann Burrel has a great deal of enthusiasm for what she does. %0D\ %0D\ Love her for that. It''s infectious. %0D\ %0D\ Made a couple of her recipes and they have been very good. %0D\ %0D\ %0D

• I don''t know what Anne Burrell''s show is like, because I look at her and all I see is Guy Fieiri in drag.

  The Voice of the Night

• It is a fact that these two right wingers met when they were working for Nixon. She is a fraud

• R108\ \ You don''t know what you are talking about. She was in high school and he was in college when they met.\ \ Try harder.

• Further to R108''s nonsense: %0D\ %0D\ She worked in the White House from 1974 to 1978 during the Ford and Carter administrations. Why do people post here that know nothing about what they are talking about?

• r108 is probably Sandra Lee.

• It''s always Cocktail Time for R108!

  The Voice of the Night

• She worked as the White House accountant in the Carter administration. \ \ Jeffrey started in the Nixon administration when he was fresh out of college, but he also worked for Ford, Carter, and Clinton. He could very well be Republican, given the tone of his articles. He is definitely pro corporate America, as you can tell from reading a few of the things he wrote for Newsweek:

  http://www.newsweek.com/authors/jeffrey-e-garten.html

• Gaseous bump for Turkey Day.

• To get back to your original point, OP, why should she give you the time of day if she saw you walking down the street? Do you somehow think she''s obligated to talk with everyone she passes?

• She has practical recipes that are well tested before being published, so home cooks can be confident about using them.\ \ But I think the primary appeal of her TV show is her calm personality & the relaxing pace of her easy routine at a charming home in a comfortable environment.\ \ My new favorite on that score is Laura Calder & her lovely life in France, as seen on Cooking Channel''s "French Food at Home". A younger, svelter version of Ina Garten, who produces fantastic food in a serene atmosphere.

  http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/laura-calder/index.html

• I''m going to surprise my friend Jeffrey with a picnic lunch of salmon croquettes, some lovely Brussels sprouts with chestnut butter, and for dessert a bombe flavored with figs and hazelnuts from my garden. And we''re going to eat it on the counter of the bookstore he owns in Town! Then I''m going to ride home on my bicycle...farting all the way.

• Isn''t Ina the one who sweats a lot? I could never enjoy her show or the food because I was always grossed out by the sweat that was inevitably dripping into it as she cooked.

• Ina did today''s "Google doodle" (pie crust, eggs, sugar, etc).

• Oooh, R116, I''m loving Laura Calder too! It''s the chic dresses, the expensively cut hair, the ridiculous Canadian accent, and gorgeous food! \ \ \ She''s minorly goofy, too. Which is a huge plus.

• I don''t like the food she cooks but I like to watch her prepare and cook it, anyway. I remember the time she had kids one and made this very adultish pizza with salad on top (and the kids *had* to eat it like that, instead of leaving it off their personal piece) and a cake with old people candy on it. You know, the kind they keep in a glass jar? It was cool that she let them decorate it but she seemed a little, I don''t know cold/strict with them.

• My fantasy is to be one of her gays and get to cook in that fab kitchen of hers and walk the lovely grounds and live that snooty Hamptom life yet have get togethers to support liberal causes. I''ll be the lobster bisque.

• R17, honey, she''s a fat girl. That strange thing you notice is her willpower trying to overcome the urge to shove her face into the dish she just prepared. It''s like a battle between her hand and mouth; neither wins. The hand is trying to push a small, dainty bit towards her lips and her jaw is unhinging to take in a tray of amuse bouche.

• You just have to go buy a chicken from my East Hampton neighborhood, dress it with a $90 bottle of olive oil (the flavor) and stuff it with another $40 of herbs. Then pick vegetables from your acres of land on the shore and dress them with truffle oil and saffron. You can chill it over night and heat it up when you come home from the job you don''t actually have.\ \ A $300 dinner for two?\ \ How easy is that?

• [quote]Who farts louder? Ina or Debra Monk?\ \ Ethel Kennedy

• Ina lets one rip in a pastoral setting.

  http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/11/24/alg_ina_garten.jpg

• For your info that house in Malibu on the beach from which you can see the Pacific Ocean rolling in, is NOT where Giada and her family live. The production co. who does her show rents this house for a few weeks every yr. so they can tape her shows. She annoys me by constantly saying..."and," "and now," "and then"... I find her low cut blouses equally annoying as no one wants to see her cat boobies (the size of walnuts). She bugs her eyes like Betty Boop, looks to one side and then speaks. She's not the world's greatest cook as she uses panchetta and lemons in almost every dish she makes. What I do enjoy is when her Aunt Raffy cooks with her as Raffy openly declares Giada always gives her the dirty job of cutting up onions or veggies and then "bosses" her around!

  Elaine

• I wonder if Ina owns any blouse that isn't dark blue? Does she sleelp in this blouse too? Goodness, the woman has mega bucks and could afford to purchase a nice wardrobe and have her hair done....nope, not Ina. I'm quite sick of seeing gay men at her table...the florist (with the same unexciting flowers), the photographer, Miguel, who doesn't know diddly, T.R. the gay model, the older, ugly gay men who are always invited to her parties, etc. Wake up, Food Network, you need to change this, but then I realize the man who controls these shows is also gay! Dang, can we get a reprieve from the same ol' boredom without the gays being shoved down our throat? What disgusted me with this woman was when she refused the wish of a dieing child to "cook with Ina Garten," who said she didn't have time! WOW!..you don't have time to fulfill the wish of a child who is terminally ill from The Make A Wish Foundation? That tops the cake, doesn't it! Bet she would have tme if the child was the son of one of her wealthy Hampton friends! Jeffrey is a stooge who acts like he's never eaten before....same ol' scenario as he suddenly shows up, she puts her arm around his shoulder, (he never shows any sign of affection towards her), she laughs nervously, he pays no attention to her, stares intently at the food and is fixiated, then digs in and sighs and gasps, "this is delicious!" Gosh this is corny. Why am I watching this crap? Oh, and don't forget to use "good olive oil" for lots of flavor! Huh?...who uses bad olive oil? Ever notice she never pays for anything at the vegetable stand, the butcher, flowers or anything else. She must assigns every penny to the production company as she never spends a cent.

  Peggy

• R127, I agree with all of your Giada DiLaurentiis criticisms -- but what about her TEETH? I think of her as JAWS -- she's a pretty girl & a nice big smile is a lovely thing, but the TEETH are just too much!

• Peggy/R128, get another drink. And then take a few pills. Take a nap. Then wake up and forget how many you've taken - then take some more. You'll then overdose and you won't have to be bothered by Ina again.

• I'll bet when the cameras are off none of these celeb chefs cook or even make a coffee. I'm sure they have staff that does everything from them. Probably the only time Jeffery ever gets to taste anything Ina makes is when the cameras are rolling. If I really loved to cook I'd still cook even if I were filthy rich. Of course I would like someone else to clean up the mess. I admit that. Today I made tons of sweet potato fries with onions, roasted garlic and fried peppers and onions for the freezer so now I don't have to make them for a long time. What a fucking mess of pots and pans and having to clean the sink and stovetop and cutting board, etc. I love the cooking part but all that cleanup (when I cook with raw meat or fish I give my kitchen a cleaning like it's been exposed to plutonium) that's the part I'd love to have a staff to do.

• I really like Ina. She always seems so calm and composed. I have tried many of her recipes and they are all very good. Her show does, however, make me wonder if everyone in "the Hampdens" is an elderly, gay, male!

  Maureen

• [quote]What disgusted me with this woman was when she refused the wish of a dieing child to "cook with Ina Garten," who said she didn't have time! WOW!..you don't have time to fulfill the wish of a child who is terminally ill from The Make A Wish Foundation? That tops the cake, doesn't it! Bet she would have tme if the child was the son of one of her wealthy Hampton friends! I think it was discovered that it was the mom who wanted to cook with Ina, not the child. The mom was using her child to get Ina to come and cook with her.

• Lately she's been doing a lot of shows with hoi poloi "face time" - children at the local high school, local firemen, etc. Watching her interacting with them is a supremely awkward experience. Like, she keeps looking at the camera, concerned how everything is coming off.

  The%20Good%20Vanilla

• Her recipes are the most delicious, reliable and fool-proof around. The only thing I've made of hers that I didn't care for were her lemon bars, which were too think and didn't set up properly.

• She doesn't really cook though, does she? It's mostly assembling things.

• I think she's lovely.

  A really good mayonnaise

• I loved the early seasons of Ina's show - when she was on videotape and it was the old house. Even the hokey stories with her friends had a certain charm. Now her show is so plastic. I hate the 'barn' and Ask Ina is just really pointless. But you cannot fault her for including her gay friends - and their partners - as guests on her show. She's a total class act in that regard. How bad can that be?

• Ina is as wonderful in real life as she is on her show! I sent her an email to thank her for the Barefoot Contessa show and how much it meant to so many of us in Joplin, Missouri who lost our homes and many of our friends and family in the EF-5 tornado that devastated our city on May 22, 2011. Ina not only was following the tornado, she responded personally with her love and well wishes. She had nothing to gain from this, but did it out of the kindness of her heart. We love Ina in Joplin and would adopt her in a heartbeat if she came here to visit!

• I would love, love to see Ina do Iron Chef. Imagine her frantically trying to assemmble her gems and being told 'walk away'. How BAD could that be???

• Honey, Ina wouldn't step foot in Joplin, Missouri.

• [quote] Ina not only was following the tornado, she responded personally with her love and well wishes. She had nothing to gain from this, but did it out of the kindness of her heart. Oh, please. I don't give a rat's ass about Joplin or the tornado victims. I'm just doing my best to pretend I'm kind and sympathetic after I got slammed for snubbing that little Make-A-Wish brat.

  Ina%20Garten

• No R133, it wasn't. That was just a story invented by Ins's crazed fans.

• I think that whole cancer kid debaucle was blown all out of proportion. Why should she have dropped everything to cook with some kid just because he was sick? Are celebrities automatically obligated to do whatever a sick kid or soldier (thinking of all those celebrities who got asked to be dates to army/marine balls for a while there last year) asks, or else be deemed a monster?

• You know what? All you jaded, ever-so-sure-of-yourself reverse snobs who have already decided that anyone like Ina (meaning anyone who has more money and class than you do) could not possibly have any genuine, sincere feelings or motives for anyone but themselves are the one that 'wouldn't step foot in Joplin, Missouri'. Not only has Ina come to Joplin, she DID SO in a manner that was not advertised or trumpeted in order to gain brownie points (which was Obama's only reason for showing up . . . eventually). It never even made the news because she did not come for any reason other than letting a group of her die-hard fans know she was so sorry for our losses after the storm. I will keep all of you haters in my prayers because you truly are the dregs of the earth, talking trash about a wonderful, classy woman like Ina!

• SPLORT! Oh my goodness, I'm sorry! All those fava beans last night! Hee.

  Ina%2C%20giggling%20and%20backing%20out%20of%20the%20room

• On her show yesterday she did an al fresco gathering for a pack of rich bitch blonde whores and Alec Baldwin. He was the only male there and he looked like he was constantly on the verge of just grabbing one or two of those cunts and beating the living shit out of her. But I loves me some Ina Garten and her little fat Jew hubby.

• Be sure to use really good salt.

• The Make A Wish thing bugged me so much I stopped watching.

• i cant put into words how much i loathe ina garten. first of all her pretentious attitude is hard to watch. durring her show she makes it seem like shes the only one on the planet who knows how to cook. for example when she has people on the show especially jeffery she makes it seem like they dont know how to do anything. she even described making something as simple as whipped cream to be a daunting task for most people! it irks me how while she measures she never forgets to say make sure you use really good: "vanilla extract, etc." ive even heard her say be sure to use good salt. really? her show is one of the most obviously scripted ive ever seen. has anyone noticed that when someone is sent to the store they all say about the same lines? oh and dont forget at the end when her payed actors eat her food and pretend that its the most impressive thing they've ever had all the while their faces are telling a different story. even the simple things bug me like how she wears the same exact kind of shirt every episode, and how french school students love radishes on salt. i lived in france for 17 years and know this to be a myth. now that i am back home in the states it really makes me wish she would just go live in france since she likes it so much. that way i wouldnt have to see her on tv.

• [quote]Ina is as wonderful in real life as she is on her show! I sent her an email to thank her for the Barefoot Contessa show and how much it meant to so many of us in Joplin, Missouri who lost our homes and many of our friends and family in the EF-5 tornado that devastated our city on May 22, 2011. Really? You were standing in the rubble of your city and the only thing that kept you going was the thought of Ina Garten? REALLY??

• You should have felt the velocity of the "Joplin tornado" Ina let loose the other night. I was in my own bedroom down the hall and it still blew off the sheets.

  Jeffrey

• I hate Ina and I hate her husband Jeffery even more! Those 2 infuriate me!

  Chang%20Chang

• On the other hand, R150, she knows how to spell & punctuate & use capital letters.

• OK....I was visiting relatives in my home town this weekend, and the nice theater in town was advertising "An Evening with Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa." The event is in February. Just out of curiosity (and because my mother loves her) I checked for ticket prices. They start at $62 or something. The only other information is that it is a live. 1.5 hour presentation. Any idea what she does for that amount of money and for that amount of time?

• It's like Gallagher, except with wind power instead of a sledgehammer.

• Why is Ina associated with farts? I've never seen her fart. Where does this come from?

• [154] ya you're probably right, but then again I bet she knows how to spell simple words like "and"

• I'm not the greatest fan of Ina, but in fairness she did run a food store and knows all the ends and outs of cooking. As for providing eye candy, why doesn't the Food Network approach romance novel cover model Nathan Kamp? Apparently his real passion, besides modelling, is food and he would be just perfect for fronting a series perhaps about sourcing out the best restaurants and eateries. And he would be eye candy for the audience of both sexes!

  Whatever%21%21%21%21

• Ina always says "good" when describing an ingredient. "Make sure it's good vanilla." "Make sure it's good olive oil." "Try to find a really good balsamic vinegar." But, unlike Martha, it sounds like she says it just to be helpful. Martha would say it in such a way that you wouldn't dare attempt the recipe unless the ingredients really WERE "good."

• And don't forget, R160, "it's gonna taste SO good". In one episode she paid a scripted visit to one of her artisan type stores to pick up three small meringue cases, the sort you get a dozen for about $2-3 in your local supermarket. Ina paid $12 without a whimper. I am sure we can all relate.

• I don't understand why people call her pretentious. It seems she goes out of her way to keep things simple. Her show is called "back to basics" for peets sake. Yes, her "good" olive oil is pricey as are some of her ingredients, but she always comes across as helpful, not bossy or snatchy. I'd like to see her sit on Giada's face and let one rip.

• Classic lines: "How bad can that be?" "Jeffrey just got a new promotion..." "We're gonna add _____ of some good _____...."

  Hate_Ina

• R163, don't forget "I mean, how easy is that?" "Who wouldn't like that?" "Fabulous.." "I love arugula, it has such a nice peppery taste.." "Mmmh! I can't wait for Jeffrey to try this." "I thought I'd turn the volume up." Also, listen to the sounds on her show. She always clinks her measuring spoons on the counter, after she adds "some fresh ground black pepper" she sets the spoons down and you hear a merry "KLINK!!!" sound.

  This%20comes%20from%20a%20place%20of%20love%2C%20I%20adore%20Ina%20G

• Why is she so damn fat? I can't watch her.

• R163, you are so right. I can't lie; I absolutely love the show, but it's just too affected. Her friends, the Hamptons, the get-togethers. It's all too much.

  Hate/Love_Ina

• I tried to watch her but her nervous laughter is very annoying. She laughs at everything! Her response to every comment or statement is to nervously laugh. Doesn't she feel comfortable or acceptable around her gays?

• I like Ina's show, but I can't stand her cackling laugh either. Born and raised in the South, so I love the Neely's. I got to meet them in Memphis. I also got to spend 9 hours with Paula Deen when I won a contest and got to appear on her show. Now that's one woman that's "what you see is what you get"....true blue, that one!!!

  Melody NC

• You probably find an unfamiliar subculture (WASPy snobs) to be alluring which explains the draw. Same reason white kids from the suburbs listen to gangsta rap.

• I hate the way she breathes on camera. This sort of wet asthma-y effect. She has this sort of pretentious, holier than thou attitude that I can do without also. I like watching cooking shows but they should be hosted by someone I can relate to. Not some pompous bite in the ass.

• R170 so you are more of a Sandra Lee fan?

• No...can't watch. And you're are correct...she's unrelatable...NOT authentic.

  http://dawnspitfire.wordpress.com/

  Dawn

• Well I will say Ina's recipes do turn out. As much as I love Paula Deen, I don't always have good luck with Paula's . I really like Ina and her husband. But don't they have any straight friends? I think Ina's probably really nice. They have just always been wealthy and not outside their bubble in the real world.

  Hollybelle

• I will agree the Neely's get overbearing and they have the biggest fattest people as guests on their show. Where do they find these people? Some of their recipes are good, but a little of them goes a long way.

• wow, after reading all the comments, i had a great laugh!! i do like the show, however, but i've often wondered why she hung around mostly gays; it's so annoying & everyone at her get-togethers seem sooooo fake!!

  mrs carroll

• R175 I think the reason she has so many gay friends is that there are a lot of gays in the catering/party planning business. The times she has a straight guy on he is another chef or is a female guest's husband or maybe a butcher or fireman when they do a firehouse ep. I plan on making her blue cheese slaw soon because so many here have raved about it.

• [quote]I plan on making her blue cheese slaw soon because so many here have raved about it. If you like blue cheese, you won't be disappointed. The first time I tried it, I made half the recipe for a test batch & ate the whole thing in one sitting. And it's good for you!

• Forgive me if this has been answered, but what caused the estrangement between her and T.R.? (Had to laugh at how she pronounced his name, like the first part of tiara.) Today she was drooling all over Joe Somebody, a local chef, I gather.

• R178, I think he wanted his own show, or something, and Ina wouldn't help him. Ina is all about Ina.

• R177 OK I made it and just had some now. It's a good thing I have to meet a friend later or I would finish it too. DAMN YOU ALLLLLLLl!!!!! (ps I have enough ingredients for a 2nd batch) DAMN YOU ALLLLLLLl!!!!!

• I'm must wondering if the OP's obesity has killed her yet, the homophobic cunt.

• I like Ina. As a lot of other people have already mentioned, she's one of the few TV Chefs who has recipes that actually turn out and taste good. I've gone through several of her recipes and the only one that didn't work out for me was a cupcake recipe. I don't understand the hate that a lot of people have on here about constantly having her gay friends on. Why is that a bad thing? If she didn't, some of you would be complaining that she's homophobic. Some people can't ever be pleased.

• Hm, the one recipe of hers that didn't come out right for me was a cupcake recipe too. R182, by chance were you making the German Chocolate Cake cupcakes? The eggs curdled when I was whisking them into the frosting. I tried as hard as I could to try to break them down but the frosting had bits of yellow in it. It tasted delicious and didn't bother me, but my husband doesn't like to see eggs (though he eats them in baked goods) and in truth, the yellow bits made them look a little unappealing. Other than that, I love her recipes although I have learned that anytime her recipes call for fresh squeezed lemon juice or lemon zest start with 1/3 as much and work your way up if needed. She's a fan of fresh lemon flavor and of course, it does make a difference, but not everyone likes so much of it.

• R183 [quote]by chance were you making the German Chocolate Cake cupcakes? No, the ones I made were the ones with her chocolate Ganache frosting. The ones she shows with the violet flower on top. She's recycled them a few times on her show, but the episode that stands out was the one where she had recipes with the "Magic Factor." I have been meaning to try making the German Chocolate ones though.

• Oh ok. Well like I said, the German Chocolate Cupcakes were superb except for the egg malfunction. I think maybe when making the frosting, add the coconut last instead of before the eggs. This way, if the eggs do curdle you can break them down with the wisk more thoroughly than if the coconut was in the pot with it. They really did taste good.

  R183

• Glad you liked the coleslaw, R180. There are worse hangups. It actually is pretty good for you -- after all, the cabbage is roughage (which is politely called "fiber" nowadays). And you can make it a little more healthy by using half low fat mayo & half low fat yogurt, I can't tell the difference. I've also use the bagged slaw mix to save time & that's fine too. The important thing is the blue cheese!

• And T.R. is all about T.R. R179. He's lucky she let him on her show in the first place.

• How do we know there's an estrangement? Perhaps he's just too busy to be on her show anymore.

• Everything i've made of hers has turned out perfectly, including the cupcakes. I love how simple her recipes are, even if the ingredients are occasionally a little pricey. *** pfffffttt ***

• Her boxed mixes are a joke. She charges $100 for her brownie and cupcake mixes.