You're not going to believe Rachel Ray's new show

[Jenise]

"Rachael Ray is getting a new show on the network called The Big Tip, which follows Ray as she travels to various towns and tips "deserving waiters and waitresses." "

Her, of all people!

I hadn't seen her for years until I started taking Physical Therapy 3 mornings a week, and now I am forced to watch her. At first I honestly didn't recognize her (didn't she use to have cheek bones? She's filled out a bit!). Certainly I recognize her style. She made a Passover dish that involved sauteeing a lot of sliced onions in butter and then adding beef brisket. And serving with potato pancakes with a dollop of sour cream on top!

I will concede that most of what she makes looks like it would taste pretty good.

And I like her better than the VERY STUPID game shows!! Or Fox...

And I like her better than the VERY STUPID game shows!! Or Fox...

Low bar there, Frank.

[Jenise]

I hadn't seen her for years until I started taking Physical Therapy 3 mornings a week, and now I am forced to watch her. At first I honestly didn't recognize her (didn't she use to have cheek bones? She's filled out a bit!). Certainly I recognize her style. She made a Passover dish that involved sauteeing a lot of sliced onions in butter and then adding beef brisket. And serving with potato pancakes with a dollop of sour cream on top!

I will concede that most of what she makes looks like it would taste pretty good.

And I like her better than the VERY STUPID game shows!! Or Fox...

She used to have a show on the Food Network the opposite of what's described in the Food Network's press release above where she went around the country tipping very badly. That is, she had some low bar to satisfy, maybe $25 a day for a whole day of eating out in name some larger U.S. town. I maybe watched two episodes, I dislike her and this was hardly travel information I could use--but I recall an episode of Anthony Bourdain where he ate in a restaurant in Charleston mere weeks after Rachel's crew had been through, and he asked them if it was true about her and bad tipping. The waitresses' reaction was like, "Don't even get me started." Apparently there was no off-camera compensation for all the trouble they caused on top of everything else.

But I feel your pain for having to watch her in public places! Daytime TV is rank. I do not watch unless I'm stuck in bed sick, which coincidentally I have been for the last couple days with the Norovirus. Fortunately I discovered some cooking contest show on the Esquire channel (where did that come from, anyway?) called Knife Fight whose moniker is, "where the only prize if bragging rights." That was fun. I even enjoyed laughing at the dump cake recipe book commercial and companion dump dinner recipe books. Just imagine, Frank, you can put two pounds of raw ground beef in a pan, add a jar of spag sauce, a bag of macaroni and some water, and 30 minutes later you'll have a dinner everyone will wants seconds of!!!!

[Jenise]

Frank, I'm wrong, she didn't add water to that pasta dish!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p227z98e66Q

Frank, I'm wrong, she didn't add water to that pasta dish!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p227z98e66Q

Of course she didn't! Water would dilute the delicious and intense rustic flavors of the sauce, and then people wouldn't want seconds.

I did get one idea long ago from R.Ray. I don't even know why I happen to come across her show. Being a native Minnesotan who has done quite a bit of fishing she demonstrated a simple cooking manner that I have used ever since. It is so simple I can't believe I had never done it before. With thin fish filets like small walleyes, perch, sole etc and using a non stick or seasoned frying pan over medium heat, simply dip the filets in a beaten egg seasoned with a little salt and pepper and place them in the pan. When the egg is done on one side flip the fish. When the egg is cooked on the other side, place 1TBS water in the pan and cover to steam for a couple of minutes. Then remove the cover and cook until the egg is again firm.

It made me feel so dumb never to have thought of it myself. It is nonfat and you can really taste and appreciate the delicate flavor and quality of the fish. I have been serving that preparation to family and company ever since. It has become the crowd favorite as a preparation for thin delicately flavored fish filets.

Thank you RR

[Jenise]

Frank, I'm wrong, she didn't add water to that pasta dish!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p227z98e66Q

Of course she didn't! Water would dilute the delicious and intense rustic flavors of the sauce, and then people wouldn't want seconds.

What's so bad--and this isn't being snobby about the ingredients, they're just fine--is the horrible textures. Have you ever cooked pasta in something too thick? Doesn't work. Pasta needs liquid to absorb and if there isn't enough, which would be the case without added water, it merely softens. Terrible texture. For every step--like browning, simmering longer to develop flavor, etc--saved by just 'dumping', there's an unforgiveable loss of what's possible in the end result.

That said, I've begrudgingly gotta say that as a sheer moneymaker, the idea's rather brilliant and I'm sure that little lady's plucky confidence has mass appeal to her target audience.

Frank, I'm wrong, she didn't add water to that pasta dish!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p227z98e66Q

Of course she didn't! Water would dilute the delicious and intense rustic flavors of the sauce, and then people wouldn't want seconds.

What's so bad--and this isn't being snobby about the ingredients, they're just fine--is the horrible textures. Have you ever cooked pasta in something too thick? Doesn't work. Pasta needs liquid to absorb and if there isn't enough, which would be the case without added water, it merely softens. Terrible texture. For every step--like browning, simmering longer to develop flavor, etc--saved by just 'dumping', there's an unforgiveable loss of what's possible in the end result.

That said, I've begrudgingly gotta say that as a sheer moneymaker, the idea's rather brilliant and I'm sure that little lady's plucky confidence has mass appeal to her target audience.

So Rachael is your nomination for the "Hamburger Helper of Gourmet Food"?

[Jenise]

Hoke, differently little lady. It's not Rachel in the dump cake/dump dinner informercial. I've seen her in another infomercial demonstrating some cooking device--now she's just promoting her recipes.

[Jenise]

I did get one idea long ago from R.Ray. I don't even know why I happen to come across her show. Being a native Minnesotan who has done quite a bit of fishing she demonstrated a simple cooking manner that I have used ever since. It is so simple I can't believe I had never done it before. With thin fish filets like small walleyes, perch, sole etc and using a non stick or seasoned frying pan over medium heat, simply dip the filets in a beaten egg seasoned with a little salt and pepper and place them in the pan. When the egg is done on one side flip the fish. When the egg is cooked on the other side, place 1TBS water in the pan and cover to steam for a couple of minutes. Then remove the cover and cook until the egg is again firm.

It made me feel so dumb never to have thought of it myself. It is nonfat and you can really taste and appreciate the delicate flavor and quality of the fish. I have been serving that preparation to family and company ever since. It has become the crowd favorite as a preparation for thin delicately flavored fish filets.

Thank you RR

So the water provides enough steam to finish the fish without toughening the egg coating?

I did get one idea long ago from R.Ray. I don't even know why I happen to come across her show. Being a native Minnesotan who has done quite a bit of fishing she demonstrated a simple cooking manner that I have used ever since. It is so simple I can't believe I had never done it before. With thin fish filets like small walleyes, perch, sole etc and using a non stick or seasoned frying pan over medium heat, simply dip the filets in a beaten egg seasoned with a little salt and pepper and place them in the pan. When the egg is done on one side flip the fish. When the egg is cooked on the other side, place 1TBS water in the pan and cover to steam for a couple of minutes. Then remove the cover and cook until the egg is again firm.

It made me feel so dumb never to have thought of it myself. It is nonfat and you can really taste and appreciate the delicate flavor and quality of the fish. I have been serving that preparation to family and company ever since. It has become the crowd favorite as a preparation for thin delicately flavored fish filets.

Thank you RR

So the water provides enough steam to finish the fish without toughening the egg coating?

Yes, If the filet is really thin I skip the water part completely.

When the egg is cooked on the other side, place 1TBS water in the pan and cover to steam for a couple of minutes.

This is a similar technique to what a short-order cook friend describes as a basted egg -- her superior replacement for sunny-side up; superior because the quickie steam bath causes the white to set but isn't enough to toughen the yolk.

This is a similar technique to what a short-order cook friend describes as a basted egg -- her superior replacement for sunny-side up; superior because the quickie steam bath causes the white to set but isn't enough to toughen the yolk.

If we wanted sunny-side up eggs, my dad always did them basted. In his view, they were easier to make and came out better.