Comments on: The Wrong Message from a Former Prophet

By: We Are Never Full » Cacio e Pepe: A Spicy, Creamy, Simple, Cheap and Satisfying Roman Meal

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:23:00 +0000

[...] The Wrong Message from a Former Prophet (Delia Smith Jumps Ship) [...]

By: jensenly

jensenly — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:43:43 +0000

Thanks for the link to The Guardian article. The panel’s comments were hysterical! I love the Brits when they say things like “vile”, “revolting” and “squidgy”.

I second the motion for Jacque’s “Fast Food My Way” as a great example of easy, quick cooking. That man is just amazing to watch. I sure hope he’s got good longevity genes in his family. I will really be bummed when he goes.

By: melissa

melissa — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:25:06 +0000

Just came across this post of yours because it was mentioned on your top post as another post I might like…

Anyway, you make very good points. I agree wholeheartedly. It’s sad that people think I am being snobby when I say I refuse to buy packaged foods in any way. Their loss.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:02:13 +0000

All interesting stuff and she has certainly got the nation talking. Perhaps a rather clever and cunning move by Delia and team, to rocket Delia into the limelight again after being off our screens for about 5 years and also for younger people to become aware of her.
Who knows!!
It costs a lot of money to buy those individual products Delia wants us to buy – but I for one am not buying into it.
I try not to buy anything unless it has an identity. Tinned lamb certainly makes my stomach churn.
Using mashed potato in a chocolate cake is something I have come across before – but not the frozen stuff.
Great post.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:48:47 +0000

I actually commented on the Times article because this just drives me batty. My big problem with Delia is that she feels the need to trash the idea of fresh/slow food. It’s not enough to advocate the additive-laden crap we all know is available– she’s acting as though fresh, healthy food is some sort of unforgivable snobbery only the rich can afford.

The truth is that it’s hard for ordinary people to afford good, fresh ingredients and find time to cook them– that’s why we need chefs and cookbooks to show us how to do it simply, and to advocate for urban farms, making fresh food available in poor areas, and other ways of helping people learn how to feed themselves. To just chuck the goal of eating well entirely is unforgivable from a chef. We don’t all need to be Julia Child, but if TV can help us find the resources to eat better food, it damn well should.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:10:33 +0000

We all need Jacques Pepin. He’s tops in my book.

By: White On Rice Couple

White On Rice Couple — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:49:02 +0000

We don’t watch TV to really keep up with all the current events of TV cooking shows, but this does seem catastrophic for the food world. What tragic event would cause Delia to have such a change in food philosophy?

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:59:58 +0000

It *is* a crime to use instant/canned most of the time! And it’s not healthy. I think so, anyways.

I work full time and have a million things going on, but find time once a month or so to make a big pot of some stock or sauce and freeze it into single portions for later. I use canned tomatoes to make sauce, but at least I’m making my own sauce.

People need to learn that real cooking is not just for professional chefs, and doesn’t need to take a lot of time. I think Gordon Ramsey is doing a good job of spearheading that movement (even if he takes flack for “getting women back in the kitchen”).

By: J

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:44:55 +0000

I totally agree with you Peter, as Amy kindly left a link to your post on my similar blog entry I thought I’d take a look. I like many time pressured cooks have to occasionally resort to some short cuts but one consideration I don’t think mentioned at all is that the ‘new’ sort of cooking (sorry I mean assembling) Delia is advocating will be considerably more expensive than doing it yourself. We all know that you can buy a zip lock bag of grated Cheddar from the supermarket, but we also know it won’t taste anyway near as good as a wedge of tangy farmhouse Cheddar and also, it will be more expensive. Someone/something has to be paid to do that grating. I did look at the new book yesterday really just to check I wasn’t being unfair. It is not a new cookbook but a shopping and assembling manual. It specifies what brand and where you should buy your can of minced beef/packet of breadcrumbs/ready chopped garlic but if the hapless cook reads that and thinks well if Delia says I can make a decent Shepherd’s Pie from a can of M&S mince (which she assures us is the best (…of a bad lot I might add)) I could get a similar but probably seriously substandard by using any old strange dog food looking can of minced beef and as you said probably with every horrible preservative and nasty Delia has always seemed to be against. I am still in shock at her about turn and how she got the fabulous Nigel Slater to back her up and only looked slightly scared at this brave new world. All very sad! This new book will not be joining by 500+ collection of cookbooks, it is not worthy of the name cookbook!

By: admin

admin — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:28:47 +0000

Hi Nilmandra, thanks for stopping by. I agree that sometimes shortcuts are fine. However, everyone already knows that instant mash and stock cubes can be used instead of fresh potatoes and homemade stock, so why does Delia feel like she has to show us how to use them when her entire career has been built on advocating the use of real, fresh ingredients?

It just really bothers me that Delia and other TV cooks (mostly on telly over here in America, luckily for you) who should be teaching us how to be better cooks by showing us how to do things properly, are giving up on that and, instead, are encouraging us all to be just as sloppy and rubbish in the kitchen as we already are.