A celebrity chef is called a celebrity chef often because they cook and have great personality on camera. They are able to draw people to the kitchens. They give people confidence to try cooking for themselves. This is why though they are not true chefs, people like Rachael Ray have their spot in front of the camera.

TV has a hundred and one tricks to make cooking look really fast and easy. This includes making some of the dishes before the show starts or having the make up of the celebrity chefs constantly retouched so that they don’t look like they sweat while they cook – like the cooks truly do.

This is why the shows of Bobby Flay and Rachael Ray are so popular. Almost all the dishes that they feature on their shows really are prepared within the time allotted by the network. Add that the food really comes out delicious, as well as beautiful to look at, is it any wonder that their fan base keep growing?

Here’s an easy recipe from Chef Bobby Flay (Throwdown With Bobby Flay) that is really great. Try this Philly Cheese Steak for yourself:

Ingredients:

• 2 to 2 1/2 pound strip loin, trimmed
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Soft hoagie rolls, split 3/4 open
• Provolone Sauce, recipe follows
• Sauteed Mushrooms, recipe follows
• Caramelized Onions, recipe follows
• Sauteed Peppers, recipe follows

Directions:

Place steak in freezer for 30 to 45 minutes; this makes it easier to slice the meat. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice very thinly.

Heat griddle or grill pan over high heat. Brush steak slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 45 to 60 seconds per side.

Place several slices of the meat on the bottom half of the roll, spoon some of the cheese sauce over the meat, and top with the mushrooms, onions, and peppers.

Provolone Sauce:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, heated
1 cup grated aged provolone cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the provolone and Parmesan until combined; season with the salt and pepper.

Sauteed Mushrooms:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms (cremini and shiitake), coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil and butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Caramelized Onions:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons canola oil
3 large Spanish onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook slowly until golden brown and caramelized, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Sauteed Peppers:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 poblano peppers, thinly sliced
2 Cubano peppers, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in medium saute pan over high heat. Add the peppers and cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper.

I think that you either love or hate True Blood. It’s one of those things that absolutely have to take sides. Personally, I started liking the series. About midway through the first season, however, I just got so bored! I stopped watching, but I am already thinking of picking up from where I left off. People have been telling me left and right that I should have stuck it out a few more episodes, and that if I had, I would be raving about it now.

Another reason that has got me thinking about watching the show – or at least getting the DVD set – is celebrity chef Tom Colichio’s appearance. In the Season 2 DVD, there are a lot of extras included – as one can expect of any DVD set. I am particularly interested in the segment where the chef makes a drink (blood, of course) for vampires.

The drink is for vampires who do not want to “eat” humans simply for ethical reasons. Yup, there are vampires who have given up this habit and stay clear of “free-range humans” as well. So, the chef, who has quite a few friends who are vampires, decided to come up with a solution to the dilemma.

If you want a taste of what the DVD has to offer, check out the video below. You’ll certainly want to see more after watching the chef showcase his talents. Oh yeah, did I mention that he’s kinda cute? Even if he’s not a vampire.

How is that possible? This self-contained, cheerful, talented, and good-looking British chef has been reduced to tears? By his American cousins? No way, right?

If you haven’t already heard, Jamie Oliver’s latest stunt is to conquer America through his show Food Revolution. His aim is not so small: to wage a full-blown war against fat in this country of excess. Indeed, put that way, it seems that Jamie might be fighting a losing battle!

You have to say this of Jamie: he is not a coward. He headed off to Huntington, West Virginia to carry out his crusade against fat. What’s in Huntington? Well, it simply is the unhealthiest city in the country, with the distinction of having the highest rate of diabetes. Good luck, Jamie.

Despite his charms and rational approach (I think it’s pretty rational and quite inspiring, too, actually), the population of Huntington were not charmed. Not at all. Read what the Herald Sun reported:

However, the city’s adult population, nearly half of whom are considered obese, were far from keen to be preached to on the topic of healthy eating.

In one clip of the show, which ran a preview on Sunday, a talk show host at a local radio station is seen berating a stunned Oliver, commenting: “We don’t want to sit around eating lettuce all day. Who made you king?”

I’ll make him my king any day!

Anyway, the resistance and meanness of the people he encountered seems to have worn away Jamie’s chirpiness. Still, I am sure he’ll get back up and continue with his crusade. We’re behind you on this, Jamie!

Have you been missing Emeril? Honestly, I haven’t. Still, I find him interesting to watch every now and then. I cannot forget that home style beer clambake that he did one time (many years ago). Anyway, those of you who have been wanting to see more of the “bam!” will be thrilled to know that Emeril has partnered up with ION TV for a whole new TV show.

Dubbed “The Emeril Lagasse Show,” it will be aired on a weekly basis. The hour-long TV show will premiere on the 28th of March at 8pm and will be aired every Sunday. Here’s more information from the Press Release:

“The Emeril Lagasse Show” will feature one of America’s most popular chefs as he has never been seen before. Each week, Emeril will welcome celebrity guests, musicians and entertainers to break news and break bread as Emeril shares his world, his friends and his passions with the studio audience and viewers at home. A house band will be on set, playing live music and interacting with Emeril, guests and audience. The show also will include entertaining and surprising field pieces that will be shot in and around New York City where the show will be taped. TV veteran Karen Katzand After Five Productions, which executive produced Lagasse’s long-running Food Network series, “Emeril Live,” will be executive producer of “The Emeril Lagasse Show”.

Reading that, it sounds quite familiar, doesn’t it? Maybe it is NOT a groundbreaking show, but at least Emeril fans will get to see their favorite chef on TV regularly again.

Something new is coming to American television and it will get the average joe cooking and competing with others of his own caliber! Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is reportedly bringing MasterChef to the US and he is excited about it. MasterChef, unlike other cooking shows, features amateurs. That is, the contestants will have no cooking background and will only bring their innate talent with them to the kitchen.

While the basic idea behind the show will be the same as the original MasterChef in the UK, Ramsay says he will do some things differently, and I am not in the least bit surprised. After all, Chef Ramsay has not risen to popularity because of conformity, has he?

He says that he will not stand for chefs (pros or amateurs) stuffing their faces when tasting their concoctions. Whether it is on or off camera, Ramsay says he will be tasting the food in little bits. He also admitted to having problems with vegetarian dishes and claims that he needs MEAT. That’s the way to go, chef!

So when will we be seeing MasterChef on American TV? I haven’t gotten the exact details but it should be anytime this year – preferably sooner than later. As we all know, however, Chef Ramsay is quite the busy bee. He has several shows in the US already (Cookalong Live, Hell’s Kitchen, and Kitchen Nightmares USA among others), not to mention his UK shows. Then there are his restaurants which are scattered all over.

We just have to wait and see, I guess.

If you have to ask who Ted Allen is, then I think you may not be following your celebrity chef world as much as you should! Or maybe you’re new to this world…in any case, take a quick look at that photo and you should instantly recognize the face behind the name. I suppose the most common association would be Iron Chef America, for Ted Allen has been appearing as a judge regularly on that show.

So who is Ted Allen? How did he become famous? What does he do?

As I mentioned, he is a regular in Iron Chef America, but he actually started out as one of the guys in Queer Eye for a Straight Guy. He’s also made regular appearances in Top Chef. His career has skyrocketed like a firecracker on the 4th of July and he has now two shows on The Food Network: Food Detective and Chopped.

More than his busy schedule on the boob tube, Ted Allen also has his hands full with writing gigs. He has been contributing to the magazine Esquire. He used to be a food critic and editor.

He does have a lot on his plate, and he has degrees to back everything up too! He has a Bachelors in Psychology (Purdue University) PLUS a Masters in Journalism (New York University). Ted Allen is not just your run-of-the-mill food critic or cooking show judge – he adds a plus factor to everything he touches. For more of Ted Allen, watch out for those shows I mentioned above.

The much celebrated cooking show, Iron Chef America, is making history – it just filmed an episode at the White House, no less! The news is that First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the cast and crew with open arms. She was even the one who introduced the secret ingredient at the beginning of the show, sidelining the Chairman. Another important aspect of the episode is that the food that the chefs prepared came from the vegetable garden of the White House. In addition to this, this is the first time ever that a First Lady is going to appear on a TV show. Talk about breaking new grounds!

CNN tells us more about the show, which is going to air in January:

The episode will feature White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford as well as celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse.
Cook-off judges include British chef Nigella Lawson, actress Jane Seymour and U.S. Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin.

During her appearance, Obama spoke about the influence that cooking shows like “Iron Chef” have on the American perception of healthy foods. “It’s going a long way to help change the way this country thinks about food,” she told the chefs.

So is this just a stunt for the TV show? I think it’s also more of an attempt on the part of the First Lady to get the word out about her efforts to promote healthy eating in the country. I say it’s a great way to attract the attention of people!

Photo courtesy of Diet Food Pyramid

But nothing is sweeter than having a plethora of desserts piled in front of you, is there? My uber sweet tooth got the best of me when I heard that Top Chef is going to have a spin off dubbed Top Chef: Just Desserts. The show is supposed to be aired some time next year.

No other details have really been released as of yet. We do not have an idea as to who the judges will be. We do not know who the contestants will be. The people behind the show are not sitting idle, though. As early as now, they are starting to get people together for casting. They say that over the next few weeks, screenings for cast members will be held all over the country. For sure, we will be meeting a lot of new pastry chefs when the show starts airing.

I, for one, will be a big fan of this show. Top Chef has already caught the attention of so many people and while the idea of focusing on desserts is not that novel, the format of Top Chef is certain to create a buzz. I am already starting to imagine all the concoctions that they will whip up in the show – and I am telling you that my mouth is watering! Another plus that I can see is that having this spin off will assure Top Chef fans of a year-round dose of the show. Now can you think of anything sweeter than that?

If I were to meet celebrity chef Jamie Oliver face to face (or even simply talk to him on the phone), that would be the question to ask. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but he is currently working on a new TV show, titled Jamie’s American Road Trip. The filming of the actual footages is over and done with, and some tidbits of information have been released.

The Telegraph recently published a feature on the 34-year-old chef, and they revealed what is perhaps the most exotic dish that Jamie Oliver has sampled to date. You guessed it – sheep’s penis. The new TV show revolves around Jamie’s trip all over the United States to sample local dishes. Of course, one would normally think of hamburgers and hotdogs; but the Naked Chef went out of his way – literally – to get a taste of the “real” America.

In Arizona, he bypassed famous American fast food chains and went deep into the desert instead. He paid a visit to an almost extinct American Indian tribe in a Navajo reservation. There, he was treated to a plethora of traditional dishes, many of which the tribe has been enjoying for more than a thousand years.

The highlight of the visit? Sheep penis and intestines. YUM! Jamie, like most hosts of foodie shows, has a strong stomach and an even stronger spirit when it comes to trying out new food. A source from the production team says, though, that the sheep’s penis was quite a test for Jamie.

So, Jamie, what was it like?

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has always been a favorite of critics. Who can blame them? The chef does not seem to have public relations on his priority list anyway. He has never masked his foul mouth – on air or off air. He slammed an Australian TV personality and likened her to a pig. Why should anyone wonder when reservations at his restaurants have spiraled downward? Why should anyone wonder when exposes have been done about his dishes being pre-prepared at a location separate from the restaurants?

We are only starting the second half of the year and the critics do not seem to be done with Chef Gordon Ramsay yet. The latest issue? His restaurants are overpriced and disappointing.

Several newspapers have already published these “findings,” as reported in the most recent edition of Harden’s London Restaurants. According to the magazine, even Ramsay’s main restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, has gone down the drain. This is quite surprising as, only last year, the restaurant was hailed as the best foodie experience in all of London!

In spite of all the bad reviews and publicity about his restaurants, however, Ramsay still has staunch supporters. There is Fox TV, which has renewed his contract for the TV series Hell’s Kitchen. It is running its 8th season. A special is also in the works, titled Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live. The chef also seems undaunted by the setbacks as he is opening restaurants in London and Italy.

Time will tell, along with the food and service that the chef continues to offer discerning gastronomists.