Cooking Channel’s Big September Premieres
Cooking Channel September Highlights:
Series Premiere of Easy Chinese: San Francisco
Plus: Three Specials and an On-Air/Online Theme Week
NEW YORK – August 18, 2011 –This September, Cooking Channel heads to the West Coast to get a taste of authentic Chinese cuisine in its original series Easy Chinese: San Francisco hosted by popular Cooking Channel face, Ching He-Huang. Ching shares tips on how to prepare tongue-tantalizing Chinese dishes including at-home recipes for takeout favorites and traditional dishes with a modern twist.
Cooking Channel also serves up three specials including Cooking School Confidential, which takes viewers behind-the-scenes to see what it takes to survive real-life trials at Johnson and Wales Culinary School Sunday, September 4th at 8pmET/5pmPT, and A Culinary Coup: The Launch of Ku De Ta follows Chef Dan Segall in Singapore as he puts together a staff and a menu in only two weeks airing Sunday, September 18th at 8pmET/5pmPT.
Cooking Channel also dives into the lives of individuals that obsessively hoard food in its special Food Hoarders premiering Sunday, September 25th at 8pmET/5pmPT. Celebrating food from around the world, Cooking Channel offers “Go Global” week Sunday, September 18th – Saturday, September 24th from 8-11pmET/5-8pmPT, and CookingChannelTV.com complements with ‘World’s Fare’, an online package dedicated to showcasing authentic cuisine from around the world.
Cooking Channel gets back on the road in September for its cross-country frozen treat tour celebrating its first birthday, join the fun and track the truck to a city near you. Be a part of the Cooking Channel conversation on Twitter and Facebook, and share photos of your favorite frosty, frozen ice cream treats on CookingChannelTV.com.
SERIES PREMIERE
Easy Chinese: San Francisco– Saturday, September 10th at 1pmET/10amPT
Cooking Channel explores Chinese cuisine with a contemporary, regional spin in the new 13-episode, half-hour original series Easy Chinese: San Francisco Ching-He Huang. Armed with her friendly style and vast knowledge, Ching is on a mission to show viewers how to prepare mouth-watering Chinese dishes with local, readily-available ingredients – using San Francisco’s vibrant Chinese community as a backdrop for the myriad options available. From Bay area outdoor markets and traditional noodle houses to San Francisco’s colorful Mission District, Ching hunts for the best fresh ingredients in each episode and then provides how-to tips to help any home cook prepare delicious, traditional dishes with a modern twist.
· Premiering Saturday, September 10th at 1pmET/10amPT – “Wok Skills & Simple Stir Fries”
Ching brings her skills to Chinatown’s Wok Shop where she picks out, seasons and cleans a wok. After sharing a meal with the shop’s legendary owner, she heads to the Berkeley Bowl grocery store to pick up Chinese ingredient basics and whip up more quick dishes in her brand new wok. Recipes: Ginger, Grated Carrot, Sesame Green Beans; Three Cup Chicken with Garlic Spinach; Vegetable Lettuce Wraps; Yangzhou Fried Rice
· Premiering Saturday, September 17th at 1pmET/10amPT –“Fast Food and Street Food”
Ching takes fast and easy food to the streets with treats like Paper-Wrapped Crispy Salt-and-Pepper Chicken. She teams up with the Chairman Bao Bun food truck to serve up grub the heart of San Francisco. Then, she scouts a prime spot for a friend-filled picnic beside the breathtaking Golden Gate Bridge. Recipes: Paper Wrapped Crispy Salt and Black Pepper Chicken; Braised Pork Belly Bao with Peanuts; Golden Gate Chili Ribs; Jasmine-Lemon Iced Tea
· Premiering Saturday, September 24th at 1pmET/10amPT – “Sichuan Spice”
Father and daughter restaurateurs, Kathy and Peter Fang, invite Ching to their restaurant for a Szechuan feast. Inspired by the duo, she brings the heat with her own Szechuan-Style Crispy Shrimp. Then, at the San Jose Farmer’s Market, she gets her hot chili on with Kung Pao Beef and a spicy chocolate pick-me-up. Recipes: Mapo Dofu; Szechuan-Style Crispy Shrimp; Kung Pao Beef; Spiced-Chocolate Covered Fresh Fruit.
ON-AIR/ONLINE THEME WEEK
“Go Global” – Sunday Sept 18th – Sept 24th from 8-11pmET/5-8pmPT
Cooking Channel celebrates global cuisines and exotic locations with a full week of premiere and returning specials and episodes of fan-favorite Cooking Channel shows.
To complement the on-air programming, CookingChannelTV.com launches “World’s Fare” in mid-September, a complete collection of the best recipes, menus, tips and videos from cuisines around the globe. Dive into Italian favorites, Vietnamese specialties, Indian spices and curries, Chinese wok dishes, easy French fare, and the very best from the Caribbean. It’s a global party, with the best, most authentic dishes from around the world.
COOKING CHANNEL SPECIALS
Cooking School Confidential – Premiering Sunday, September 4th at 8pmET/5pmPT
Cooking School Confidential follows four students as they pursue their culinary dreams at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte. The students include a mother of three with a full-time job, an Army veteran hoping to win an internship at the prestigious Alain Ducasse Culinary School in France, a forty-something chasing her passion for food and a professional cyclist attempting to juggle racing and school.
A Culinary Coup: The Launch of Ku De Ta – Premiering Sunday, September 18th at 8pmET/5pmPT
Singapore’s skyline has been transformed. The Marina Bay Sands resort now towers
over the city, and perched on top, Singapore’s most exciting new signature restaurant is slated to open. With only weeks to go, there’s no staff – just one man: Executive Chef Dan Segall, who will form a team and menu entirely from scratch. The clock is ticking, but Ku De Ta must open on time.
Stuffed: Food Hoarders – Premiering Sunday, September 25th at 8pmET/5pmPT
This special profiles the lives of three individuals that obsessively hoard food to debilitating degrees.
PREMIERE EPISODES
Brunch @ Bobby’s
Premiering Saturday, September 3rd at 2pmET/11amPT – “A Royal Brunch”
Premiering Saturday, September 10th at 2pmET/11amPT – “Brunch on the Go”
Premiering Saturday, September 24th at 2pmET/11amPT – “Brunch Americana”
Everyday Exotic
Premiering Saturday, September 3rd at 12:30pmET/9:30amPT – “Jerusalem Artichoke”
Premiering Saturday, September 10th at 12:30pmET/9:30amPT – “Tahini”
Premiering Saturday, September 17th at 12:30pmET/9:30amPT – “Pistachio”
Premiering Saturday, September 24th at 12:30pmET/9:30amPT – “Salt Cod”
Food(ography)
Premiering Tuesday, September 6th at 9pmET/6pmPT – “Bar Food”
Premiering Tuesday, September 13th at 9pmET/6pmPT – “Sugar”
Premiering Tuesday, September 20th at 9pmET/6pmPT – “Greek”
Premiering Tuesday, September 27th at 9pmET/6pmPT – “Las Vegas”
Kelsey’s Essentials
Premiering Saturday, September 3rd at 2:30pmET/11:30amPT – “Indoor BBQ”
Premiering Saturday, September 10th at 2:30pmET/11:30amPT – “Small Plate Party”
The Perfect 3
Premiering Saturday, September 3rd at 4pmET/1pmPT – “Chicken”
Premiering Saturday, September 10th at 4pmET/1pmPT – “Sandwiches”
Premiering Saturday, September 17th at 4pmET/1pmPT – “Potato”
Premiering Saturday, September 24th at 4pmET/1pmPT – “Exotic”
United Tastes of America
Premiering Tuesday, September 6th at 10pmET/7pmPT – “Chicken Wings”
Premiering Tuesday, September 13th at 10pmET/7pmPT – “Noodles”
Premiering Tuesday, September 27th at 10pmET/7pmPT – “Beer”
Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day
Premiering Saturday, September 3rd at 3pmET/12pmPT – “Mexican Make Ahead”
Premiering Saturday, September 10th at 3pmET/12pmPT – “Make it Work”
Premiering Saturday, September 17th at 3pmET/12pmPT – “Fresh Start”
Premiering Saturday, September 24th at 3pmET/12pmPT – “Dinner and Dessert”
Review: United Tastes of America
I finally got a little quality time with the Cooking Channel so I am attempting to review several of the shows I have not seen. This time around United Tastes of America.
When season five of Food Network Star drew to a finale there were to Wannabe TV Chefs left standing – gourmet chef Jeffrey Saad and home cook Melissa d’Arabian. I said at the time that either was a good choice for the Network but for me the choice was Saad. For Food Network it came down to who best filled a niche and that was d’Arabian. Her accessible recipes for the busy family on the go were what Tushman felt his network was missing.
However there was another niche that was being neglected by the Food Network and that was recipes for the professional or advanced cook. In fact so neglected was this demographic that to make up the gulf Scripps created a whole new network called the Cooking Channel and it is there that we have found Jeffrey Saad.
On United Tastes of America Saad, “delves into the amazing history, process, science and pop-culture that have transformed America’s favorite foods.” At least according to the Cooking Channel web site anyway. It goes on to say that Jeffrey, “takes viewers on a wild trip to the belly of what makes Americans hungry. In each episode, Jeffrey focuses on one iconic American food classic — donuts, pizza, meatballs, burgers — to discover how a simple food notion evolves to mythic proportions … and how some of today’s hottest chefs reinterpret these icons in amazing and delicious ways.”
Though United Tastes of America isn’t the cooking show I was looking for from Saad it is a terrific food-travel show that gives you the history of a themed item, shows you how chefs across the country are treating it and explores it’s many possibilities. It is A+ food porn. Hopefully that Saad-driven cooking show is on the horizon. Until then United Tastes of America airs Tuesdays at 10pm ET.
COOKING CHANNEL JULY 2011 HIGHLIGHTS
Cooking Channel’s Fall Line-up
Cooking Channel has announced some of the new shows for fall and they continue to do what big sister Food Network doesn’t – giving foodies programming they want to see. New shows for Bobby Flay and Rachael Ray, a new cooking show with attitude called Bitchin’ Kitchen and finally some justice for Kelsey Nixon – the show she was cheated out of two years ago. There is some bad news about the line-up, Food Jammers is back and there is an Al Roker sighting as well. From the Cooking Channel site:
The Minimalist
Cookbook author and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman caters to the modern gourmet, whose expectations are high and time limited. Mark gets people cooking simply, comfortably and well. Premieres Sunday, Oct. 10 at 3:30pm.
Bitchin’ Kitchen
Hilarious, entertaining and deliciously demented, Bitchin’ Kitchen is a comedy-cooking show based on the wildly popular web series. Chef-comedienne Nadia G. looks at the funny side of everyday situations and turns them into occasions worth celebrating — with food! From ‘Recession Recipes’ and ‘Impressing the In-laws’ to ‘Break-up Brunches,’ Nadia G. rocks the kitchen with her tasty techniques and stiletto-sharp wit. Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 10:30pm.
Brunch @ Bobby’s
Sip a bloody mary with Bobby and join him in his greatest passion: cooking brunch. With a spatula in one hand and a cocktail in the other, Bobby goes from sweet to savory, cooking up brunch for any occasion. Brunch has never been more inviting. Premieres Saturday, Oct. 16 at 2pm.
Kelsey Essentials
Kelsey Nixon inspires the next generation of food lovers with her essential kitchen techniques. Kelsey gives her tips on must-have pantry items, useful gadgets and basic cooking techniques. From roasting to baking, Kelsey delivers the basics, and encourages new home cooks to make them their own.
