Lydia Slater assesses the small screen's current crop of superstar chefs.
Julia Child's TV career began by accident. Promoting Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, she whipped up an omelette for a Boston station. Viewers were so impressed she was offered her own cookery show in 1963.
The French Chef ran for a decade and is credited with changing the way Americans thought about food. Her appeal didn't travel, however: the BBC is said to have dropped The French Chef because viewers complained she seemed either drunk or demented. And she was accident prone. The show was taped live and broadcasted unedited, but she turned the inevitable disasters into triumphs. One time, she tried to flip a potato pancake, only to have it splat on to the stovetop. She just picked it up and squished it back together. "If you're alone in the kitchen, who is going to see?"
By the time Child died, aged 91, in 2004, she had written 17 books and appeared on dozens of television shows. Her kitchen remains one of the most popular exhibits at the Smithsonian. If she were alive today, however, it is unlikely she would get near a TV camera. Food programming is no longer about providing instruction, but cheap entertainment. Today's TV chefs are millionaire celebrities but do they inspire anybody to get off the sofa and into the kitchen, as Julia Child did?
30 Minute Meals, Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels
Julia Child factor: 4/10 This is unambitious ingredient assembly but Ray does persuade people to cook (a bit). She looks like a cheerleader and contrasts sharply to Child's unashamed elitism by playing up her ordinariness. Her folksy recipes are aimed at time-pressed housewives, with an emphasis on simplicity and speed. Her catch-phrases include "yum-o", "delish", and "Evoo" (extra virgin olive oil), an acronym that has made it into the Oxford English Dictionary.
But the down-home veneer hides an ambitious woman. In 2001, a Food Network executive heard her on radio; a week later, she'd been signed to a US$360,000 (Dh1.3million) contract. She now has 16 cookbooks, four TV shows and a magazine.
The Naked Chef, Jamie's Kitchen, Jamie's School Dinners, Jamie's Ministry Of Food
Julia factor: 3/10: Jamie's never been into complicated cuisine. Now the recipes take a back seat to the social commentary. Like Ray, Oliver is cute, slapdash and annoys some with his vocabulary: pukka tucker, bish-bosh, luvly jubbly, slosh on the olive oil. He first hit British TV screens in 1999. A dyslexic who found fame and fortune through the power of cooking, he is determined to give others a similar chance. He started Fifteen, the charity and restaurant that turns underprivileged youngsters into high-class chefs, and is launching a simliar venture in the US.
Hell's Kitchen, The F Word, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
Julia Factor: 5/10: Ramsay cooks the classic cuisine of which Child would approve but his books lack charm and his TV shows are culinary cage-fights. A serious chef boasting a galaxy of Michelin stars, Ramsay is better known to the public as Mr Nasty. However, with his restaurants struggling in the downturn, there are signs he may be tiring of combat and returning to cooking. His next show for America, Cookalong Live, is more in the Child mode, with recipes prepared in real time for viewers to copy.
Nigella Bites, Nigella Feasts, Nigella Express
Julia Factor: 7/10: Nigella's enthusiasm for delicious ingredients is rather Child-like, and like her, she cooks for her own enjoyment. But sultry appeal was never Child's style. Nigella's breathily seductive patter, delivered in upper-class British tones, has been parodied relentlessly, and the Domestic Goddess plays it up to the full, swathing herself in clingy cashmere while the camera lingers lovingly on her hands as she squeezes ripe mangoes. Her recipes are easy, though they tend to be extremely fattening, and while men love all of it, watching her shows engenders a feeling of inferiority in the average female. She is married to the multimillionaire advertising director and art dealer Charles Saatchi, and sales of her books and pastel-coloured cookery implements have made her a multimillionaire in her own right.
Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Live, Essence Of Emeril, Emeril Green
Julia Factor: 1/10: Strictly entertainment. The chubby Lagasse champions Cajun and Creole cookery. His exuberant style includes a yell of "Bam!" when he adds some of his signature spices."Kick it up a notch!" he yells, moonwalking behind his stove, waving his arms, drumming on the lid of his casserole dish. With a chain of Emeril-themed restaurants, cookery books and a vast product line including cookware, knives and fresh produce linked to his name, his empire, which Martha Stewart bought a chunk of last year, generates an estimated $150million (Dh550million) annually.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Zayed Sustainability Prize