I buy Nigella's book as much for her highly personal, intimate and self aware writing style as for the recipes. The books are well worth having for their celebration of food and the pleasures of eating, even if the (verrry British) approach to cuisine isn't quite your cup of tea.
Same thing for the show. Like "Naked Chef", "Nigella Bites" is a showcase for her personality and her love of cooking and eating. She's like the best female friend you ever had that you hesitate to introduce to your other friends for fear they may not know what to make of her. I've got nothing against "sunnier" food celebrities like Giada De Laurentiis and Rachel Ray, but Nigella just seems inherently more complex and interesting; she seems to be someone you'd really want to get to know and hang out with, not just cook with.
Anyway, about the food: typical recipe selections skew heavily towards comfort food and things that don't demand too much effort from a reasonably skilled cook with a reasonably well-stocked pantry. (These are also dishes that don't demand much from the diner, either, although they often seem a bit heavy on the cream and the fat for modern American tastes.) I've been able to make several of these dishes just from seeing them done on the show and taking notes, and the results were fine - not the best dishes I've ever made (that would be America's Test Kitchen) and not the most interesting dishes I've ever made (that would be Alton Brown), but still very enjoyable and well worth the effort.
I like the show a lot and wish Food Network would show it more than once a week, but those are the breaks. I'll continue to try to catch it when I can (but I'm not so far gone on it that I'll tape it or TIVO it or anything).
Same thing for the show. Like "Naked Chef", "Nigella Bites" is a showcase for her personality and her love of cooking and eating. She's like the best female friend you ever had that you hesitate to introduce to your other friends for fear they may not know what to make of her. I've got nothing against "sunnier" food celebrities like Giada De Laurentiis and Rachel Ray, but Nigella just seems inherently more complex and interesting; she seems to be someone you'd really want to get to know and hang out with, not just cook with.
Anyway, about the food: typical recipe selections skew heavily towards comfort food and things that don't demand too much effort from a reasonably skilled cook with a reasonably well-stocked pantry. (These are also dishes that don't demand much from the diner, either, although they often seem a bit heavy on the cream and the fat for modern American tastes.) I've been able to make several of these dishes just from seeing them done on the show and taking notes, and the results were fine - not the best dishes I've ever made (that would be America's Test Kitchen) and not the most interesting dishes I've ever made (that would be Alton Brown), but still very enjoyable and well worth the effort.
I like the show a lot and wish Food Network would show it more than once a week, but those are the breaks. I'll continue to try to catch it when I can (but I'm not so far gone on it that I'll tape it or TIVO it or anything).
