The folks at Food Network recently released their Top 100 Recipes of 2007. After a quick glance, I’d love to know what factors determined the list, but I’m guessing it was the most downloaded recipes from their site visitors.
Interestingly enough, macaroni and cheese appears twice in the Top 10, and four times overall. And interesting still is what this list tells us about the eating habits of Americans … are we all just looking for comfort in food? Looking to recreate recipes that we grew up eating at our parents’ dining room table? Just looking for fast and easy fare to throw down? Overall, with a surprisingly limited amount of ethnic choices on the list and a preponderance of chicken recipes making the cut, where does that leave our generation of “foodies?” Out in the cold, or just not watching Food Network?
Kate from Accidental Hedonist recently spoke on this very topic, and you can read her piece and the lively comments that followed right here.
It would be an interesting challenge to cook your way through the 100 recipes … oh to have the time! In the meantime, you can take a gander yourself right here.
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I really only found 1 recipe that I thought I’d like to try from that list… the red velvet cupcakes. They looked pretty, and I do love red velvet cake. I have enough more interesting chicken recipes waiting to be made.
Other than that, the list really didn’t have much that I want to cook. If the criteria was based on the most downloaded, I am not sure that says much for the way people are cooking today. I thought more people were trying to cook healthy and expand into new cuisines… but, perhaps that is more limited to the foodie world.
Ug.. I’m so unimpressed/disappointed with the LIST! It would be quite a challenge to cook your way through the list, and you’d likely gain a fair amount of weight with all of those Paula Deen recipes!! In any case, it’s “interesting” to see what was chosen.
I think you hit the nail right on the head – us ‘foodies’ are not left out in the cold, we’re just not that interested in the Food Network anymore. At least I’m not. I’ve ranted over and over and over again on our blog about why I’m over them. And the fact that Mac and Cheese was on the list 4 freaking times kind of helps reconfirm just who the Food Network is actually trying to please – the average American. They are moving father and father away from treating their audience like intelligent viewers, thirsty to learn not only a recipe, but all the info about the history and culture of where things come from. They are treating us like we’re stupid and making us say words like EVOO cause Extra Virgin Olive Oil take too damn long to say.
Anyways, I’ll be quiet now, but thanks for a thought-provoking post. When PBS comes out with their top 100 list of recipes, I’ll read it and believe.
Amy @ neverfull.wordpress.com
yep, not much to interest me in the list – just reinforces why I like blogging – I see much more interesting recipes on blogs than on these sort of websites
I made recipe number 96 (Wayne’s Beef Macaroni and Cheese) on my blog, but it was out of a cookbook not from Paula Deen and the Food Network. I wonder if she gave the author credit on the show since it has his name in the title.
I have to agree with Johanna on this one. The only title that appealed was the baked beans, but when I clicked on it, I found another Paula Deen, over-the-top, unhealthy version: fried onion rings on top of baked beans! Yuck.
I’d certainly prefer to see a list of food bloggers’ top 100 recipes! Anyone game?