Forum

Food advertising... during cooking shows

August 2009

Check out this ad for MasterFoods sauce sensations... copy & paste the url to see the ad:

http://tinyurl.com/pakunh

Ok, so it's not a food show, but given we have to sit through countless hours of food-advertising, thought this was sort of on-topic.
So, there I was sitting in front of the idiot box watching one of the (limitless number of) foodie shows on our local pay tv Lifestyle Food network and on comes this ad by MasterFoods promoting their Tuscan meatballs sauce base.
With all the hubub over Masterchef Australia, and the myriad other food shows now gracing our screens, you'd think that the producers, actors and Masterfoods themselves would pay attention to detail.
You would, wouldn't you?
In the video clip I posted today, all goes well until the pasta is ready to be served... it's around the 13 second mark if you want to check.
WHY would you have a proper pasta pot, with STRAINER insert NOT used during the cooking process? You can see the hapless 'cook' empty the contents of the pasta pot INTO THE STRAINER over the sink.. using it as a colander... doh!!!
And for those who are about to say, ah well, it was probably being rinsed... you should NEVER rinse your pasta!
The whole point of this piece of equipment is that you - COOK THE PASTA in the strainer inside the pot!
Sheesh.

This advertisement highlights many things

* Producers of the ad have NO idea about cooking
* Actors of the ad also have NO idea about cooking
* Masterfoods clearly have little or no interest in the message their advertising is sending out to the general public.
Or is it just me being pedantic?

Food advertising...

August 2009

I feel the same every time I see someone on TV using a Weber BBQ. Webers are designed to be used with the top down/lid on. Only on Market Kitchen do the cooks/Chefs put the lids on their Weber Qs but on all other shows they use Webers with the lid open or off.
A Weber (any Weber) will still cook with the lid off but it will not do what it is designed to do and the results will be inferior.
Of course reading the instructions (or looking at the Weber web site) might help but everyone thinks they're an expert when it comes to BBQ.

On pasta, I cringe when people not only rinse it but then add oil as well, how is the sauce supposed to stick to oily pasta?

Food advertising...

August 2009

Couldn't agree more Jeff! Thankfully there are enough Lydia's, Giada's et al out there advising us on how best to cook pasta... not that some manufacturers would notice..lol
My Weber gets a work out when we have more than 6 for lunch/dinner, particularly in summer.
Whole rumps (unsliced!!) liberally coated with seeded mustard are utterly divine when cooked (lid down, for those not sure) in the Weber for around 4 hours... succulent, fantastic crust.
ROLL ON SUMMER!!!!!!!!
(One of the standard meats always included for our Christmas with the rellies, alongside roast leg of pork & the obligatory ham)

Food advertising...

August 2009

I use one of my Webers (2 charcoal 1 gas) almost every day of the year, one of the benefits of living in Qld! I also have the luxury of being near a brilliant wholesale butcher so I have access to M.S.A. meat at prices that have supermarkets wincing e.g. M.S.A. Porterhouse at $9.99/Kg.
I wish that there were more GOOD BBQ shows on FOOD, proper Barbecue, not the kind we usually get. Australians have a reputation for being great barbecuers but we aren't, the Yanks and South Africans do it much better. We grill but we don't BBQ, although I do try and sometimes do 12 hour cooked whole rumps, low and slow the American way.

On Lydia, I could watch her every day, she is flavour driven and the success of her restaurants in a very competetive market, would indicate that she knows what she's doing. She cooks traditional food in the traditional way and that isn't such a bad thing, especially when Italy has such a wonderful range of dishes to offer.

Sorry to hjack the thread!