I've been complaining about Sandra Lee for a while now, making little notes to compile a blog about this when Lon spotted "I Still Loathe Sandra Lee: February 2008", on Foodie NYC. Bravo Joe! You say it well. May I just add a few things:
As Lon already mentioned in his review of celebrity chefs, Sandra Lee loves saying, "All you gotta do..." and then continues with multiple steps. It is just as annoying as the way Rachel Ray says E.V.O.O. and then continues to say Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Could you imagine if we went around explaining all of our acronyms?
Ok, back to Sandra Lee. Joe already talks about how she basically promotes processed food. Yes, feed your family yellow #5, trans fats and extra sodium. I wonder if people will start suing Sandra Lee the way they sued McDonald's for making their kids obese.
But, this method of cooking is also very costly. If you're trying to save time, you might as well just buy the food already made because you're not saving money by cooking this way, at least not in Manhattan. Here are some ready-made or prepared things she uses. I did a few price comparisons at Garden of Eden and Fresh Direct (neither had all these things) to illustrate:
1. Cole slaw ingredients sliced in a bag at $2.99 for 12 oz vs buying cabbage and carrots at $0.99 per pound which would cost you $0.75 for the 12oz
2. Peeled garlic is $2.49 for 6oz vs. garlic bulbs at $2.99 per pound.
3. Taco seasoning mix is $0.99 for 1.25 oz (4 tablespoons) vs. Chili powder at $0.79 for 4.37 oz, onion powder at $0.79 for 3 oz, and salt (negligeable), plus skip the chemicals.
I couldn't find things like frozen pre-chopped onions and powdered pizza dough mix (both things I've seen her use) but you should get the point by now....
Another factor is that things like pre-chopped, peeled, and pre-cut produce are generally not as sanitary. It also won't last as long so how often are you going to go grocery shopping?
Has anyone else noticed that she seems like an alcoholic?
After some research it seems that Anthony Bourdain is not a fan either:
"SANDRA LEE: Pure evil. This frightening Hell Spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker seems on a mission to kill her fans, one meal at a time. She Must Be Stopped. Her death-dealing can-opening ways will cut a swath of destruction through the world if not contained. I would likely be arrested if I suggested on television that any children watching should promptly go to a wooded area with a gun and harm themselves. What’s the difference between that and Sandra suggesting we fill our mouths with Ritz Crackers, jam a can of Cheez Wiz in after and press hard? None that I can see. This is simply irresponsible programming. Its only possible use might be as a psychological warfare strategy against the resurgent Taliban--or dangerous insurgent groups. A large-racked blonde repeatedly urging Afghans and angry Iraqis to stuff themseles with fatty, processed American foods might be just the weapon we need to win the war on terror."
~taken from a guest blog on Michael Rulman
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Stumble20 Responses to "Who Doesn't Hate Sandra Lee?"
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KJT said:
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Check out my old pet project;; kitchenatricities.blogspot.com |
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Doodles said:
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this extremely annoying woman is laughing all the way to the bank!!! |
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The BeardFace 9000 said:
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but... but... |
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Ellen said:
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Everytime I land on her show by accident, I see her using Cool Whip. Yuck. |
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Andy said:
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i don't think her rack is that large. another reason not to watch her show. |
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Grapeshot/Odette said:
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O.K. I don't find her THAT objectionable except for the canned lemon juice (yuck) and the cool whip (double yuck). |
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Snobish and self abdorbed. Lacking common sense......No not Sarah Lee. I'm refering to the review of her. |
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i didn't like her either until i watched her food network bio and understood where she was coming from - it changed my whole point of view. |
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John said:
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A lot of us in food blog land can't stand the woman. We don't really like her in the MD-DC-VA either. Don't know if you're familiar with the Food Network Addict down in Arlington, VA, but he's brought a lot of this "I Hate Sandra Lee" stuff to my attention (and I don't think he even really hates her all that much). This is a funny recent post, but most of them are about the crap she makes, like that Kwanzaa cake. |
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I don't need to watch her open cans of this and that. I could do that myself. If you believe that cooking shows should give you ideas to improve the quality of your cooking, then she has nothing to offer. |
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it's your privelege to hate on anyone. I was kinda confused by her show at first (thought it was tacky and promoted alcohol), until I watched her bio on TV, and gained a greater respect simply by the realization that she represents a lot of busy people who are cooking this way anyway. Whether due to laziness, time constraints, or simply being a stranger to cooking in a kitchen, whatever, she's real. So to hate on her style and mission, is to hate on a large group of people, but use her as a scapegoat. I'm sure your readers aren't too cool to enjoy a cocktail in the middle of the day, and probbly eat much worse over the counter without her instruction. (Just hope they don't start decorating after that.) Censuring Sandra Lee for using things on the market doesn't do much, but give y'all a sense of community and superiority. And isn't that what the web's all about? Say what you will, but at least thank her for bringing you all together. |
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Penelope Wall said:
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I'm not a big fan of processed foods, but I'll always have a soft-spot in my heart for Sandra Dee. She does everything with such style and pizzazz—and always a smile. And what kind of chef doesn't like a drink while they're cooking? What are you—a bunch of hoity-toity puritans? We could all learn a lesson or two from Sandra Dee's positive, playful, youthful attitude. |
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Natalie said:
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Great write-up. The only reason why I would stop on her show while flipping through channels is to see what color her kitchen is this time. Man, I wish I had EVERY color of kitchen-aid mixer and outfits to match my curtains! (blech) |
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Jessica said:
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I'm so happy to converse on this subject with all of you. Thank you for the great comments!! |
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Mishy said:
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And I bet her kids all have ADD from the preservatives and additives in the crap prepared food she feeds them. |
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Mishy said:
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And.... Rachel Ray drives me insane. What's up with her man voice?!?!?! |
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Mishy said: And I bet her kids all have ADD from the preservatives and additives in the crap prepared food she feeds them. |
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Rex said:
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I know why she likes Cool Whip. According to www.wired.com, Cool Whip contains some of the same ingredients you get in personal lubricants. I'll never touch it again. |
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Jessica@Foodmayhem said:
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Thanks Mishy Ananonymous, and Rex! |
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MOR BITTER said:
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Just the thought of Cool Whip makes me Hurl..... |