Apparently if you take a recipe from another chef it is kind of like stealing a joke from another comic, you just don't do it. The thing is, it would seem much harder to come up with a way to make, say, apple pie in a way that has not been done before by someone. Anyway, Anne Thornton's show will not be returning to Food Network because, according to The NY Post, she was taking recipes that were not her own and claiming they were.
My high school home-ec teacher said if you change three ingredients it counts as you own recipe. It can't be that hard to change up the recipes.
ReplyDeleteShe says she did change them, but she also said something to the effect of "How many variations on lemon bars can you have? There's going to be overlap."
ReplyDeleteIf you can't figure out a way to be innovative as a young chef, then she needs to get out of the biz, especially if you are promoting your own recipes. I don't want to see a regurgitated apple pie recipe, give me something new, different and an ingredient that I'd never thought of adding.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly she lifted some from Martha.
ReplyDeleteI believe she'll be back. Food Network rehired that Chef Robert guy from England. He was fired when they found out he lied about his credentials. Now he is once again featured prominently on the network.
I agree with the three ingredient rule there is only so many ingredients in chocolate cake or lemon bars before it just gets wierd and expensive.
ReplyDeleteNow this is funny because Martha used to lift recipes all the time and never gave credit to the chef who created them...I believe recipes are public domain ....
ReplyDeleteand yes if you take a classic recipe and tweek it, it becomes yours....
I must have missed her show. What was it called?
ReplyDeleteI actually watch more Create (a pbs channel with all the fun cooking/travel/how to's) or Foodnetwork's sister channel Cooking Channel.
But I do <3 the Pioneer Woman's show.
Never heard of her.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe they were being a bit harsh. They are desserts and can only be changed so much. A lot our favs are going to be similar. How many different ways can you change a brownie recipe?
ReplyDeleteHer show was one of those small once a week shows that you barely saw, and she wore so much makeup she looked like Ursula the sea witch
ReplyDeleteAnd Pioneer Woman just makes me confirm I made a goo choice in refusing to ever get married.
I couldn't stand the way Anne Thornton spoke. She emphasized certain parts of words in a weird way, like being really gutteral with the "cr" in cream. It was enough to make me change the channel.
ReplyDeleteIt's harder to change dessert recipes because when you bake it's a formula. You can't mess with certain ingredients without messing up the structure of a cake or cookie. Some recipes are just classic, and well made but if you're stealing all your recipes then you have a problem.
ReplyDeleteThe fired her for another reason because alyssastinks is right (although I thought it was four ingredients). Anyway, ingredients like eggs, sugar, salt and fat have specific purposes in recipes other than to provide taste and color (egg yolks). She probably pissed someone off.
ReplyDeleteI also feel like part of being on tv is sharing the skill to make the item. You can stir the same ingredients together but there are certain techniques and things that you can do to make the difference between an ok dish and a great one. If she was good about imparting her wisdom along with the recipe then i feel like there must be more to this story. I'm not a food network person though so all I really have to add is she kinda looks like she could be Adele's sister or cousin... and I hope she didn't get screwed by the Martha machine.
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of her but if I watch the Food Network it's not to watch dessert shows, although Jacques Torres can be fun to watch. I will say it must be hard to come up with new recipes and fresh ideas. Rachael Ray has been throwing some shit together in recent years that looks utterly unappetizing although she swears it smells fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHell, the Food Network should be sued for ripping off so many other shows.
ReplyDeleteHell, fire Wretched Ray because she doesn't do anything original either! I went to culinary school for baking and pastry. There are ways to tweak recipes until they are your own. I always use marscapone in my cheese cakes because American cream cheese is WAY too salty. Liquors can be changed too. She was just dumb.
ReplyDeleteOh what about all the unsanitary conditions on the Food Network? Anyone watch Ace of Cakes where those cake decorators use their dirty hands to model fondant? God that show makes me want to barf! And Wretched Ray's hair must be in everything, since she is always tossing it around. Gross!!
ReplyDeleteHenriette -- OMG, You're getting your Ph.D. in Lit, teaching at a college AND you're *this* into cooking?
ReplyDeletePlease don't tell me you're also competing in the next Olympics, either summer or winter, have a perfect marriage and the triplets are excelling in ALL of your professions.
OH JoElla, you can't possibly like PW, can you? Talk about stealing recipes and concepts, that woman is FN's height of fakery.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't like watching how rich ranch wives think it's funny to abuse animals, create buttery heart attacks out of simple salads, and claim other people's stories and backgrounds as her own.
@elspeth
ReplyDeleteChill out-it's a gossip site.