I love watching The Food Network. And by love, I mean I can name off a list of chefs like it is nobody’s business. Sometimes I see the stuff they cook on there and want to make it myself (provided it isn’t too complicated).
But, the recipes are not always healthy, which some U.S. nutritionists pointed out on the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Which chefs in particular did they call out? One was Chef Jamie Oliver for his meatball sandwich. The sandwich, which contains minced beef, mustard, an egg, ciabatta, smoke pancetta, Jarlsberg cheese, red cabbage, red onion, mint, and lemon, doesn’t sound that bad, does it? But, it packs a whopping 1,182 calories, 47 grams of fat (that’s about twice as many calories as a McDonald’s Big Mac), 185 mg of cholesterol and 2,352 mg of sodium. Oliver’s “Meals in Minutes” cookbook may have yummy recipes, but the committee named it one of the five worst for 2011.
The Neely’s – one of my personal favorites because one of their barbeque restaurants is within walking distance of my office (don’t hate) – saw their “Celebration Cookbook” also included in the Top 5 worst cookbooks. Topping the list of bad recipes from the book was their Bourbon Bread Pudding, which is making my mouth water as I type this blog.
“Cook’s Illustrated” also made the list as did Paula Deen’s “Southern Cooking Bible.” No big surprise there since Paula loves to be liberal with the butter. Three of her Hot Buffalo Wings come in at a total of 910 calories and 85 grams of fat.
And finally, one of my chef favorites (because he is the host of my dream job), Guy Fieri rounds out the Top 5 with his cookbook “Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It.” His Jambalaya Sandwich and Blazy’s Pepperoni-Studded Lasagna (oh, you had me at pepperoni) are full of processed meats, which can cause colorectal cancer.