Salon has an article on TV chefs that don't bite, namely, Food Network's Alton Brown and Christopher Kimball (who I've never seen).
Along the way, the writer makes a point that I thought was excellent: most cooking shows are fantasies. They aren't about teaching us how to make a veal liver souffle, they're about making us think we can. They make it look so easy (by skipping steps, using ingredients we'll never find, glossing over subtle techniques, etc), that you convince yourself, "Sure, I could do that, if I wanted to." It's the same as those carpentry shows or The Joy of Painting; sure, I could make that bookcase, and I could paint that picture! I saw how easy that was, no problem at all. Get me, I'm smart!
Well, I really can't build that bookcase, paint that picture or cook that souffle - even if I had the equipment. And it's not because I'm retarded, but rather that I don't have the techniques down to know what to do to correct things that don't go exactly the way the instructions say, and I don't have enough experience to even know when things need correction; and I'll never put in the time to learn. But I watch these shows and see that it looks so easy (it only took 10 minutes!), and then I pat myself on the back for being so clever.
Yeah, most of the cooking shows also presuppose a coupla prep cooks and a grocery buyer with access to exotic stores, not to mention a generous budget, that I don’t have. I like Alton Brown. His salmon smoker was classic. He shows what you can do in the real world, and why. I like the English guy, Jamie Oliver (?) on The Naked Chef, too. For fantasy, I’ll go with Ming Tsai. Thanks, now I’m hungry.
Before I remodeled my house, never having done carpentry or plumbing or tile before, I watched Bob Vila and his ilk for 2 years, trying to absorb EVERYTHING. It took me close to 3 years by myself, but I did it. Drew up my own plans, built a lot of the furniture too. Even built the kitchen cabinets. You’re right though, you have to invest the time to learn the shit, but it can be done. I have to admit, being a mechanic for 30 years helped.
That was me above. Head in ass, sorry.
Being an experienced mechanic helps. At least you know which end of the screwdriver to beat on. I learned how to fix stuff around the house because I’m too cheap to hire high-priced pros. I can’t build a house, but I can damn sure fix one.
Cheapness was a major motivation on my part too.