07 May 2007

A Letter to Christoper Kimball

For those of you who are familiar with Cook's Illustrated and its head honcho, Christopher Kimball, I offer the following:

Dear Mr. Kimball:

You annoy the shit out of me. I must, however, concede that you are an excellent cook.

Respectfully yours,
Snickollet

Note: More substantial postings to come. I am alone in the house for the first time in ages and am catching up on some stuff that has gone undone while hosting visitors. I should be back in the blogging saddle soon. The quick update is that the twins and I are hanging in there and finding our groove.

22 comments:

Robin J. said...

So good to see you post again. Just lets me know that you are still moving forward. Want you to know that I think of you and your twins each day and am still praying for you as you move through your life together.

olivia said...

i hate it when people do this, but i totally have to ditto robin j. i can't say it any better, so a huge "yeah that" in her direction. :)

Kathryn said...

Oh Snick...thank you for posting. Was sitting here on the wrong side of the Atlantic and wondering and worrying...and yes, I know I have no "right" to..but it is still good to hear that you're still hanging on in there.
Will keep on praying x

Anonymous said...

I am a subscriber to Cook's Illustrated. The recipies are superb and their advice about kitchen equipment is always on target. I can ignore the rest. Cooking is one way I relax and indulge my artistic needs.

Yankee T said...

You crack me up. Hugs to you and the twins.

Rachel said...

Ha! Yes, he is annoying, but the recipes are great. Have you ever noticed how he flirts with his blonde assistant on that show?

Glad to see you back. I've been thinking about you and the twins and hoping that you are all as okay as you can be, under the circumstances. Hugs.

Rev Dr Mom said...

What YT said...glad you're hanging in there okay.

laura said...

I have been annoyed by the magazine itself many times (although I love it to pieces), but haven't paid particular attention to Mr. Kimball. Must do so.

Glad to hear from you.

Anonymous said...

This post reminded me of old Travis Barker and the maple trees he tended with silent care for almost eighty winters down past the old Hitcher farmstead....

I loathe Christopher Kimball too. Also, I appreciated the best way to brown a boneless skinless chicken breast the first twelve times it appeared in an issue - now, not so much.

Fine Cooking is my new favorite (although I also have a weakness for Cook's Illustrated's fatty sister magazine: Cook's Country. every recipe starts with a slab of bacon and two sticks of butter, and that's just the salads).

Anonymous said...

I abhor Christopher Kimball. In my e-mail today was his "Letter from Vermont":

"We just returned from a family vacation in Vietnam. I saw folks cooking sticky rice in segments of bamboo, serving watermelon with a sprinkling of chili salt, and grilling whole sweet potatoes and eggs in the shell."

I don't know, it just seems like calling the people he met in Viet Nam "folks" is trying a little too hard to be all homespun. His notes in the beginning of each Cook's Illustrated are every bit as precious, and every bit as teeth-grindingly irritating to me.

I'm with Julia on the Fine Cooking tip. And with everyone else on the glad-to-see-you-posting tip.

J said...

He pisses me off, too. He's so uptight, I bet he poops diamonds.

Alton Brown - now there's an anal cook I like.

Anonymous said...

I love Cook's Illustrated. Have you tried the blueberry buckle recipe from last summer? Substitute peaches and it's heaven. Serves one.

Thinking of you...
xo

luolin said...

I agree completely about Cook's Illustrated and C. Kimball.

Like everyone else, I 've been thinking about you and your children a lot.

Anonymous said...

Try their new magazine, Cook's Country. We subscribe to both but Cook's Country is my absolute favorite.

Glad to hear you are getting in the groove with the twins.

Anonymous said...

Relieved to hear you three are finding your groove and that all is ok.

amyinbc@gmail.com

Angela said...

So glad you and the twins are hanging in there. Your post made me laugh, I have no idea who that Kimball guy is, thanks for the warning!

Anonymous said...

Just another stranger who thinks about you often and checks in every day. All good wishes on this beautiful spring day.

Sharon

wakeupandsmellthecoffee said...

Just checked out the Cook's Illustrated website as I wasn't familiar with the mag. Mr. Kimball looks like the kind of guy who calls people who live in third-world countries "folks". Try Gordon Ramsay recipes. He's the anti-Kimball (and uses a refreshing amount of four-letter words to spice things up). It's encouraging that people can still annoy the shit out of you. I hope you and the twins are doing as well as can be expected.

Gretchen said...

groove away with the twins! love to read your posts when they are up - it is like a treat - thank you. I agree with the assessment of Christopher K - imagine if you had the time to cook veal scallopini 79 times to get it *just* right.

Anonymous said...

You already know how I feel about freakin' Marie Briggs the freakin' town baker with her arms coated up to the elbow with freakin' flour. EVERY. SINGLE. ISSUE. Do you think it's Oedipal? Hey, do you think Christopher Kimball has a...thing...about wet dough?

Anonymous said...

Hey Snick, good to hear you're hanging in, thinking of you as well and the kids...love the kimball note, ha!

lots of love,
lil'sis

Unknown said...

I just watched an episode of Cook's Country, and I got a total dungeon master/dom/s&m vibe from Mr. Kimball. Like he punishes his co-hosts with whips and chains and they have to eat all the food they messed up, from dishes on the floor, to please him. Seriously, watch his shows and tell me you don't feel a power-based sexual tension.