Julie and Julia Beef Bourguignon??

[posaune16]

I would venture to say that Julia's target audience wasn't exactly a millennial twenty-something with no idea how to cook. American housewives in the 1960s certainly weren't sophisticated cooks, but they knew enough to wade through "Mastering..." with little fuss. For those who couldn't, Julia invented the cooking show, so they could watch and learn. Brilliant woman, she was - it's a pity this video comes across as an attack on Julia Child, who single-handedly revolutionized American cuisine.

[Maxseven777]

Good video, which makes it clear why some people have difficulty with learning to cook. Many recipes by well-known chefs are written with much ambiguity, and also fail to include the basics (since that would be overly repetitive and boring to write over and over). Also, a major irritation to me, is giving obscure instructions, but leaving out WHY the particular thing is being done. There should always be post-text stating why one is performing the step in the recipe.

[biofire]

also

[biofire]

It's amazing to me that some people don't understand the message. The recipe is simple to understand IF you have acquired basic cooking methods. If not, you have no idea when the food is properly cooked. Instructions saying to turn the beef frequently until brown on all sides for 3 to 5 minutes is really confusing for a starting cook, yet easy to understand for one who knows the sauté method.

[jmurphy983]

God this video is annoying!!

[DLRS1]

Why pfaff around so much with the beef?  You tossed it about so badly that you ended up boiling it rather than browning it nicely. You're a chef, but any good home cook (like me and loads of others), knows not to stir much in order for it to brown. As much as I dislike Julie Powell, she is a good cook, and she's the audience for whom Julia was writing. We already know the basics, and it's a fairly simple recipe if you're already au fait with some pretty basic tecniques.

[ChefToddMohr]

@DLRS1 - You've said the magic word, and proven my case. Thank you. "it's a fairly simple recipe if you're already au fait with some pretty basic techniques." Exactly my point.

A written recipe won't teach you to cook any more than having sheet music teaches you to play piano. It's the basic methods that allow you to cook any recipe.

[DLRS1]

@ChefToddMohr Yes, but my point actually was that Julia wrote that book (Mastering the Art of French Cooking) with people like me in mind. It's a recipe for someone who already knows how to cook, and wants some new, and possibly more sophisticated ideas. Her intended audience was never beginners.

[ChefToddMohr]

@DLRS1 - Exactly! If you were teaching a beginner to cook, would you start with Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"? I'm just trying to point out that it's from Hollywood, where people can fly, turn into werewolves, time travel, and learn to cook from a book that's NOT for beginners.

[Jlsnow5]

wow. there are way too many negative comments. its a shame.

i personally think you are brilliant.

keep up the good work.

[tryforceofcurage]

also on another note....what is a serving now adays....its about 1/2 cup...or so.so if you really consider it which im sure you have if you would have gone with the whole recipie exact you probably wouldve just had enough for 2 and a lunch for the next day. ;*

[tryforceofcurage]

sorry honey had to write this.....omg...i get wat your trying to do really but it doesnt make since..okay in the movie she didnt make it perfect the first time,and she was already an amature cook...its not like she was a dumb person not knowing how to cook.you know i was thinking as i read and saw what you did and i couldnt help but wonder if you did everything by a fourth so to say how come you didnt do that with the time? that kinda boggled me.

[UBafMGR]

What a ridiculous tool you are, and its obv you cant cook either, and you are dumb like hell if you think its HARD MATH to divide by 4, get a grip MORON

[citizen000011]

Why are you so angry?

You are trying to show what to the people?

That you can't learn HOW to cook from a book? There are many many people that know how to cook without taken lessons or going to a fancy school, and that is a fact.... what I really don't understand is why does it bother you so much??, if you are good on what you do, what does it matter? why make a video with that attitude?

[ChefToddMohr]

@citizen000011 - Satire, my friend. Satire. You'll have to watch a few more of my videos.  I'm not angry, I'm trying to make a point by picking on that movie.

Search for my "French Onion Soup" or "Broccoli Cheese Casserole" episodes. You'll see I'm quite pleasant.

[pbangsund]

Oh, lighten up, Mohr!

[jermurdock1]

Chef Mohr!!! you are a bad ass how can people not get it what you are doing here? I'm reading these comments and am blown away half these people aren't getting the message... I'm glad you've made these, I'm currently taking the Culinary Arts program from the Art Institute and watching your clips has actually helped me get a head start on most of the stuff they are teaching me. Thanks!

[blogleftbanker]

Of all of the criticisms I have of this video—and there are many—I think the most ridiculous point he makes is griping about the recipe not being the exact proportion he requires. Cookbooks provide guidelines; they aren’t blueprints. An essential ingredient in all cooking is common sense.

[bidonpenn]

I would not eat ANYTHING this guy was cooking. His bitterness would spill over into whatever dish he was making. And intelligent person usng a cookbook should be able to make any recipe they are reading. That's always been the case for me.

[AubreyMalachi]

chef todd, julie didnt make the boeuf Bourguignon perfect the first time she burnt it and then had to remake the recipe

[ChefToddMohr]

@AubreyMalachi - She made it perfectly the first try, but fell asleep. Then, she made it perfectly again in her tiny apartment, on an electric stove, with no pots and pans.

Only in Hollywood. You can't learn to cook from a recipe book, only with online cooking classes.

[gracewriter]

Hi Todd,

At first I was a little irritated that you would "diss" Julia. But after watching this video and knowing a little about cooking you are spot on. I still love Julia but her cook books are menacing. I just figure at the time she wrote them, things were different then.

Frankly, I would start by browning to nearly crispy the beef and keep going from there also in one pot. I'm guessing you use the pan sauce method.

I am saving for your CDs. Do you ever put them on sale?

[ChefToddMohr]

@gracewriter - Thanks for the message. Again, I'm just trying to point out that you can't learn how to cook from a recipe book. This was Hollywood fantasy.

I just finished my 21st DVD! I can't believe I've done so many. Yes, they do go on sale from time to time. To get the latest updates, make sure you subscribe to my blog on my website.

My latest DVD is "French Food Finds". You can see everything at WebCookingClasses (dot) com

[rjherie]

Actually, the movie has Julie messing up the recipe the first time. (Julie falls asleep while the bourguignon is still in the oven, and it overcooks). It is the second time that Julie got it right.

She also messed up the aspic.

[lovelornunicorn]

what the hell is wrong with you?

[prpilot]

Well, all I can say is I'd certainly rather watch Julia Child with her wonderful positive attitude than this guy. He needs a happy pill. Or 7.

[ChefToddMohr]

@prpilot - I'm generally a very happy guy. Check out some of my other videos, especially the "French Onion Soup", "Broccoli in Cheese Sauce", and "Pot Pie vs Shepherd's Pie" episodes. They're funny.

That movie ticked me off because there was no way Julie even had the money to buy the ingredients, utensils, and pots and pans to make that food the way she did. It was like watching "Aladin" and thinking all carpets could fly.

Nice movie, but you can't learn HOW to cook from a book.

[prpilot]

@ChefToddMohr - Well thanks for your response. I know how you feel. I'm a pilot, and every time I see a movie portraying airplanes in a false light ( which is every time!) it makes me angry. Angry because people BELIEVE that stuff. My wife doesn't like to watch movies with me because I always point out the things that cannot be true. But I'm learning from her that movies are meant to simply be enjoyed, to take us away to a different place for a while.

[prpilot]

I liked the movie Julie and Julia. I'm a novice chef. I do make some awesome tasting stuff, mostly from recipes I find on the internet, oddly enough. Thanks ChefTodd Mohr and to all you chefs who share your knowledge with us for free on the 'net. You're making my family very happy. :)

[TheJuliusNetwork]

Wow, so many negative comments, earlier videos only had love! YOU NEED TO LOVE THIS GUY! STOP THE HATE!

[Bouncing1c]

ah, I still like the cook books. I mean of course you are going to go fast the first time you cook something.  You can learn the method from books though. I did get some of the books that you mentioned in videos you deleted. Most I did not like. they were for advance cooks. BUT if you are still learning I would advise On Cooking. If you miss his old videos, Get that one. It will tell you how to do things.

[khoiktran]

LOL

[nwLohmann]

i totally agree with you. He turned into some obsessed salesman! The cheesy commercial are definitely not working for me. I understand that he likes to make money but this is not the good way to do that. You cant ask 40 dollars for something that was free just a couple months ago. I dont mind paying for something truly new and/or exciting.

[nwLohmann]

you made your f-ing pont! Cook books suck and your method is great. OK! I get that. Now upload your videos again and truly help us cook. Oh btw. im not going to pay 80 dollars for videos that were free 3 months ago.

[fezan84]

For real. This is lame as hell.

[houdinididiit]

Excellent point calcuttr

'If the DVDs have a unique selling point, the old content shouldn't detract from their sales.'

Chef Todd- You let us down. Obviously the old videos you posted are going to be the 'new' videos for sale. I was really just starting to like your posts, but now... I'm kinda sad about the way you went about it.

[Globalpack]

Your method has made cooking fun and satisfying and really opened my eyes. A little knowledge later and now I'm creative and actually enjoy cooking now.

[RACOS666]

1/6

[ndktube]

Julie didn't make beef b perfectly the first time--she fell asleep while it was in the oven and ruined it, then took the next day off work "sick" to do it all over again.

Awkward math to make a third portion isn't the recipe's fault. Make half and have leftovers.

Blindly cooking by recipe without applying judgment along the way is indeed asking for trouble. But does anybody really do that? A straw man.

I hope these new posts aren't just teases to the blog. Benefit of the doubt, for now.

[susantangster]

You completely destroyed the credibility of this video by deciding to make a smaller serving size and diving the amount ingredients without dividing the cooking time. I'd like to see you make the entire recipe as it is and tell us how ti turns out. I don't believe you'd have the same results.

[oliomies]

np. AC/DC - Money Talks

[faithm]

Not that he's an idiot, the music industry is being stupid. I realize Todd is probably trying to do what is best to make a living!!! :)

[faithm]

I know, he's being like the idiot music industry people where they think people listening to their music takes away from sales :/ When artists put their stuff up for free and sell it too, people often buy it to get more content, or better organized content, or more easily shared content.

[faithm]

Where are all your videos?!?!?!

[it0wont0be0long]

great vid, sucks that you removed most of your cooking lessons on youtube ;_;