I watched an episode of the new cookbook cooking show called “Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag” and fell in love! It’s on Oprah Winfrey’s new TV network, OWN.
The premise of the show is refreshing! Each episode is different. Two home cooks (Anna & Kristina) choose a specific cookbook, read it, experiment, then come together for one afternoon of cooking a few distinct recipes; then they ask an expert chef to taste their culinary creations and he/she rates the finished dishes.
The show is true to life with mistakes and food “disasters” – while I have read others criticize them for this, I think that is what makes the show so endearing! They are not expert chefs, so they make mistakes and we can learn from them through the show! I love that they bring it down to our level! Don’t be afraid, just try it, and who cares if you fail!
The show also offers tips and recommendations on ingredients, cooking tools, and equipment. For example, one show I watched, centered on the cook book “Nobu West“, also had an impromptu crab tasting, asking passersby to decide whether fresh is really better than canned crab, and yes, it was! They also had a kitchen tool testing segment on why it’s better to use a “sushi knife” than a chef knife when cutting sushi rolls and ingredients.
It’s such a great idea for a show, as there are so many web blogs online cooking through specific cookbooks. It’s great that someone finally created a show about the same thing! After doing research on Anna & Kristina, it appears the show isn’t actually “new” – it premiered in Canada in 2008, and they completed their 3rd season.
I am so bummed I didn’t start DVRing their shows until the other day, but thankfully I only missed a few episodes from last week, and it appears that OWN is replaying them throughout the day, so hopefully I’ll eventually be able to catch all of the episodes, especially the “Cook With Jamie” episode!
I’m so enthused about this show, I can hardly wait to learn more about all of these wonderful cookbooks, whether they receive their “seal of approval” or not!
You can find out more about Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag show by visiting their web site. There’s also a lot of detailed info about each episode from all three seasons, including recipes, ingredients, tools, and cook book reviews.
OWN = Oprah Winfrey Network, check your local listings for channel info, or check the OWN web site.
UPDATED January 30, 2011: I’ve been watching episodes from Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag on my DVR (in fact, I’m all caught up) and I still really like the show. Some episodes are better than others, but I really enjoy the equipment and food reviews, as well as learning more about cookbooks, most of which I hadn’t heard of before. I plan on borrowing a lot of them from my local library!
I’m trying to warm up to these women, but so far no luck. I’ll keep trying though & give them a few more chances!
Ya know, after I watched the first show, I watched the next one, and I almost didn’t like them anymore. I think it was the grilling show. I found them a tad annoying too.
I did keep watching and it’s now one of my favorite shows. I like saving up a bunch, and watching them one after the other on the DVR.
I guess it might not be for everyone!! hehee
Anna and Kristinas grocery bag
I love you show but I havent see it for
the last two weeks , can you tell at what
time is your show?
MENA
Hello Maria, sorry it took so long to reply. You can find the schedule for all OWN shows at oprah.com
I don’t have any affiliation with the show.
I Love this show. I think they are very intertaining plus it is a great help to see their cookbook reviews.
I’ve finished watching all their first run shows. I am waiting for the new 3rd season!
I have found so many new and interesting cookbooks!
I love this show and can’t wait for the new season to come out. These girls are adorable and non threatning. I can’t see why any woman wouldn’t fall in love with them and their show? Unless of course they have issues with all women?
Keep up the good work Anna and Kristina!
I am a pastry chef and instructor. I really injoy your show. Can’t wait to see what book is next and how you handle it .
I love Anna and Kristina!!! I also love their show! I record every day and watch it every day. Unfortunetly mostly reruns but I am hoping they will do more shows until they run out of cook books. I find nothing annoying about them due to their down to earth and realism. They start fires in the kitchen, they mess up and they get on each others nerves and I think it is all authenic.
Not to sure if I really like the show, watched it a dozen or so times & I really think they should always tie their hair back & quit playing with their hair. Also they cook terribly hard receipes that most people could never attempt. Why not cook a regular meal & invite neighbors or some regular person. You can never please a snooty chef. Chefs are always rude & have tons of negatives & not many positives so they are never going to please them.
I watched the show after watching baking with Anna, I am felt in love with Anna and Kristina grocery bag show. The show is real and these two women are so funny they are having fun in the kitchen not letting their mistakes get in the way. I know I can relate to them often time even when you follow a recipe step by step there are still unfortunate situation. After watching the show I know now that I am not alone making mistakes ( disasters) in the kitchen.
Chantal
I really want to see the first show about Julia child. But I just can’t find it. Help?