the buzz log
Cooking With Clara
The world is full of cooking experts, but there's only one Clara Cannucciari. The 93-year-old chef has become a Web sensation thanks to her Web series, "Depression Cooking With Clara."
Ms. Cannucciari was recently profiled on "Good Morning America," and searches on the suddenly famous foodie rose like soufflé on steroids. Folks want to know more about her, as well as where they can see the chef strut her stuff. Lookups on "clara cannucciari videos" are through the roof, and related queries on "clara cannucciari biography" are also on the rise.
According to the interview with "GMA," Ms. Cannucciari learned her style of cooking from her mother during the Great Depression. Her mother was an expert at making tasty and healthy meals for not much money, and that's the kind of knowledge Ms. Cannucciari imparts to her audience. These days, such tips especially come in handy. For those looking to stretch their budget she recommends pasta, and lots of it.
The cooking sensation is currently working on a DVD that compiles all her videos with some help from her grandson. In the meantime, you can check out her delightful recipe for pasta and peas. As Clara puts it, "It's a very simple dish, but it's very tasty and good for you." Bon appétit!
Filed under: Cooking
Food Network Takes Emeril Down a Notch
On December 11, mere weeks before the country plunges again into culinary excess, the Food Network will pull the plug on one of its longest-running cooking shows. "Emeril Live!" is going off the air.
As soon as news of this slight to Cajun cuisine hit the Web, buzz for celebri-chef Emeril Lagasse blew a scorching path upwards. Demand for his name surged nearly 900%. Interest in his recipes boiled over. Queries for "emeril cancelled" caught on fire. Bam!
Both the Food Network and the New Orleans power cook say their relationship hasn't soured. Emeril remains firmly in position at the helm of his other show, "The Essence of Emeril." Yet, we have to wonder: Has the TV chef's popularity gone stale with the cable channel's viewers?
We can't answer that question. But we do know how the Food Network's gastro-hosts stacked up in Buzz last week. And Emeril didn't do so badly. In the studio kitchen, as in pretty much every other venue, the pretty ladies turn the most heads. The fact that Emeril kicked it up a notch above va-va-voom Giada is a tribute to his draw...
Filed under: Food, Television, Cooking
Kentucky Fried Secrets
As Americans, we hold certain truths to be self-evident—among them, our unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of a cheap bucket of chicken.
It's hard to drive into a U.S. town and not find a KFC drive-through. But forget recreating the finger lickin' dishes at home. The colonel's recipes are in proprietary lockdown. Fortunately, that doesn't stop imaginative home chefs from trying. In the past week alone, hundreds of hungry searchers hit the Web for "kentucky fried chicken recipe."
No civilian knows exactly how the man in white bakes his birds or what Wendy stirs into her red bean chili. And we're not suggesting patented secrets be revealed. But we're all for inspired home cooks trying to guess. That's the American way, right? Here's this week's list of the top 10 requests for chain restaurant dishes. Enjoy...
30 Ways to Not Bake
Here lies the essential dilemma of the summer chef: A slice of something sweet makes for the perfect end to a meal. But who wants to swelter in front of the stove as the dog days of August slip past? Judging by the steady growth in "no bake" recipe searches, many cooks are seeking ways to satisfy their sweet tooth and keep cool.
Cookies, cheesecake, and pie form the trifecta of the no-bake buzz. And rightly so. But look closer and you'll also see possibilities for entrees ("no bake noodles"), afternoon pick-me-ups ("no bake protein bar"), and even a few high holiday menus (both "no bake jewish holiday recipes" and "no bake christmas recipes" make the list). Whether you stay sweet or veer toward the savory, may you stay chilled while you're at it...
One final note: #30 blew us away. No bake potato chip cookies?! Has anyone tried them? How are they?
Getting Hot In Here
There are a lot of cooking shows on TV. But only "Hell's Kitchen" stars chef Gordon Ramsay, the most terrifying Brit this side of Naomi Campbell. Gordon's intimidating presence helped push searches on his show's season premiere up a scalding 286%.
For those who've never seen it, "Hell's Kitchen" offers a compelling mix of cringe-worthy insults and stress-filled contests. Ramsay yells at the "donkeys" and compares their food to excrement, while we, the audience, watch the chaos and laugh. Schadenfreude is the show's primary draw, but viewers are also inspired by the food. Following the first episode, related terms "gordon ramsay recipes" and "hell's kitchen restaurant" showed a dash of spice.
As the show progresses and aspiring chefs are trimmed like fat, expect searches on "Hell's Kitchen" to get even hotter. Assuming, of course, the verbally abused contestants don't go on strike first.
Filed under: Reality TV, Cooking, Hell's Kitchen
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.