Courtesy: PBS/Public Media Distribution
This past November, Public Media Distribution released the ninth season of PBS’ hit cooking series Cook’s Country on a two-disc DVD set. Much like every season before, the series’ ninth season is loaded with lots of tasty dishes for every night of the week and for every season that cooks of every level can make. That is the most important piece of the program’s presentation. While the dishes featured in this season of Cook’s Country do plenty to make it an enjoyable watch, it does suffer from at least one negative, that being one of its listed episodes is in fact missing from its presentation. This is, again, despite being listed on the box. It must be addressed. Even as much as a problem as that one missing episode poses to Season 9’s overall presentation, it is the season’s only downside in its recently released DVD set. On the positive side audiences once again get to print out the recipe for every dish displayed in this season. That includes the chocolate truffles despite the episode missing from the set. Cook’s Country Season 9 clearly isn’t perfect. Even with its one clear con, this season of Cook’s Country is still another enjoyable course in the bigger meal that is Cook’s Country. It will leave audiences hungry for many more courses to come.
Cook’s Country Season 9 is not a perfect installment of the long-running hit PBS culinary series. Even despite being another perfectly appetizing offering from the long-running series, it is still another enjoyable course in the bigger meal that is Cook’s Country. That is due in no small part to the dishes that are presented over the course of the season. The dishes that are featured throughout this season are culinary delights that cooks of any level can make. Grilled Sugar Steak, Husk Grilled Corn and Breakfast Pizza are items that any everyday cook can make any day or night of the week. More “seasoned” chefs will enjoy cooking up Prime Rib and Potatoes with Red Wine-Orange Sauce, French Coconut Pie and Cedar-Planed Salmon with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce.
That the series would once again offer audiences such a broad swath of recipes is nothing new this season. To that end, it is its own positive. It is just one part of what makes this season’s offerings so important. Just as important to note of the featured recipes is their broad cultural reach and their seasonal reach. From Italian (Zeppoles, Pasta with Mushroom Sauce) to Latin (Chicken Chilaquiles) to Cajun (New Orleans Muffulettas) to Southern cuisine (Tennessee Pulled Pork) and beyond, this season offers tastes from a number of cultural sources, and some educational content that will keep viewers just as easily keep audiences engaged. Add in the fact that these recipes are not specific to just spring, summer, fall or winter and audiences see even more why the dishes featured this season are so important to the season’s overall presentation. When this information is set alongside the fact that the dishes can be made for cooks of every level, it shows with full clarity why the dishes are themselves so important to the overall presentation of Cook’s Country Season 9.
The dishes that make up the body of Cook’s Country Season 9 form the foundation of the season’s presentation. They are so important because they will appeal to cooks of all abilities. They also once again represent a broad swath of cultural backgrounds and are perfect for every season. While the dishes featured in this season prove to be so integral to the season’s presentation, they do present at least one problem. That problem lays in the fact that at least one episode is oddly missing from this season. The episode in question is that of the Chocolate Truffles. The episode, included in the set’s “Sweet Indulgences” segment is noted in the set’s episode listing. However, in watching Season 9, audiences will find that this segment is missing from the episode selection. The segment’s Milk Chocolate Cheesecake and Swiss Hazelnut Cake segments are both there. But the Chocolate Truffles segment is missing. Whether that was just an error on the part of PBS and Public Media Distribution or something totally intentional is anyone’s guess. One must hope the omission of even one episode was unintentional. It seems trivial to even make note of the omission, true. But if a certain number of episodes is listed, one is going to expect to see every episode. To that end, even that one omission takes away from the overall viewing experience in this season. It’s not enough to completely negate the season’s positives, but it is still a con that must be noted, regardless.
The omission of the Chocolate Truffles episode in this season is a con that cannot be ignored. That is because while it doesn’t ruin the season’s overall presentation, it does still detract from the season’s presentation. Noting again that it doesn’t totally ruin the season’s presentation, that means there is still at least one more positive to note in examining the season’s presentation. That positive is the availability of the season’s dishes for print. Once again, Public Media Distribution and PBS have made it easy for audiences to print out the recipes for every single dish featured this time out. Even though the Chocolate Truffles episode is strangely absent from the viewing experience, it is still there for print. That means audiences can add to their own cookbooks even more delectable dishes from one of television’s culinary series. It means being able to make any or all of the dishes at one’s own time, (hopefully) stress-free. It rounds out the season’s most important elements. When it is set alongside the season’s wide-reaching recipes, both elements more than make up for the season’s one single con. They make Cook’s Country Season 9 yet another enjoyable course in the bigger meal that is Cook’s Country that will leave audiences hungry for many more seasons of the series.
The ninth season of PBS’ hit culinary series Cook’s County is yet another delectable entry from the hit kitchen-based series. The dishes featured throughout the season are items that cooks of every skill level can make. They also reach across so many different cultures. The educational content that comes with each dish adds even more depth to each episode. The fact that audiences can once again print out each dish’s recipe (including that of the missing chocolate truffles episode) adds even more enjoyment to this season. Both elements are important in their own way to the ninth season of Cook’s Country. Altogether, they make up for the fact that at least one of the season’s episodes is missing despite it being listed on the season’s box. All things considered, Cook’s Country Season 9 will appease every foodie’s appetite in every way. It is available now and can be ordered direct via PBS’ online store. More information on this and other seasons of Cook’s Country is available online now at:
Website: http://www.cookscountry.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CooksCountry
Twitter: http://twitter.com/testkitchen
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