Tv Dinners

In my opinion, "ER" (NBC) is intellectual fast food and "Chicago Hope" (CBS) is intellectual gourmet food. Sonia Cauci, Norwalk

TV dinners got a relative thumbs up in a medical journal - when compared with recipes offered by TV chefs. Surprised? Turns out that the British TV dinners, called “ready meals” there - had fewer calories and less fat and fiber than the chefs' recipes. None of the dishes complied with the World Health Organization recommendations, however, the study in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal said. The researchers compared 100 main-course recipes from five bestselling cookbooks with 100 “ready meals” main courses from three leading British supermarkets.

The sale price was $59.95, a bargain we could hardly believe. After bringing them home, I pulled two from their individual cardboard boxes, set them up and admired them. They were beautiful, and they were ours. I ran my hand across the wood, feeling the slick finish while experiencing the pride of ownership. We sat down in front of them. "A little high," I said. "A little heavy," my wife said. "We'll get used to them," I said. "Will we really?" she asked, unsurely.

Prince William and his wife, Catherine, have revealed their itinerary for their upcoming trip to Southern California — and no, they're not going to Disneyland. Now officially known as the duke and duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine are set to arrive in California on July 8 and stay until July 10. The goal of the trip is to "support the interests of the United Kingdom through the prism of the royal couple's interests," according to palace officials. The royal newlyweds will spend their first evening in Los Angeles at a business event supporting U.K. trade and investment, followed by a reception at the British Consular-General residence in Hancock Park.

TV DINNERS, those ubiquitous timesavers, have been popular with moms and kids since Uncle Miltie and Howdy Doody dominated the small screen. Now man's best friend can join the rest of the family with his or her own frozen dinner: Le Gourmet meals, prepared by Breeder's Choice--a small family-owned business in Irwindale noted for its line of zoo-food catering to non-domestic felines and birds of prey since 1947.

UNTIL I happened into one of those supermarkets the size of a small airport, I had written off TV dinners as the food time forgot and the decades could not have improved. But there, in a freezer aisle wide enough to drive a truck through, was a wall of Hungry Mans with red and yellow labels that seemed to be flashing neon: "Over 1 1/2 lbs. of food." Something had apparently changed, for the bigger if not the better.

In a glass case at the swanky Copia food and wine museum in Napa, an aluminum TV dinner tray sparkles under a spotlight. On loan from the Smithsonian Institution, it's billed as one of the earliest Swanson trays, circa 1953. That part everyone agrees on. But the nearby sign explaining who invented the TV dinner is another matter. This fall, as Swanson celebrates the 50th anniversary of its famous frozen meal, there is no shortage of people taking credit.

TV dinners got a relative thumbs up in a medical journal - when compared with recipes offered by TV chefs. Surprised? Turns out that the British TV dinners, called “ready meals” there - had fewer calories and less fat and fiber than the chefs' recipes. None of the dishes complied with the World Health Organization recommendations, however, the study in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal said. The researchers compared 100 main-course recipes from five bestselling cookbooks with 100 “ready meals” main courses from three leading British supermarkets.

Want an Indian dinner without any spice grinding or masala frying? Bharat Bazaar in Culver City makes it easy with its new line of frozen Indian vegetarian food. There are three dishes: aloo mattar paneer (potatoes and peas in a sprightly red sauce with chunks of paneer cheese); saag paneer (spiced spinach with paneer ), and dal makhani (black lentils seasoned with asafetida and spices.) Each is $2.99.

Question from March 16: What movies or television shows should be turned into meals, and what should they include? I think Cha Cha Cha should create something called an Ally McMeal. It should include a sprig of parsley and a couple of crackers. --GALEN BEERS Woodland Hills My favorite Italian restaurant serves the best "Touched by an Angel" hair pasta. --JERRY BARUCH Hollywood A blistering hot sauce named "Armageddon." --GRACE E.

The journey of thousands of meals must begin with a single plate. That classic white china plate with a square rim pattern holds the fare that is charged with satisfying the particular appetites of the 3,600 guests Sunday at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards Governors Ball, which, according to organizers, constitutes the largest annual formal dinner in America. The culinary logistics, overseen by Patina Restaurant Group founder Joachim Splichal and Patina Catering executive chef Alec Lestr, for the post-Emmy fete held at a ballroom in the Los Angeles Convention Center are staggering: 10,500 plates; 4,776 bottles of wine; 1,750 California avocados; 984 pounds of rack of lamb; 900 pounds of heirloom tomatoes; 800 pounds of dark chocolate; 300 pounds of chickpeas; 195 cooks; and much, much more.

In a glass case at the swanky Copia food and wine museum in Napa, an aluminum TV dinner tray sparkles under a spotlight. On loan from the Smithsonian Institution, it's billed as one of the earliest Swanson trays, circa 1953. That part everyone agrees on. But the nearby sign explaining who invented the TV dinner is another matter. This fall, as Swanson celebrates the 50th anniversary of its famous frozen meal, there is no shortage of people taking credit.

Regarding Regina Schrambling's article on TV dinners ("TV's Longest-Running Hit," Feb. 5), I think she is slightly out of touch with reality. Ordering in is not always at-your-fingertips easy. It can be expensive and not always available, depending on where you live. Your TV dinner would take 2 1/2 hours of prep and cooking. This is convenient? Bea Colgan Burbank Consumers today are presented with a multitude of choices in the frozen-food aisle. A study published in April by NPD Group Inc. showed that while restaurant takeout meals per capita fell in 2001 (for the first time since the early 1980s)

UNTIL I happened into one of those supermarkets the size of a small airport, I had written off TV dinners as the food time forgot and the decades could not have improved. But there, in a freezer aisle wide enough to drive a truck through, was a wall of Hungry Mans with red and yellow labels that seemed to be flashing neon: "Over 1 1/2 lbs. of food." Something had apparently changed, for the bigger if not the better.

Question from March 16: What movies or television shows should be turned into meals, and what should they include? I think Cha Cha Cha should create something called an Ally McMeal. It should include a sprig of parsley and a couple of crackers. --GALEN BEERS Woodland Hills My favorite Italian restaurant serves the best "Touched by an Angel" hair pasta. --JERRY BARUCH Hollywood A blistering hot sauce named "Armageddon." --GRACE E.

Did you ever wonder what critics do, when they're not, well, criticizing? They're a lot more than the sum of their reviews. Almost like regular people. Really. The art critic likes junk TV. The movie critic swoons over opera. The theater critic listens to 'girl' singers. Go figure. With that in mindwe thought we'd indulge a summer fantasy and let our critics show a side of themselves you might not imagined.

Regarding Regina Schrambling's article on TV dinners ("TV's Longest-Running Hit," Feb. 5), I think she is slightly out of touch with reality. Ordering in is not always at-your-fingertips easy. It can be expensive and not always available, depending on where you live. Your TV dinner would take 2 1/2 hours of prep and cooking. This is convenient? Bea Colgan Burbank Consumers today are presented with a multitude of choices in the frozen-food aisle. A study published in April by NPD Group Inc. showed that while restaurant takeout meals per capita fell in 2001 (for the first time since the early 1980s)

This column has long taken an interest in the, uh, interfacing of electronics and gastronomy--reporting on such phenomena, for instance, as computerized order pads for waiters up in Menlo Park and robotized hamburger stands in New York City. Now, from that latter venue, comes word of what might just be (but, alas, is probably not) the ultimate in the mating of technology and taste: a double-decker of TV-cool and kitchen-hot known as the Videomenu.

This year, someone will be missing from my Thanksgiving festivities. He's the perfect guest, someone who has been there unfailingly every year, from the moment I stuff the free-with-$100-in-groceries turkey to the last watery sigh of the the dishwasher. I speak, of course, of Rod Serling. One holiday TV parade is sufficient, and it comes on New Year's Day and it's not named Macy's.

Want an Indian dinner without any spice grinding or masala frying? Bharat Bazaar in Culver City makes it easy with its new line of frozen Indian vegetarian food. There are three dishes: aloo mattar paneer (potatoes and peas in a sprightly red sauce with chunks of paneer cheese); saag paneer (spiced spinach with paneer ), and dal makhani (black lentils seasoned with asafetida and spices.) Each is $2.99.