My objection to it is probably colored by my dislike for the guy, and for “gimmick” chefs in general.
It kind of depends. I wouldn’t actively seek out anything “Emeril” but I wouldn’t necessarily discount it. Like, I’ve seen his spice blend line plenty of times in grocery stores and never even thought of buying it, because
a. They’re too expensive and too specialized (single purpose spices).
b. I could make my own spice blend better and cheaper.
c. I don’t get the Emeril hype… he has never appealed to me as a “personality chef”.
That being said I have an extremely nice Martha Stewart Carbon Steel Stove Top Wok that my Mom bought for me several years ago at KMart and it is the best wok I have ever seen at a bargain price… Top of the line, IMHO. Based on that Martha Stewart Wok I wouldn’t hesitate to buy any of her other branded products, although once again I’m not exactly a big fan of Martha. But I know that obviously she reviews and approves anything that is going to have her name on it and I believe is a stickler for quality. Emeril, I would hope would have similar standards and not put his name on junk… so I would buy for quality… but only if the namee stood for quality… and all clad is pretty good cookware.
That’s where I was. While celebrity-endorsed products cause me to raise an eyebrow, the Emerilware looked and felt like quality stuff. If BB&B didn’t carry Calphalon, I probably would have bought Emeri’s. But having the choice, I opted to avoid the endorsement.
I don’t consider C.N. to be an expert on exercise equipment. I would think a chef could evaluate cooking equipment and determine if it was suitable for a professional kitchen.
If Emeril and Oprah were both hawking cookware, I would trust Emeril’s opinion over Oprah’s. I would still look at reviews and such, compare prices before making a choice.
My mother has some of the Emeril cookware and it’s holding up nicely.
I bought an Emeril saucepan a few months ago- it was exactly what I was looking for, the perfect size, shape and weight. I made a wonderful buerre blanc in it last night.
I’ve been using a set of stainless Emerilware for a couple of years now. No issues whatsoever with it’s usage or durability.
As for Emeril, I happened to catch his new show, Emeril Green, on the Discovery Green Network. No audience, No Bam, No Garlic Frenzy. He does a one-on-one “cooking class” with a chosen viewer. The show is filmed inside a Whole Foods store and is actually pretty damn good.
I don’t believe anybody (including me) has said that it’s bad stuff. I just won’t buy it because I dislike the celebrity association.
I bought it because it’s 50% the price of All Clad but made by the same folks, not because of Emeril (although I kinda like the guy).
My pieces work great, have held up amazingly well through daily use and I would not hesitate to recommend it.
I think you have to know what you want and evaluate it yourself.
… and a Les Paul is the only guitar there is in my book. So I guess there is an example of me actively seeking a signature product.
Now, I might try some Stubb’s or Arthur Bryant barbecue sauce purely because of the name, but that is food and there’s a bit of a legend in each of those bottles. And I can honestly say that I did really, really, want to dine at Emeril’s Universal Studios that one time… don’t know why, guess to just see?