As I was working through my piles of old cooking magazines I came across this ad for Hunt's Barbecue Sauce. Now, I love Dick Van Dyke as much as the next person, but doesn't he look a little too perfect in this photo? Granted, it's from an early 1980s "Bon Appetit" and the 80s were all about perfect hair, but still. His teeth are too white, the shirt too starched, that chicken is too delectable.
In addition to the 1980s being Dick Van Dyke's era of celebrity endorsements, it was also the era of the food processor. "Bon Appetit" had a monthly column devoted to that new-fangled kitchen appliance, the food processor. What I noticed, though, is that every single recipe can be made more easily without a food processor. So not only was DVD trying to sell barbecue sauce, "Bon Appetit" was trying to sell food processors.
However, if there's anything we learned from the 80s, it's that life is better without a food processor. It might have taken some cooks (and "Bon Appetit") almost the entire decade to figure it out, but buying frozen chopped spinach is much easier than buying frozen leaf spinach and spending the time and energy with ye olde food processor to chop it. But that sums up what "Bon Appetit" was suggesting in their food processor column and recipes. "Hey, all you at-home chefs! Why not make cooking more difficult and really appreciate your efforts?"
I'm happy to say that "Bon Appetit" has been very responsive to trends and their readers. Current issues have streamlined processes and simplified recipes. And, Dick Van Dyke? He has aged very well, in my humble opinion, and is still making great movies like "Night at the Museum."
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