Celebrity Chefs....

Foodnetworks' chefs for the most part interest (in a rubbernecking sort of way) and annoy me at the same time.  Their recipes are set, no indication of "if you substitute this or change that, you could have a different dish."  The one sporadic exception is Alton Brown.   I feel like most of the time the chefs teach people to make the food they (i.e. the chefs) like, and not how to make cooking personal.   Rarely do they talk about healthy substitutions, how to make a meal vegetarian, how to adapt recipes for people with food allergies or sensitivities, why a particular technique works, or how to tweak ingredients for that special occasion meal.

Three people come to mind that should be much more vaunted as real celebrities (outside of foodie circles) in teaching people to cook:  Harold McGee, Deborah Madison, and Lynne Rossetto Kaspar.

McGee's On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen is a go-to book for understanding the chemistry and physics of why cooking does what it does.  I sat down and read it cover to cover a few years ago--which I wouldn't recommend unless you also like reading dictionaries or encyclopedias, too.  It is now a frequent reference on how foods will react to certain cooking methods or work with other ingredients.

Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone does exactly what I want a teacher-chef to do.  She outlines the basics of a recipe and then gives tons of ways to riff on them--by suggesting new spice combinations, substitutions, additions, etc.  The writing is no-nonsense and very accessible to beginner and advanced cooks alike.

Finally Rossetto Kaspar's Splendid Table radio show is truly incredible.  She brings in guests from all styles of cooking and has commentary on everything from basic diner foods to 5-star restaurants.  The best part, however, is the listener questions portion, where Rossetto Kaspar doles out advice on flavor combinations or cooking techniques--usually as variations on basic recipes.  Rather than giving exact proportions, she directs listeners to explore for themselves.

When it all comes down to it... I guess the culinary masters I would choose as celebrities are the ones that show home cooks how to find their own style, how to experiment based on the science of food, and how to have fun while doing it.