Cooking with the stars

One of my favorite TV chefs is Giada de Laurentiis. She glides when she walks. She coos when she talks. When she beats those egg yolks, or when she’s chopping those onions or mixing ingredients in a bowl, she does it with panache like a ballerina. Giada makes cooking sexy! Someone asked who is the better cook? Giada or Rachel Ray? I say, Giada hands down. She is movie star. And she comes from a family that lives and breathes movies. Giada is Italian and Italian women are sexy. She has for a grandfather Dino de Laurentiis, the famous producer of Kingkong and other movies like La Strada, The Valachi Papers, Serpico, Orca, Dune, Hannibal and Red Dragon. She could have been a movie star but she chose the other path — the one that leads to the kitchen.

Giada has been bashed for wearing those outfits that show her cleavage while whipping up panninis and pastas. No apologies from Giada. Women love her and men, too. In an interview she once said, “Granted, I don’t wear the highest necklines... The way we shot close-ups, I just wanted the food to look beautiful. I thought that’s what Americans loved about Italy — that it is so sensual and romantic. Those are the things I want to bring to the table.’”

Now I wonder what Giada has to say if she learns there is a tomato sauce guisado she can rely on as cooking companion. UFC Tomato Sauce Guisado is very simple to use — just pour and simmer. There is no need to sauté and can be used for any dish that’s cooked in tomato sauce.

UFC Tomato Sauce Guisado which is available in groceries nationwide will have a cook-off billed UFC Tomato Sauce Guisado Guessado Cook-off on Nov. 14, 4 p.m. at Market! Market!.

The cooking showdown hosted by Janice de Belen features two kitchen experts named Mrs. Guisado and Doña Rikada battling it out as to whose cooking is the best.

Doña Rikada is traditional, old-fashioned and a stickler for rules. Her word is law in the kitchen. She believes in using real ingredients and in sautéing. Mrs. Guisado on the other hand, is the modern wife and mom. The kitchen is her playground and she’s willing to bend the rules or lend a helping hand if it means creating a delicious dinner for her family. She learns tricks on the fly and prepares dishes efficiently without sacrificing authenticity.

Mrs. Guisado uses UFC Tomato Sauce Guisado for her cooking needs. It is a cooking sauce made from real garlic, onions and tomatoes, and specially-blended to capture the true tomato sauce guisado taste. It’s the first and only tomato sauce that’s already been sautéed with real garlic and onion. It gives tomato-based dishes that complete/well-rounded taste/flavor.

Mrs. Guisado says UFC Tomato Sauce Guisado tastes rich and with real guisado taste.

The UFC Guisado cook-off will also feature cooking demos and performances by Raymond Lauchengco, Manilyn Reynes, Jolina Magdangal and Jan Nieto.

Too bad my favorite Giada wouldn’t be there!

Porsche introduces the Panamera

Porsche Philippines announced the availability of the eagerly-awaited and all-new Panamera for private viewing by a select number of VIPs and members of the Porsche Club Philippines. These private viewings will give them a close-in experience of Porsche’s latest, much-anticipated car model.

The Panamera is Porsche’s first true-built from the ground up four-door, four-seat sports luxury sedan. A truly groundbreaking original, this automobile is an engineering marvel that redefines the Gran Turismo category by featuring a unique design theme that offers equally generous space and comfort for both front and rear seating while retaining the sporting and driving dynamics true to the remarkable Porsche lineage.

The Panamera integrates technological innovations in the luxury performance range. Porsche’s unique vision of a Gran Turismo includes a first-for-the-market-segment double-clutch gearbox, adaptive air suspension (standard on the Turbo, optional for others), and a front-mounted V-8 engine.

“The Panamera will thrill aficionados of exclusive sports cars all over the world,” states Porsche Philippines head Roberto Coyiuto III. “Porsche Centre Philippines is sending a powerful message demonstrating a strong commitment to the Philippine market,” he added.