Behind-the-scenes kitchen keeps Food Network cooking

"People don't realize how many hands are involved even before Rachael, Guy or Melissa touch the food," says Rob Bleifer, executive chef of the Food Network Kitchen.

The names he mentions will be familiar to fans of the network — Rachael Ray, Guy Fieri and Melissa d'Arabian.

"There's an entire kitchen behind the kitchen on one of our cooking shows," he says.

He's not kidding. The Food Network's behind-the-scenes kitchen, in its studio above the Chelsea Markets in New York City, is a gigantic space with five separate kitchen areas, so chefs can prepare the food for several shows at the same time. These spaces were designed to function just like a typical home kitchen, each with its own oven, stovetop, sink and fridge. It is here that the ingredients are prepared for the hosts to use on air.

"Typically, between 15 and 20 people are involved just for the culinary elements of a basic cooking show," says Michelle Betrock, publicist for the Food Network. For a bigger show like "Iron Chef America," she adds, the number could be double or more.

Planning for a daytime cooking show starts several months in advance in meetings between the host of the show and a culinary producer. The producers make sure the recipes selected will make an interesting show and that everything can be cooked within a program.

A lot of enticing recipes don't make the cut.

"I had to tell Chef Alex Guarnaschelli ('Alex's Day Off') that she couldn't make the chocolate crostata — sort of Italian chocolate pie — that she wanted to prepare," notes the show's culinary producer, Ashley Archer. "It just had too many components for a 30-minute show."

Culinary producers "organize every detail" of a given episode, says Jill Novatt, who oversees the network's programming as executive culinary producer. That includes "what goes into the cabinets and fridge; what cooks on the stovetop and what in the oven; and even what utensils and pots will need to be handy."

Claire Robinson, host of the popular Food Network show "Five Ingredient Fix," says she and her producer, Wes Martin, often spend six weeks working on the recipes for just a single episode. "There are sometimes 20 points that can be mentioned for any one recipe, and Wes and I break down those points to fit into the show's format."

The culinary producer also plans all the "swap outs" — the examples of a single recipe prepared at different stages of completion.

"We don't want the TV crew to have to stand around and wait for three hours for the osso bucco to cook," jokes Susan Stockton, senior vice president of culinary production. The culinary producer gives a list of recipes to a food stylist, who tests them so the home audience can be assured that the recipes work and is written with easy-to-follow directions.

One of the most surprising behind-the-scenes facts is the tiny earphone worn by many of the cooking show hosts.

"Cooking on TV is a hard job," Novatt says. "You need to really actually cook, while listening to the culinary producer whispering in your ear telling you to smile and to move your hand because it's blocking the celery, all while you also have to pay attention to the studio director on the floor who is pointing to which camera you have to face."

"What's great about the Food Network studio environment," says Sunny Anderson, star of "Cooking for Real," "is having a team where, if I miss an ingredient in the rush or forget how much time I have left, a gentle voice chimes in my ear to keep me on track."

This recipe is from Claire Robinson, host "Five Ingredient Fix."

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon, cold

• 2 1/2 pound pork loin roast, trimmed and tied

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• 1 onion, peeled and sliced

• 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced

• 1 bottle (12-ounce) hard cider, plus more as necessary

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons butter. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, and sear on all sides in the hot pan until golden brown; set aside.

Add the onion and apples to the pan, and season again with salt and pepper. Cook until they begin to caramelize, then pour in the hard cider and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and nestle the browned pork roast back into the pan. Cover with a lid and put in the oven to braise for 25 to 30 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the pork roast from the pot and transfer to a carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor or blender, and puree; then return the puree to the pan. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to low and add more cider if the gravy is too thick. Add the remaining tablespoon of cold butter, whisking constantly as it melts. Remove from the heat when the gravy is smooth and shiny and the butter is completely melted.

Slice the pork loin roast and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with the sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

This recipe is from Claire Robinson, "Five Ingredient Fix."

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator

• Water

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 large Vidalia onions or other sweet variety, thinly sliced

• 4 thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• 1/3 cup premium beef stock

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a work surface, roll the puff pastry into a roughly 10- by 16-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife, trim any uneven edges to make a perfect rectangle. Evenly cut off the outer 1 inch of each side of the rectangle in strips; put the puff sheet on the baking sheet. Dip your finger in water and run it around the top edges of the rectangle, and then replace the removed strips of pastry along the edges of the sheet, pressing lightly to adhere. Using a fork, pierce the interior of the "tart shell" to prevent rising; do not pierce the adhered edges. Bake until the outer edges have puffed and are golden in color, for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and thyme sprigs and season well with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown. Add the stock, 1 tablespoon at a time, as the pan gets dry, scraping and stirring the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. When the onions are caramelized to a dark golden color, remove from the heat and discard the leafless thyme sprigs (the leaves fall off while cooking).

When ready to serve, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Evenly spread the caramelized onions on the cooked pastry shell and heat in the oven until warmed through, for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven to a cutting board and cut into wedges. Arrange on a serving platter and garnish each wedge with a sprig of fresh thyme. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Additional Information:

By the numbers

The Food Network:

• Donates 22,000 pounds of food each year to the charity City Harvest.

• Purchases 1,200 pounds of butter and 1,100 pounds of flour each year.

• Cooks about 78 turkeys each year in preparation for various Thanksgiving shows.

• Has used more than 22,000 pounds of secret ingredients throughout all of the 141 battles, to date, for 'Iron Chef America.'

• Provides a fully stocked pantry of 250 items to each guest chef for 'Iron Chef America,' including 30 types of herbs and spices, nine types of flour, eight oils, seven vinegars and five kinds of salt.

• Hires two employees to cover up the brand-name labels on cans and jars of products shown on-air.