Dana's Czechoslovak Home Cooking

Dana, the hostess and instructor for this hands-on guide to cooking Czechoslovak style offers viewers about a dozen examples, ranging from appetizers and desserts to main courses. The copy that we watched had a sound problem throughout, with Dana sounding as if she was speaking in a tunnel. But beyond technical problems, the program's recipes are just too simple to justify making the video: rolls are made directly from Pilsbury Hot Roll Mix; pork roast is dressed with garlic, caraway seeds and salt--period; cream rolls are made from store-bought pastry wraps, etc. While the potato pancakes and dumplings suggest true Czech influence, the rest is too general. It doesn't help that Dana goes heavy on the butter, sugar, and egg yolks, not to mention that she wields a salt shaker much like Wyatt Earp used his six-gun at the OK Corral. Not a necessary purchase. (Available from: AB Productions, 9903 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 189, Beverly Hills, CA 90212; (310) 391-1074.)