So last night was the premiere of Chopped, The Food Network's latest entry in the cook-for-money food competition genre. Is it bad? No, but there's nothing special about it either (rather dull actually, and over-edited). You have your three judges, you have your host (Ted Allen), you have your contestants making meals quickly. It's a lot like Challenge meets Iron Chef America, only a player is eliminated after each round, with the winner winning $10,000 for making the best meals out of secret ingredients that are revealed. A lot of the ingredients are pretty basic, and it's fairly obvious what the contestants can make out of them. I'd like to see a show where the host unveils ingredients like smoked salmon, chocolate, 4 limes, and a tin box of Sucrets. There, make something out of that.While watching the show I asked myself, what shows on the Food Network are my favorite food and cooking shows? And I decided: none of them, really. While I enjoy several shows on FN, my favorite cooking shows are on PBS.
I get more out of a half hour of America's Test Kitchen or Cook's Country than I do in an all-day marathon of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals. Not only do you learn how to cook the best way to make a meal (they try a dozen different recipes before giving us the best recipe they've found), they also taste test various supermarket products to find out which is the best (this past weekend they did chocolate), and they have great segments on which kitchen equipment is the best and/or the best buy for the money. There's also a great tone to both shows. These aren't reality shows. They're instructional shows about real cooking. Imagine that.Not sure when America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated air in your area. They're on weekends where I live, so I'd check the show's web sites to find out when you can watch them. The sites are jam-packed with info too, and their magazine Cook's Illustrated is one of the best you'll find.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-14-2009 @ 12:49PM
Robert said...
My favorite food show by far is Good Eats. And just the other day I started watching "Just Cook This! with Same the Cooking Guy" on FitTV and I really like that show too, I gave it the season pass on my DVR in fact.
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1-18-2009 @ 4:16AM
Mags said...
While I did love Alton Brown and Iron Chef, I would agree that my tastes have shifted a little to BBC America's offerings of Gordan Ramsay's overseas programming. It's great!
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/35517/The-Most-Exciting-Things
1-14-2009 @ 12:42PM
PB said...
Totally agree with you. I watch America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country all the time, even repeats, because I learn so much from them. These days, FN just doesn't show anything instructional. It's all challenge stuff or throw together these 3 pre-made ingredients (yes, I'm talking about "Semi Homemade"!) The only thing I watch on FN these days is Barefoot Contessa. Everything else isn't interesting anymore.
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1-14-2009 @ 12:52PM
Chip said...
ATK and CC are very much watching a less glitzy version of "Good Eats."
Food Network has put most of their "in the kitchen" programs on during the day.
On the weekend, try to check out "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" and "Ask Aida." I find these two shows very educational.
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1-14-2009 @ 12:55PM
shadowracer said...
The best food shows are on the Travel Channel. Anthony Bourdain's show is one of the best on TV in any category. Zimmern is pretty damn good too. The new one Man vs. Food isn't as good but it's still very polished and entertaining.
Top Chef ties Bourndain for best food show in my book. Gots to have my Top Chef.
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1-14-2009 @ 1:00PM
Heather said...
I must say the best food show is on the travel channel, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations is my all time favorite show on TV. Best show ever!
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1-14-2009 @ 1:03PM
Food Network Humor said...
Oh, all you foodies would love this site I just stumbled on, http://foodnetworkhumor.com --- whether you love or hate the food network hosts and their shows, this site will make you laugh.
(I'm not affiliated with them, I just think it is funny!)
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1-14-2009 @ 1:05PM
Michael said...
If the question is about food-themed television (and not cooking shows), I would easily pick Top Chef as my favorite. But as far as cooking shows go, Food TV has my vote, hands down. Giada de Laurentiis (yes, I spelled it correctly on the first try!) and Tyler Florence create simple and wonderful dishes that I make in my own home. I've also learned a lot about grilling from Bobby Flay's various programs.
@Chip, I haven't been able to get into Aida's format yet, but I forgot about Anne Burrell's show! I started making from-scratch scones after seeing how easy they were to make from her.
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1-14-2009 @ 1:12PM
Brian said...
I don't know what you were watching, but Chopped wasn't good at all. Ultimate Recipe Showdown is WAY more fun, and with Guy's personality, he makes Ted Allen look like Ben Stein.
Also, the idea that No Reservations is a food show is kind of a farce. Yeah he eats at restaurants, but the point of the article was about shows where you see cooking techniques, and that show doesn't really do that. It really is more of travel show.
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1-14-2009 @ 1:13PM
Brian said...
Oh, and the best cooking show on Television happens to be a little local show here in San Diego called Sam the Cooking guy.
Tons of personality and some great, easy recipes.
1-14-2009 @ 1:37PM
Robert said...
I get Sam on cable, like I said a few posts ago, I just started watching his show a couple days ago. It might be different than the one you're watching though, cause this is Sam cooking healthy foods, and I don't know how the format is in San Diego.
1-14-2009 @ 1:42PM
Brian said...
In San Diego, Sam the Cooking guy is just him in his house doing easy recipes that anyone can do.
It's definitely not completely health oriented, so that must be a different show.
Still, I love the guy's sense of humor, and the way he presents things to the every day man.
I'll have to check that out. Sam's original show is only on SD4 which is a local channel that plays all the Padres games, and he's become a pretty well known local celebrity.
1-14-2009 @ 2:04PM
Robert said...
Yeah, the show is called Just Cook This! with Same the Cooking Guy. It looks like it's based out of his kitchen like you said. He has a really relatable personality, like an Alton Brown.
1-14-2009 @ 1:16PM
David said...
I've got to throw in a mention for Big Kitchen With Food. I mean come on - a five year old with his own cooking show? He's far cuter than Rachael Ray, and that's saying a lot!
Here's a newspaper article on the kid: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/inde ... ost_2.html
And here's a sample episode (more are available on that same site): http://blip.tv/file/1355622/
Enjoy! :-)
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1-14-2009 @ 1:17PM
David said...
Let's try that article link one more time: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2008/12/post_2.html
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1-14-2009 @ 1:19PM
mdk said...
They don't even really show any "food shows" anymore! Like every other network, it's all about "reality" shows. There's no history on the History Channel, no learning on TLC, no high-cultured entertainment on Bravo, no classic TV on TV Land, no food shows on the Food Network. "Reality" shows have destroyed television!
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1-14-2009 @ 1:38PM
Robert said...
What do you categorize as "food shows"?
1-14-2009 @ 1:50PM
Brian said...
I understand the frustration about reality shows, but I think the foodnetwork still does a great job with not programming too many "reality" type shows, and still has a lot of informative food shows.
Good Eats, 30 minute meals, Essence of Emeril, Barefoot Contessa, Diner's Drive-in & Dives, Unwrapped, Down Home with the Neely's, Semi home made, Paula's home cooking, Guy off the hook....etc. There's plenty of food related shows that are not "reality" shows to enjoy on FN.
The article was just saying that they're not thrilled with the shows that do show cooking, which I think IS more of an issue than too many reality shows.
1-14-2009 @ 3:34PM
Trevor said...
I used to watch FN all the time, but hardly ever now. America's Test Kitchen is a great show. I save them all on my Media Center.
I know many will disagree, but "reality" is killing good television. It has happened before:
MTV...no more music
TechTV...no more tech
Before you know it, FN will have Ultimate Food Fight Challenge (UFFC) and some sort of food related automotive racing.
1-14-2009 @ 4:31PM
drc said...
Diner's Drive-in & Dives: A Template---Guys pulls up to a greasy spoon diner somewhere in "Real America", enters and meets the long haired chef(?) who learned to cook either in the Army, in prison or he bought the joint off the previous owner and now adds his own touch to the menu. Chef cooks some off the wall gruel; Guy tastes it and is blown away by it and wants more. Then Guy rolls through the dining room and the customers "LOVE" everything on the menu!!! Repeat three times, throw in a couple of plugs for Guy's restaurant and a half hour of your life is now gone forever....
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