For many years I’ve been a huge fan of food shows on TV. When we had DirecTV and a DVR we had a steady stream of food related shows all queued up and ready to rock at our leisure. Now without access to 100 channels of nothing we have to resort to accessing food shows either on Hulu or broadcast TV. Unfortunately because we watch very little actual TV it’s mostly what’s on Hulu.
During the DirecTV years we fell in love with Gordon Ramsey–the UK version. His shows over there, such as The F Word and Kitchen Nightmares are nothing like the sensationalized and poorly edited versions we see through the eyes of Fox here in the US. There were other shows too, many which I cannot even possibly begin to recall, but which we thoroughly enjoyed and we miss them.
The only food related shows we are watching currently are Top Chef (when they are available on Hulu) and MasterChef. MasterChef is a Top Chef knockoff for amateurs only. While I disagree with a lot of their challenges and how they remove people from the show, the foods that are made are quite interesting. I have to admit I’m a bit jealous of people who claim to be amateurs yet can come up with the dishes they do but I really have to question any group, like that, who cannot name more than 9 or 10 vegetables/meats on a table. Seems a little fake.
What food related shows do you watch? Do you have a source for them that isn’t on cable? Why do you like the ones you do? Do you think that Gordon Ramsey’s shows in the US are too sensationalized (think Hell’s Kitchen or Kitchen Nightmares)? Whatever you have to say about food shows go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Dakota Complaints Map
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August 30th, 2010 at 8:00 am
I used to like the Frugal Gourmet.. keep your “old” comments to yourself.. He was very good back in the 70′s. Then he had the affair with the young male intern and then keeled over from the massive heart attack.
Since then.. I’ve watched a couple Paula Deen shows, can’t decide if I like her or not, seems friendly enough and the food looks good. Due to my family circumstance I trust anyone with a southern accent. I have to get over that one.
We watch Iron Chef once in a while.
Other than that not much.
August 30th, 2010 at 8:24 am
DINER DRIVE-IN AND DIVES!! Great show!
August 30th, 2010 at 8:44 am
Gordon Ramsey? No thank you. Any clips I’ve watched of his shows give me an instant headache, but my dad loves the show.
I do watch Top Chef (and Top Chef Masters), but that’s about it. I wish we got the Cooking Channel for something new. I tend to read more food related blogs than watch cooking shows.
August 30th, 2010 at 8:50 am
While there’s something kinda creepy about his delivery, I’ve enjoyed Rick Bayless’ “Mexico: One Plate at a Time”
August 30th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Not sure if this fits I like shows like “Cake Boss” and “Ace of Cakes”. The shows are more visual and less about the cakes but it almost become food artwork. I’m a ok cook but I’m very creative and its not too hard to make a quality cake. I’ve made a few that have turned out well.
August 30th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Food network shows like Iron Chef, Good Eats, and diners drive-ins and dives are shows I’ll hang with if I’m flipping around. I have watched the American and British versions of Gordon Ramsey’s shows. For the most part, Gordon Ramsey’s shows are just entertainment. I look at them as character studies. You don’t really learn anything other than how different people react in different circumstances.
I enjoy the Food Network shows much more.
August 30th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Alton Brown on Good Eats. As an engineer, I really appreciate the way he explains the science behind the cooking process. I also like the cheesy humor on the show.
August 30th, 2010 at 9:16 am
I don’t really watch much tv, but I like food so I have checked out many shows over time. I like Top Chef, Iron Chef, and Triple D. I also like Man Vs Food for some unknown reason. Bizarre Foods and No Reservations are hit or miss for me. I like most episodes, but I can be bored by those shows. Bobby Flay has grown on me. Rick Bayless and Steven Raichlen have excellent content but can be a bit dull. I agree about Gordon Ramsay, the UK stuff was much better. Hell’s Kitchen is a joke. I like Alton Brown, but have honestly only watched his show a few times. He’s almost perfect on Iron Chef. In general, the how to shows on food network don’t interest me (Emeril, Rachel Ray, Giada, Paula Deen, etc.). If you haven’t tried the PBS shows, they are worth checking out and don’t require cable.
August 30th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Back when I had satellite or cable, I liked both of Anthony Bourdain’s shows (though No Reservations was definitely the better of the two) and the UK versions of Gordon Ramsay’s shows. I’d watch Top Chef or Alton Brown sometimes too, but not regularly.
Going a little further back, I also really enjoyed the original Japanese version of Iron Chef. The American remake is okay, but not quite the same IMO.
August 30th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Top Chef is my one “can’t miss” food show. I mentioned recently that I love No Reservations — it’s really well-written and edited and I try and keep up with any new ones that come out.
I used to love the Japanese version of Iron Chef — less thrilled about the American version.
Bobby Flay’s “Boy Meets Grill” was a good, simple show and was before Flay became a little too ubiquitous for my taste.
Anything with BBQ competitions usually sucks me in. I was watching “Grillmasters” the other night.
Pretty much any of the above, and any food-themed show I’ll watch, has to have an element of learning and/or intrigue about places that makes me want to cook and eat what they are eating and visit the places they are. I have a hard time sitting and watching Alton Brown braise cabbage for an hour or watch Bobby Flay “Throwdown” against someone that’s been making lobster rolls the same way for 80 years.
By the way, if you can, Rick Bayless’ restaurants in Chicago are worth visiting (Frontera and Topolobampo). I’ve also eaten at Flay’s places in NYC (Mesa Grill and Bolo) and enjoyed those as well, although there are more interesting places to eat in that city. Lupa (a Batali place) was an amazing meal and well worth a trip, although it’s now been several years.
August 30th, 2010 at 10:46 am
Man vs. Food. But only because it’s just an obscene amount of food, and is just a showcase for good ole’ American gluttony.
August 30th, 2010 at 10:59 am
I don’t have a TV, but I watch a lot of cooking shows on my computer.
Top Chef I download each week from iTunes.
MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen I watch on Hulu.
I’m working my way through the old No Reservations on Netflix Streaming and occasionally download one from iTunes if I really want to see it, like the Liberia one.
I’d watch others too, if I had cable. I really like Alton Brown and Iron Chef and Rick Bayless. But I don’t like them enough to search out how I can legally get them on my computer.
August 30th, 2010 at 11:07 am
Man vs. Food, No Reservations, Top Chef and Top Chef Masters are my favorites. I used to watch Food Network quite a bit, but I grew weary of it. I like Giada’s food, but her mugging for the camera and cleavage are a bit off-putting. Alton Brown has grown on me. I learn a lot watching Good Eats. Many of their chefs have gotten too big for their britches. Paula Deen especially comes to mind. I used to like DDD, but it has lost it’s charm for me. I have never seen the UK Gordan Ramsey. I think I would like it. I miss Jamie Oliver on Food Network. The Naked Chef is what turned me on to cooking.
August 30th, 2010 at 11:21 am
My wife and I watch a lot of Food Network shows. We like Chopped, Next Food Network Star, Triple D, and Good Eats with Alton Brown. Also watch Top Chef and Top Chef Masters on Bravo. The competition shows are okay when they stick to actual cooking; not so hot on the manufactured drama (and the sub-par chefs) on Top Chef this season.
August 30th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Love Top Chef and Top Chef Masters and looking forward to the new Top Chef Just Desserts. Barefoot Contessa is also a favorite, America’s Test Kitchen, Lydia’s something or other, BBQ University, Alton Brown, Chopped, the old verison of Iron Chef was so great – just for the voiceovers Alot of the Food Network Challenges with regular folks competing are pretty good too.
August 30th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I detest the majority of “reality” television programming, and this includes food-based television shows. I will watch an occasional episode of Good eats if I like the food of the episode.
August 30th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Good Eats and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
August 30th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
I love Anthony Bourdain. As a matter of fact, I strongly recommend watching tonight’s episode called Making of No Reservations.
August 30th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
I’m a HUGE fan of many of the PBS cooking shows: Lidia’s Italy (Lidia Bastianich), Jacques Pepin’s Fast Food My Way, even Martha Stewart’s Everyday Cooking and America’s Test Kitchen. What I like about these shows is that they TEACH you how to cook and how to appreciate food. There’s a great grilling show, too, and some quirky stuff from Scandinavia, but that’s pure fantasy, even if I do enjoy it. Come on, who’s going to climb an iceberg to make a perfect vodka?
What I like about the afore-mentioned shows, is that I can watch them prepare the dishes, print off the recipes online and things turn out the way they are supposed to. My son and I made a duck at Christmas from Lidia’s recipe, and it was excellent.
I do like to watch the Bourdain shows on dvd. He’s sometimes a jerk, but he’s taught me more about geography than all my elementary school classes together.
August 30th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
We watch Top Chef every week. We DVR most episodes or Americas Test Kitchen. We also watch most of the Next Food Network Star, although its not as good as Top Chef.
I enjoy Emeril and Giada, and dont mind Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.
I used to think Bobby Flay was great, but we ate at his place at Ceasars in Vegas and it was the worst dining experiences of my life. So, I dont watch him if I can avoid it, which is to bad, because going back to his early days when he was just a guy talking and writing about how to grille he was pretty cool, and made food that I enjoy.
August 30th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I was just about to finish watching last week’s Master Chef! I pretty much record every show on Food Network but the best ones are probably Chopped and Iron Chef. Also I was excited when Holli won Hell’s Kitchen!
August 30th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
i’ll take the hot italian salsa, and the blonde dish that ends her show with a cocktail:)
bb
August 30th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Jamie at Home, ATK, anything Rick Bayless (his restaurants really are great), Bake!, French Food at Home, Top Chef/Top Chef Masters, Anthony Bourdain, Iron Chef, Triple D, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, and probably more…
I love cooking shows. I wish there were fewer competition shows and more actual cooking going on.
I’ve recently caught a few old Galloping Gourmet shows, and they’re really quite good – I picked up the companion book set at an estate sale recently and they’re fascinating.
August 31st, 2010 at 7:26 am
I’m with #19. I’m a 60 year old grandpa and I’ve learned how to cook from watching ATK on PBS since it started ten years ago. I have purchased 20 of their cookbooks (some of them signed by Chris Kimball), and follow their taste testing and equipment recommendations to stock my pantry and kitchen. I’ve learned to enjoy food the way it’s meant to be cooked!
August 31st, 2010 at 10:15 am
If anything, I’ve learned from many of the shows, in particular Iron Chef, that what I use to determine if a food is “good” is completely different than what food critics, and others use to determine if a food is good.
I’m a simple man. I taste it, and my brain says yum or blech. That’s about all it takes. I wasn’t aware (prior to the TV shows) that so many people break down their food so much more. To the point that they may not like the whole, but can appreciate the pieces. I can’t do that, and to be honest, I’m not sure why I’d want to have that skill.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:18 am
Because in this day and age we all have to play nice and in the name of those big names in the reviewing world they have to play extraordinarily nice with sponsors.
That’s why the proliferation of sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon have given the proper outlet to regular people out there who don’t have trained/refined tastes and don’t want to waste their money on something that is just 15% acceptable.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:26 am
“I used to think Bobby Flay was great, but we ate at his place at Ceasars in Vegas and it was the worst dining experiences of my life.”
Chad, can you say what was so awful about your experience? Just curious.
August 31st, 2010 at 1:02 pm
TIU,
My wife and I were in Vegas for a long weekend. The day before we went to Mesa Grill we were out and about in shorts and T-shirts. We had a horrible lunch at ‘wichcraft (Tom Colicio’s place in MGM) and decided to see about an early dinner at Joe’s Stone Crab. We were clearly not dressed for the place, but hoped it might be OK as it was pretty early (maybe 5:30). We went in and they treated us like royalty. I mentioned that we were under dressed and they could not have done more to put us at ease, or make sure we had a great meal. Our waiter was a professional server, and we had an incredible meal. Very good food, wonderful service. A lasting memory which we are grateful for.
I tell that part of the story because the next night we had planned as our big night out at Mesa Grill. We had reservations and dressed up nicely for what we considered a bit of an event. Even with reservations we had to wait to be seated (maybe 15 minutes). Once seated, we were at a table nearly on top of our neighbors. It seemed that as soon as we declined wine, we were relegated to the second class customer. Our waiter was snotty, condescending, and rude. I asked him to recommend a steak, (Its Bobby Flays place, and I had watched him grill a million different things on TV after all). He responded that he would not make any sort of a recommendation, as he was unable to judge my palate and while he might enjoy the steak, its possible my palate would not be sophisticated enough for the experience. He has some similar BS for every question we asked.
Meanwhile, we had to sit and watch the couple next to us, who were drinking heavily, (same waiter) be treated like long lost friends. He “recommended” several different drinks before the meal, several dishes from the menu, and several kinds of wine.
From that point things just went downhill. My steak was cool and raw/red in the middle (ordered it medium). My wife’s dinner was totally forgettable. Everyone, from the waiter to the busboy was rude and condescending. The food was average or worse. The prices were quite high.
I have had worse food, but coupled with our expectations, this was easily my single worst dining experience. It is one of the very few times when I can remember not leaving a single penny as a tip.
I did scrounge up an address for Bobby Flay from someplace and sent a written complaint, but never heard a word in return.
August 31st, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Chad, thanks for sharing that. I see why you mentioned the experience at Joe’s as a counter to this one. I wonder if it’s the difference in the corporate cultures between Joe’s and Mesa or if that level of disdain for the customer is standard fare at Flay’s restaurants? It’s unfortunate that in a place like Vegas, which is very tourist driven, there is no incentive to improve that type of assholish service. A customer most likely comes in once, has that happen and never goes back. But truth be told it’s not like Mesa is trying to foster a steady regular clientele. They can get away with that type of thing because chances are there will be no lasting impact to their very transitory business. Now please do dish about ‘wichcraft. Was the food bad or was it more stupid rude service?
August 31st, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Top Chef (although this season is uber LAME)
Top Chef Masters (first season)
Hells Kitchen (for entertainment purposes know the “chefs” are all, well, not good.
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (prefer BBC version compared to Americanized CRAP)
The F Word (awesome show)
Master Chef (it’s just OK so far)
Dinner Impossible (exchanged several emails with Robert Irvine, really nice guy)
Tyler’s Ultimate (same as the above)
Man v Food (the dude ROCKS)
August 31st, 2010 at 4:27 pm
TIU, not much to say about ‘wichcraft. It was not all what we expected. We were out wandering around and came across it. We knew what it was, so we went in for lunch.
Service was pretty much identical to what you would get at Burger King or McDonalds. All of the food sounded great on the board (you order at a counter off a board). But it was prepared by people making 7 bucks an hour who hated their jobs. The tables were not cleaned/wiped off after people left.
The food itself was also very much like what you might get at Subway, just with fancier names and better sounding ingredients.
All in all, it just seemed like a place that was poorly run and happy to take money from tourists without any worry about building up repeat business.
September 1st, 2010 at 10:42 am
Thanks Chad. I admit I was intrigued by ‘withcraft but I think I’ll save my money and skip it.
I’m watching Top Chef currently and Master Chef. I’ll usually stop on a cooking show if it looks interesting. I like the stuff on PBS but don’t watch it often. I like No Reservations and Man v Food too.