I was looking for a good debate starter while browsing here and watching Iron Chef America.
If you truly pay attention to the food and not the theatrics (ie celeb judges, lame jokes) there really isnt a better show out there for a professional cook to watch.
I would put Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in second because of all the behind the scenes time it shows and Restaurant Impossible in third just for the humor of it.
It's hard to rate these shows because you find yourself having to separate the drama from the actual cooking.
The shows expose us to new and different ingredients but technique is most always left off camera, so we don't always get to see the prep what goes on behind the scenes.
If I find myself watching a cooking show, it's going to be for entertainment only, so I dig the more elaborate ones. Restaurant Impossible, Restaurant Stakeout, those types. Not sure why but I can't stand more than about 3 minutes of most other cooking shows, especially Top Chef!
I'm not calling anyone out. I'm not challenging anyone's opinion, or claiming that anyone's opinions are wrong. This is only conversation. Everything is all fine and good.
My two(2) top shows are, in no order except the way I'm typing, are "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", and "The "F"-Word". Both shows have given me an amazing number of real usable edible affordable doable accessible recipes. On opposite sides of the coin you have Guy the banana, and a very tolerable Gordon. I've learned and swiped many dishes from these two(2) shows.
Iron Chef is entertainment, nothing more. The $$$ spent on that show are more than the GNP of many small countries. Fun, but not realistic.
Chopped is garbage. A generally bad show. The combinations they use are stupid. I see very little value professionally from that. The judges, on the other hand, are idiot morons. All things being equal ... I'd like to stab the bageebies out of almost every judge that's ever been on that show with a fork.
Top - Chef is just cool. One(1) word makes it a great show otherwise ... "Padma".
Any show with any of the following is just fine too:
If I have time , Chopped. Spontaneous ideas, speed , their drive. I like to see pure raw talent . I have seen some pretty sad dishes but at the same time some terrific food combinations and plating skills that could make it to a lot of menus.
In general, I think all the best cooking shows are in the past; The Frugal Gourmet, Julia Child, the "Great Chefs of...." series, but one of the newer ones that I have loved from the beginning is "Great Eats" with Alton Brown. I love his humor and he almost always provides good information. I find most of today's "cooking" shows to be rather lacking and so if I'm watching a food show it's usually more along the lines of "Drink" or "Unique Eats" or other shows that focus more on places than actual cooking. BTW, both of those shows are found on The Cooking Channel, which I like more than The Food Network, which just seems to use the same few people over and over and over. The Cooking Channel has it's losers also (i. e. Bitchin' Kitchen is abominable!!) but has a few more unique programs and reminds me of Food TV in it's earlier days.
Shows that feature someone making a glutton of themselves, consuming a huge amt of food (some so spicy that even if eaten normally would have no flavor other than HOT) in under (time limit here) minutes.
The (chef?) who travels to some pretty cool places and ruins it for me by munching on some third world version of organ (and bugs, dung, cobra blood) delicacies.
I realize that in their opinion this is "great educational tv" and after exposing myself once or twice, I now leave that channel for those in my home with stronger stomachs.
this show isn't on right now but you can find it on the net.....master chef Australia...it had two seasons I believe before it came to america. Its ten times better than the america version.
also the exec. chef of moto is filming a cooking show right now as we speak and will be out soon to come....that should be a dope one to watch
since pete has already mentioned that most of the great cooking shows are in the past i just need to say that keith floyd will live forever.
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