For entertainment I like Iron Chef. For instruction I like America's Test Kitchen, Simply Ming, and Mexico One Plate at a Time. I used to enjoy watching Justin Wilson. "Add a little wine... add a little more wine..."
What's your favorite Cooking Show?
- Thread starter DoctorShavegood
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When I was a kid, I had no interest in cooking, but I loved to watch Graham Kerr, The Galloping Gourmet. His show was the first thing on when I'd get home from school. I thought he was uproariously funny, I'm sure that glass of wine he nursed during each show helped a lot. I liked that when he'd make errors, there was no attempt to cover it up or edit it out, like flare-ups in the frying pan or stuff in the oven that got scorched and started smoking. Sometimes he'd drop things, burn himself or cut his hands while chopping vegetables, and the show kept right on rolling.
I forgot about Graham Kerr, thanks for reminding me 
Anthony Bourdain's shows are fascinating - as long as they stay close to the subject matter. Food. When he wanders off, he's not particularly interesting. Then again, this thread is about cooking shows, not food shows. I also liked the original run of Kitchen Nightmares, in British, since it shows cooking on a level rarely shown publicly.
For all-out fun, the original Iron Chef is a revelation. The original run was dubbed and subtitled, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. For nearly six years, these were a revelation - and one of the best things on TV. (If you are into file sharing, you can get the entire run.) What's more, they were true cooking shows; you learn as much about ingredients and preparation as the competition.
I also love America's Test Kitchen because it shows the best way to cook popular recipes, as well as miscellaneous gadgets and techniques. If you're really into food, it's hard to imagine why you won't be watching this.
For all-out fun, the original Iron Chef is a revelation. The original run was dubbed and subtitled, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. For nearly six years, these were a revelation - and one of the best things on TV. (If you are into file sharing, you can get the entire run.) What's more, they were true cooking shows; you learn as much about ingredients and preparation as the competition.
I also love America's Test Kitchen because it shows the best way to cook popular recipes, as well as miscellaneous gadgets and techniques. If you're really into food, it's hard to imagine why you won't be watching this.
The only segment of the show that I like is Adam Ried's Equipment Corner. The rest of the cast bores me, but I will sit through it all just to see what gadgets and devices Ried has brought to show us that week. As soon as his segment is over, I change the channel.
Oh, I forgot one -- a Youtube Channel:
"Helen's Recipes". Helen is a young Vietnamese woman living in Germany, I believe, and she cooks all sorts of traditional Vietnamese recipes. Most of her segments are 5-7 minutes long, and recently have incorporated some travelogue since she went on a trip to her homeland.
She explains well, she's interesting, and the recipes are good and they work in a a western kitchen.
https://www.youtube.com/user/HelenRecipes
"Helen's Recipes". Helen is a young Vietnamese woman living in Germany, I believe, and she cooks all sorts of traditional Vietnamese recipes. Most of her segments are 5-7 minutes long, and recently have incorporated some travelogue since she went on a trip to her homeland.
She explains well, she's interesting, and the recipes are good and they work in a a western kitchen.
https://www.youtube.com/user/HelenRecipes
- Thread starter
- #47
Pretty good channel
I like to watch Anthony Bourdain's programmes although they are mainly entertaining more than educating. Rick Stein is good: I never cook or eat fish, but I find his enthusiasm endearing. I also like Nigella and Jamie.
The very best series I have ever seen was "Cook Like A Chef", a Canadian production where they concentrated on technique - it might be a way of cooking, or an ingredient or whatever and the whole programme was really interesting and I actually picked up some great tips from it.
Gordon Ramsey's "Ultimate Cooking Course" is a similar approach and also worth a watch.
The very best series I have ever seen was "Cook Like A Chef", a Canadian production where they concentrated on technique - it might be a way of cooking, or an ingredient or whatever and the whole programme was really interesting and I actually picked up some great tips from it.
Gordon Ramsey's "Ultimate Cooking Course" is a similar approach and also worth a watch.
- Thread starter
- #49
Did we miss Jeff Smith on “The Frugal Gourmet?" He had a great show. He was quirky and seemed a little bit snobbish but with a very friendly personalty. I think he sort of gave me my first glimpse of the outside cooking/food world. Smith was known for his ability to film his shows straight through, without pauses or re-shoots to correct mistakes. He lost his cooking show due to sexual misconduct allegations.
Iron Chief. Morimoto is a badass!
I used to love the original dubbed Iron Chef as well. All those crazy (to me) ingredients. The new Iron Chef America does much less for me. Its all over hyped and much less about the cooking process. I also feel the judging is very inconsistent. It is funny seeing the mostly Z list celebrieites they bring out of the woodworks for guest judges though. I mean Jewl...really?
As far as actual cooking shows go I like a lot of shows that have already been said: Bobby Flay, Rick Bayless, Simply Ming, Good Eats and triple D. Another one that I did not see mentioned that I like: Michael Chiarello, came across as a jerk on Top Chef Masters, but I enjoy watching his shows. I watch a lot of the competition shows too. I like Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, Master Chef and Chopped. And everyone is right, Food Network has become mostly reality shows. If you want to watch an actual cooking show, you need to watch the Cooking channel.
new show. Knife Fight. 2 chefs 1 hour 2 dishes. no anal commercials and bs just quick. a hour of cooking pared down to 1/2 hour show. it is on the Esquire network.
For me the top 2 are Chris Kimball (America's Test Kitchen/Cook's County) and Steven Raichlen (Primal Grill/Barbecue U). I also like Simply Ming, Rick Stevens, and Pati's Mexican Table.
There is an older show that I watched in the past called Scandcooks. It was usually done out in the open on mobile kitchen stations, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and settings they filmed in. Tina Nordström was the host when I started watching, but they have rotated several chefs through.
There is an older show that I watched in the past called Scandcooks. It was usually done out in the open on mobile kitchen stations, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and settings they filmed in. Tina Nordström was the host when I started watching, but they have rotated several chefs through.
I still refer to my Frugal Gourmet cookbooks. The man was an icon. Regardless of what he may or may not have done (no charges were ever filed), the man was responsible for essentially reinventing and re-popularizing the cooking show genre. And he could cook, that's for darn sure.
+1
the first time I saw this was at a friends house who was familiar with the show and I thought it was a Saturday Night Live sketch or something and that he was pulling my leg that it was a real show. The dubbed in laughs and giggles always cracked me up, not to mention that the translations from Japanese to English didn't always make sense.
I will watch Michael Symon, other than that they are all junk
Love Anthony Bourdain, but those aren't really cooking shows so probably Mind of a Chef or Chuck's Day Off
Seems like I haven't seen Raichlen in a while. Where do you catch him?
Scandcook/New Scandanavian Cooking is fun! Offbeat ingredients, gorgeous locales and no pretentiousness.
Raichlen is often on our PBS station. There was a 6 hour marathon last Saturday.
