Judging by this blog, one could make the assumption that all we do is eat and it wouldn’t be that far from the truth. In all honesty though, some of us do have lives, children, etc. Unfortunately, I do not and end up watching a lot of TV. Ha!
Okay, maybe I do have a life (somewhat) but I don’t have kids, so I do have time to watch a lot of TV. And because I like to stay knowledgeable about the “industry”, a lot of these shows revolve around food. There’s a lot of food-related shows out there (challenge, documentary and educational styled shows) to watch and a lot of channels on which to watch them, so there’s certainly enough to keep you busy. I watch all kinds of them, but in order to keep this post as brief as possible, here are the ones that are set on my DVR so that I don’t miss them:
Challenge Shows
Dinner: Impossible (Food Network): I don’t know what it is about this show, but I’m addicted. Hosted by a goofy British bastard with a previously falsified resume (he actually lost the show for a time because of it) named Robert Irvine, this show puts Robert in situations where he has to come up with a banquet style meal against all obstacles. Some obstacles include lack of food on hand, lack of cooking equipment, lack of space, lack of time, etc. Basically, they unknowingly drop him into a seemingly insurmountable situation and somehow he usually triumphs and accomplishes the job of getting the meal prepared. It may just be the magic of television bending the rules in order to make him win more often than not, but even if they do bend the rules, what he does is pretty darn impressive. Robert’s a driven, yet engaging personality and I’ll admit that I’ve used a few of his techniques/solutions that he’s come up with on the show when I’ve been cooking in my own kitchen or out in a tailgate lot.
Man v. Food (Travel Channel): Hosted by Adam Richman, this show revolves around Adam traveling around and eating massive quantities of food in cities across America (thus the reason it is on the Travel Channel). It’s interesting to see some of the crazy food creations that are out there in America and watching the total goof Richman interact with these people is equally entertaining. What really makes this show and makes me love it is watching the eating challenges that he takes on at the end of each episode. Whether it’s spicy chicken wings, 150 oysters, a meter of bratwurst, etc., they are always awesome. Plus, being the big fan of eating challenges that I am, it is always fun to sit there and wonder if I could defeat some of the challenges. It’s almost interactive in that respect and if I had to speculate, I think I could complete nearly every single hot food challenge but probably only about 25% of the food quantity challenges.
Food Wars (Travel Channel): This one is relatively new as it has only been showing for about a month. Hosted by a very cute Camille Ford, the entire premise of this show is based on going to a particular city, picking out a notable food item from the city (chicken wings in Buffalo, Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago, cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, etc.) and then holding a competition between two of the most famous purveyors of that food item in the city. The contest includes local “super fans” from each restaurant and local “celebrities” who are blindfolded and then are given a taste of each food item. The premise of the show is not exactly the most brain busting of all time, but is interesting to see how passionate people are about these foods from their favorite particular place (also sometimes the demographics of the customers from the competing restaurants can be VERY entertaining). Plus, it’s nice to know about some of these places in case I ever find myself in one of these cities so that I can give the food a shot myself.
Hell’s Kitchen (FOX): At this point, everyone and their mother knows who Gordon Ramsay is and he’s the host/antagonist in this show. Matching up teams of aspiring chefs against each other with a grand prize being a job at a “prestigious” restaurant or a restaurant of their own, this one is competition-style reality television at its heart. It’s over-dramatized, melodramatic and fake (all things that I usually hate), yet I can’t stop watching. I will admit that in recent years, I find myself caring less about the competitors and the show and more about watching what Ramsay is going to do next. I love him that much.
Throwdown! with Bobby Flay (Food Network): I’ll admit that I don’t pay that close of attention to this one at all times, but I do like it. Ordinarily, I think Bobby Flay is a pompous ass (wibia is in love with him), but on this show he tones it down and actually acts somewhat like a real human being and that makes it watchable. The premise of this show is that Bobby goes across America and finds a person/people that specialize in a particular food item (cheesecake, fried chicken, apple pie, etc.) and then comes up with a recipe of his own to challenge them in a “throwdown” competition where a winner is declared. They always use taste as a judging parameter (obviously), but the other parameters sometimes vary from show to show to include such things as creativity, presentation, etc. It’s not the greatest television ever produced, but it is a fun way to learn about foods that I’ve never heard of and also to see the good, honest, friendly people that make these foods.
Educational Shows
Good Eats (Food Network): Hosted by Alton Brown, this show is more of a learning show for me than it is anything else. Granted, Alton is very entertaining and dare I say very funny, but the primary reason I watch this show is to learn about the food trivia, gadgets and recipes. This show has given me a new appreciation of some foods and has also taught me different uses for foods that I already knew about and for some that I did not know about either. For that alone, this show is worth watching. There are other reasons though too and one of them is the fact that this show is just so darn cheesy that it is funny. The best part is that Alton doesn’t care about hiding it either and even plays up to the cheese factor and that just makes it even better.
Food Tech (History Channel): I’ll admit that this one is the newest show on my list and the only reason I started watching was because I heard they were going to be profiling my beloved Domino’s Pizza. I’ve only watched two episodes so far and while this is not the most overly entertaining show, it certainly is informational. Hosted by a TOTAL TOOL named Bobby Bognar, this show focuses on a particular food item/offering (pizza, ballpark food, Chinese takeout, etc.) and shows you how the foods get from the field/animal to the factory to your mouth. It’s not the most addicting show and I’m not going to make any specific plans to watch it on its first run, but it is a nice show to have on your DVR when you’ve got an hour to kill and there’s nothing else going on. This one is strikingly similar to Unwrapped on the Food Network.
Documentary Shows
Kitchen Nightmares (BBC America and FOX): There’s two different versions of this show that have been produced for British (the original) and American television, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll just group them into both. On this one, Gordon Ramsay (my boy!) goes around to failing restaurants and takes a week to diagnose their problem, analyze their operations and come up with a plan to turn the restaurant around. Often times, there’s a lot of drama (real and fake) and a lot of things you couldn’t care less about, but ultimately Ramsay’s overwhelmingly engaging personality carries this show. When you look past the constant blow-ups on Hell’s Kitchen (he obviously just overreacts to get ratings) and watch him on this show, you can see that he is a legitimately awesome guy that really does care about helping people. Plus, he’s a lot of fun too. He’s still driven and abrasive, but it just comes across differently on this show. That said, given the option between watching the British version and the American version, I would choose the British version every time. The American version is sensationalized and the British version is just more of a “real” product.
Other Shows (ones that I watch, but don’t necessarily re-arrange my life for or always set my DVR to record)
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Ultimate Recipe Showdown
Giada de Laurentiis (I know she’s only one person, but c’mon, I am a male…)
Unwrapped
The Best Thing I Ever Ate
As you can see, I watch way too much television as it is. Unfortunately, there’s many others (Food Network mostly) that I will watch if the mood suits me, but these are the ones that I naturally gravitate toward.
So, do you have any favorites that you like to watch and why do you like to watch them? Any favorite food show related television personalities out there (if anyone says Paula Deen, I’m deleting your comment. Ha!)? Let’s get a conversation going and maybe some of us can learn about some shows/personalities that we’ve never heard of and may find appealing. Comment away!
-IndianapolisEater
Tags: adam richman, alton brown, bobby bognar, Bobby Flay, camille ford, dinner: impossible, Food, food network, food tech, good eats, gordon ramsay, guy fieri, history channel, man v. food, robert irvine, television, throwdown, travel channel, unwrapped
Despite the fact that I think Jamie Oliver is something of a “twat,” I have been watching “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” every week. I have the cookbook that coincides with the show’s concept and it is a permanent fixture in my kitchen. I am a passionate supporter of the kind of reform Jamie is attempting in West Virginia. I don’t have kids yet, but this show makes me fear for the health and well-being of all children in the public school system. When watching this show, you’ll feel disgusted, shocked, dumbfounded, inspired, or just plain sad… Sounds great, right? Okay, maybe not — but it is something that all Americans should watch because I fear that precious few people actually know about the state of school lunches or the health of America in general.
Bobby Flay might win a few more Throw Downs if he’d only stop adding chipotle peppers to everything he makes! Waffle throw down? Wait till the judges try my raisin/blueberry/chiptole waffles! Ice Cream throw down? Wait till they taste my lemon/raspberry/banana/chipotle ice cream! Wedding cake thrown down? Wait till they get a load of my double chipotle wedding cake. WE GET IT Flay, you only use chipotles. Sheesh!
you’re not alone my friend…
PBS cooking shows were a formative part of my youth – the frugal gourmet, justin wilson, yan can cook, etc. – and I’ve enjoyed watching the food network develop.
I watch about 9 out of 10 of those
I still like watching PBS:
- america’s test kitchen – I appreciate for the tasty, insanely thought-out recipe… and for testing segments (on equipment and blind tests on say, mustard)
- mexico one plate at a time – introduced me to rick bayless and gives me lots of ideas… I also appreciate the travel aspect of it
- lydia’s Italy – it is sort of a guilty pleasure, but I’d love to have an Italian grandmother like that… and so many of her recipes are amazing
I’m a big viewer of the Food Network. My wife graciously accepts my crush on Giada (and actually even gave me one of her cookbooks as sort of a cheeky gift). In addition to the shows you listed, I have my DVR set to record Aaron McCargo’s (sp?) show… if I received the channel Planet Green, I’d be watching Emeri’s show (Emeril Green).
Aint no shame in this game.
Cheers.
Tom
Wow, no love for “No Reservations” That show is must see TV for me. The techniques show last Monday was really well done.
+1 On Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Never liked his cooking shows, but I have religiously watched this show.
+1 on No Reservations. Great show…
I am also into Top Chef (I thought Masters was great).
I like Bobby Flay’s cookbooks quite a bit actually, though I am a little tired of him on tv. He is best on Iron Chef.
As much as I hate to admit it, I think that Tyler’s Ultimate is the best instructional cooking show. Easy to follow and I like the concept.
@tom… I agree – Mexico One Plate At a Time is an awesome show. I feel like I learn a ton while watching it… Bayless treats that show like he is a hungry Rick Steves..
IE- good write up:) Don’t know Food Tech. Fnetwork: I like Bobby Flay (but prefer his grill shows), Giada, Ina G. & old repeats of Nigella Lawson. Also like Alton B’s road shows.
Bravo: Top Chef Masters
& love No Reservations– the episode in Hudson River Valley with Michael Ruhlman (swoon:) rocked as well as Bourdain’s episode in NYC.
How could I forget Top Chef?? Geez… I guess I overlooked it because there isn’t a season going on currently.
How about “Kitchen Confidential” though?? HUH? That was a show that unfortunately got cancelled before they could prove that the show was actually funny… stupid World Series got in the way.
Seriously, Anthony Bourdain all day, all the time.
Even though I can tolerate Flay, I just cannot stand Anthony Bourdain, despite the fact that they are very similar (huge ego, total jerk). Can’t really explain why I like one and not the other though. Maybe there’s only room for one person like that in my television watching and since Flay was the first I saw like that, he must have been the one that filled my quota.
Never quite got into Top Chef. I’ve tried, but something about the show just doesn’t appeal to me. Maybe it is too “hardcore” and geared toward very serious kitchen junkies while I gravitate toward the shows that are more whimsical and/or competition based.
@Andrew: Agree on Kitchen Confidential. That show cracked me up. Plus, it starred Bradley Cooper of Hangover fame and he is awesome.
@Tom: So you are the ONE person out there that actually watches McCargo’s show (other than his family)? I was wondering how the heck he is still on the air…Food Network must highly value your opinion!
i love top chef (the real one, not so much the masters) and just about anything other than cake decorating on the food network.
don’t you think Giada looks like a bobble head? Her head is huge compared to the rest of her body… the camera must put 10 pounds on her head
@ Indianapolis Eater… LOL!!! I don’t know, he seems like he has a good heart and my wife and I find his son to be pretty adorable. But in all seriousness, most importantly his taste in recipes = right up my alley.
At least it isnt Guy Fieri in drag
*that* show is in the running for worst on food network, imo
“Best thing I ever ate” has been entertaining. There was a show called “Made in Spain” that was on for about 10 minutes. Love Spanish food. Why don’t you guys make it personal challenge to find a good Spanish restaurant in Indiana?
Where is the love for “Chopped”? One of the most underrated challenge shows out there – glad to see that it has come back for a 4th season.
Has Food Wars done anything with Portillos?
@Show: Food Wars didn’t even acknowledge Portillo’s (and neither do local magazines, I guess). The top two rated Italian beef places in Chicago routinely (from the magazine article cited in the episode) are Al’s #1 Italian Beef and Mr. Beef. They had their own food war and Mr. Beef won. If you can find that episode in your program guide, it is worth watching. That’s the one that made me laugh when I was looking at the demographics of the groups of customers that went to each place.
I love Man vs. Food, and Good Eats! I loved watching Hell’s Kitchen the first two seasons, but got bored after that. Thanks for the fun and interesting post
I still love watching No Reservations, despite what appears to be some apathy on the part of Anthony Bourdain. He doesn’t appear to be into it like he used to – almost like the production staff dragged him to a locale.
Admittedly, I’m tired of Man v. Food. It’s formulaic, and, he’s never eaten anything he doesn’t love and gush over. I need some honest assessment of what he’s eating, and I’m afraid AR and the M.v.F. program generally is nothing more than a shill for the restaurants they visit. Sometimes, a burger is just a burger, know what I mean? You’d think some of the food he eats has cured cancer from his reaction.
Good Eats and America’s Test Kitchen – both stellar, informative programs. High marks for those programs.
@Amateur Mixologist: I disagree on him gushing over everything. On some things you can tell that he’s only saying nice stuff about the food because that is what he is paid to do and not because the food is actually all that great. I can tell by what words he uses to describe the foods. If he uses just basic descriptions like meaty or juicy and struggles to think of other words, I think that means that he’s not a huge fan. When he uses words like succulent and fantastic and stuff like that, that means he legitimately is gushing over it.
I could be entirely wrong, but that’s my guess/interpretation after watching all the episodes.
@Indianapolis Eater I agree with you, he lauds some stuff more than others. I suppose though, that if the baseline from which he starts is that it’s good (as in “good” is the lowest score you can get) or at least that the product will be impervious to criticism, then it makes it really difficult to know whether something is worth checking out.
In other words, if a viewer has to decipher which code words he’s using to tell us that “Hey, this isn’t all that great” – I feel like he’s already veered away from what I’d prefer to see him do. I want him to be ruthless!
I can not STAND Gordon Ramsay with a PASSION. A chef who does nothing but scream at those beneath him is just sad, even if it’s “for the ratings.”
Perhaps it reminds me of high school or something.