Top Guy
1) Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Do I love Triple-D because host Guy Fieri reminds me of one of my old co-workers? Yes. But that’s not the only reason. Fieri searches out the best American diners and shows viewers how they make the food—spotlighting a segment of the culinary industry that is seldom scene on the Food Network.
2) Iron Chef America
Two competing chefs have 60 minutes to cook a five-course meal featuring a secret ingredient. Those meals are then judged by a panel of culinary minds, and a winner is crowned. The real treat is getting an inside look at how some of the world’s top chefs—always including Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, Cat Cora or Michael Symon—operate in the kitchen.
3) Mexico One Plate at a Time
If I could have lunch with anyone in the world, Rick Bayless might get the nod. The catch is that he’d have to cook. The Chicago-via-Oklahoma chef knows more about Mexican cuisine than anyone else on Earth, and One Plate is the perfect showcase for his knowledge and skills.
4) The Restaurant
Reality TV generally turns my stomach, but this now-defunct show was a can’t miss for me. Rocco DiSpirito was one of New York’s great young chefs until this series; now he’s a cautionary tale. From a chef who’s almost never in the kitchen to whiny employees who don’t care about the eatery’s success to a power struggle between the two principle owners, Restaurant was basically a primer of how not to run a restaurant.
5) 30-Minute Meals
I know it’s trendy to hate Rachel Ray, and I agree that she can be more than a little annoying at times. But who can argue against a show where the central premise is to teach parents that it’s possible to cook healthy, tasty meals at home in less time than it takes to load up the car and drive the kids to McDonald’s?
Do I love Triple-D because host Guy Fieri reminds me of one of my old co-workers? Yes. But that’s not the only reason. Fieri searches out the best American diners and shows viewers how they make the food—spotlighting a segment of the culinary industry that is seldom scene on the Food Network.
2) Iron Chef America
Two competing chefs have 60 minutes to cook a five-course meal featuring a secret ingredient. Those meals are then judged by a panel of culinary minds, and a winner is crowned. The real treat is getting an inside look at how some of the world’s top chefs—always including Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, Cat Cora or Michael Symon—operate in the kitchen.
3) Mexico One Plate at a Time
If I could have lunch with anyone in the world, Rick Bayless might get the nod. The catch is that he’d have to cook. The Chicago-via-Oklahoma chef knows more about Mexican cuisine than anyone else on Earth, and One Plate is the perfect showcase for his knowledge and skills.
4) The Restaurant
Reality TV generally turns my stomach, but this now-defunct show was a can’t miss for me. Rocco DiSpirito was one of New York’s great young chefs until this series; now he’s a cautionary tale. From a chef who’s almost never in the kitchen to whiny employees who don’t care about the eatery’s success to a power struggle between the two principle owners, Restaurant was basically a primer of how not to run a restaurant.
5) 30-Minute Meals
I know it’s trendy to hate Rachel Ray, and I agree that she can be more than a little annoying at times. But who can argue against a show where the central premise is to teach parents that it’s possible to cook healthy, tasty meals at home in less time than it takes to load up the car and drive the kids to McDonald’s?
Top Lady
1) Good Eats
The most satisfying thing about Good Eats is its orientation of episodes around a single ingredient. It’s great to spend 22 minutes showing how to make eggplant parmesan—but even better to show five different things to do with an eggplant, as well as getting a little history and nutritional information besides. The fact that Alton Brown never seems to get tired of showing the best way to do simple things such as chop an onion is particularly endearing to those of us who were never taught how to chop an onion. Last year, I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my family, due in no small part to this show. (It was awesome, by the way.)
2) No Reservations
I realize that some people have a problem with Anthony Bourdain. Aside from his New York ‘tude, he often remarks on how his adventures take him to places no mere American tourist would dare go or taste—as if having a producer that hooks him up with local guides, a camera crew, and a significantly larger travel budget than most backpackers makes him a mere tourist. However, he’s definitely willing to laugh at himself, and he seems deep down to want to encourage people to get out in the world and taste new things.
3) America’s Test Kitchen
Another science-y cooking show but on a PBS budget. What I like best about ATK is that they approach cooking with techniques out of a high-school lab workbook. What’s the best “room temperature” for baking with butter? Let’s make a hypothesis, set a control group, and find out!
4) The French Chef
The original is still the champ. I don’t know that Julia Child necessarily made things look easy, but listening to her breezy talk while she butchers up a rooster for coq au vin was the original comfort food of cooking shows.
5) Yan Can Cook
OK—this is not the greatest cooking show on Earth. But my mom will attest that I loved this show as a kid. Wearing aprons that said things such as “I Wok My Dog Every Day” (I know, sick, right? I don’t think he got it), chef Martin Yan made simple stir-frys and other Chinese dishes probably toned way down for the American PBS crowd. But he had a goofy sense of humor that appealed to kids when no other cooking shows did.
The most satisfying thing about Good Eats is its orientation of episodes around a single ingredient. It’s great to spend 22 minutes showing how to make eggplant parmesan—but even better to show five different things to do with an eggplant, as well as getting a little history and nutritional information besides. The fact that Alton Brown never seems to get tired of showing the best way to do simple things such as chop an onion is particularly endearing to those of us who were never taught how to chop an onion. Last year, I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my family, due in no small part to this show. (It was awesome, by the way.)
2) No Reservations
I realize that some people have a problem with Anthony Bourdain. Aside from his New York ‘tude, he often remarks on how his adventures take him to places no mere American tourist would dare go or taste—as if having a producer that hooks him up with local guides, a camera crew, and a significantly larger travel budget than most backpackers makes him a mere tourist. However, he’s definitely willing to laugh at himself, and he seems deep down to want to encourage people to get out in the world and taste new things.
3) America’s Test Kitchen
Another science-y cooking show but on a PBS budget. What I like best about ATK is that they approach cooking with techniques out of a high-school lab workbook. What’s the best “room temperature” for baking with butter? Let’s make a hypothesis, set a control group, and find out!
4) The French Chef
The original is still the champ. I don’t know that Julia Child necessarily made things look easy, but listening to her breezy talk while she butchers up a rooster for coq au vin was the original comfort food of cooking shows.
5) Yan Can Cook
OK—this is not the greatest cooking show on Earth. But my mom will attest that I loved this show as a kid. Wearing aprons that said things such as “I Wok My Dog Every Day” (I know, sick, right? I don’t think he got it), chef Martin Yan made simple stir-frys and other Chinese dishes probably toned way down for the American PBS crowd. But he had a goofy sense of humor that appealed to kids when no other cooking shows did.
3 comments:
I would like to go on record saying that Bobby Flay tops off my list of people I've never met and dislike heartily. Such an ass.
That and I wonder what you guys have against Top Chef? Too much Bravo? Too popular and obvious?
Couple of comments...
1) The dude on the Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins show is a huge tool. He irks me on the TGI Friday's commercials, too. I think it's just his hair/facial hair...perhaps I'm too superficial. Who knows.
2) Rachael Ray is annoyingly chirpy. HOWEVER, I love 30 min. meals & her recipes are actually pretty darn good.
3) Anthony Bourdain kicks ass! How can anyone not like him?? The episode on Cleveland made me rethink my hatred toward the city. The episode on Laos made me cry. Seriously. A really, really, really great show.
Oooo...I forgot. Alton Brown buys his shoes at my store. :)
Post a Comment