I was very excited to find the new issue of Entertainment Weekly (8/14/09) waiting for me in my mailbox when I arrived home from Vegas. Why, you ask? Well, because they rate the best food shows on TV!!
The article says the shows are not ranked in any particular order, but I’m going to take their 15 and put them in my order of preference.
15. Today
14. The Martha Stewart Show
13. Lidia’s Italy
12. Giada at Home
11. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Okay… my comments on the bottom 5. First of all, Today is a news/magazine show and The Martha Stewart Show is a talk show. Shows with cooking segments do not qualify as food shows, so they immediately fall to the bottom of my list.
I will admit, I have not seen Lidia’s Italy, but I don’t have a ton of patience for PBS cooking shows so she is getting victimized for no good reason.
I know a million people (if they were actually reading this) would argue profusely with me over the two Food Network shows that round out the bottom 5. But I have my reasons, and we’re all entitled to our own opinions. Giada deLaurentis just bothers me. I used to like her show, and then I saw her on The Next Food Network Star. She’s so hostile and mean, and always picks on the bright and sunny contestant – calling them fake, and too bubbly. In my opinion, she is criticizing the very personality she projects on her show, and I don’t like hypocrites. I’m lukewarm about Guy Fieri. That’s all I have to say about him
10. Paula’s Home Cooking
9. Hell’s Kitchen
8. Ace of Cakes
7. 30 Minute Meals
6. Barefoot Contessa
The Food Network dominates this bunch of shows – 4 out of 5, but they are a network entirely dedicated to food shows, so one can argue that the odds are against them. This is a middle of the pack group, so it’s not really a vote for or against.
Paula Deen scares the crap out of me. I’m convinced that a single taste of one of her recipes will put me in cardiac arrest. I’ve never seen someone cook with so much butter and heavy cream. Granted, her food looks awesome. But if I want to continue to fit into my jeans, I need to stay away from her show.
I’ve never seen Hell’s Kitchen, and have only watched Ace of Cakes a couple of times. I hear that Hell’s Kitchen is great, but you can’t get beyond Gordon Ramsey yelling at everyone to get enough of the food. Ace of Cakes is cool, but for me it’s a documentary, not a series.
Rachael Ray and Ina Garten are opposites – Rach is as loud and obnoxious as Ina is soft-spoken and soothing. Both are good shows, but the Contessa is the better cook. And I love that the show is filmed in her home… doesn’t she have a beautiful kitchen?
5. No Reservations
4. America’s Test Kitchen
3. Iron Chef America
2. Good Eats
Why did No Reservations end up in the top 5? Anthony Bourdain. ‘Nuff said.
I love America’s Test Kitchen. I don’t know what my favorite part is – the taste tests, the equipment reviews, or the trial and error of cooking. They not only show you how to cook the dish properly, but they often tell you about the other methods/ingredients/cooking techniques they tried that didn’t work. Chris Kimball, the host, is the goofiest foodie I’ve ever met. (Seriously, I’m super cool next to him.) But his love and passion for food are obvious, and who can resist that?
Iron Chef combines my love of sports and competition with cooking. If the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl this year, I would be thrilled to see the game played in Kitchen Stadium instead of on the football food. Can’t you just see it? Brady with his sous chefs – Moss and Welker. Ed Hochuli judging. That would be a great game.
I can’t say enough about Alton Brown. I think my love for him is obvious. Good Eats is quality food television. Alton usually dedicates each episode to a single ingredient, de-mystifying it and teaching us several different ways to use it. He also blends in some equipment tips (the man can’t stand a uni-tasker!) and some interesting characters… well, odd characters anyway.
And finally… my number one food show on television. Drum roll please…
1. Top Chef!!!
Tom, Padma, Gail, the chef-testants and the guest judges. Okay, I can do without Toby, but he does bring with him an interesting point of view, sort of. (Bring back Ted Allen!) I love this show. It might be one of my favorite shows on television, period. I didn’t start watching until season 4 (thanks Allison!), so I had to buy the first three seasons on iTunes. And I’m hooked. Top Chef Masters is not the same, but it’s a good fill in while I wait for the next season to premiere. And speaking of which…
Top Chef Las Vegas premieres on Bravo, next Wednesday, August 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Set your TiVo.
Comments anyone???
The article says the shows are not ranked in any particular order, but I’m going to take their 15 and put them in my order of preference.
15. Today
14. The Martha Stewart Show
13. Lidia’s Italy
12. Giada at Home
11. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Okay… my comments on the bottom 5. First of all, Today is a news/magazine show and The Martha Stewart Show is a talk show. Shows with cooking segments do not qualify as food shows, so they immediately fall to the bottom of my list.
I will admit, I have not seen Lidia’s Italy, but I don’t have a ton of patience for PBS cooking shows so she is getting victimized for no good reason.
I know a million people (if they were actually reading this) would argue profusely with me over the two Food Network shows that round out the bottom 5. But I have my reasons, and we’re all entitled to our own opinions. Giada deLaurentis just bothers me. I used to like her show, and then I saw her on The Next Food Network Star. She’s so hostile and mean, and always picks on the bright and sunny contestant – calling them fake, and too bubbly. In my opinion, she is criticizing the very personality she projects on her show, and I don’t like hypocrites. I’m lukewarm about Guy Fieri. That’s all I have to say about him
10. Paula’s Home Cooking
9. Hell’s Kitchen
8. Ace of Cakes
7. 30 Minute Meals
6. Barefoot Contessa
The Food Network dominates this bunch of shows – 4 out of 5, but they are a network entirely dedicated to food shows, so one can argue that the odds are against them. This is a middle of the pack group, so it’s not really a vote for or against.
Paula Deen scares the crap out of me. I’m convinced that a single taste of one of her recipes will put me in cardiac arrest. I’ve never seen someone cook with so much butter and heavy cream. Granted, her food looks awesome. But if I want to continue to fit into my jeans, I need to stay away from her show.
I’ve never seen Hell’s Kitchen, and have only watched Ace of Cakes a couple of times. I hear that Hell’s Kitchen is great, but you can’t get beyond Gordon Ramsey yelling at everyone to get enough of the food. Ace of Cakes is cool, but for me it’s a documentary, not a series.
Rachael Ray and Ina Garten are opposites – Rach is as loud and obnoxious as Ina is soft-spoken and soothing. Both are good shows, but the Contessa is the better cook. And I love that the show is filmed in her home… doesn’t she have a beautiful kitchen?
5. No Reservations
4. America’s Test Kitchen
3. Iron Chef America
2. Good Eats
Why did No Reservations end up in the top 5? Anthony Bourdain. ‘Nuff said.
I love America’s Test Kitchen. I don’t know what my favorite part is – the taste tests, the equipment reviews, or the trial and error of cooking. They not only show you how to cook the dish properly, but they often tell you about the other methods/ingredients/cooking techniques they tried that didn’t work. Chris Kimball, the host, is the goofiest foodie I’ve ever met. (Seriously, I’m super cool next to him.) But his love and passion for food are obvious, and who can resist that?
Iron Chef combines my love of sports and competition with cooking. If the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl this year, I would be thrilled to see the game played in Kitchen Stadium instead of on the football food. Can’t you just see it? Brady with his sous chefs – Moss and Welker. Ed Hochuli judging. That would be a great game.
I can’t say enough about Alton Brown. I think my love for him is obvious. Good Eats is quality food television. Alton usually dedicates each episode to a single ingredient, de-mystifying it and teaching us several different ways to use it. He also blends in some equipment tips (the man can’t stand a uni-tasker!) and some interesting characters… well, odd characters anyway.
And finally… my number one food show on television. Drum roll please…
1. Top Chef!!!
Tom, Padma, Gail, the chef-testants and the guest judges. Okay, I can do without Toby, but he does bring with him an interesting point of view, sort of. (Bring back Ted Allen!) I love this show. It might be one of my favorite shows on television, period. I didn’t start watching until season 4 (thanks Allison!), so I had to buy the first three seasons on iTunes. And I’m hooked. Top Chef Masters is not the same, but it’s a good fill in while I wait for the next season to premiere. And speaking of which…
Top Chef Las Vegas premieres on Bravo, next Wednesday, August 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Set your TiVo.
Comments anyone???
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