I have mentioned my dad and my grandma as important influences on my love of food, but there is a third player in the mix that I have yet to highlight: Food Network. Growing up, I remember sitting way too close to the TV (mostly because I had terrible eyesight and no one seemed to realize) and watching Iron Chef America, Mario Batali, and Emeril. I remember always being jealous of the people who got to taste the food and I still hold that jealousy to this day. I still watch Food Network religiously, but now I watch it for a different purpose. My subconscious thought is that if I watch enough of it, I can find out how to get myself on there. Consciously, I just love the drama of the shows that are on nowadays (looking at you, Chopped).
1. Food Network Star
Without a doubt my absolute favorite show is Food Network Star. There is always plenty of shit talking and people are somehow never prepared to either present or cook their food (EVEN THOUGH THAT’S THE WHOLE SHOW). I also consider watching this show research because I learn from the mistakes of the contestants and listen to what the judges want to see on the Food Network. I low key hope that one day all of my research will pay off and I will use this knowledge to get on the Food Network.
2. Chopped
A crowd favorite, Chopped is and always will be one of my favorite shows on Food Network. I have fond memories of binge watching this show in 8th grade (I was really cool back then). I still binge watch it today, because every episode has something new in store, but in reality there are certain things that happen every episode. Someone always has a sob story, someone always leaves an ingredient off, someone bleeds in the food, or one of the judges panics that the contestants aren’t going to finish
3. Beat Bobby Flay
Did you think I was going to make it through this list without mentioning Bobby Flay? Although he is a bit cocky, his show Beat Bobby Flay is always fun to watch, minus the fact that he somehow always wins. The other chef will be like “I’ve been cooking this dish every day for the past 50 years,” and Bobby will somehow beat them by adding chiles to it. Either way, it’s fun to see what dishes the contestants think will take him down.
4. Worst Cooks in America
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeglpPWgh-h/?hl=en&taken-by=chefanneburrell
If you’ve never seen this show before, you need to ASAP. It was on Netflix for a hot second and I binge watched all of it. I swear they find some of the weirdest people in America (who also happen to be terrible cooks) to be on this show. If you think you’re a bad cook, this show will make you feel good about yourself and you will be surprised/saddened by how clueless the people on this show are about food. For example, one time I saw a contestant add vanilla to fried chicken.. Gross.
5. The Kitchen
The Kitchen is a talk show full of tips and tricks that I have definitely used in my own kitchen. One of my favorite segments on the show is the “Tool Takedown” where they test out those crazy kitchen gadgets (like a grape slicer) that no one really needs, but they sound cool in theory. They also present innovative ways to use and store seasonal ingredients in this show, so I always learn a lot.
6. Brunch at Bobby’s
Who doesn’t love brunch? Bobby Flay pretty much has a monopoly on Food Network shows, so of course he has to have a show for every meal. Definitely don’t watch this show before you are about to make your own food/ go out for brunch because it will pale in comparison to what he’s making. One of these days I will actually make something from his show, but for now I’ll just keep drooling over whatever he’s making.
7. Barefoot Contessa
First off, Ina Garten is who I aspire to be when I grow up (she’s a bad ass). She used to work in the White House on nuclear energy policy, but she said nah and decided to become a chef. She has such a calm demeanor on the show that just mesmerizes me and makes me want to be in the kitchen with her. Even though she enjoys the finer things in life, her recipes are rather simple and delicious. I am obsessed with her cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey and I might do a Julie and Julia situation with all of her cookbooks. #InandEliseForever get it trending.
