I love watching food network. Until I starting trying to lose weight. Now every time I watch I just want to shove fried chicken and waffles in my mouth. I wish they had more shows that focused on eating healthy. The few they have show some skinny chef (I don't think she's eaten a full meal in her whole life) and she's making some ridiculously simple dish like a salad or toast bread with spinach. I don't really think you can call it a "recipe" if it has no more than 3 ingredients. Anyway, sorry for the rant. I'm interested to know what everyone else likes to watch, when they have time. I usually watch about 30min a day.
I used to like watching Chopped at night...it was a little safer than the ones about amazing-sounding restaurants because there was an incredibly low chance that I'd have any of the necessary ingredients on hand, never mind the technical skill to make ANY of the things they made
Oh I know what you mean....I've had to stop watching some of the shows at certain times. "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" is one of the worst ones! I want to eat everything they show.
I can watch the shows with the "fancier" food though, because a lot of it is just too classy for me (lol) and some of the combinations sound strange to me.
I love cooking but I never got into food tv. I love Top Chef but that is Bravo. I also don't have cable anymore but when I visit my parents, I try to catch a few episodes.
I love Chopped, Sweet Genius, and Cupcake Wars. I always sit there and think about what I would do with those ingredients or how I could adapt the dishes created to fit within my way of life -- no grains, grasses, dairy, soy, other legumes, walnuts, or pecans. From Chopped I always learn about new meat cuts or veggies that I want to seek out or different ways of looking at and using familiar ingredients. It helps me get creative in preparing tasty meals. The dessert shows I use to spur my imagination for creating for others.
I watch Cupcake Girls, Restaurant Impossible, and Kitchen Nightmares, the latter two will be more likely to make you lose your appetite with the nasty conditions of the restaurants.
I much prefer No Reservations for food/travel shows ... love seeing how people in other parts of the world eat and spend their time. I watch it on Netflix but I know it's on TV too.
I've actually learned some valuable things from the Food Network cooking shows. While I can't make most of what they make, I have gotten some great ideas on food prep, menu ideas (granted I have to make major adjustments), but I do have to stay away from some of the shows because they make me want to eat!
I'm a former pastry chef and I've never understood watching any cooking shows unless they're teaching something truly instructional (looking down giada de laurentiis' shirt while she makes bruschetta is not helpful). I don't really like all the silly chatter or the fancy sets. I do like America's Test Kitchen because it's straightforward and sciency. Same with Alton Brown.