7 cooking or foodie reality shows to binge watch right now
When it comes to binge watching cooking or rather reality food TV, there’s no such thing as too old (as in the show is too old). There have been some classics aired and released since the dawn of foodie TV. We’ve compiled a list of 7 of the top reality cooking shows and food TV shows to watch all night long if you can, and truthfully it wasn’t all that hard when looking at the classics and at what’s on these days.
And you’ve certainly got your choices. With the Food Network running a plethora of shows to choose from, networks like fox, who push out quite a few Gordon Ramsay series a year, and who can forget Netflix and other streaming services. Essentially, if food programming is what you want, it is most certainly out there, dear readers.
I’ve spent hours watching these seven food TV shows I’ve selected, and both when they first aired and many times over as the years went on. They were a big help to me when I was working the line, the chefs featured providing inspiration to get out there and cook up a storm. And even now, as I write about food and sports full-time and no longer sauté and braise with the best of them, I watch them still.
Quite obviously, some of these are still on, but the ones that aren’t are still out there, and they still give the gift of hours and hours of entertainment that foodies love most; and really, friends, that never gets old, now does it?
Here are 7 food TV and cooking-oriented reality shows you need to find and binge watch as soon as possible
Guy’s Grocery Games
This one’s newer than most of these on this list and on the Food Network. In it, Chef Guy Fieri challenges chefs to cook on a time limit, but only using the ingredients specified by him, and of course ones that are found in his store—”Flavortown Market.” Plenty of laughs, epic recipes and yes, even some misses that are a part of the cooking game. Judges aren’t all that harsh, but they are honest.
Boiling Point
This one’s very old…if being from 1999 is old, but it was the first glimpse that many got of Chef Gordon Ramsay, and it chronicled his quest for a Michelin Star.
Some had already seen him, making a name for himself in the industry already, but in this show—considered a miniseries—his temper and his standards were shown big time, and people got a taste of just how hot this man’s kitchen could get.
By the time he got his third Michelin star, it was 2002, and he would be visited by yet another rising star in the food and food writing industry (more on him in a minute), the meeting documented on the Food Network at the time.
Only 5 episodes, but they are most certainly out there—even on Apple TV.
Top Chef
Really, it’s been on since 2006, and people can’t get enough. It’s certainly a great food competition and a must-see for any foodie.
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America’s battles depicted on the screen have captivated audiences since its inception here in North America, and to see the likes of Michael Symon, Masaharu Morimoto, Bobby Flay, and even Cat Cora in its earlier incarnation. But with thirteen seasons, there are certainly many battles to feast your eyes on.
Chopped
What’s in the basket? A common question, and in my opinion, one of the most ingenious food competitions out there. It demands creativity and knowhow of the chef. A fast paced show. And when the Food Network runs marathons of this, I simply cannot change the channel.
Hell’s Kitchen
For me, the absolute best in cooking competition. This show not only raised the bar, it is the bar, and Ramsay and his cast of chefs are positively perfect together. I particularly love binge watching seasons 1 through 10, over and over again.
No Reservations
The greatest food writer since Jim Harrison, both men great influences on my food writing career, and writing career altogether.
In No Reservations, the Travel Network introduced the world to a man that was definitely something special for the world of arts and letters, yes, but also the food industry—an industry in which he dedicated over 35 years on the line.
And he was still at it when he passed…educating the world on what good food is, the people that cook it and the cultures that spawned some of the greatest recipes known to the human race.
This show was the absolute best and I watch it from start to finish any chance I get. Of course it takes me a while these days, but I make sure I watch an episode any chance I get.
Next. Chili’s: 10 of their greatest menu items of all-time. dark
And what about you, dear readers? What food TV shows can’t you get enough of?