Enjoy watching the Food network, but tired of getting up and greeting only leftovers in the fridge? Well, this article can help you turn what you see on TV into a reality in your kitchen.
Some shows do not teach the viewer how to cook, but there are some on the tube and web that can help you learn a pointer or two on how to make delicious dishes using otherwise daunting ingredients and techniques. Below are some shows that can help you have fun in the kitchen, as well as some tips on how to assimilate these shows into your own cooking habits.
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Good Eats (Food Network – Wednesdays, 11 pm EST)
This show is the best around at making the art and science of cooking interesting, says food critic John Mariana. Alton Brown, the host with a good sense of humor, will teach you the best techniques of how to grill, while explaining the processes underneath the grill that will help to make that perfectly-seared steak. The information presented in this show can be easily utilized in your kitchen.
Chopped (Food Network – Tuesdays, 10 pm EST)
Teaching viewers how to cook is not the objective of this show. But there is something you can take from this show and apply it in your own kitchen: Fun with the absurd. It’s like Iron Chef, without the extremely luxurious, five-star restaurant cooking. Making a meal out of peppermints, pork rinds, celery, and Vodka might seem crazy, but these chefs make it work. To follow the recipes on the show would be insane, but you could attempt to transform your own varied items in your pantry into a unique dish. Take any three random ingredients from your kitchen and attempt to make a dish out of them (Let us know if you make it happen!). The worst that can happen is you make an unappetizing dish, but the upside is that you have fun trying to solve a problem.
The Minimalist (NYtimes.com)
This web show teaches you how to take scrumptious dishes and simplify them into manageable meals. This show is not for the “30 minute or less” cook, but for someone who wants to make something for a special occasion. With lessons from famous New York City chefs, you learn great tips about how to cook a steak or how to perfectly hard boil an egg.
These are all great suggestions. There’s even an episode of Chopped where they have use leftovers to make different meals that actually look pretty good. Chopped is the bomb.
Cooking Channel > Food Network. Food Network shows are more about the presentation of the foods and locations of the venues, where as the Cooking Channel features more cooking-based shows – e.g. Iron Chef.