You know, if we looked at the best shows for bachelor cooking, we may as well look at the worst shows. While they are great shows, these are shows that look at the higher end of cooking; while they may be great shows for inspiration, they may actually demoralize a beginning cook. As such, watch these shows to see what people can do, but don't watch them to learn how to cook; if these help you learn how to cook you are well beyond mere bachelor level.
Iron Chef (Cooking Network): Two chefs must manage a team of sous-chefs to cook a full three-course meal featuring a specific ingredient. If you want to see what a chef is capable of doing, this is an incredible show: You have top-name chefs kicking butt against other top-name chefs and showing off what they can do. But...that makes this show well above your skill level, and may demoralize you even as you wish you had their skills.
Midnight Feast (FYI): Three chefs have two rounds (appetizer+cocktail and main course), with one chef being eliminated after the first round, to create the best food they can while under a time limit. The twist is that they must offer up to $500 of their own money to shop through a first-class grocery, and the winner gains ten times whatever he spent. It's a great show for those who want to see what a great chef is capable of, but a lot of what they do is simply beyond what a beginning chef can do, and beyond what most want to do.
Knife Fight (Esquire): Two cooks compete in a working kitchen using special ingredients for bragging rights. Although a lot of he techniques are simple and the recipes are easy enough, the ingredients used push this show beyond what most beginning cooks will ever see. This is a fun show, but only for those really into cooking.
The Feed (FYI): Three hosts compete in a number of different areas, having fun with cooking. The problem is that a lot of the recipes used are for experts, and well beyond beginning cooks. They require a certain knowledge of how things go together, and how to combine certain ingredients to create certain effects. This is a great show for those who are into food and want to see some people engage in some semi-serious conversations about how to create some great dishes, but beginning cooks may just be overwhelmed.
On the Menu (TBS): Two cook compete to have their item placed on the menu of a major restaurant chain. There are two rounds, but only the second, where the two items are given to regular people who vote on it, really counts. Although this is a great for intermediate chefs and those who are curious about how to create menu items, advanced cooks are likely to be bored quickly and beginning cooks may not be impressed by the food. It's an interesting show, but your mileage really varies.
These are some great cooking shows, and show what cooks can do. However, because they involve advanced techniques, access to funds and ingredients most people don't have access to, and involve discussions well beyond just basic cooking, they may not be the best shows for beginning cooks. Watch them to get inspired, but don't let them intimidate you, and realize that everyone had to start somewhere: No one was born with an encyclopedic knowledge of cooking, and that's something that you need to remember.
Iron Chef (Cooking Network): Two chefs must manage a team of sous-chefs to cook a full three-course meal featuring a specific ingredient. If you want to see what a chef is capable of doing, this is an incredible show: You have top-name chefs kicking butt against other top-name chefs and showing off what they can do. But...that makes this show well above your skill level, and may demoralize you even as you wish you had their skills.
Midnight Feast (FYI): Three chefs have two rounds (appetizer+cocktail and main course), with one chef being eliminated after the first round, to create the best food they can while under a time limit. The twist is that they must offer up to $500 of their own money to shop through a first-class grocery, and the winner gains ten times whatever he spent. It's a great show for those who want to see what a great chef is capable of, but a lot of what they do is simply beyond what a beginning chef can do, and beyond what most want to do.
Knife Fight (Esquire): Two cooks compete in a working kitchen using special ingredients for bragging rights. Although a lot of he techniques are simple and the recipes are easy enough, the ingredients used push this show beyond what most beginning cooks will ever see. This is a fun show, but only for those really into cooking.
The Feed (FYI): Three hosts compete in a number of different areas, having fun with cooking. The problem is that a lot of the recipes used are for experts, and well beyond beginning cooks. They require a certain knowledge of how things go together, and how to combine certain ingredients to create certain effects. This is a great show for those who are into food and want to see some people engage in some semi-serious conversations about how to create some great dishes, but beginning cooks may just be overwhelmed.
On the Menu (TBS): Two cook compete to have their item placed on the menu of a major restaurant chain. There are two rounds, but only the second, where the two items are given to regular people who vote on it, really counts. Although this is a great for intermediate chefs and those who are curious about how to create menu items, advanced cooks are likely to be bored quickly and beginning cooks may not be impressed by the food. It's an interesting show, but your mileage really varies.
These are some great cooking shows, and show what cooks can do. However, because they involve advanced techniques, access to funds and ingredients most people don't have access to, and involve discussions well beyond just basic cooking, they may not be the best shows for beginning cooks. Watch them to get inspired, but don't let them intimidate you, and realize that everyone had to start somewhere: No one was born with an encyclopedic knowledge of cooking, and that's something that you need to remember.
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