One of the greatest things about cooking shows is their timelessness. Whether it was made in the 90s or yesterday, a great recipe will never get old. Perhaps that is why so many of these amazing shows consistently devote episodes to historical dishes that can be easily adapted to the modern-day whenever they aren’t innovating new dishes for us to enjoy. This holiday season, pick a show and binge your way into a delicious deluge.
For Your Sweet Tooth (Baking Competitions)
As the holidays fall upon us, few things relieve tension like an incredible dessert.
The Great British Bake Off
– Available to Stream on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Prime, and PBS
– If you’re looking for some wholesome competition this season, then look no further than the Great British Bake Off. A dozen amateur bakers from around the UK go head to head in a weekly series of challenges designed to showcase their creativity and mastery of complex baking techniques.
For almost a decade, the tent has brought us some of the most beautiful baking in the world. Although they won’t be providing any recipes during the show, they do take you step-by-step through the process, while discussing the techniques that are crucial to any bake. Afterward, feel free to jump on their site for recent recipes.
Sugar Rush
– Available to Stream on Netflix
– Sugar Rush is a recent addition to Netflix’s growing collection of independent series and with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, they appear to be doing something right. This fast-paced competition goes all-in on professional baking, recruiting teams of two to compete for the $10,000 prize. If you’re looking for more traditional reality TV filled with creations you need an arts degree to achieve, then you’re in the right place.
Netflix just released an official Sugar Rush Christmas trailer, so you have a little less than a month to catch up on two seasons of this dynamic, confection-filled extravaganza. Fortunately, that’s not the end, as the show is slotted to return for a third season in 2020.
For Your Wanderlust (Food and Travel)
Whether or not you’ve satisfied your travel bug this year, this is the perfect time to consider the unifying power of food.
Parts Unknown
– Available to Stream on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Prime, and CNN
– No cooking show list is complete without the late Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Unlike many others, this show isn’t limited to one kitchen. In fact, Bourdain emphasized the importance of travel to the construction of real empathy, and he used food as a pathway.
In Parts Unknown, Bourdain travels the world, meeting people from entirely different backgrounds, to talk about food and its ability to bring us together. It may not be the best to give you ideas for Christmas dinner, but it will certainly spark an appreciation for the diversity and opportunity that food brings to the table.
For Your Nostalgia (Conventional 90’s/2000s Cooking Shows)
Cooking shows have come a long way, moving increasingly towards reality TV and competitions. However, sometimes you just want a relaxed person showing you how to work a kitchen without tripling your grocery bill.
The Naked Chef
– Available to Stream for free on YouTube and the Food Network
– An oldie but a goodie, The Naked Chef features a decidedly clothed Jamie Oliver stripping down complicated recipes to their core ingredients to create simpler, cheaper versions of his excellent recipes without sacrificing flavor. Nowadays, the tenor and occasional innuendo of the show provides a nostalgic chuckle directly out of 2001.
However, despite the fact that Jamie Oliver is now firmly in his forties, his recipes haven’t aged a bit. You can still use a lot of his tips and tricks to slim down those complicated recipes you find on recipe bloggers sites to prevent the grocery list from being filled with fluff.
Everyday Italian
– Available to Stream on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and the Food Network
– Another 2000’s era Food Network classic, Giada De Laurentiis’ Everyday Italian was an instant favorite. By taking the classic, Italian dishes she grew up with and updating them for the modern, American kitchen, Chef De Laurentiis made delicious and authentic Italian food accessible to many American households for the first time.
Her skill in the kitchen is matched by a warm personality that allows the viewer to feel at home while cooking alongside her. Unlike many of its contemporaries, Everyday Italian focused on the needs of busy parents who still wanted to provide delicious, home-cooked meals. These aims continue to be important today, so check in with this early 2000’s cooking classic this season.
Whether you’ll be primarily baking or cooking this holiday season, make sure your kitchen is ready to take on the masses without a drop of sweat. Regardless of whether you want your kitchen to be modern, traditional, or absolutely luxurious, Leicht has modern kitchen cabinetry that will bring your kitchen to life and make it look like you’re back in one of those classic cooking shows.