Sweet Genius: First off, the host is absolutely insane. This guy is the perfect mix between Augustus Gloop and the doctor that sews people together on the Human Centipede. (Dr. Heiter) He's silly and goofy and awesome to watch but you always wonder if he has some insanely twisted torture chamber in his basement. Liz and I get a huge kick out of Chef Ron and are totally addicted to his show. Every time he announces a new "Mandatory Ingredient", I'm compelled to yell out something obscene because that's what I feel like he would really like to say. He actually did say "Chefs, come grab my buns!" last night. Anyway, this show is so fun and I can't get enough.
Chopped: I love cooking shows... I can't help it. They all have a fun dynamic and most oif them leave me craving some gastronomic twist on a pot pie or something of the like. Chopped is a competition where chefs attempt to make the best three courses in a ridiculously short time out of a basket of ingredients that is nearly impossible to combine into a good dish. They get stuff like, Salmon, Chicken Noodle Soup, Matzo Balls and cheese flavored ice cream. It's good fun and usually ends up with the winner having the best worst dish of the group.
Diners, Drive Ins and Dives (DDD)
I used to HATE Guy Fieri. I thought he was such a doofus. Now I watch his show all the time. I love blue collar food however it's presented and I love to see every opinonion of it. Of course Anthony Bourdain will always be the God of good eats and good prose but it's time to stop being bitter and judgemental, so I like all perspectives now, including Guy's. (Hey and he's even been to Nashville to showcase some pretty awesome places.)
The Staples:
Of course nothing will beat Top Chef and Anthony Bourdain No Reservations but as you can see, for me, there are some up and comers that are doing really well for one reason or another in my book.
You need to add No Kitchen Required to the list. Three chefs have to compete with each other in some remote location and serve a dish to the locals. The first challenge is usually physical and has something to do with life in the area they're in, and that determines who picks their main ingredient first. Then they go hunt/forage/whatever for it. Then they cook without a formal kitchen.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see them use ingredients they wouldn't normally. It's *really* interesting to see them try to blend new and old techniques and dishes. The local people don't have a lot of outside influence, so the dishes aren't always awesome. lol!