What TV Food Programmes are you currently watching?

[Elawin]

I have got hooked on Flavours of Xinjiang - a UK programme for the Chinese community, made in Chinese with subtitles which I can only describe as bleak.

The programme itself is about traditional and modern Chinese lifestyles in that area, and, as most of the people in the programmes I have watched are Muslim, the food is not what you would expect. The one problem I find is that there are no recipes in the cookery bits of the programme - probably because, as they point out, most families have their own traditional methods of making the dishes. Most of the food is easy to come by, except maybe for yak meat. It was also quite a surprise to learn that the region is renown for growing lavender and oil seed rape.

Another surprise was an advert on there for another programme which shows all the different varieties of tofu.

 

[rascal]

Rick steins my fave but I watch lots, Asian with Luke Nguyen sp? And an Australian one with a woman, I've forgotten her name, but based in Melbourne.

Russ

 

[Morning Glory]

, made in Chinese with subtitles which I can only describe as bleak.

Sounds quite fascinating. How are you accessing this programme?

Rick steins my fave but I watch lots, Asian with Luke Nguyen sp? And an Australian one with a woman, I've forgotten her name, but based in Melbourne.

Yes - Rick Stein and Luke Nguyen are two favourites of mine.

 

[Elawin]

Sounds quite fascinating. How are you accessing this programme?

It's on Propeller TV - channel 185 on Sky, and apparently, although it was an Anglo-Chinese TV station, it has now been bought out by the Chinese. They seem to have a few interesting programmes on there, if you can stand the subtitles. There isn't a lot of information as their new website is not up and running.

 

[rascal]

Anjums spice was that Melbourne programme. She makes great curries.

Russ

 

[Morning Glory]

It's on Propeller TV - channel 185 on Sky, and apparently, although it was an Anglo-Chinese TV station, it has now been bought out by the Chinese. They seem to have a few interesting programmes on there, if you can stand the subtitles. There isn't a lot of information as their new website is not up and running.

Not sure if I can get that channel. I'm not at home at the moment but will check when I get back.

 

[Morning Glory]

One of the best series I saw recently was Rick Stein's India on the Good Food channel. Full of really interesting recipes and information. Its the third time I've watched it!

 

[LadyBelle]

I’m enjoying Britain’s Best Home Cook, more than I thought I would.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b22t4x

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

You're giving me new things to look up to see if I can find them! In the US, there are a few very popular food shows, most of which are set up as competitions. I find that straight-up cooking shows - where you watch someone preparing a dish - are dull...I just want them to hurry up and tell me the recipe (which is one of many reasons I watch shows on DVR!) While cooking competitions can be dismissed as being just for entertainment, I often find some cool things (or ingredients I've never used) that I see the competitors use.

Here are my favorite "food competition" shows; all of them have a time limit:

• Guy's Grocery Games - definitely the silliest of all the shows I regularly watch. The competition happens in a grocery store, and competitors push a shopping cart around to get what they need to prepare the meal (time starts before they get their ingredients, so shopping is part of the time). The silliness happens when the host (Guy Fieri) requires that they use a certain difficult ingredient (like marshmallows in a steak dinner), or limits the competitors to an "express lane", where they can only use a limited number of ingredients.
• Beat Bobby Flay - legendary Iron Chef Bobby Flay has extremely talented chefs (other Iron Chefs, James Beard and Michelin Star winners) come on the show and challenge him to cook the competitor's favorite dish. A blind judging panel ensures impartiality. Despite the fact that he hasn't made some dishes since culinary school, he usually wins. Seeing if someone can actually do better than him is part of the fun.
• Chopped - Competitors get 4 required ingredients that they don't know about until the time starts, and they compete in 3 rounds (appetizer, entree, and dessert) to see who made the best use of those ingredients. this was the inspiration for the Blindfolded Cooking Challenge I posted previously.
• Man vs Child - A group of talented cooking prodigies (aged 8 to 16) challenge very talented professional chefs in a blind taste test (judged by a famous chef). One of my favorite shows, I think it's probably not going to be renewed (I haven't seen a new episode in years).

 

[CraigC]

Mostly reruns of actual cooking shows.
Mexico One Plate at a Time
Jacques Pepin
America's Test Kitchen
Cook's Country
Hooks, Lies and Alibis
BBQ Pitmasters

 

[epicuric]

Rick steins my fave .

Russ

One of my favourites too. I caught part of Saturday Kitchen this morning where he was preparing a steak and kidney pudding, using proper suet pastry. I've never cooked this, but it looked so easy I have added it to my 'to do' list.

 

[Elawin]

I have saved several of the Foodology programmes on DVD, and some of Rick Stein's and David Rocco's. I also like Gino D'Acampo, Paul Hollywood, and James Martin (although some of his more recent shows have given me cause to wonder about him!). I do prefer the programmes which give you a bit of history about the dishes.

@rascal I like Anjum Anand too.

 

[Morning Glory]

One of my favourites too. I caught part of Saturday Kitchen this morning where he was preparing a steak and kidney pudding, using proper suet pastry. I've never cooked this, but it looked so easy I have added it to my 'to do' list.

Steak and kidney pudding is great and easy to do. I haven't made one for ages so I must do so soon.

 

[SlightlyConfused]

Some shows on here I have not heard about but I only get so many UK tv channels. Masterchef UK was the show that I first started to watch, my wife likes Masterchef US and I am not a fan of it at all. Masterchef Canada is not bad but it is more like the American one in some ways and the UK format I just prefer. I also like Masterchef Professionals UK version as well.

Bake Off I was surprised I ended up liking as I was not a real fan of sweet desserts but it did teach me that you can do more than sweets ones. I do watch Crème de la Crème and the new version of it but I watch it more to make fun of then anything else, mean I know and they can probably bake better than me on their worse days but I enjoy watching it.

The Great British Menu I just like and I have picked up a few things watching it and just like the format of the show.

The Great Family Cooking challenge I am warming to it after the first season.

Now for Britains Best Home Cook, I am not sure how I feel about it, I want to like it but it is missing something maybe by the second season it will find its footing. I know Mary is a British Icon and the two chefs they have with her are knowledgeable but it lacks chemistry. Like I said it is the first season so I do hope it gets better.

I watch a few other ones but mostly for the laughs such a Cake Wars and the variety of Cake War with the seasonal versions.

 

[Morning Glory]

Yes - I'm a great fan of Masterchef UK and Masterchef Professionals UK.

Now for Britains Best Home Cook, I am not sure how I feel about it, I want to like it but it is missing something maybe by the second season it will find its footing. I know Mary is a British Icon and the two chefs they have with her are knowledgeable but it lacks chemistry. Like I said it is the first season so I do hope it gets better.

I absolutely agree about Britain's Best Home Cook. There is something a bit 'flat' about it.

Here we get a Channel called Good Food Channel which is brilliant - its owned by UKTV which is itself jointly owned by BBC. It shows cooking shows all day - mainly British but with some Australian such as Peter Kuruvita and Luke Nguyen.