| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 2002- |
Perhaps her show could hold our attention better if she avoided the condescending tone she maintains throughout. Or maybe by throwing in a few recipes that are more accessible to the novice chef.
Although her occasional explanation of cooking theory is interesting, it is inconsistent at best and hardly comprehensive.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 2009- |
Brian Boitano? Cooking? Yes it seems quite strange, but he walks onto the set with a flair for drama and a not so serious view of himself.
Brian's one of those personalities that you're going to hate or you're going to love. His flamboyant and energetic passion can be inspiring or downright annoying. His meals are pretty decent, but if you can't get past the attitude, it's really not worth it.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | BBC2 2006- |
These guys must've known they had a clunker on their hands when they set out to glamorize British Food. British Food?!
And yet, our hosts soldier on. And it's not with out its highlights. My favorite are the adventures we're taken on in an effort to find each ingredient's source.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | City TV 2010 |
Because the show is essentially bankrolled by Kraft, it's hard to trust. The hosts seem pretty enthusiastic, but the dishes may suffer from being little more than marketing tools for Kraft products.
Mac 'N Cheese with a side of Hamburger Helper, anyone? They ought to team up with some high-end fry pan makers to sell some gear while they're at it.

| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 2006- |
Bobby Flay has an idea with Throwdown! Too bad it's not a good idea. The gimmick is one part Mission Impossible, one part Rocky, and all parts bad.
Coming up with ideas for competition cooking shows isn't easy, but Food Network could have done better than this.
The meals are decent and even a little creative but the education value is almost nothing and the entertainment is marginal at best.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 2008- |
Some of Sunny's foods seem a little easy and not particularly appetizing for a mature palate. Also, it's disappointing that she doesn't always make everything from scratch.
Her attitude is moderately engaging and she's less annoying than Guy Fieri. How's that for a backhanded compliment?
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | ITV Network 1991-2005 |
If you ever stumble upon Get Stuffed avert your eyes and ears, turn around and run away. The show is a cross between a bad punk rock song and a three-day binger on crack. The only thing you can learn from this poor excuse for a cooking show is how not to cook.
Masochists can check out some videos here.

| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network/28 2007 |
Amy Finley won a round of "The Next Food Network Star" and was thusly handed a cooking show on Food Network. The show was quite forgettable and it only lasted about six episodes.
Her cancellation may or may not have been because "she couldn't handle the stress" but we'll forgo speculation. It doesn't appear we're missing much from her absence.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 2008- |
Is there any real difference between this show and "Everyday Italian"? And does anyone else find her condescending tone more than a bit annoying? It's like she's talking to a cackle of school children after school.
OK, it's not all bad. She's still a beautiful woman in a posh kitchen teaching us how to make a fancy dinner. But perhaps the good folks at Food Network are running out of ideas.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Channel 4 2010 |
Ramsay is out of his element in this trip to India where he attempts to learn the local customs. However, this fish-out-of water story feels more opportunistic than endearing; a last ditch effort to cash in on some of that Bollywood run-off while the getting is good.
Ramsay comes off as ethnocentric and immature. Stick to his other offerings.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | BBC 2002- |
Saturday Kitchen is spectacularly mundane. The host is neither interesting nor energetic. The cooks sometimes pick up the slack, but generally not. The program itself runs on so long it's hard to imagine anyone sitting through the whole thing.
The food doesn't look too bad, but it's hardly explained. Or maybe I fell asleep during that part.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | BBC2 2007- |
Food Poker feels like a TV show devised by teenagers for a high-school home-ec project. The poker angle doesn't lend any suspense and its education value is next to nothing.
Next to Julia Child's royal flush, this one is a pile of nine-high garbage.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 2002- |
Paula's Home Cooking is a cardiologist's nightmare. If a person actually ate one of Paula's full meals they wouldn't be able to get up for a few days. Her voice is grating and her southern accent seems to fluctuate as the show goes on.
Not all Southern cooking is deep-fried. Has anyone told Paula that?
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | MTV 2009- |
MTV is breaking into so many markets on with this show they should be testifying in front of congress.
First, the show is on MTV Tr3s; a kind of half Latino half American network aimed at Latino youth in the U.S. Second, the show plays out like an episode of The Hills or Jersey Shore replete with all the faux-drama and testosterone.
It's a neat idea for the kids, but the giggly hysteria gets old after about 10 minutes.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 2004-2005 |
Rachael Ray really pushed the envelope with Inside Dish. The premise was terrible, the guests appealed only to middle-aged muffin bakers and the show was only marginally about food.
Ray tried gamely to force herself into a market not suitable for the cooking show format. The only disappointment about Inside Dish is that the show is no longer on the air for us to boycott.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Bravo 2006- |
Terrible, awful, absolute and total crap. You can't insult this show enough. Using the America's Next Top Model format, Bravo has created another pile of slightly warmed leftovers to push onto the American public.
The faux drama is horribly unnatural and the shameless product placement is deplorable. Avoid this show at all costs, along with its spin-offs Top Chef: Master, and Top Chef: Just Desserts.
| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | BBC 2007 |
While Kitchen Criminals seems like a funny idea, it tries to be too cute. It seems that the "offenders" are in on the joke and make themselves worse just for the laugh factor. It may be possible that some people are really this bad, but sometimes it goes just beyond common sense.
The show feels disingenuous and when you begin to question the reality it's difficult to suspend your disbelief any further and the show loses its appeal.

| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Public Access 2003-2005 |
The biggest problem with these public access cooking shows is the production value. Generally the ideas are pretty good interesting at least and the recipes are pretty decent.
The problem is that there seem to be no rehearsals or outtakes. If these videos were even marginally edited it would do them well.
Post Punk Kitchen is no different. True, a vegan cooking show appeals only to a small audience, but that doesn't mean they should slack on quality.

| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 1998-2003 |
East Meets West, which enjoyed a five-year run, was entirely forgettable. Ming Tsai was quite unenthusiastic and the show suffered as a result.
Be not impressed with his winning of a daytime Emmy; that's a laurel about as meaningless as preseason football.

| Entertainment: | |
| Education: | |
| Tastiness: | |
| Broadcast: | Food Network 2008- |
This hack of a show is simply a season-long preview designed to get a guaranteed market for some new show The Food Network plans to air featuring the winner of this inane competition.
With this show, The Food Network has finally broken the fourth wall and announced that TV chefs are now real entertainment celebrities. Unfortunately, along with that, comes all the snobbery and pseudo-talent inherent in the mentality of a "star".
True, it's turned out some decent chefs, but the program just isn't worth it.

January 12th, 2011 at 9:58 am
Bitchin’ Kitchen belongs on that list.
And Five Ingredient Fix should have been a finalist. Claire Robinson is every bit as repulsive as Paula Deen.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:53 am
The Neeleys definitely belong on the 30 Worst list because of their silly dialogue and behavior on the show.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Vincent,
If you want to write professionally, you might want to learn the definition of “buxom,” the correct usage of “substitute,” and why it’s a good idea to make subject, objects, and verbs agree in terms of pluralization (i.e., X and Y ARE the “means” and “ends” — and the reason it’s a good idea is that if you don’t do this, your writing is subliterate).
Additionally, if you want to write about food, you might want to discard the hackneyed old stereotypes about English food and actually taste some.
January 12th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
I think that “Chopped” should be in there somewhere, or at least #31. The show is the final unmistakable sight that Food Network has run the whole “cooking contest” format/reality show right into the ground.
January 12th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Buxom: “vigorously or healthily plump; specifically: full-bosomed”
Seems about right to me.
January 13th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I fully intended to read your list but you began with Barefoot Contessa on a list of BAD cooking shows and that really makes me question your judgment.
January 14th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Thank you for pointing out the obvious!!! I could not agree more with your list. I would like to add one if I could. Bitchin’ Kitchen. My friend and I stumbled across this one evening and thought it was a Saturday Night Live episode. I found my mouth wide open in complete shock. The episode we saw was ‘the Break up meal’ It’s definitely worth the watch.
January 17th, 2011 at 8:03 am
Justin Wilson and his affectations as authentic Cajun? Hell’s Kitchen and the Neely’s on the ‘Best’ list, Ina Garten on the ‘Worst’, and an altogether MIA Sara Moulton??? In defense of Ina, Sara (and Giada), every dish I’ve tried has turned out great and I’ve learned something from all of their shows. Of course best and worst lists are all highly subjective.
January 17th, 2011 at 8:57 am
I disagree with some on the list. I think it’s great that there are so many varieties of cooking shows out there. Let’s face it… we can’t have every show looking the same — people are NOT interested. I am glad that a younger generation of people are getting into cooking and some of these shows do just that. I like to think of myself as open-minded… some of you should try that.
P.s I really love Bitchin’ Kitchen… loosen up a little!
January 19th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
I’m curious to know which shows the author thinks are good shows, as almost every cooking show on TV is on this “bad” list………??
Guy,Giada,Paula, Ina, Top Chef, Throwdown and Cooking for Real should not be on this list, IMO
January 19th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
I am surprised at Great British Menu being on the list. It is probably one of the few shows that actually focuses on cooking and not the drama. It is entertaining in that it pits real Michelin starred chefs against each other for an honor cause and not for money or some other materialistic prize. Though British cooking gets a bad rap, it has some of the best chefs (for example, the Roux family) some of the finest restaurants in the world (The Fat Duck for one) and no less than 143 Michelin Stars.
To hate on this, finest of food shows, makes me wonder if you’re ranking by drama and not by actually anything related to food. It is a delight to see that the chefs get a proper amount of time to create and perfect a dish instead of some silly challenge that requires them to make a 3 star meal out of yesterday’s garbage in less than 30 minutes. This show allows for the viewer to get a peek at some of the greatest chefs at work while getting an idea of their ideologies and influences. The BBC site even gives out the recipes for the more adventurous to try at home.
I would recommend you try rewatching the series again and without the bigotry.
January 20th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
LMAO! Your pick for #1 is on the money… I would push SL down a flight of stairs if I had the chance! I disagree with Barefoot Contessa and Top Chef, however. The former, because I love how she makes a mess and I’ve never made a recipe of hers that wasn’t delicious. Top Chef is just fun!
Rachel Ray needs to be on the list…I’m just sick to death of her. Have you ever read Bourdain’s take on the Food Network’s shows/chefs? Here’s the link; truly priceless – http://ruhlman.com/2007/02/guest_blogging_.html
February 8th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
[...] buddy Isaac sent me this link a few weeks back [...]
April 7th, 2011 at 5:31 am
Wow, super harsh! I personally love Ina Garten’s show, I find her voice relaxing and not the least bit condescending. Where is “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”? I don’t think there’s a redeeming quality to Giada, but Paula? Paula is Food Network queen! Yes, her foods are fatty and terrible for you, but how can you deny that the woman’s entertaining, and knows her stuff? And I gotta say, I love the competition shows (Next Food Network Star namely).