Food Chanel / Network

[Coral]

Does anyone here enjoy watching cooking shows?

I'll admit I do my favorite is cooking reality shows like Masterchef and Top Chef. I love watching these so much, it's very much a guilty pleasure of mine.

Anyone else?

 

[MaigreToujours]

Haha I have an obsession with that channel too! Actually, some of the amazing meals that the chefs cook up inspire me to make a skinny alternitave. I can't watch it when I am fasting; it makes me too hungry!

 

[ElizabethDancer]

When I had cable all I watched were cooking shows, real estate shows, and baseball. Haha

 

[Silent Night]

To those who watch: do you think you enjoy these programmes because you're into cooking or because you're consistently dealing with a certain level of hunger that makes you want to think about food? Or is it a sort of vicarious way to enjoy food without actually eating it? Are you more interested when you're restricting hard?

I don't know if this is biologically real or just my impression but I usually find that if I look at food pictures/recipes/other people's food etc (I guess that would include food TV) it can make me feel kind of wired. Like, my mouth will water and I'll get somewhat tense/energised in an unpleasant way, and I almost feel like my brain is flooding with chemicals that say EAT NOW. That's obviously not very helpful for weight control. I don't know if I could handle the Food Network

 

[Coral]

I think I enjoy watching cooking shows because I do love cooking. My husband always tells me I could go on those shows, haha what a sweetie. Could you image what kind of show that would be.. a person who never tasted the food she makes and only smells it to know if it's seasoned right not very entertaining.
I have never tasted my cooking (just my simpler meals that I make myself) because I cook with ingredients for my husband and other people that I don't eat. But I always get compliments on my cooking so I must be okay

Watching cooking shows brings me delight haha. I don't have a clue what some of the food tastes like but it looks so good. (not the greasy fried foods, but food made from fresh ingredients etc)

And @Silent Night that's totally normal. Seeing food is registering in your body that you will get food soon so your body is preparing for it to come into your system. Just like a dog when he sees his food but can't eat it yet, he'll start drooling etc. It's the same with humans. Digestion starts in the mouth.

 

[pterodactyl]

Sadly (I guess...) & in a word NO. But I highly respect those who cook well & enjoy doing it...it is an art. Just not one of my personal strengths or interests...

Food should just magically appear in front of me in small portions. That's my preference.

Also I do not like to see people eat, chew, or make sounds while doing either.... eeewwww & that happens alot in TV shows about cooking.

BUT I do like shows about SHOPPING for food...like the best bakeries....freshest fish....THAT I COULD WATCH & BE MESMORIZED FOR HOURS!

Just not the act of preparing, cooking, or eating.

 

[Meghan]

Food should just magically appear in front of me in small portions. That's my preference.

Agree 100%. I hate having to prepare anything myself

 

[Penthesilea]

To those who watch: do you think you enjoy these programmes because you're into cooking or because you're consistently dealing with a certain level of hunger that makes you want to think about food? Or is it a sort of vicarious way to enjoy food without actually eating it? Are you more interested when you're restricting hard?

I do enjoy watching them, as well as browsing pinterest just to see yummy food when I'm hungry. I know I like it as I'm constantly dealing with a certain level of hunger aka I'm constantly thinking about food -unless I'm REALLY busy and focused on other stuff-

Somehow it stops me from eating, I just enjoy watching the food and imagining how it will taste like. Weird I know

 

[thethinwristed]

Depends. I love Masterchef (UK version) because I find it entertaining and I will follow the series. But then I also watch shows for reverse thinspiration, like Man V Food and Cake Boss.

 

[espressoenthusiast]

I tend to watch all of the competition shows (chopped!!) and not as much the more basic, recipe centric shows, so i think it's much more about cooking and skill to me than my own hunger. i love to bake and have learned a lot of tips from some of the shows so it's been a great tool for me.

 

[Sbidl1]

I love watching them, but I aleays laugh a little because of how much oil/butter/sugar they put into things... especialy if the dish looks really great in the end (fresh looking)... I guess that scares me a little because it makes me think about what's being put into my food when I eat out :/

 

[misscat]

For anyone in the UK - Nigel Slater takes away my appetite and makes me laugh, cringe, and nauseous all at once.

His only friends are foods and I think he might literally be married to a sandwich.

 

[71000]

I love the cooking competitions too. Obviously there's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes for Iron Chef, but I like learning tips and techniques and being inspired by the professionals. And I like watching Chopped because the competitors actually need to think on their feet. My favorite chefs are Giada and Nigella.

To those who watch: do you think you enjoy these programmes because you're into cooking or because you're consistently dealing with a certain level of hunger that makes you want to think about food? Or is it a sort of vicarious way to enjoy food without actually eating it? Are you more interested when you're restricting hard?

I love cooking and baking, but I only became interested in those and in cooking shows after I started restricting. Even when I'm not restricting hard I love cooking, maybe even more so because being less strict with what I eat opens up more possibilities. But when I was restricting hard, I did watch the shows because I was obsessed with food all the time.

 

[Intrinsicality]

I love watching cooking shows; it's a kind of mindless respite from the other shows I watch. I love the cooking competitions too and the myriad of techniques that get shown and you sometimes learn something.

Some shows I watch though because of sheer morbid curiousity....like the barefoot contessa....oh god the amount of butter she uses....and I keep thinking "no wonder you're that size".... it seems really irresponsible to me to cook food with the sole purpose of making it taste good without any regard for it's nutritional content. It almost seems unethical.

I wonder - if you love watching cooking shows - are there food personalities you just hate? @Coral, @Penthesilea,@thinwristed @espressoenthusiast,@Sbid1 @misscat @71000

 

[sylphe]

I love watching cooking shows; it's a kind of mindless respite from the other shows I watch. I love the cooking competitions too and the myriad of techniques that get shown and you sometimes learn something.

Some shows I watch though because of sheer morbid curiousity....like the barefoot contessa....oh god the amount of butter she uses....and I keep thinking "no wonder you're that size".... it seems really irresponsible to me to cook food with the sole purpose of making it taste good without any regard for it's nutritional content. It almost seems unethical.

I wonder - if you love watching cooking shows - are there food personalities you just hate? @Coral, @Penthesilea,@thinwristed @espressoenthusiast,@Sbid1 @misscat @71000

I love Ina Garten just because her voice is so soothing, she's like a more elegant version of Paula Deen. Also, her husband is absolutely ridiculous, I love watching their interactions and the way he reacts to all her cooking.

Guy Fieri is the worst. Also that blonde woman with the spiky hair... who actually resembles Guy quite a bit also.

 

[Coral]

Guy Fieri is the worst. Also that blonde woman with the spiky hair... who actually resembles Guy quite a bit also.

Haha I always thought this too they look exactly the same

 

[espressoenthusiast]

I wonder - if you love watching cooking shows - are there food personalities you just hate? @Coral, @Penthesilea,@thinwristed @espressoenthusiast,@Sbid1 @misscat @71000

I cannot STAND Guy Fieri, Rachel Ray (when she says EVOO I want to puke) and the "southern belle" people like paula deen (although her coconut cake is divine...sorry it's true) or ree drummond

 

[Intrinsicality]

I love Ina Garten just because her voice is so soothing, she's like a more elegant version of Paula Deen. Also, her husband is absolutely ridiculous, I love watching their interactions and the way he reacts to all her cooking.

Guy Fieri is the worst. Also that blonde woman with the spiky hair... who actually resembles Guy quite a bit also.

you know what, that's what I was thinking just a few days ago.....food network dropped paula deen and started airing ina at all times.....and I'm like..."oh...is this their substitution?"

Ina has this annoying habit of saying "only a good <insert olive oil or bread>"....it sounds a little silly. She has some good recipes/tips though, I agree.

Just to add....Giada grates on me.....her recipes are so simple....and she presents them with such fanfare....:|

 

[alexandtm]

I've always enjoyed cooking shows. I like finding new techniques or ideas of ingredients to pair together. Usually, it's not that hard to make a recipe healthier, so I don't mind shows like Barefoot Contessa, but cheap, gross, vulgar ones like Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, or Sandra Lee are not my thing. I actually find that the Cooking Channel has far superior programming compared to the Food Network.

I like French Food at Home with Laura Calder a ton - fantastic, light, lovely recipes and a very soothing host. Any of Brian Boitano's shows are hilarious, as is My Grandmother's Ravioli with Mo Rocco, which is more human interest than cooking. Adorable old ladies for the win.

Easy Chinese with Ching-He Huang is really great for lots of veggies, and her show where she whips crappy restaurants into shape is really funny because she is so blunt. I also like Jamie Oliver's show Jamie at Home (not so fond of the rest), as I like his focus on fresh produce and easy cooking. He has some great gardening tips, too.

The one Food Network show I like is Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello. It's aspirational for me, as I like to entertain, and I hope to have a lot more dinner parties and whatnot. His recipes are classy, and don't start with a can of Velveeta (yes, I'm looking at you, Paula and Sandra).

 

[habenula]

I love Iron Chef America, Chopped, you name it. Those shows are fun for me because they turn food into an art, rather than a gross indulgence. They also inspire me to make fancy, lower-cal versions of what they make.

Alllllso I agree with everyone. Guy Fieri is a toad.