The Not-So Starving Student—Five Foodie Shows to Binge

The Not-So Starving Student—Five Foodie Shows to Binge

August is the perfect time to binge watch Netflix shows, lay back and get inspired before the Fall term.  For foodies, there’s always room to grow in learning about cuisines, appreciating the meticulous detail behind each culinary masterpiece or simply watching celebrity chefs scream at rookie chefs which never seems to lose its entertainment value.  Exploring some of my favourite foodie shows this summer has certainly helped me revive my passion for cooking with school out of the way.

  1. Top Chef Canada: If you’ve watched other elimination TV series, you’ll be familiar with the drill.  The show begins with 20 contestants competing for top chef.  Weekly competitions are both collaborative and competitive and allow for certain personalities to shine.  The personal interviews with each chef let audiences truly connect with contestants over the course of the show.
  2. Chopped Canada: The show selects four chefs and pits them against one another in a fierce battle for the top chef in challenges that include a basket of traditional ingredients as well as a mystery ingredient each week.  Unlike Top Chef, each week features a handful of new contestant chefs tackling a three-course dinner.  Chopped has given me a myriad of new ideas for dinner parties and continue to challenge me to experiment in the kitchen.
  3. Homemade Italian meatballs inspired by Chef’s Table

    Chef’s table: Each carefully curated episode of this series gives me goosebumps (in a good way!).  If you’re looking for deep, thoughtful artistic renditions of cuisines, beautiful 1080 footage of narrated stories behind each chef and their stories, you’ll be enthralled with this series as much as I have been.  The series features international cuisines from every corner of the globe.  Not only is the series incredibly informative, its storytelling takes you into the shoes of another kitchen enthusiast.

  4. Hell’s Kitchen: Even if you’re not as passionate about food as I am, Hell’s Kitchen has enormous entertainment value, drama and action.  Despite some of the inflammatory language thrown around by celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay, the show is terribly addictive and demonstrates the gut, determination, and toil of beginner chefs as they showcase their talents.  Unlike some of the other shows listed, Hell’s Kitchen brings the heat of the kitchen to a new level and is certainly not for those who disapprove of Chef Ramsay’s blunt critiques.
  5. Iron Chef America: Based on a popular Japanese cooking show concept, Iron Chef America has drawn in gastro-philes from all over the world.  Unlike the other contestant-based shows, this series features American celebrity chefs or “iron chefs” that compete in challenges with world-class chefs.  The show is an entirely different calibre than other shows here.  If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a gourmet Michelin rated restaurant, then this is your show.