Top 5 Cooking Shows on Netflix
Carolina
Argentinian Carolina has an extensive movie background in the cinematic universe. She is our resident TV analyst and a seasoned expert in global streaming platforms. She showcases her comprehensive knowledge through her love for Netflix 'Originals', Frozen, The Good Place, and The Dragon Prince.
Cooking can be a fun and rewarding experience. Whether you cook for yourself or others, there’s always this feeling of accomplishment.
It’s also a learning experience where sometimes you must face failure and frustration through the whole process.
If you like to cook, you’re learning to do it, or you just love food, you can’t miss these cooking shows available on Netflix!
You’ll find a variety of shows, from documentary style, passing through to competitive cooking shows, and even a fictional TV series with a lot of love for cooking and food.
So if you’re hungry already, let’s taste a bit of each one!
1. The Chef Show
When Jon Favreau isn’t directing or producing an Iron Man movie, or baby-sitting Spiderman as Happy Hogan, or directing a new Disney live-action adaptation, he’s cooking.
The Chef Show is a documentary cooking show created, directed, and produced by Jon Favreau for Netflix.
He hosts the show along with chef Roy Choi.
The show works as some sort of spin-off from Favreau’s Chef film. The premise is showing Jon and Roi experimenting with their favourite recipes in collaboration with some famous names belonging to the entertainment and culinary world.
In each episode, there are a couple of Hollywood actors and actresses cooking together with the two hosts.
If you happen to be a Marvel movies fan, you can’t miss this show. In the second episode, they share a meal with the Avengers cast in Atlanta.
So far, there’s a season which was split into two parts. The first one premiered on June 7, 2019, and the second one was released on September 13, 2019.
2. Sugar Rush
A Netflix original, this American cooking reality web television series was released on July 13, 2018.
The premise is about four professional teams competing against each other in a baking competition for a prize of $10,000. The competition includes baking cakes, cupcakes, and confectionery.
The show is hosted by Hunter March, an American television host, YouTuber, actor and producer.
The jury is comprised of professional chefs Candace Nelson and Adriano Zumbo, with a different guest judge in each episode.
There are currently 2 seasons with a total of 14 episodes.
3. The Final Table
Another American cooking reality cooking competition web television series made exclusively for Netflix.
The only season so far has 10 episodes, and it was released on November 20, 2018.
The series features twelve professional teams of two competing against each other by cooking meals based on each episode’s country theme.
The judges are one food critic and two culturally significant citizens who belong to the episode’s country.
The countries covered in the show are Mexico, Spain, the UK, Brazil, India, the US, Italy, Japan, and France.
If you love international cuisine, this show is for you!
4. Million Pound Menu
A British game show reality produced by the BBC and now available on Netflix, Million Pound Menu has an interesting premise. Set in Manchester, the participants try to convince the jury about their new restaurant ideas.
In the first season, in each episode, two restaurant ideas got the green light to gain backing from the investors.
The second season displays a different format. Three concept teams aspiring to be restaurateurs cook their signature dishes for four potential investors. By majority vote, one team is selected to open a pop-up restaurant in Manchester, England.
After going through some tests, the teams received the investors and if multiple investors make offers, they can pick the one to work with.
There are a total of two seasons covering 12 episodes. The series was released on May 17, 2018, on BBC Two in the UK, and the same date on Netflix for the rest of the world.
5. Samurai Gourmet
Not a documentary, not a reality game show, just a Japanese comedy TV show that easily is the best cooking show available on Netflix.
Based on Masayuki Kusumi’s essay and the manga of the same name, Samurai Gourmet is about Takeshi Kasumi, a retired man who discovers the pleasures of drinking and food and imagine himself as a wandering samurai during the period of civil wars in Japan.
By seeing himself as a samurai, Takeshi can battle his anxiety and guilt for everything, even at simple things like drinking beer or eating something.
With a total of 12 episodes and a running time between 16-22 minutes each, the series follows a very simple structure with only three recurring characters. But what makes it special is the amount of food porn displayed on each episode.
Japanese food can be simple in execution and ingredients, but alluring for westerners who aren’t used to these kind of dishes which are visually tempting (and believe me they taste as good as they look).
The strongest point behind Samurai Gourmet is the balanced mixture of food, cooking, and eating with Takeshi’s struggles adapting to his new life free from work and learning how to enjoy the little pleasures in life.
If you love food, and you’re looking for something different in the genre of cooking shows, Samurai Gourmet is a great choice. You not only would learn about Japanese typical dishes but at the same time, you’ll discover what means truly enjoying something mundane like eating your everyday meals.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are cooking TV shows to suit all tastes.
Do you like documentaries? Checked.
Do you like reality competitive game shows? Checked.
Do you like a fictional TV series focused on food? Checked.
I can assure you that after watching these shows, you’ll end knowing a couple of cooking tricks, and you won’t see food in the same way anymore.
Netflix has a fair menu in their catalogue, and you can be their guest anytime you want!
Do you have another favourite cooking show? I would love to hear so drop me a comment in the comments section below.
Illustrations © Ernest Akayeu | Dreamstime.com
