I have a fascination for reality cooking shows but I'll confess that I'm not really a good cook.
Some of my favorite shows are Hell's Kitchen, Dinner Impossible, Iron Chef America, Chopped, No Reservations and Bizarre Foods to name a few.
I do realize that a good portion of the shows are scripted, but this doesn't stop me from being amused and entertained, none the less.
Watching these programs is totally a guilty pleasure of mine.
The most outrageous is indeed Hell's Kitchen with Chef Ramsay at the helm.
The contestants of this show must endure Chef Ramsay's verbal punishment and complete a set of cooking tasks in his restaurant.
I realize his big mouth makes for good ratings, but I can't understand how this will make the contestants better chefs.
Robert Irvine's Dinner Impossible is more "digestible" when it comes to this chef's demeanor.
The premise of the show is for Robert to cook a banquet type meal with certain guidelines in a fixed amount of time.
It's fun to watch him overcome the many obstacles that are inevitable when cooking for large amounts of people.
I've lately grown fond of watching Chopped and the Chopped Masters series.
Each chef receives a basket of ingredients which they must combine and cook within a 30 minute time frame.
The ingredients are usually not foods that you would cook together, which is where the chef's ingenuity and skills come into play.
It's interesting to see how creative the final dishes turn out.
Iron Chef America relies less on shock value and more on actual cooking for its entertainment value.
Basically top chefs from around the United States challenge one of the four Iron Chefs to a good ole' cook off.
One primary ingredient, which is determined at the beginning of the battle, has to be included in five dishes.
The food in this show always looks so elegant and succulent.
Anthony Bourdain's, No Reservations and Andrew Zimmern's, Bizarre Foods are as much travel shows as they are cooking shows.
The exotic locations that the two chefs are privileged to visit allow the viewer to glimpse into worlds that would otherwise not be possible for the average person.
The eclectic foods that they eat are an added adventure on the palate.
It would be hard for me to pick a favorite.
They each entertain me in a different way, and I'll continue tuning in.
I can't figure out though, why I'm not becoming more adept in my cooking skills! I'll figure that one out someday, but for now, Bon apetite!