Cooking
shows are all the rage nowadays on Australian television. Not only do they give
us great ideas about what to cook up in the kitchen, but they are captivating
and intense too. With celebrity chefs, nervous contestants and competitions to
keep viewers entertained, it’s no wonder why there’s so many on the telly at
the moment! In this article, some of the most popular cooking shows over the
past few years. We’ve tried to list programs of various different kinds - as
originality is always good!
MasterChef
Without
a doubt the most watched cooking show in Australia, Channel Ten’s MasterChef
has inspired a number of similar programs on other networks. You don’t need to
be told about the premise, as we’re sure you’ve seen it many times before!
Amateur chefs compete by serving various dishes to the judges, and the last man
or woman standing is crowned the winner. Always one to pull at the
heartstrings, MasterChef is reality television at its finest as we inevitably
connect with certain contestants and the level of intensity is always high!
Featuring
chef Gary Mehigan, chef George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston,
Masterchef often features celebrity special guest chefs to add to the
excitement.
Food Safari
SBS’s
Food Safari, hosted by the much-loved Maeve O’Meara, is all about discovering
amazing cuisine from various countries around the world. In four seasons, Maeve
has sampled great food from just about every continent on the planet including
our own. Each episode covers food from a particular country, looking at how it
is prepared and how it is enjoyed!
Featuring
a wide array of specialist meals with tantalising twists, Food Safari has gone
on to be one of the most successful food programs on TV to date and we’re
certainly looking forward to the upcoming series.
Ready, Steady Cook
Daytime
television can be tiresome at times, but Ready Steady Cook always manages to
get its share of viewers. Twice nominated for a Logie Award, the program isn’t
nearly as intense as MasterChef, but it still manages to put the pressure on
the contestants as they are asked to prepare a dish in real time. The show has
a friendly, easygoing vibe to it - perfect for daytime telly! Not to mention,
Ready Steady has featured a number of celebrities over the years including Kyle
Sandilands, Fizty and Josh Thomas.
Huey’s Cooking Adventures
Truly
one of the classic Australian personalities, Huey’s Cooking Adventures ran from
1997 to 2010 (at which point the program’s format was tweaked), though we never
got tired of watching the great man do his thing in the kitchen. As much of a
charmer as any celebrity chef in the business, Huey would get around in those
irresistible pants braces and cook up all sorts of contraptions, sharing his
love of great love with stay-at-home Australians the country over. Nowadays you
can catch him on Huey’s Kitchen, but don’t expect the dashing Huey we remember
from the early days of his Huey Cooking Adventures program!
