What kinds of elements of a cooking show do you enjoy/look for?

xseraphsin: What kinds of elements of a cooking show do you enjoy/look for?
Do you prefer the cook to be talking, or a voice-over? What things about cooking shows annoy you?

Tell me about your thoughts on what makes a cooking show enjoyable to watch.
The reason I’m asking is because I want to make a little show based off of my great grandmothers cookbook. I’d really like to share with people, and hopefully help others, and keep older recipes like her’s alive.

Answers and Views:

Answer by chefgrille
The host should talk, but keep it short and to the point. Voice-overs literally put me to sleep. I don’t need to hear filler stuff like how their nephew is doing in school or soccer. I want info, like watching Alton Brown. It should be directional and informational, not anecdotal. Maybe that’s just me.

Answer by Miss Know a Little
I prefer the cook talking. I prefer the ingredients to be discussed as they are put in, not all up front. And, not to rush that part because people do take notes on it and want to avoid missing an ingredient.

Have a website where you can post the recipes and note it during every show.

Keep the number of ingredients to a reasonable amount. Not everyone likes to buy (or can find a place to buy) a zillion spices or obscure ingredients. Think of smaller towns and older people and busy moms as some of your viewers. Keep it reasonable to re-create!

Also, avoid cheesy filler humor (as is in Regis & Kelly)…it takes away from the cooking and point of the show. That’s what the comedy channel is for.

Sounds like you’re doing a fun project!

Answer by CharlieLionel
I prefer the cook to be telling me what he is doing. I like shows that use foods I will eat. I’m a pretty picky eater… like I will only eat certain veggies, and if they are making something like Brussels sprouts, then I am not so into it. I like ‘Down home with the Neely’s’ cause, most of the time, they use “regular” foods that I will eat. And I like the stories they tell, too, about their family dinners growing up, or how a certain recipe came about, etc…

Answer by Apple Tart
I don’t like perky hosts that chirp away about how friggen wonderful every single thing is as they make perfect food and have a perfect body and never dirty a dish in their perfect kitchen. Whew, sorry for the vent! Okay, I like a host that keeps it real, makes mistakes, and then shows us how to fix them! I like real food and easy to follow directions. Also like to learn new things.

Answer by amazingly intelligent
I was just a youngster when I began watching Julia Child on PBS. I loved her! I also watched Jeff Smith. I guess what I liked is they gave some history behind the foods they prepared and often had clips to show of the country of origin for exotic spices or other ingredients. I liked their banter as if they were talking personally to me. I never tried a single recipe, but I’m sure I pick up some culinary knowledge from them. I also used to enjoy Justin Wilkins, the cajun cook, but you couldn’t have paid me to eat food he prepared after blowing his nose vigorously several times during the show with his ever present bandanna which he tucked into his back pocket and kept on cooking without even glancing at the sink, let alone washing his hands! However, it looked delicious and I enjoyed watching him eat some of it at the end of every show.

I guess the personality of those three cooking icons was the big draw for me. I do watch Iron Chef and some other cooking shows, but I don’t like the competitive aspect and most of the food they prepare while presented well seems unappetizing to me. I don’t think the judges are very fair either.

Answer by chef_renee
Well, first of all I enjoy watching a talented person cook with passion and knowledge of food and recipe complexity or simplicity. Secondly, I look for basic cooking skills, (ease of use with all of the kitchen utensils and vessels, sanitary procedures, timing, organization and most importantly, knowledge of food) I prefer hearing the Chef or cook speak, about the food and/or recipe with a little added family history edited in (food=family, in my opinion, and I want to hear that, but not overdone). What really catches my eye on any cooking show that I watch is menu creativity, taking a dish and making it your own, but not with only one style of cuisine, but a broad based knowledge of all flavors, seasonings, cooking techniques and availability of the ingredients of that particular recipe. I think relaxation and humor are an important part of cooking, it should be enjoying, not stressful. You should be able to make little mistakes, but not be overwhelmed by them, the Chef/Cook should be personable, knowledgeable and informative in a comfortable surrounding. Things that annoy me: Well, I’ll try to keep this short. Lack of food knowledge,(this is a biggie for me) unsanitary cooking procedures, stress, too much story and not enough cooking, use of such rare ingredients that you won’t ever have available to cook with, canned items (some, not all) use of prepackaged items and a couple of fresh items (I did this in the Marine Corps, did I get a show?) is a huge turnoff, because we’ve all done that, saying “I don’t know” about one thing or another, being negative (always turn it into a positive, it’s so easy), so that’s it for now, but I’m sure the list would be longer if I didn’t have to get my laundry out of the dryer!
Anyways, I wish you all the very best in your futrue cooking show and I totally agree, older recipes need to be kept alive and well! I’m sorry this has grown to be a small novel, but just like you, food happens to be a passion and love of mine! Have a great day and thanks for asking!

Answer by Kracker
I look for a show that uses relatively common ingredients, not something exotic that I can’t buy locally.
Same for the tools used, excellent food was made long before we had food processors, “boat motors” etc. I want to be taught by a cook/chef who can cook! not just make it look pretty. I’d like to see a show with a Diner cook or short order cook rather than a “Classically Trained Chef”