HOLLYWOOD—I had always been a fan of the Food Network growing up. I will be honest it was this network that helped me learn how to cook and how not to be afraid in the kitchen when it comes to cooking. However, in recent years, I’ve not watched the series as much as I have in the past. You might be asking me why? Oh, America there is indeed a reason. For a network that was built on the art of teaching its viewers how to cook, the aspect of learning to cook has dissipated from the network in my series.
I remember I would be able to watch the Food Network on a Saturday or Sunday and see a variety of cooking shows, nowadays that is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The Food Network is not so focused on having actual having TV personalities explain step-by-step rules of how to craft a dish in the kitchen for viewers. It seems everything is NOW focused on reality-cooking competitions and I actually hate it.
Look, there is nothing wrong with a little “Chopped” here and there, but does everything on the network have to be a competition in some fashion? That is what the FN has become to culinary aficionados and it’s disappointing. I can count the new cooking competitions that air on the network each Saturday and Sunday people on two hands and the problem is not all of them present new episodes each week.
I mean you have “The Pioneer Woman” with Ree Drummond, but I’m not always a fan of the dishes she prepares. I love “The Kitchen” because you have titans like Geoffrey Zakarian and Alex Guarnaschelli crafting up some expert dishes with distinct tools for cooks. I love that we have the Symon Suppers series because Michael Symon is an excellent chef and culinary teacher. He is one of the best Iron Chefs of the new generation people. That is just Saturdays America. When it comes to Sundays, I think there are 2-3 shows and that’s it people. I remember Saturday and Sundays on Food Network used to be all about the viewers learning 1-on-1 instruction with new episodes and unique personalities.
That is no longer the case people and it is an absolute bummer and I do not care what anyone says. The Food Network has zoned in on a niche where it’s all about competition prowess and that is a niche that I think exists for food lovers, but there are plenty of us out there that want to see what made the Food Network the titan it is return to what made it such an unique network to begin with people: teaching people to cook.
We don’t get to see the unique perspectives on food anymore and the personalities of chefs that are one of a kind people. Many have all but dissipated from the network and those who are still there are playing host to these culinary competitions that dominate the network nowadays people. If you’re looking for that 1-on-1 instruction during the week, you may as well forget it America because it is NOT going to happen.
The weekends you get a little, but I’m hoping in the near future, the Food Network considers returning back to the audience and niche that made it popular to begin with. The network was birthed on the notion of teaching people how to cook, how to cook has become a thing of the past in terms of that intimate introduction into the kitchen and helping novices become better skilled in the culinary world. Now it’s all about seeing other people compete to cook to win. Where is the learning in that people?
