Jacque Pepin, Avec Eric, America's Test kitchen, Paula Dean and many more.

Barefoot Contessa (my personal favorite), America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Country and French Food at Home. I love looking at the kitchens in each while they cook, plus the food and techniques shown are great.

Hi Lavender: Believe it or not, I hadn't heard about Laura Calder's cooking show until you posted about her kitchen on another thread last week and I clicked on the link to check it out. I fell totally in love with Laura Calder and her show -- it is so much fun. And she does have an irresistible je ne sais quoi! So thanks for introducing her to me.

I don't have much time for cooking shows, but I do love America's Test kitchen. To save time, I often just watch the Cook's Illustrated cooking video's online as I'm making the particular Cook's Illustrated dish prepared in the video.

I don't watch t.v. much but I listen to it, which makes the audio more important. So the contest shows catch my interest occasionally--I cheer for the girls. Only have basic cable so I can't get some of the cooks. We've begun to watch the Scandinavian cooks that set up in the outdoors, on PBS but heck if I know their names. Of course absolute fave was Swedish chef on the Muppets.

Just asked DH which cooking show he likes. He said "Posh Nosh." Enough said.

Good Eats, Chuck's Day Off, French Food At Home, Galloping Gourmet, America's Test Kitchen.

I haven't watched a cooking show in so long. I wonder why.

I did love MaryAnne Esposito. The region of Italian food hit home with me...it's how my family used to cook.

And the Barefoot Contessa--she is so calm--"wasn't that easy". I also like her because she doesn't believe in having a kitchen tool that can only perform 1 function.

And of course the guilty pleasure was Take Home Chef. mmmhm

My DH would happily watch Nigela all day and ALL night (if I let him)! Oh, and he doesn't cook.

America's Test Kitchen, Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa and best of all the reruns on Public TV of Julia Child!
Sort of an oxymoron as I watch them while on the treadmill!

I miss Two Fat Ladies. The orotund Brits who used to tool around in a Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle and side car, making heart-stopping old English classics with lard and beef drippings, and then retiring to the veranda for a sherry and a smoke. One died.

Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa is my favorite. Love her recipes, her kitchens, her friends and most of all - her giggle. I wish they'd have a spinoff of her and her friends cruising around the Hamptons - no cooking needed
:-) Also Jacque Pepin, Julia reruns and why didn't I know Eric Ripert has his own show???! What network is that on?? I love him - he is adorable! Oh and his food is pretty good too ;-)

Kary Osmond of "Best Recipes Ever"

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/cooking_school/kary_osmond_host_of_cbc_televisions_best_recipes_ever.php

Lidia Bastianich, Lidia's Family Table...I've learned SO much about technique from that woman.

Daisy Cooks! Daisy Martinez, I've also learned a lot about ingredients and technique from her.

Americas Test Kitchen, Cooks Country, I have an online subscription to CI and use it for reviews and tips on cooking various things that I may not be familiar with

New favorite, Aarti Party--I love Indian food and am just starting to get into how to do it 'right'.

Saturday morning is my sit around and watch cooking shows while folding the laundry time.

Cj

Ina Garten is my favorite. I would love to see her new barn kitchen in person. My DH stood in line for 4 hours to get her cookbook signed as a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law. She thought he was the most wonder brother-in-law to do that! Now he loves to watch her shows and always comments about her freakles. Chris--I like your idea of a Hamptons show with Ina and her friends! How good is that!

Beekeeper--MaryAnne Esposito lives in the small college town that I work in. Her husband is a local orthopedic doctor. Her show was originally produced at the PBS station in town, but they moved the operation to Rhode Island due to funding. It's funny to see names I recognize in the credits.

Francoise- I'm so glad you enjoy the show! I just want to cook in that kitchen, but of course...she makes it look so easy :)

Nhbaskets- Now I want to go check out the new barn kitchen. Your DH sounds like a sweetie!

Thanks for all the great responses! Anyone else like a particular kitchen or were you inspired, while designing your own?

Interesting I watch the show and like the recipes but I find Laura Calder affected. 5 Ingredient Fix host has an awesome voice. Ten Dollar Dinners airs on Saturday mornings and that show offers great tips (still havn't done it but making polenta in the slow cooker - genius idea).

I am completely addicted to Chopped.

There is only one cooking show for people who hate to cook - CHOPPED! I even watch re-runs for fun - no clue why.

We have only two TV channels here in the boonies so no cooking shows, which we get to watch only when we travel : ). I grew up with Julia Child, so she'll always be my favorite and the standard against which to judge all the others. And I will always have a soft spot for the Two Fat Ladies' Aga, more so than for either of them, I have to admit!

Here is a link that might be useful: Delicious Miss Dahl kitchen

Top Chef and Chopped are my favorites, guess I prefer a little hot competition to go along with the cool dishes they dream up. lol

Used to watch Yan Can Cook, Julia and the other PBS shows, haven't seen anything on that channel in a while.

Julia Child. There is no one else. Well, except maybe Jacques Pepin.

I too like French Food at Home because the instruction makes the recipes very user friendly. I also enjoy B - itchin' Kitchen because it's a funny show.

I love reruns of Julia--she had such a great sense of humor!

I've learned tons from Lidia Bastianich. I have some of her cookbooks and the recipes I've tried have not disappointed.

My favorite is Ina Garten. She's so relaxed and casual--I'm always a nervous wreck when I'm getting ready for a dinner party (or any party for that matter)! Her recipes are usually easy and always delicious.

I also watch America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country occasionally.

Reruns of Julia and Two Fat Ladies are on the Cooking Channel.

my DH loves Ina (Barefoot Contessa) because he believes that saying "never trust a skinny cook" He says her dishes have to be the best!

I like Guy's Big Bite and that Entertaining Easy with Michael something er other. hmmm - my fave's are guys - whata ya know.

and I also enjoy the Throwdown shows with Bobby.

oh and of course the semi-homemade show where she makes a cocktail on EVERY show. that's what I'm talkin about!

i gave up on the cooking shows. I'm married to a chef that hires the guys from top chef to do a guest spot at his resturant.

Google Cabanna and Taylor Swift and that is me.

My biggest pressures is i have to deal with him vs. my home cooking. My biggest pride is when he does those celebrity things, he still calls me at night and asks "what did you fix for dinner" :)

Ina is great and so is Giada. I remember the Two Fat Ladies, they were hysterical. Never heard of Laura Calder so I'll have to check that out. Ina did appetizers yesterday for a friend's party which looked yummy. Hope to make them in Sept. for my girlfriend's birthday party which we're supposed to be hosting. Only thing that may happen is the house won't be ready in time so we have all our fingers crossed.

I used to really like Jamie Oliver's "Naked Chef". I like his style of cooking.

By contrast, I think Paula Dean's cooking is scandalously bad. I recall she once made a "bread pudding" with stale donuts and canned fruit punch.

For cinematography alone, you have to love Nigella, Giada, and Ina. In fact they may share a producer or a production company, I can't recall.

Barefoot contessa, and I'm decidedly not a cooking show fan! Ina Garten is so charming and real and bottom every dish I've made from a BC recipe has been absolutely delicious, well except for scaling down the salt content in a major way.

I never was interested in cooking at all but now that my kids are older and I have more time I've started focusing on creating healthy and good tasting food at home.

Love, love, love Ina and now Jamie Oliver. He's so incredibly passionate about the food and makes really uncomplicated things that look divine. Also Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello. Another fave is Real Food on PBS which is the folks from Martha Stewarts magazine.

Who I miss seeing is Ming Tsai who I sort of got a crush on when he was on the Next Iron Chef. At the time I thought he got robbed from winnning that show.

Totally agree with you mtnrdredux about Paula Dean. Scandalous is the right word for it too. I'd lump Sandra Lee in with Paula. I know she's liked by some but from waht I see she comes up with the craziest concoctions and calls them a meal.

Oh yes, Sandra Lee! I think I recall reading in some Dr.s office People mag that she spent some time homeless as a youth, which is indeed very sad, but it seems to have informed her cooking.

I can't believe it, i was just reading the NY Times in another window and I had no idea she is living with the governor of NY. You should see how snottilyy the NY Times describes her!

Through books, television shows and magazines, the self-described "lifestylist" has taught time-pressed women that they can create domestic happiness by drawing on what is around them: spicing up packaged cake mix with peach juice, transforming artichokes into striking table centerpieces and displaying humdrum hand soap in an elegant crystal decanter.

Sandra Lee is Amy Sedaris without the humour or any sense of irony. She doesn't have a show but I loved Sedaris' "I Like You" and I have made some of the desserts and they were delicious. Gorgeous book. I agree about early Jamie Oliver - very approachable.

That Times description of Sandra Lee is hilarious - and awful.

Wow, a blast from the past. Two Fat Ladies! I came to that show late and it ended all too soon in our area. Thanks for the memory! They knew the proper way to kill themselves doing what they loved best.

Anyone listen to _Splendid Table_ on MPR/PBS? Lynn Rosetto Caspar has another wonderful voice and she's so calm and reassuring. She's the one who turned me on to "Roth Kase" gruyere from southern Wisconsin. Worth the field trip.

I read Sandra Lee's autobiography several years ago, her mother was I think 15 or 16 when she was born, had another child immediately, parents then left both kids with the paternal grandmother who raised them as best as she could with very little income. Clothes were hand me downs or remade from other clothing items and the meals prepared by the grandmother involved very creative methods to stretch every last dollar. I'm not a fan of Sandra Lee and I don't like her "semi-homemade" style of cooking, I categorize her with the Rachel Ray style of cooking. However, these 2 women have become extremely wealthy selling their cookbooks, cooking styles, etc and they did it on their own without a famous family name, etc.

Thanks for all the suggestions :) We don't have cable so are limited to PBS and something called the Create network (though while visiting my mom I only watch cooking shows on cable :)

I used to be die-hard America's test kitchen, but every recipe is so complicated (though guaranteed to be amazing, not just good but amazing.)

I have been surprisingly enjoying Christina Pirello, focused on natural and whole foods and lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes. I love to eat everything, but am trying to eat more plants, less meat and dairy. http://www.christinacooks.com/

Bill and I love Chopped. We have chopped marathons sometimes. We find it inspiring. In fact, we find it so inspiring we updated every appliance in the kitchen a couple months ago, complete with pots and pans so we can throw together meals in the chopped-fashion. Now we even have chopped parties that are alot of fun. LOL

How do you have a Chopped party - how fun - please tell!!

Thanks for all the suggestions :) We don't have cable so are limited to PBS and something called the Create network (though while visiting my mom I only watch cooking shows on cable :)

I used to be die-hard America's test kitchen, but every recipe is so complicated (though guaranteed to be amazing, not just good but amazing.)

I have been surprisingly enjoying Christina Pirello, focused on natural and whole foods and lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes. I love to eat everything, but am trying to eat more plants, less meat and dairy. http://www.christinacooks.com/

Julia Childs re-runs and America's Test Kitchens... Haven't had time to watch any in a long while though. I love all of Alice Walters cookbooks however I dont believe she has a Cable show.

Oh, I miss the Two Fat Ladies. I used to love that show and I guess we don't get the reruns b/c I haven't seen it in years. In fact, I wondered what happened to them not too long ago. I am saddened to hear that one has passed.

I love Barefoot Contessa as well. Anything I have ever made by her has been delicious. She's a can't miss. Pan-fried onion dip.....AWESOME!!!

Our PBS runs programs by a La native chef, John Folse, who I always enjoy watching as well.

I can't tolerate Paula Dean yaaa'llll. I can't handle her voice so I have never really watched her show, and I am from the south. I feel her accent to be somewhat put on or at least I hope so. Though I have to give her credit as that accent has her rolling in the dough (no pun intended).

I also like Chopped and Iron Chef. I believe it to be partially because I am jealous of their pantrys.

My guilty pleasure is Kitchen Nightmares, both the British and American versions.

America's Test Kitchen and Julia reruns. Love them.

Back when we had cable(and younger livers) I used to love watching Iron Chef as a drinking game. You know - everytime the host says____you take a shot. Or when the one with the porn star voice voiceover giggles you take a shot.

I think there's a big difference between a "cooking" show and a food entertainment show. The problem is, the networks don't seem to think we need both of them, and the entertainment shows are edging out everything else.

I love the names Sandra Lee's food creations have been called, including "edible hate crime."

Nigella Lawson is really magnetic, and I love her "Feasts" cookbook. I also agree about Jamie Oliver's passion for food; I loved that series where he toured around Italy.

I used to love ATK but Chris Kimball just started to annoy me too much. The formula is always, look what an apocalyptic disaster every apple pie/beef stroganoff/ham sandwich you've ever eaten is! Dry! Soggy! Heavy! Tasteless! Overcooked! Raw! Radioactive! Asbestos-laden! Yeah, if every classic were always so wretched before Cooks Illustrated came along, why would we want to learn how to make them? I also agree that the recipes are generally too complicated for what you get, but I have not had the same fantastic results. Just not worth it to me.

We like to watch:

Giada

Guy's Big Bite

Grilling with Bobby Flay

Yes, we even watch Sandra Lee.

For the "entertainment" cooking we like Iron Chef and Top Chef.

Good East with Alton Brown. Yes, he is a bit goofy (that's why I love him so) However, that being said, I find his recipes are like ATK, but simplified. If you follow them, they come out as he promised. And I like the science behind his food and cooking.