This year brought on some seriously amazing food TV shows that were clearly designed to keep us salivating for more episodes. Throughout 2022, there seemed to be something for the palette—intense cooking competitions, deep dives into street eats, foodie explorations, and catchphrases even non-cooks couldn’t get enough of.
Additionally, there was a resurgence of some familiar faces in the dining scene, like Ina Garten whipping up new dishes and sharing tips for fans, and introduced some new hosts to serve up entertaining content about cooking, baking, deep frying, and more. We traveled around the world in search of delicious hidden gems and paid homage to the late, great Julia Child.
Some of these will be back for new seasons in 2023, and we’re sure to see more creative ideas in the kitchen. For now, these are a few of the best food TV shows that came out in the past year, which we will definitely be binge watching during the holiday season.
The Big Brunch on HBO Max
It’s kind of surprising that there hasn’t been more brunch-focused food TV shows, considering it’s become one of the most popular shared meals in the last few decades. Luckily, the Big Brunch combines menu items that walk the blurred line between breakfast and lunch—while also filling the empty space where Schitt’s Creek used to live, thanks to host Dan Levy. The Big Brunch is centered around 10 chefs recreating classic brunch dishes like eggs Benedict and hangover cure cocktails, it’s the judges commentary, similar in style to Chef’s Table, and overall camaraderie that make this reality show feel less vindictive than other cooking competitions. The final episode culminates in a Shark Tank-esque business pitch session to see who will take home the grand prize of of $300,000, and what the contestants come up with will warm your heart and soul for sure.
Baking It on Peacock
Season 2 of Baking It is already off to a sweet start, after premiering earlier this month. This baking-centric, competition food TV show featuring hilarious, big-name name co-hosts Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler, and a panel of grandmother judges who don’t hold back when it comes to the critiques. Saturday Night Live funny gal Poehler brings new life as Rudolph’s co-host, replacing SNL former cast mate Andy Samberg from Season 1. However, it’s the goodies contestants bake up that have us craving new episodes. Fortunately, new episodes will be streaming each week beginning December 12.
The Bear on Hulu
“Yes Chef” is the new “Yes Daddy” these days, thanks to FX’s introduction of one of the most talked about food TV shows of 2022, The Bear. The plot line encompasses so much of what working in an actual kitchen is really like—from the pressure-cooker world of Michelin-star restaurants to keeping health codes in check for the casual dining spots. Mental health and personal wellness are a big theme of The Bear, which centers around a highly trained master chef returning to take over his family’s sandwich shop in Chicago after his brother’s death. A cast of true Chicagoans and their lives in the kitchen make this show hard not to watch in one weekend.
For those interested in food TV shows that can also help them expand their to-go orders to more authentic international cuisines that even when reimagined still hold true to their cultural roots, Take Out With Lisa Ling is the perfect program for you. Ling is a superb documentary host, bringing her personal elements to each restaurant highlighted, and really offering a new take on take out dining in general. From Southern California’s booming Vietnamese-American cuisine scene to a trip through New York City’s colorful Bangladeshi restaurants, you’ll be craving flavors of these new American classics through the power of creative storytelling.
She’s the contemporary queen of entertaining; Garten manages to make every new project she works on more creative than the last. The premise of Be My Guest With Ina Garten is basically Garten hanging out with some of her closest friends, cooking amazing food, getting tipsy on cute cocktails, and sharing a love for shared dining that will make you want to throw a dinner party, stat. Actress Julianna Margulies kicks off the first episode, which involves margaritas, herb picking, and a beach picnic. Grab a drink and settle in, because you’ll be charmed by the subsequent guests, recipes, and entertainment that follows. Here’s a taste of what you’ll get—check out when Garten sat down with actress Emily Blunt to enjoy some scones.
