Best Food Network Shows
chopped-food-network
1. Chopped (2009-present)
Like Survivor, the genius of Chopped lies in its format, which could be replicated for centuries to come: Four chefs face off to cook an appetizer, entrée and dessert, each with a mystery basket of four mismatched ingredients they must incorporate into their dish. It's an addictive formula that never fails to produce high drama (and even great food, sometimes), and it's been so wildly successful, it's inspired three spinoffs along with more than 400 episodes. Chopped is Food Network's flagship show for a reason, and its most lasting contribution to the annals of food TV.
iron-chef
3. Iron Chef (1999-present)
It's technically an import, but the original Iron Chef remains one of the most important series in Food Network history. A fascinatingly strange concoction from Japan, Iron Chef pitted the country's very best chefs against each other in a deadly serious cook-off with honor on the line. Dubbed into English for its U.S. airings, Iron Chef became a kitschy cult hit, and its format was sturdy enough to inspire a fleet of spinoffs, including the long-running (and nearly as good) Iron Chef America. To this day, Iron Chef remains a wonderful window into a world of culinary delights we never would've glimpsed without it.
cutthroat-kitchen-alton-brown
4. Cutthroat Kitchen (2013-17)
What happens when you take a standard cooking competition and crank up the difficulty level about twenty notches? You get the deliciously diabolical Cutthroat Kitchen, where host Alton Brown had competitors bid on "sabotages" they could use to hinder their opponents. Considering the punishing severity of these sabotages, it's amazing some of these chefs even got anything on the plate, but they did, and Cutthroat's boldly innovative spirit and wicked sense of humor set it about twenty notches above its cooking-show peers.
food-network-star-bobby-flay-giada-de-laurentiis
9. Food Network Star (2005-present)
This is a tricky one, because often on this cooking competition, the entertainment value outweighs the caliber of cuisine. To be blunt, not everybody here can cook — but it's still a treat to watch the contestants try to balance kitchen technique with on-camera polish in an effort to land their very own Food Network show. Hosts Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis have an easy chemistry, and the competition has actually birthed a number of Food Network regulars, including Season 2 winner Guy Fieri... but we won't hold that against it.
unwrapped-marc-summers
11. Unwrapped (2001-11)
This fun and informative travel series took us behind the scenes of our favorite foods, with host Marc Summers (the Double Dare guy!) hitting the road to show us how popular candies, cereals and snacks are actually made. So if you ever wanted to know how M&Ms get their candy shell or how many tons of potatoes Frito-Lay goes through every year, Unwrapped had you... well, covered.
30-minute-meals-rachael-ray
12. 30 Minute Meals (2001-12)
Before Rachael Ray was a daytime fixture, she was whipping up easy meals in just half an hour on this approachable cooking demo series. Shot in real time, the episodes made even the most clueless home cook feel like they could pull together a tasty meal in a snap, and Ray's sunny charms were on full display, making it easy to understand why she's been on our TVs pretty much nonstop every since.
emeril-live
10. Emeril Live (1997-2007)
Bam! The godfather of Food Network, New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse brought his big flavors and bigger personality to TV with this cozy cooking demo. Lagasse was a natural on camera, introducing viewers to sample his spicy cuisine with a host of memorable catchphrases. (He was such a blast to watch, NBC even gave his own sitcom... briefly.) Emeril Live was one of Food Network's first breakout hits, and as such, respect must be paid. Without question, he kicked things up a notch.
sweet-genius-ron-ben-israel
6. Sweet Genius (2011-13)
This is a hidden gem in Food Network's vast library, and to be fair, it was probably too weird to live: Hosted by delightfully eccentric pastry guru Ron Ben-Israel, this dessert competition challenged its chefs to make gorgeous desserts that fit bizarre themes like "Fabergé egg." With an elaborate, Wonka-like set and Ben-Israel's ridiculously grandiose air, it felt like a transmission from another planet... and we're just sorry that transmission ended after only three seasons.
good-eats-alton-brown
8. Good Eats (1999-2011)
Alton Brown first made his mark on the food world in this unabashedly nerdy cooking show, which dove deep into the wonky science and history of food and cooking equipment. Good Eats was not only legitimately educational, it was hilarious, too, with Brown flashing the goofy sense of humor that led to him becoming a Food Network staple for years to come.
iron-chef-america
7. Iron Chef America (2005-present)
This domestic spin on the Japanese cooking clash Iron Chef is kind of like the American version of The Office: It had massive shoes to fill, but eventually evolved into its own, equally enjoyable series. Brown hosts here, with upstart chefs challenging proven masters to a high-stakes culinary throwdown. Many great chefs have passed through Kitchen Stadium, from Wolfgang Puck to Marcus Samuelsson, and the adaptation manages to retain an impressive amount of the original's chaos and majesty.
everyday-italian-giada-de-laurentiis
5. Everyday Italian (2003-08)
This rustic, invitingly casual cooking show launched Giada De Laurentiis as one of Food Network's most enduring personalities. In it, Giada whipped up traditional Italian dishes (being sure to pronounce each ingredient with a distinctly Italian flair — "MOOT-za-RAIL-ah!"), but found a way to make them accessible to the home cook. From this foundation, Giada launched a culinary empire... but this low-key charmer is where it all began.
barefoot-contessa-ina-garten
2. Barefoot Contessa (2002-present)
Ah... this perfectly relaxed cooking demo is as soothing as a glass of chamomile tea on a crisp fall evening, isn't it? Ina Garten is a warm and inviting hostess, effortlessly cooking up sumptuous meals that are never too intimidating to actually try. (Even 30 Rock's Liz Lemon dreamed of being her.) It's aspirational but not snooty, a tranquil slice of upper-crust living that's as mesmerizing as a Bob Ross painting demonstration. It's no wonder that Garten has been on the air for more than half of Food Network's entire existence... with no end in sight, we hope.