NormM wrote:I seldom watch any cooking shows anymore. None on a regular basis and never any on Food Network. Jaques Pepin is far and away my favorite one to watch when I do. I liked Moveable Feast on PBS but I think they were only one season. BBQ with Franklin was great but it was only one season too. Back in the 70's, I learned the most about cooking from James Beard and Julia Child.
Around 10:30 p.m. here M-F, the local PBS channel has an additional channel (createtv.com) which starts cooking shows at this peculiar hour. Usually "Martha Bakes" or "Martha Stewart's Cooking School" leads them off and others vary, though either America's Test Kitchen OR Cook's Country is usually in the lineup, and Lidia Bastianich's show, "Lidia's Kitchen" is usually there, too. Like several of you, I enjoy Lidia immensely. It's nice to watch her make her various Italian dishes as you can see right away if they differ from how YOU make something, or give you ideas as to something different to make. She uses eggplant and zucchini in more ways than I've ever seen, and often times it's used in a way I really want to try. Often, Norm, "Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking" is shown as well. It's not the original show, of course, but I enjoy it especially when the host is in an area of the world whose cuisine I enjoy. Other shows often included are Pati's Mexican Table, Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, Joanne Weir's show, now in an iteration called "Joanne Weir's Plates and Places." They recently added "New Orleans Cooking with Kevin Belton," and "My Greek Table with Diane Kochilas."
"Steven Raichlen's Project Smoke" is regularly shown, along with "Chef's Life," the latter of which I really enjoy as it not only covers the workings of her restaurant, Chef and the Farmer, but also usually features a type of produce grown locally (locally to NC, that is), and often times it's a vegetable I don't cook regularly and sometimes one I've NEVER cooked.
"Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook" is sometimes run, and I really like her show, especially gloating over her gorgeous New Zealand garden and the areas of beautiful NZ they show. Another one I enjoy which they show occasionally is "Cooking with Nick Stellino." He always says his wife says he talks too much, which may have something to do with why I like his show!! "Julie Taboulie's Lebanese Kitchen" is shown here and there and I like seeing her cuisine. Another one you mentioned "BBQ with Franklin" comes on periodically, too.
I've always had problems sleeping at night which are now exacerbated by back pain, so watching these shows is often something that distracts me. (I love to read but find if I'm really suffering in a lot of pain, I'm unable to concentrate and end up reading the same paragraph over and over. But I can usually lose myself quickly enough while watching a cooking show, even if it's one that isn't one of my favorites.
I, too, Norm, learned a lot about cooking from James Beard and Julia Child, and miss seeing both of them and reading articles written about them.