The 10 Best Netflix Shows For Foodies
Chef’s Table
This popular series has been a hit for a reason. Each episode gives an intimate look inside the life and Michelin-starred restaurant of a different fine-dining chef. As many know from the original trailer, this show is full of pomp – each plate is treated like an important and intricate piece of art. But who can resist that every once in a while?
Watch here.
Great British Bake Off
Go make yourself a cup of tea and grab a Mr Kipling on the way back to the sofa, because GBBO is on Netflix, and you’re going to want to watch all of it. Not only do you get to marvel at some of the magnificent creations achieved by these amazing amateur bakers (and maybe even attempt to make a cake or two yourself), but it might just be the most quintessentially British show around right now. And unlike other cooking competitions, the creators made the wise decision to take any element of rivalry from the show. Instead, bakers help each other, congratulate each other and console each other when something’s gone wrong. It’s very British. And we live for the episodes where bakers get that infamous Paul Hollywood handshake.
Watch here.
Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown
Presented by the late, great Anthony Bourdain, who excelled at everything he turned his hand to, from being a chef to writing books. People were particularly enamoured with Parts Unknown, a show about food, but not really about food. Beyond the cooking segments, the show saw Bourdain travel the world, looking at different cultures and how food unites communities. One stand-out episode sees him travel to post-war Libya, sifting through a mix of harrowing personal stories and food culture, putting himself in dangerous positions to get the big picture and the true story behind the history of the country. At one point, he examines what a fried chicken shop means to locals. There are ten superb series to binge – a great legacy from this food legend.
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Salt Fat Acid Heat
Salt Fat Acid Heat is based on chef and food writer Samin Nosrat’s 2017 cookbook of the same name. Each episode of this four-part series looks at how cooking is influenced by four basic, but necessary, elements: salt, fat, acid and heat. The show takes Nosrat to different food connoisseurs in different countries to discover how they incorporate these four fundamentals into their own food. Perhaps the greatest thing about this series is Nosrat herself – bright and effervescent, her enthusiasm for food will give even the biggest kitchen-phobe the urge to whip something up.
Watch here.
Ugly Delicious
Every episode in the first season of chef David Yang’s foodie series is dedicated to exploring the history of one particular food. From pizza to tacos and BBQ, Yang and his friends – including fellow chefs, comedians and pop culture stars – search for the reason people love these foods so much, and try out popular takes on classics from other cultures (sushi pizza, anyone?). Trust us when we say this series will reinvigorate your love of food.
Watch here.
Nailed It!
For those with few culinary skills, Nailed It! is here to make you feel better about your crimes in the kitchen. The competition show sees three amateur bakers (and by amateur, we do mean amateur) fight it out to make various complicated sweet treats, with the goal being something that tastes ok and won’t scare children at a birthday party. It’s less a case of winning and more a case of failing the least. This quirky and funny show is presented by comedian Nicole Byers, and pastry chef Jacques Torres, who have a lot to cope with some true cake monstrosities.
Watch here.
Cooked
Writer Michael Pollan’s book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation chronicled his journey as he learned to cook a number of different food staples and became a favoured food writer. Three years after publication, his book was adapted into a mouth-water four-part series. In it, the same premise applies: Pollan delves into the ways the world around us changes food and the way we cook it.
Watch here.
Big Family Cooking Showdown
Once you’ve polished off The Great British Bake Off, fill that cake-shaped hole in your heart with the Big Family Cooking Showdown. Featuring GBBO alumni Nadiya Hussain, who hosts alongside Zoe Ball, the show aims to get families cooking together in the kitchen in order to impress British chef Rosemary Shrager and Michelin-starred Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli. You might even consider cooking with the family after this – if the kitchen’s big enough.
Watch here.
Sugar Rush
For those with a sweet tooth, Sugar Rush is the show for you. Pastry chefs are put under pressure as teams compete to construct confectionary in just a few hours. And if you finish early – those points roll around to the next challenge. The cakes are judged by Australian pâtissier and chef, Adriano Zumbo, and Candace Nelson of Sprinkles cupcakes fame. If you love cakes that are so extra they don’t even look like cakes anymore, then get your teeth into Sugar Rush.
Watch here.
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