Whether you're looking for culinary inspiration or just like marvelling at intricate plates of food, there's something addictive about cooking shows. The following series span everything from deep dives into Korean food culture to behind-the-scenes kitchen tours with the planet's top chefs.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Available on Netflix
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Chef's Table
"Chef's Table" is "the ultimate in food porn and the most handsomely filmed culinary show there has ever been", said Michael Hogan in The Telegraph. Each episode takes viewers to meet a world-renowned chef, delving into their life stories and inspiration behind their cooking. There's plenty of "drool-inducing cinematic close-up" shots of their dishes, too – most of them are more akin to a "work of art" than a plate of food.
Available on Netflix
The Great British Bake Off
This beloved British baking competition has been running for over a decade but in its 15th season, it's still a "pleasure to welcome a dozen fresh bakers to the tent", all of them "sunny and comradely and kind", said Jack Seale in The Guardian. Getting to know them is a "delight". Alison Hammond is also back presenting the show for a second year; "effortlessly friendly and just naughty enough" she is "clearly a natural".
Available on Channel 4
Rick Stein's Food Stories
In Rick Stein's latest BBC food show, the chef and restaurateur is seen "zipping around" the UK to sample the nation's favourite food, said Carol Midgely in The Times. In Cumbria, he meets farmer James Rebanks and his Herdwick sheep, one of which Stein eats in a hotpot before declaring it "world-class". Despite having had open-heart surgery and nearing 80, in this 15-episode series Stein "clearly still has a lot of energy in the tank".
Available on BBC iPlayer
MasterChef
"A whopping 20 series in, 'MasterChef', by now, is cooking on gas," said Nick Duerden on the i news site. Each season brings in another group of "plucky individuals" to sweat away in front of the stove under the watchful eyes of John Torode and Gregg Wallace. In short, the iconic show is "one of the reasons that British TV is currently and forever obsessed with cookery programmes". Who knew that baba ganoush "prettily arranged on a homemade plate" could "elicit so very many goosebumps"?
Available on BBC iPlayer
Flavorful Origins
This documentary series goes "deep", providing a "crash course in authentic Chinese cuisine", said Debby Wolfinsohn in Entertainment Weekly. Each season tackles a different region (so far the show has covered Gansu, Chaoshan and Yannan), and "feel like travelling across China with a knowledgeable guide". Episodes are under 15 minutes and a "total treat".
Available on Netflix
Is It Cake?
"A TikTok meme that became a fiendishly addictive TV game show", "Is it Cake?" sees top bakers disguising desserts as an array of everyday objects in an effort to "dupe" celebrity judges, said Hogan in The Telegraph. Viewers find out whether the cake is real only when host Mikey Day "cuts them in half with a samurai sword". It's "bizarre, brainless fun" that's all but guaranteed to have you "shouting at the TV screen".
Available on Netflix
K Food Show
It's hard to watch this "incredibly mouth-watering cooking show" on an empty stomach, said Wolfinsohn in Entertainment Weekly. Each series focuses on a different "Korean delicacy" – so far the show has covered kimchi, banchan (side dishes served with cooked rice) and broth. Watching this "beautiful travelogue of a fascinating country" is like "taking a dream vacation without ever leaving home".
Available on Netflix
Nadiya's Time to Eat
Nadiya Hussain might have started her career as a competitor on "Bake Off", but shows like this demonstrate she is a "natural heir to Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver", said Sarah Carson on the i news site. In "Time to Eat" she swaps the "tired concepts of domestic goddessery or pristine health food virtue" for simple yet delicious recipes that save time.
Available on Netflix
-
Saudi Arabia could become an AI focal pointUnder the Radar A state-backed AI project hopes to rival China and the United States
-
What you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
Codeword: October 29, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Everything you need to know about last-minute travel
The Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
The 7 best police procedurals of all timeThe Week Recommends There’s more to cops and robbers than just nabbing the bad guy at the end of the show
-
8 of the best horror comedy films of all timeThe Week Recommends From parodies to ‘requels,’ these movies will make you laugh and scream at the same time
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
Dry skin, begone! 8 products to keep your skin supple while traveling.The Week Recommends Say goodbye to dry and hello to hydration
-
5 of the best kid-friendly scary moviesThe Week Recommends Hardcore horror is for grown-ups only, but light scares can be startling fun for the whole family
-
7 of the best narco TV series of all timeThe Week Recommends From Colombia to the California suburbs, every drug kingpin has a familiar and tragic trajectory
-
9 inviting bookstores ready for you to attack their shelvesThe Week Recommends Your new favorite book awaits
