Popular food television was primarily restricted to one station not so long ago. The Food Network offered a variety of cooking competitions and shows that focused on food. This wasn’t an enterprise yet; at least, not in the manner it would be later. However, the “food program” quickly gained popularity thanks to celebrities like Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, Alton Brown, Rachael Ray, and many more. The vacation food program or the cooking or baking competition is now something that every streaming service has its own twist on.
We’ve sorted through the noise and compiled a list of the top food documentary series available to stream in order to aid you in your hunt for the next culinary series to binge. You can find a list of the top culinary competition TV shows available to stream right now here.
Look, it shouldn’t be a problem. The greatest food show of all time is Parts Unknown. There are many copycats, but none that compare to this. The CNN series revolutionized the game because renowned chef, author, and traveler Anthony Bourdain developed the concept of a travel cuisine program into something more profound and significant. Over the course of 12 seasons, Bourdain explored food as a cultural artifact, a tool to trace community and history, and a window into what it means for us as humans to consume the cuisine of other civilizations. Parts Unknown is without a doubt the best cuisine show, but its biggest accomplishment is increasing viewers’ curiosity (and, ideally, making them more accepting and appreciative of various cultures and ways of life).
Viewing via Discovery+
Chef’s Table
Intimate would be the best way to sum up Chef’s Table (which, ironically, is part of my work here). A comprehensive, thorough, and affectionate look at the lives and cuisine of numerous chefs may be found at Chef’s Table. Each episode focuses on a different chef, going in-depth to investigate how their interests and driving forces outside the kitchen affect the food they prepare for their families and patrons in their restaurants. Few television programs are as artistically produced as Chef’s Table.
Observe on Netflix
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Not all food-related documentaries need to take an overtly critical stance. Sometimes all you want to do is watch a man with spiked blonde hair chow down on some appetizing-looking cuisine, and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives gives just that. Guy Fieri has searched the nation for comfort food in all of its varieties for more than 40 seasons (really). If it’s something you’ve ever pondered eating at 2 a.m. after a night out with friends, like brisket burgers, mac and cheese, chicken wings, or burgers covered with peanut butter, chances are Fieri has eaten it on his Food Network show. You’ll be as charming as they come and quite hungry after watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Viewing via Discovery+
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America
High on the Hog tells a specific story, as you can probably infer from the title. The show’s host, culinary writer Stephen Satterfield, debunks a number of misconceptions regarding what foods are deemed African American while examining how, given that America was founded on slavery and persecution, African cuisine had a profound impact on many facets of American cuisine. Each episode of the poignant series is jam-packed with information and will make you reflect on how food and identity in America interact in nuanced ways.
There aren’t many instructional culinary shows on our list because, to be completely honest, most of them are either boring or unnecessarily complicated. With Nadiya’s Time to Eat, that is not the case. Nadiya Hussain, whose extraordinary charisma and vigor propel the show, is passionate about cooking in a way that is practical for modern families. She embraces time-saving shortcuts in the kitchen, gets rid of the stigma associated with using canned or pre-made products, and provides delectable, stunning recipes that the majority of us could make on our own. It’s fun to watch this kind of wholesome, authentic cooking program.
Observe on Netflix
Rotten
Naturally, not all aspects of the food industry are healthy, and Netflix’s Rotten explores the less positive aspects of where our food comes from and what it means for the environment and the people who live there. The 12-episode, two-season docuseries explores the underbelly of the food industry by revealing the destructive effects that common goods like milk, sugar, chocolate, peanut butter, and peanuts have on the environment, violent political conflict, and food waste. Anyone who is interested in the journey of food from source to plate should watch this eye-opening series.
Observe on Netflix
Salt Fat Acid Heat
Samin Nosrat expands on her 2017 book of the same name, in which she suggests that there are four elements essential to any successful cuisine: you got it, it’s salt, fat, acid, and heat. Salt Fat Acid Heat is equal parts travelogue and instructional cooking show. Nosrat travels to several nations over the course of four episodes to see how each place employs these particular ingredients in their cuisines, producing a program that is both approachable and a genuine cultural learning experience if you have any desire to get into the kitchen.
Observe on Netflix
Somebody Feed Phil
Someone Must Eat As the creator of the enduring sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Phil Rosenthal, travels the world sampling various cuisines and recipes, Phil has a similar low-stakes atmosphere. The program isn’t inventing anything new, but Rosenthal’s sincere excitement is what makes it work. His enthusiasm and wide-eyed outlook on things are contagious and endearing, and it is obvious that he loves food.
Observe on Netflix
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
Italy is one of the few countries whose cultural identity is so closely related to food. In this CNN series, Oscar-nominated actor Stanley Tucci explores Italy in search of the best cuisine the nation has to offer. Tucci brings his inherent charisma to a cuisine program that is superbly researched and provides a comprehensive portrait of a country that is frequently characterized by food, whether he is tasting rigatoni in Rome, cooking pizzoccheri in Milan, or tasting the distinctive grapes of Sicily.
Viewing via Discovery+
Ugly Delicious
Parts Unknown and Ugly Delicious have some DNA in common. David Chang, the inventor of Momofuko, serves as the show’s anchor. It focuses mostly on the cultural aspects of cuisine. Chang’s Netflix series is perceptive and stingy, constantly seeking to refute accepted notions about particular dishes. You’ll literally alter your mind about foods you thought you knew everything about after watching an episode of Ugly Delicious, which features themed episodes that focus on specific recipes or culinary techniques.
