The 15 Best Food Shows Of 2022

In a world where there rarely appear to be enough hours in a day to work, leisure, and, yes, cook, we find ourselves watching television. Food television — shows teaching viewers how to cook a recipe, travel shows that bring awareness to the worldwide variation in cuisines, or cutthroat competitions that present the best of the best chefs and restauranteurs preparing signature dishes to impress a panel of even more famous judges — are an essential part of a foodie's life and media consumption (or ours at least). Besides the obvious learning and entertaining aspects, we find ourselves immersed in the ability to live vicariously through the plates of others.

This year, we have seen a wide variety of shows both emerge and release new seasons of classic food T.V. favorites. Here are our reviews for the best food shows in 2022 — perfect for viewers who like a balance of competition, culture, and company.

The "Great British Baking Show" is a 10-week baking showdown between 12 of Britain's best amateur bakers. Each week, bakers are required to produce a signature piece based on a recipe of their choosing, followed by a technical challenge where each baker is given paired-down instructions of the same recipe. The showstopper challenge caps out each week, in which bakers are asked to create dazzling work with both talented baking and design skill. These three challenges are set around a theme chosen by producers (with input from judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood) such as biscuit week, bread week, and caramel week. One baker is eliminated at the end of each week and the rest truck on for another week in the baking tent.

It is hard not to love the premise of the "Great British Baking Show," as well as the sheer joy of many of the amateurs who are just happy to be baking each week. We've found this show less cutthroat than American cooking shows like "MasterChef" and "Chopped," but still emblematic of a learning opportunity for viewers and competitors alike.

If you're looking for a lighter food show, your best bet is to tune into comedian Nicole Byer's "Nailed It!" This show, judged with some legitimacy from pastry chef Jacques Torres, is made to put an end to cutthroat kitchen shows entirely. Some of the worst (yes, you read that correctly) amateur bakers in America are invited to compete for a $10,000 prize — for creating look-alike pastry masterpieces. However, the results of these challenges are not only laughable, but also reflective of some of the worst times you've probably ever had stress-baking for an important occasion.

This show wouldn't be complete without its hosts and the laughs it delivers. Nicole Byer is not only hysterical, but seems to be genuinely having the time of her life hosting each episode — which makes it all the more funny. The nature of the series is chaotic and not always the most organized (like many of the baker's final presentations), but it is guaranteed to give even the worst bakers hope for success.

Pizza fans, this one is for you. "Best in Dough" appeared for its first season on Hulu and Disney+ in 2022 and has since produced several episodes that challenge the way viewers think about a simple pizza pie. Host Wells Adams (from Bachelor in Paradise) brings in panels of other judges to usher competitors through three rounds of pizza making. Not only do the challenges vary each week, but there is a lot of variation in the competitors battling for the $10,000 prize. The show has featured Nonnas (Italian grandmothers), batches of college students, and deep dish rivals from the American midwest. Producers have honed in on the challenges specific to pizza, which makes this show more unique than other cooking competitions. For example, competitors in one episode have to put a spin on frozen pizza without changing the crust, while in another, pizza traditionalists have to harness techniques from outside the box to upgrade their pizza into something new.

Overall, "Best in Dough" has the benefit of being a novel show with a more specific plot than other cooking competitions. We're hopeful to see what slice the show will dish next.

You rarely see competitive food shows revolving around beverages. "Drink Masters" is here to fill that gap. Each week, contestants use their mixology experience to craft alcoholic beverages that transcend martinis and Long Island iced teas. The prize of $100,000, as well as the title of "Ultimate Drink Master" is at stake with every passing week. Host Tone Bell is joined by a panel of judges for each round and uses a keen sense of humor and wit to keep viewers engaged — and entertained.

For folks just diving into mixology, "Drink Masters" reveals how culinary ingredients, like the foods we eat rather than drink, have become more ubiquitous for mixologists. The show highlights fruits and botanicals, as well as themed weeks that you would see on other traditional cooking shows. Reality Blurred notes that Drink Masters also obscures the line between just shaking a beverage and pouring it into a glass and transforming mixology into a beautiful art that is worthy of celebration.

"The Bear" on FX has all of the properties of a good show — great casting, a heartfelt storyline, and connections to the emotions and identity of the audience. Each episode follows the life of Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a young professional chef who returned home to Chicago to run his family's sandwich shop following the death of his brother. Carmy has to find a balance between running a small business, figuring out a new family dynamic, and developing himself into the young man he wants to be.

Although food is at the center of this show, it is not the only feature of it. The Bear is a heartfelt, emotional, fast-paced, and raw show that emulates many of the emotions experienced in the back-of-house at a nonfictional restaurant. "The Bear" is also underlined by elements of a family as Carmy builds connections with the rough-edged kitchen crew at the shop — a similar phenomenon that glues folks working in the restaurant industry together. In short, if you've worked in a kitchen before, you'll relate to many of the themes expressed in "The Bear."

The "Tiny Chef Show" is a light, food-infused television show for children. Each episode follows Tiny Chef, a tiny herbivore, who teaches children all about plant-based cooking. Tiny Chef is voiced by RuPaul and includes problem-solving, kitchen safety, and friendship for audiences above the age of four. Besides absorbing knowledge about cooking, viewers are immersed in Tiny Chef's tree stump community with his friends Henry the snail, assistant cook Olly, and pet Ruby the caterpillar.

Each episode of the show follows the same format — a "dish of the day" for what will be prepared, a "what's in the bag" segment discussing ingredients, and a "dish with chef" where Tiny Chef interviews a celebrity guest. This show keeps things lighthearted with Tiny Chef's exit line "Love you so much, bye!" Although the young audience of the show may not remember much about how to make pancakes or snap-pea stir fry, viewers will remember Tiny Chef's commitment to his friends and why having fun (while being safe) is important in the kitchen.

"Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" premiered on CNN in 2021. In the most recent season of the show, the American actor and filmmaker traveled to Sardinia, Calabria, Puglia, and Liguria to explore the culinary history and flavors of each region. Although the food is no doubt tantalizing (after all, who wouldn't love learning about the rich history of San Marzano tomatoes), Stanley Tucci provides an undoubtedly sensual flair to the way he talks about the relationship between food and Italian culture.

A review published in The Dartmouth notes that the show emphasizes a connection to place-based learning, as well as a commitment to representing a wide diversity of guests. You'll find each episode packed with Michelin-star-rated chefs, local purveyors, and food enthusiasts alike. There is something for everyone on this show, and you will walk away learning so much about Italian culture and the food that makes the country's regions so unique from one another.

A show starring host Michelle Obama? Count us in! Waffles & Mochi is a streaming show for kids on Netflix that focuses on kid-friendly cooking. Puppet hosts Waffle and Mochi travel from the "land of frozen foods" (a stab at the political liberalism experienced with Obama's "Let's Move Campaign"), to an animated neighborhood in New York where Obama helps the two puppets learn about foods like mushrooms, tomatoes, and eggs. Episodes feature food media figures like Samin Nosrat (author of "Salt Fat Acid Heat") and chef José Andrés. Each episode ends with a tidbit and a moral — such as eating foods like salt in moderation or the importance of having patience (in making pickles).

While there are some drawbacks to the information being presented in the show (including and most notably, the assumption that eating certain foods is a choice rather than a major systemic equity issue), there's a lot of positive information about eating with knowledge and working with others presented in the show, which is a premise that makes Waffles & Mochi one of the best cooking shows to watch on Netflix for kids.

Many of the shows we've selected travel to Europe frequently, but "Take Out with Lisa Ling" is one of the very few shows set entirely around Asian cuisine. The HBO Max original series features journalist Lisa Ling as she travels across America looking for the stories of Asian Americans who have contributed to the institution of takeout food in America — much like Lisa's own family. The show tells the unique stories behind the Asian influence on American culinary industries. One particularly poignant example was Lisa's travel to Louisiana where Asian Americans first settled in 1763. The Filipino decedents from this area contributed indescribably to the shrimp industry in the Gulf, as well as the culinary traditions around seafood in the Southern United States.

"Take Out with Lisa Ling" has all of the elements of an effective cultural docu-series — a charming host, clear historical connection, and a reclaimed narrative that has largely been lost to both time and misinformation.

"Top Chef," released for season 19 in 2022, is back with new competitors in Houston. Hosts Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons are joined by guest judges to evaluate competitors' performance on varying challenges that make this show seem like a part reality television show and a part cooking show. Over time, audiences grow attached to competitors and have an investment in the competitors' success throughout the season. The subliminal focus on food and cooking through a similar structure to Bravo's other top-performing show "Project Runway" makes "Top Chef" one of the best cooking shows of all time.

There are favorable reviews for this season of "Top Chef" compared to other seasons, as noted by Variety. The show has calmed down in terms of fits of anger and battery from its contestants. Variety notes that the focus of the show has steadily shifted toward making really great food rather than the raging stress and violence that plagues (and ultimately makes or breaks) other competitive cooking shows.

"Fast Foodies" on truTV is a reality show that first appeared in 2021 and renewed for a second season in 2022. Each episode features cooking show chef alumni Jeremy Ford, Kristen Kish, and Justin Sutherland as the chefs try to re-create a celebrity guest's favorite fast food with a few innovative twists. There are three rounds to each competition, including the "copycat round" in which the chefs make a dish as similar as possible to the guest's favorite, and the "remix round" in which the chefs have to make a remix on the dish — along with a bit of challenge from their competitors. The winner receives the "chompionship" trophy while the losers eat a gnarly slurry of ingredients or face other minor punishments.

From a viewer's perspective, it is cool to see what some of the celebrity guests' favorite fast food indulgences are (like "Community" actor Joel McHale's love of the Portillo's Chicago-style hot dog), as well as laugh at the childlike nature of the show. If you want a quick laugh with not much investment in the series, "Fast Foodies" is the way to go.

HBO's "The Big Brunch" is trying to reinvent how we think about brunch food. Hosted by "Schitt's Creek" star Dan Levy, competitors are charged to cook their best spins on classic brunch dishes in a two-round showdown for a $300,000 prize. Levy, an avid brunch enthusiast, handpicked the 10 competitors on the show and was the executive producer (via Guilty Eats) — which is a major draw for folks who adore Levy's sense of humor and wittiness.

Although "The Big Brunch" was released in the middle of November for its first season, it has already seen tremendous praise from folks looking for a more relaxed and earnest cooking show. There is a wide diversity of contestants represented on the show, Guilty Eats notes, as well as an emphasis on the characters as individuals rather than cooking machines. Decider adds the first episode of the season was rather tame and gave off the same aura as Top Chef, where the competitors are challenged to make dishes that represent themselves and their individual journey through food. It's a feel-good cooking show — with a lot of delicious food shots thrown into it.

"Somebody Feed Phil" follows the journey of "Everybody Loves Raymond" producer Phil Rosenthal traveling and eating around the world. Season six of the show was released in 2022 and includes locations in Philadelphia, Croatia, Austin, Santiago, and Nashville — as well as a tribute piece to Phil's parents who inspired him to create the show.

Overall, the show is more lighthearted than other travel cooking shows (like Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown"), and features a lot of Phil's goofy faces along the way. "Somebody Feed Phil's" producers balance the historical context of foods and culinary traditions globally but have the time to insert heartfelt pieces into each episode — including the conversations Phil has with his parents at the end of each episode. One of the draws of this show is that Phil Rosenthal appears to have a very little educational background in cooking — he's just a man excited about traveling and eating around the world. It's the unbridled enthusiasm that many cooking and travel shows neglect to offer.

"Chefs vs. Wild" on Hulu was released for its first season in 2022. Each episode features two chefs dropped in the wilderness and are "forced" to forage and cook restaurant-worthy meals for a panel of judges. Each chef is paired with a survivalist who is literate in the area to help them forage for ingredients for two days. For each meal, a protein is provided (in the first episode, it's elk heart and loins — so not the chicken breasts you are familiar with), but the chefs must find the other ingredients for the appetizer, entree, and dessert components.

Fans of "Chefs vs. Wild" are likely more familiar with shows like "Man vs. Wild" and "Naked & Afraid," where wilderness is a major factor in the performance of the competitors. As a result, "Chefs vs. Wild" is less structured than "Chopped" or "Iron Chef." But, you'll still find a bit of cutthroat competitiveness and classic reality television drama out there in the wilderness.

"Chefs vs. Wild" on Hulu was released for its first season in 2022. Each episode features two chefs dropped in the wilderness and are "forced" to forage and cook restaurant-worthy meals for a panel of judges. Each chef is paired with a survivalist who is literate in the area to help them forage for ingredients for two days. For each meal, a protein is provided (in the first episode, it's elk heart and loins — so not the chicken breasts you are familiar with), but the chefs must find the other ingredients for the appetizer, entree, and dessert components.

Fans of "Chefs vs. Wild" are likely more familiar with shows like "Man vs. Wild" and "Naked & Afraid," where wilderness is a major factor in the performance of the competitors. As a result, "Chefs vs. Wild" is less structured than "Chopped" or "Iron Chef." But, you'll still find a bit of cutthroat competitiveness and classic reality television drama out there in the wilderness.