Whether you are a sous-chef who burns water, a culinary aficionado or somewhere in between, there’s a show out there for you. How else would they fill the cast for “Worst Cooks in America” and “Hell’s Kitchen” every season? It’s not thanks to Gordon Ramsay’s bedside manner. Those hoping to learn more just need one ingredient: a streaming service.
Start your “Hundred-Foot Journey” with Helen Mirren and the Indian restaurant that’s taking her French cuisine to task. No French culinary viewing experience is complete without mentioning Julia Child — who Meryl Streep masterfully imitates in “Julie & Julia.” Stick with her co-star Stanley Tucci in “Big Night,” Tucci’s writer-director debut demonstrating the struggles of educating customers about new flavors.
Get a feel for a smaller kitchen with Jon Favreau’s “Chef,” chronicling a head chef who leaves his job behind because of harsh criticism for a food truck. Favreau learned so much while training for the role that he kept the fun going with Netflix’s “The Chef Show.” Few chef scenes are as iconic as Catherine Zeta-Jones stabbing a rare steak into a customer’s table in “No Reservations,” but she quickly learns how to tamper her spicy personality by adding love into her recipe. We wish Bradley Cooper had personality in “Burnt,” the 2015 flop that leans on too many knife sound effects and culinary cliches.
End your streaming experience on a sweet note with Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown.” The late American celebrity chef proves eating together builds connections. And nothing hits the spot like Food Network’s “Chopped,” which we are all seeming to play this month as we see what dishes we can pull off with our random assortment of collected ingredients.