The Best TV Shows on Food Network

Every Food Network Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Essence of Emeril and Emeril Live represent the pinnacle of Food Network’s programming, launching in 1994 and 1997. As of June 2025, our compilation of Food Network’s top-rated series boasts over 20 unique shows. With its programming history stretching from 1994 to 2015, Food Network offers an impressive lineup of over 20 shows.

  • Oliver's Twist
    Oliver's Twist (2002)10.0

    Chef Jamie Oliver invites people to his flat, where he prepares a meal, sometimes for a special occasion, and sometimes just to share his cuisine. Each episode frequently includes footage of him shopping for a particular ingredient - and riding around London on a scooter.

  • Guy's Big Bite
    Guy's Big Bite (2006)10.0

    Guy Fieri's bleached blonde hair, goatee and skateboarder shorts make a strong statement – you are what you eat! Whether it's his Mojito Chicken, Pepperoni Lasagna or Jambalaya Sandwich, one thing is certain – Guy Fieri's food is as fun, fearless and fundamental as his larger-than-life personality. We hope you're hungry, because this Guy's imagination knows no limits. Open wide for Guy's Big Bite.

  • Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee
    Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee (2003)9.5

    In an atmosphere as inviting as her recipes, Sandra Lee, author of the best-selling cookbook Semi-Homemade Cooking, shares her techniques for combining fresh ingredients with specially selected store-bought items. The results: mouthwatering meals and desserts, prepared in minutes, that taste like they were made from scratch. Now you can see why consumers, viewers and celebrities from Katie Couric to Nathan Lane have made Sandra Lee one of America's most sought-after culinary experts!

  • Good Eats
    Good Eats (1999)8.7

    Host Alton Brown explores the origins of ingredients, decodes culinary customs and presents food and equipment trends. Punctuated by unusual interludes, simple preparations and unconventional discussions, he'll bring you food in its finest and funniest form.

  • Holiday Baking Championship
    Holiday Baking Championship (2014)8.2

    The search to find the greatest holiday baker begins as amateur bakers enter the kitchen, where they show off their family traditions and superb baking skills. To survive the challenges from week to week, they must prove their abilities in front of our tough-love judges.

  • The Next Iron Chef
    The Next Iron Chef (2007)8.1

    The world's greatest culinary artists come together to compete for the prestigious title of Iron Chef America in this Alton Brown-hosted series. Catch all the yummy intensity on the Food Network.

  • Giada at Home
    Giada at Home (2008)8.0

    Giada De Laurentiis lets her hair down as she demonstrates her love for cooking and entertaining California-style in this disarmingly laid-back show that allows De Laurentiis to venture far afield from her usual Italian culinary fare.

  • Unwrapped
    Unwrapped (2001)7.6

    Unwrapped is an American television program on Food Network that reveals the origins of sponsored foods. It first aired in June 2001 and is hosted by Marc Summers. The show leads viewers on tours of factories and other food-related locations. Popular subjects include candy, breakfast cereal, snacks, and TV dinners. The show's spin-off, Trivia Unwrapped, is a game show also hosted by Marc Summers.

  • Kids Baking Championship
    Kids Baking Championship (2015)7.5

    Hosts and judges Duff Goldman and Valerie Bertinelli will lead eight talented kid bakers through challenges designed to find the most-impressive and creative young baker. In each challenge the contestants, ranging in age from 10 to 13, will be tested on their baking skills and originality as they whip up delectable desserts, including creative cakes, mouthwatering cookies and pastries.

  • Paula's Home Cooking
    Paula's Home Cooking (2002)7.3

    Paula's Home Cooking is a Food Network show hosted by Paula Deen. Deen's primary culinary focus was Southern cuisine and familiar comfort food that is popular with Americans. In the show, classic dishes such as pot roast, fried okra, fried chicken, and pecan pie were the norm, and overly complicated or eccentric recipes were usually eschewed. Dishes that are flavorful and familiar were spotlighted, although the fat content and calorie count of the meals were often very high. Paula also showed off vignettes of Savannah, Georgia, where she co-owns with her sons Jamie and Bobby, The Lady & Sons. Deen's popularity, spurred by the show, led to a small role in the feature film Elizabethtown.

  • Beat Bobby Flay
    Beat Bobby Flay (2013)6.5

    Two talented chefs go head-to-head for the chance to Beat Bobby Flay. To get to Bobby the chefs must first face off against each other, creating a spectacular dish with a secret ingredient of Bobby's choice. Judges Alex Guarnaschelli and Jeff Mauro know Bobby's strengths and his weaknesses. Their goal: Pick the chef who has the skills to take down Bobby Flay in his own arena. The winning chef gets to challenge Bobby with his or her surprise signature dish. If Bobby goes down, the winner can tell the world, "I beat Bobby Flay!"

  • Chopped
    Chopped (2009)6.4

    A high energy, fast paced cooking competition that challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets “chopped” by our panel of esteemed culinary luminaries until the last man or woman left standing claims victory.

  • Essence of Emeril
    Essence of Emeril (1994)6.3

    Essence of Emeril is a Food Network show hosted by chef Emeril Lagasse. In each episode, Emeril shares with his viewers some of his 'kicked-up' recipes, similar to those on Emeril Live, but with a far calmer demeanor and quieter tone, and usually without the trademark apron that has become his Emeril Live uniform starting with the 2000 season.

  • Worst Cooks in America
    Worst Cooks in America (2010)6.3

    12 to 16 contestants with poor cooking skills are taken through an eight-week culinary boot camp, to earn a cash prize of $25,000. The recruits are trained on the various basic cooking techniques including: baking, knife skills, temperature, seasoning and preparation. The final challenge is to cook a restaurant quality three-course meal for three food critics.

  • Cutthroat Kitchen
    Cutthroat Kitchen (2013)6.3

    Just how far is a chef willing to go to win a cooking competition? Cutthroat Kitchen hands four chefs each $25,000 and the opportunity to spend that money on helping themselves or sabotaging their competitors. Ingredients will be thieved, utensils destroyed and valuable time on the clock lost when the chefs compete to cook delicious dishes while also having to outplot the competition. With Alton Brown as the devilish provocateur, nothing is out of bounds when money changes hands and we see just how far chefs will go to ensure they have the winning dish.

  • 30 Minute Meals
    30 Minute Meals (2001)5.8

    30 Minute Meals is a Food Network show hosted by Rachael Ray. Her first of four shows on Food Network debuted in the fall of 2001. The show specializes in convenience cooking for those with little time to cook. The show is recorded live-to-tape, with Ray doing almost all preparation in real time. The show was awarded an Emmy for Best Daytime Service Show in 2006. A common feature on the program is the creation of new versions of classic dishes, some of which are traditionally slow to cook. Ray focuses on creating meals in less than 30 minutes. Ray has also done two specials with the title Thanksgiving in 60, based around the idea of a one-hour Thanksgiving dinner. Each episode Ray opens the show by saying "Hi there, I'm Rachael Ray and I make 30-minute meals. Now that means in the time it takes you to watch this program, I will have made a delicious and healthy meal from start to finish."

  • Guy's Grocery Games
    Guy's Grocery Games (2013)5.7

    Guy Fieri sends four talented chefs running through the aisles in a high stakes, high skills, grocery store cooking competition. The chefs are hit by real-world challenges like finding workarounds when all the essential ingredients are suddenly "out-of-stock" or having to create a masterpiece when you can only cook with "5 items or less" or on a $10 budget. In the end, the food does the talking, as the last chef standing has the chance to make some serious dough!

  • Food Network Star
    Food Network Star (2005)5.3

    Cooking competition following upcoming chefs, and the winner gets to host their own show!

  • Emeril Live
    Emeril Live (1997)4.5

    Kick it up to notches unknown with Emeril Live. In front of a live audience, Emeril Lagasse--a master chef and owner of New Orleans' most talked-about restaurants--demonstrates gourmet cooking, with a bam!

  • The Kitchen
    The Kitchen (2014)3.6

    Spend a fun and food-filled morning in The Kitchen with hosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, Jeff Mauro, Marcela Valladolid, and Geoffrey Zakarian. From simple supper ideas, food trend discussions, and family meal tips to trivia games and viewer questions, they'll cover all things fun in food.