The Mind of a Chef backdrop
Documentary

The Best Episodes of The Mind of a Chef

Every episode of The Mind of a Chef ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Mind of a Chef!

Binge this in 1d 17h•Peaking at 8.5/10

Go inside the minds of some of the world's top chefs. Narrated by Executive Producer Anthony Bourdain, The Mind of a Chef is that rare and beautiful thing: an intelligent show about cooking.

Airs on
PBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons6

All123456

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    The Mind of a Chef Season 3 Episode 10 - Spring
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    S3:E10

    After a long winter, the arrival of spring awakens the delicate flavors of young herbs. The sun remains perched in the sky until midnight, the temperature climbs, and life returns to the once snow-covered landscape. This episode takes advantage of this brief window of time to explore the ingredients of spring in Sweden.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 1 - Noodle
    7.6/10(73 votes)

    S1:E1

    Korean-American Author and Chef David Chang visits a noodle factory in Japan, eats the best bowl of ramen in his life, and cooks two incredible dishes with the instant ramen variety. Food Scientist Harold McGee explains how alkaline salts make ramen noodles unique.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. The Mind of a Chef Season 3 Episode 3 - Argentina
    7.4/10(22 votes)

    S3:E3

    Travel with Ed to the foothills of the Andes to explore the most elemental part of cooking: fire.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. The Mind of a Chef Season 5 Episode 6 - La Mer
    7.4/10(15 votes)

    S5:E6

    Ludo came up under mentors like Alain Passard and Mark Meneau, chefs with an almost pathological obsession with ingredients. His eyes light up when he describes the Lobsters of Brittany, the Oysters from Cancale, and the myriad of other extraordinary culinary jewels in the oceanic bounty of France.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. The Mind of a Chef Season 3 Episode 4 - Louisville
    7.3/10(17 votes)

    S3:E4

    Taste the food and culture of Louisville, Kentucky, the place Ed now calls home.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. The Mind of a Chef Season 4 Episode 10 - Legacy
    7.3/10(16 votes)

    S4:E10

    Food is evolution, and wise chefs never forget from whence they came. A solid foundation allows them to test new boundaries and push things to new limits.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Mind of a Chef

    READ
  7. The Mind of a Chef Season 4 Episode 16 - 25 Bites
    7.3/10(16 votes)

    S4:E16

    A perfect tasting menu relies on balance, and on not fatiguing a customer’s palate. Based on that theory, no meal should be more than 25 bites.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. The Mind of a Chef Season 5 Episode 7 - Le Végétale
    7.3/10(14 votes)

    S5:E7

    Today’s chef reveres his gardener as much as his butcher. Ludo explores the vegetables, gardens, and memories he uses to cook some of his dishes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 4 - Spain
    7.2/10(40 votes)

    S1:E4

    This episode is all about Spain’s influence on Chang’s career. He visits with some of his idols- Juan Mari Arzak and Andoni Aduriz, makes fideos, salt cod omelet and a sponge cake from chef Albert Adria.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 6 - René
    7.2/10(36 votes)

    S1:E6

    Chang hangs out with one of his best friends- who happens to be the world’s top chef- Rene Redzepi.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 13 - Soy
    7.2/10(30 votes)

    S1:E13

    This episode is all soy; Chang visits tofu and miso factories in Japan, Chef Christina Tosi makes Burnt Miso.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. The Mind of a Chef Season 5 Episode 8 - Joie De Vivre
    7.2/10(13 votes)

    S5:E8

    The demands of a celebrity chef, especially one that runs three vibrant restaurants and a fried chicken franchise, are rigorous. When Ludo needs to escape the chaos, he heads to the lilting and poetic world of Paris in the spring, where the emphasis is placed on the joy and fun of life.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. The Mind of a Chef Season 5 Episode 9 - Tous Au Bistro
    7.2/10(14 votes)

    S5:E9

    A bistro is typically defined by its modesty – they are relatively small, affordable and humble. With Petit Trois, Ludo’s has brought the spirit of the bistro to Los Angeles. In this episode, Ludo brings us back to Paris to introduce us to some of the people and places that first inspired him to begin a culinary career.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 5 - Rotten
    7.1/10(38 votes)

    S1:E5

    There is something rotten in David Chang’s kitchen and that’s a good thing. Rotten is delicious; katsuibushi in Japan, XO sauce, rotten bananas with Chef Christina Tosi, and Kimchi.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 10 - Japan
    7.1/10(35 votes)

    S1:E10

    Chang travels to Tokyo and Kyoto where he visits a street market and Kikunoi, a Michelin three-star restaurant.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. The Mind of a Chef Season 2 Episode 3 - Rice
    7.1/10(21 votes)

    S2:E3

    The resurrection of Carolina gold rice, which disappeared following the Civil War era, is examined. Included: making pilaf and Hoppin' John fritters. Also: Louisiana chef Donald Link makes jambalaya; and Senegalese chef Fati Ly makes pilau.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. The Mind of a Chef Season 2 Episode 7 - Low Country BBQ
    7.1/10(27 votes)

    S2:E7

    Host Sean Brock prepares an outdoor feast on a friend's farm, where he's joined by barbecue pitmaster Rodney Scott, who roasts a whole pig; and Steven Satterfield, who makes Savannah red rice. Brock also prepares frogmore stew

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. The Mind of a Chef Season 3 Episode 14 - Locality
    7.1/10(14 votes)

    S3:E14

    Explore how seasons affect a restaurant’s menu when the food is sourced in a 100-mile radius.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. The Mind of a Chef Season 5 Episode 4 - LudoBird
    7.1/10(14 votes)

    S5:E4

    How does a chef trained in the finest kitchens of France translate his haute cuisine to fast food? Ludo’s obsession with a perfectly cooked bird can be traced back to France, where he learned to roast chicken, and his love for the American classic was solidified when he ate at KFC for the first time.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. The Mind of a Chef Season 5 Episode 5 - Strip Malls
    7.1/10(14 votes)

    S5:E5

    Trois Mec and Petit Trois can be found side-by-side in a Hollywood strip mall, nestled between a dry cleaners and a Yum Yum donut. Ludo’s restaurants and the dishes he creates for them embody the cultural mash-up and high/low flair that is the strip mall philosophy.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 7 - Simple
    7.0/10(32 votes)

    S1:E7

    Dishes in this episode are deceivingly simple; Chang travels to Japan for some Yakitori and high-end sushi, and his pal Daniel Patterson makes beets.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 8 - Gluttony
    7.0/10(30 votes)

    S1:E8

    It’s gluttonous goodness in this episode; over the top indulgence with Joe Beef chefs Federic Morin and David McMillian’s fois gras sandwich, a whiskey tasting Mayhem with Chef Sean Brock at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky and the classic dish Hot Brown served up three ways.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 9 - Chef
    7.0/10(29 votes)

    S1:E9

    Chang makes eggs with his chef pals; Wylie Dufresne, Daniel Patterson, Rene Redzepi, and makes his Ko egg.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 12 - Fresh
    7.0/10(29 votes)

    S1:E12

    This episode explores the idea of fresh in the kitchen; instant broth, pea agnollini, fresh and aged steak with Chef Tien and Ike Jime with Dave Arnold and Chef Murata in Kyoto.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. The Mind of a Chef Season 2 Episode 2 - Seeds
    7.0/10(24 votes)

    S2:E2

    It all began when Sean Brock went looking for Jimmy red corn. That simple journey turned into a lifetime of searching, archiving and reviving lost crops of the South. His partners in crime are legendary owner and operator of Anson Mills, Glen Roberts, and University of South Carolina professor David Shields — a trifecta of seed nerds hell-bent on preserving Southern food heritage.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Spring" is the best rated episode of "The Mind of a Chef". It scored 8.5/10 based on 2 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 11/6/2014. This episode scored 0.9 points higher than the second highest rated, "Noodle".