The 16 Best PBS Cooking Shows to Stream in 2023

Best Cooking shows on PBS

Watching the top culinary programmes on PBS in the United Kingdom is a good choice if you wish to learn some new delicious recipes or just want to have your palate teased by the sight of some mouthwatering meals. If you are a foodie who enjoys staying in and watching TV, this Best PBS Cooking Shows list has a series of fascinating culinary programmes you can stream.

PBS is a video streaming service that offers a wide range of programming, including best PBS shows, movies, television episodes, and even food programs. An outstanding selection of fantastic culinary series can be found on PBS, ranging from long-running favourites such as Simply Ming to modern sensations such as The Great American Recipe. However, due to its regional US-only availability, a high-quality VPN service is required for watching PBS in UK.

It’s not easy to find a programme that appeals to every part of your personality, but don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! The following is a rundown of some of the most popular and Best PBS Cooking Shows currently airing on PBS, all of which are sure to win you over:


The Great American Recipe (2022)

The Great American Recipe

Director: N/A

Writer: Kristin Wendell, Sarah Glaser, Michael Beilinson

Cast: Irma Cadiz, Brian Leigh, Dan Rinaldi, Foo Nguyen, Leah Cohen, Alejandra Ramos

IMDB Rating: 6.2/10

Genre: Food, Reality

Runtime: 53m

No of seasons: 1

The new eight-part series, The Great American Recipe, falls under the best PBS recipes cooking show category and is an encouraging culinary game that embraces the diversity that contributes to the singularity and iconography of American cuisine.

The series, led by Alejandra Ramos, provides skilled home chefs from various parts of the world with the chance to present their best famous trademark recipes and fight for the title of “The Great American Recipe.” Competitors get encouragement and assistance from experts Graham Elliot, Tiffany Derry and Leah Cohen as they go through the competition, thanks to the experts’ expert observations and extensive gourmet experience.


La Frontera with Pati Jinich (2021)

La Frontera with Pati Jinich

Director: A.J. Castro

Writer: A.J. Castro

Cast: Pati Jinich

IMDB Rating: 7.3/10

Genre: Documentary, Food

Runtime:

No of seasons: 1

Pati Jinich, a Mexican chef who has won the James Beard Award and been shortlisted for an Emmy, is making her debut on Public television as the presenter of the gourmet dining trip. This programme focuses on the province along the United States–Mexico border, which is interesting but often mistaken because it is a crossroads for cultural backgrounds.

Pati visits the wall and examines the area via artists, singers, sportspeople, and regional heroes whose art represents the merging of Mexican, American, and other ethnicities and via the caterers and professional chefs who gather these groups around the meal in a two-part programme.


Dishing with Julia Child (2020)

Dishing with Julia Child

Director: Dennis Allen

Writer: Adam Katz

Cast: Jaques Pépin, Vivian Howard, Eric Ripert, Carla Hall, Sara Moulton, Martha Stewart

IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Documentary

Runtime:

No of seasons: 1

In her life, Julia Child never wavered in her commitment to mastering French cuisine. Six of the most popular segments from her breakthrough show are now enjoyed by modern experts and stars, who make smart, humorous, and intimate remarks in honest admiration of the very first lady of cooking. In addition, beginning in 1963, thanks to The French Chef, the whole country was educated on the finer points of fine dining and vino. That’s the reason we counted this show as one of the best PBS cooking shows.


No Passport Required (2018)

No Passport Required

Director: Joanna Forscher, Nick August-Perna, Chloe Chapman

Writer: N/A

Cast: Akeia de Barros Gomes, Mona Haydar, Jon Madray, Marcus Samuelsson

IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

Genre: Documentary

Runtime:

No of seasons: 2

The latest docuseries, “No Passport Required”, follows the journey of celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson as he travels throughout the United States to see different immigrant groups and their unique dishes. Marcus visits a new location and immerses himself in the cuisine of that place at the beginning of every hour. s He learns about the influential immigrant history and mouthwatering food culture that has shaped the way people eat in the United States today.


Somewhere South (2020)

Somewhere South

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Cast: Vivian Howard

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10

Genre: Reality, Documentary

Runtime:

No of seasons: 1

SOMEWHERE SOUTH spans six one-hour segments and features renowned chef and author Vivian Howard’s journey to learn more about the foods that unite and characterise contemporary South America. SOMEWHERE SOUTH explores a side of the Southern that is seldom shown in media: a South that includes Sicilian immigrants, Haitian and Lumbee Indians individuals who eat and talk Creole, and many more via the lens of their culinary traditions.

Using meals as its primary medium, SOMEWHERE SOUTH shows the audience that despite superficial differences, people all around the globe have incredibly similar tastes in cuisine. You would love watching one of the best PBS cooking shows.


Lidia Celebrates America: Overcoming The Odds (2011)

Lidia Celebrates America_ Overcoming The Odds

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Cast: Billy Gallagher,

IMDB Rating: 8.1

Genre: Talk show

Runtime: 1h

No of seasons: 9

In this brand new programme, famous cookbook author and chef Lidia Bastianich invites you to accompany her in the kitchen. Unlike most PBS food series, Lidia’s isn’t limited to discussing the cuisine of the places she visits. The start of a discussion is more important to her than anything else. She visits every part of the United States, from the most populated cities to the most rural areas and everything in between. As the episode progresses, she has conversations with a diverse collection of Americans who have turned setbacks into opportunities by giving back to society.


A Chef’s Life (2013 – 2018)

A Chef_s Life

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Cast: Sheri Castle, Ben Knight, Vivian Howard

IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

Genre: Reality, Food

Runtime: 30m

No of seasons: 4

A Chef’s Life is a programme about the life of a professional chef who works in a high-end hotel in North Carolina. Chef’s Life focuses on the lives of its namesake professionals. The first season is divided broken up into 13 episodes, each half an hour long.

The program is significantly more exciting than the average culinary program since it puts viewers in the middle of the action. The biography and career of the series’ presenter and storyteller, Vivian Howard, serve as a lens through which contemporary and traditional uses of signature Southern components are investigated.


Martha Bakes (2011)

Martha Bakes

Director: Irene Wong

Writer: N/A

Cast: Martha Stewart, Zeke Goodband, Leda Meredith, Lynn Fleming

IMDB Rating: 8/10

Genre: Food

Runtime: 30 Minutes

No of seasons: 11

Celebrity cook Martha Stewart teaches viewers how to bake delectable deserts and baked goods from scratch. She puts her own spin on classic recipes and modernizes them while sharing the best baking tips and tricks for home bakers.


Pati’s Mexican Table (2011)

Pati_s Mexican Table

Director: Pati Jinich

Writer: N/A

Cast: Vivian Howard, José Andrés, Pati Jinich

IMDB Rating: 8.5/10

Genre: Food, Reality

Runtime:

No of seasons: 11

The tv show “Pati’s Mexican Table,” which has recently won James Beard Award and been awarded an Emmy, delivers the authentic tastes, colours, and complexities of Mexican cuisine into your house while providing a welcoming atmosphere. It’s really one of the best PBS cooking shows.

In recent years, Pati Jinich has shifted gears from her previous career as a policy advisor specialising in Latin American history and politics to pursue her genuine passion: re-creating the meals of her youth and recounting her gastronomic travels around the region on television.


America’s Test Kitchen (2000)

America_s Test Kitchen

Director: Herb Sevush

Writer: N/A

Cast: Tim Chin, Erin McMurrer, Dan Souza, Jack Bishop, Rick Mast, Tony Maws

IMDB Rating: 8.5/10

Genre: Cooking show, Documentary

Runtime: 30

No of seasons: 23

The culinary programme known as America’s Test Kitchen showcases the numerous contestants who do tests on various food-related goods. As the contestants face various a variety of new culinary difficulties, the series highlights the distinctive approaches they take to overcome those difficulties.

The presenters, Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison and the chefs in the Test Kitchen produce some of the most popular dishes in the United States while providing helpful hints along the way. It is an intriguing show from the list of PBS cooking shows from the 2000s.


Family Ingredients (2016)

Family Ingredients

Director: Ty Sanga

Writer: Ty Sanga

Cast: Traci Des Jardins, Celia Kenney, Raymond Le, Dulcie Honda, Andrew Le

IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Documentary

Runtime: 30m

No of seasons: 2

Hawai’i is a melting pot of cultures, and the cookbook Family Ingredients is a celebration of those cultures via their cuisine and hidden tales. Ed Kenney travels with us from Hawaii to the other side of the Ocean and returns again, sharing recipes and anecdotes from his family’s kitchen along the way.


I’ll Have What Phil’s Having (2015)

I'll Have What Phil's Having

Director: John Bedolis

Writer: N/A

Cast: Sam Ohta, Dave Spector, Roy Choi, Martin Short, Shinji Nohara, Phil Rosenthal

IMDB Rating: 8.5/10

Genre: Documentary

Runtime: 1h

No of seasons: 1

Heston Blumenthal visits eateries on and off the beaten culinary track in search of the people responsible for maintaining culinary traditions while also developing exciting new ones. His followers tag along as he travels from a three-star restaurant in a luxurious Italian palace to a Los Angeles bakery where he trains formerly incarcerated individuals.


The Great British Baking Show (2010)

The Great British Baking Show

Director: Matt D’Arcy, Bec Smith, Ross Blair, Andy Devonshire

Writer: N/A

Cast: Tamal Ray, Jane Beedle, James Morton, Matt Lucas, Sue Perkins, Paul Hollywood

IMDB Rating: 8.6/10

Genre: Reality

Runtime: 1h

No of seasons: 13

Participants take on three weekly tasks in an effort to win over the judges and claim the title of “Britain’s Best Amateur Baker.”

A tournament for amateur bakers in the United Kingdom has brought together several a number of participants. Each week’s contest has a certain focus, often related to the kinds of baked products contestants produce are tasked with producing. Participants are given a certain period of time to accomplish each one of the three tasks that they will face per week, and a panel of industry professionals will judge the completed items that they create. One of the best PBS cooking shows available on this channel.


Baking with Julia (1996–2001)

Baking with Julia

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Cast: Nancy Silverton, Julia Child

IMDB Rating: 8.5/10

Genre: Food

Runtime: 30m

No of seasons: 3

Baking with Julia was presented by the former gourmet icon Julia Child, features some of the state’s greatest cookbook writers, professional bakers, chefs and instructors who share the tried-and-true methods, expert advice, and delicious recipes that will turn any baker into a star in the kitchen. It was one of the best PBS cooking shows from the 90s.

The featured bakers show how to make some of the best examples of the treat Americans love and also explain how to make an astonishing range of loaves that are now famous throughout the nation.


Simply Ming (2003)

Simply Ming

Director: Michael Schear, Laurie Donnelly

Writer: Ming Tsai

Cast: Jody Adams, Steve Tsai, Ken Oringer, Jacques Pepin, Joanne Chang, Ming Tsai

IMDB Rating: 8.0/10

Genre: Documentary

Runtime: 30m

No of seasons: 18

Tsai Ming, a well-known celebrity chef and presenter of a cooking programme, simplifies complex Asian cuisine into straightforward dishes that are simple to reproduce. As a result, anybody can enjoy the complex aromas and tastes of Asian cuisine at home rather than going needing to go out to a restaurant.


How Does It Grow?

How Does It Grow

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Cast: Melissa Altro, Daniel Brochu, J.T. Turner

IMDB Rating: 7.2/10

Genre: TV show, Food

Runtime: 11m

No of seasons: 1

Each story includes famous chef Nathan Lyon preparing straightforward dishes with natural, regional products while grower Joe Lamp’l instructs participants in planting techniques.

This series is produced by American Public Tv and focuses on individuals and locations that are having a beneficial effect on the world.


Conclusion

Food porn has been garnering a lot of viewership, from ASMR food videos to food travel blogs; people want to watch Food related content. PBS offers a wide variety of cooking shows and programmes for viewers looking to watch everything related to food.

We have compiled a list of the best PBS cooking shows for you so you can decide whether you want to learn some home cooking or see some of the finest chefs create complex recipes. Baking enthusiasts may also find some good recommendations for their next baking project.

So go through this PBS cooking shows list and choose a show to binge on when you next crave something delicious.