If you’re anything like me then you love nothing more than planting yourself in front of the TV and watching hopefull chefs battling it out in a cooking competition. The drama. The tension. The mouthwatering meals. I live for it. And so do a vast majority of Australians. Cooking shows are among one of the most popular entertainment formats on Australian television right now.
But which shows are worth your time? With such a huge catalog of options to choose from it can be tough to find the good ones. So today I will rank the most popular cooking shows in Australia.
MasterChef: Australia
I am not too big a fan of the other nation’s versions of MasterChef. But the Australian version does things a bit differently from the start. Instead of starting with a pre-selected group of contestants, the show will have a large group of hopefuls compete against each other to secure one of the 50 spots on the show.
This cooking battle royale is honestly the highlight of the show. You see an eclectic mix of chefs plating up a wide variety of dishes. Paired with all the drama and turmoil you’d expect to see in such a high stakes kitchen environment. Dishes plated poorly. Burnt food. People using nangs whip it cream chargers in completely the wrong way. The list goes on and on.
The rest of the show then follows the normal MasterChef format. But after the initial audition madness you are already invested in the applicants that made it through. The show puts a lot of emphasis on the technical aspects of cooking and plating too. Meaning it has a lot to offer if you’re wanting to learn a few new cooking tips and tricks.
Iron Chef Australia
If you’ve never watched Iron Chef before then you are missing out. The show originated in Japan and was also adapted in America before finally making it over here. Each episode is its own self-contained competition. Where one contestant is pitted against one of the resident Iron Chefs.
Each cooking competition is focused around a key ingredient. The two chefs then have to come up with the most unique and amazing dish that focuses on that ingredient. It is an amazing show for anyone that appreciates beautiful and technical cooking. You will learn a lot about different equipment, techniques, and might even find a new dish you want to try your own hand at.
My Kitchen Rules
My Kitchen Rules is one of my favorite comfort cooking shows. Instead of the contestants battling it out in a production kitchen, the teams of two have to prepare a three-course dinner party in their own homes. Trying to win over the judges and the other contestants.
The food isn’t the only thing being judged here. The contestants are ranked on their ability to throw a dinner party. Cooking skills alone won’t win you this competition. Seeing the contestants cooking in their own home is altogether different than most cooking shows. You see them in a more unguarded manner.
And the drama is ranked all the way up to 11 on this show. Awkward dinner conversations and endless amounts of catty comments make this the ideal show for anyone who loves their reality TV. It is important to keep in mind that a lot of the drama is artificially inflated by the editors. More often than not they will cut out all the moments where the contestants are getting along in favor of more dramatic moments.
Family Food Fight
This show was sadly canceled after only two seasons. Which is a shame as the first season was one of the best cooking competitions I have ever seen. The format takes six Australian families and pits them against each other. The first season allowed for teams of four family members. While season two cut that down to just two per team.
With more chefs per team the challenges they were given were far more intense and creative. The show would put a focus on family style meals, which provided me with some amazing recipes that I still use with my family to this day! It is well worth a watch if you can find it streaming online.
