Reality TV is one of my guilty pleasures. Especially reality TV about food. I could probably veg out in front of a cooking show or competition all day. So I was excited to learn about a new cooking competition show on ABC called The Taste. But this competition has a twist. The judges judge the food completely on taste alone; they don't know who cooked what, or even what exactly they are going to be eating. This is basically The Voice but with food. The judges/team leaders are 4 ridiculously good looking chefs: Anthony Bourdain, Brian Malarkey, Ludo Lefebvre, and Nigella Lawson. (Seriously, Nigella? Her job is to eat food and she still looks completely fabulous. So jealous.)
So the premise of the show is that each chef serves the judges one bite of their dish on a spoon, and the judges critique each spoon based on the taste, without knowing who cooked it. After the audition episodes, each of the judges chose a team of four chefs to compete. Each week the chefs have a team challenge where each teammate cooks a dish but then they choose the best dish from each team to be judged for the chance for immunity and the help of some well-known chef. During this challenge the judges are in the kitchen helping their team with advice and also providing entertainment for the audience. So far, we've seen a lot of arguing and somewhat playful banter between Chef Malarkey and Chef Ludo, and Anthony Bourdain downing an entire bottle of wine and strolling through the other teams' kitchens and generally being himself. Seriously, I just want Anthony Bourdain to read me a book every night before I go to sleep. Something about his voice is just pleasing to my ears. Plus he's entertaining of course. :)
Then things get interesting during the elimination challenge. The judges leave the kitchen so they have no idea who is cooking what. Each chef then has to prepare a dish fitting with the theme. The most recent episode was creating a dish that paired perfectly with their choice of one of four wines. They serve the dish in one bite to the judges. The judges then choose their most and least favorite dish. Then two people are sent home from the least favorites. Keep in mind, they don't know who cooked what so the possibility of sending someone from their own teams home is very real.
So far, I've enjoyed the episodes I've seen. The premise is very interesting, because the judges have to go by only what they taste. It ties into something I had just heard about the other day. Once you know what it is you are supposed to be eating, your brain gives you some preconceived notions about it, and can actually influence the way you perceive tastes. Not knowing makes you perceive the food differently. Another thing about this show I've enjoyed so far is the energy. The judges all seem to be so enthusiastic and the competition is fun and fast-paced. There hasn't been a dull moment yet!
The last thing is part of the reason I like to watch cooking shows. They inspire me! When I spend a lot of time watching a cooking show I always manage to get the idea in my head that I could be a great chef too (hah!) I get all ambitious until I remember it takes me longer just to cut up an onion than it does for these guys to whip up an entire dish and I come back to earth a little. But the main thing is that I get my creative juices flowing and get the urge to try new things, and I think that's always important. I may not be a five-star chef, but I can at least cook something creative that tastes good (most of the time).
So, if you like a fun cooking competition and want to feel inspired, check out The Taste, on Tuesday 8|7c on ABC. Catch up by watching the most recent episode here.
What about you? Do you like cooking shows? Do you get delusions of cooking grandeur after watching them? Will you be joining me to watch The Taste? Let me know!
