Get Your Foodie Fix With the 10 Best Binge-Worthy Cooking Shows on Netflix
Whether you're looking for a chilling documentary, a long series that'll keep you occupied for days or a movie to watch with your mum, Netflix is sure to have something for every occasion.
What the video streaming service also has is a long lineup of incredible food and cooking shows that'll keep you couch bound for hours.
Whether you want to head inside the kitchens of Michelin-star restaurants, travel through the local streets of cities around the world, learn how to cook simple dishes that’ll impress any guest or watch amateur cooks battle it out for prize money, these shows are nothing short of good food.
10 best food and cooking shows to binge-watch on Netflix
1. Somebody Feed Phil
International travel might be off the cards for now, but binge-watching your way through four seasons of Somebody Feed Phil will somewhat satisfy that itchy travel bug.
Phil Rosenthal (the creator of hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond) takes viewers on an eating tour around the world, where he visits cities to get a taste of the incredibly local cuisines and culture. You’ll end each episode with a list of new food treasures you’ll want to visit once in your lifetime.
The series is filled with wit, humour and warmth, and Phil is the kind of person you just want to give a big hug.
2. Ugly Delicious
James Beard Award-winning chef David Chang (aka, the mastermind behind Michelin star restaurant chain Momofuku), goes on a journey to culinary hot spots around the world. He’s joined by a hot list of celebrity guests from TV host Jimmy Kimmel to writer Peter Meehan, where they venture out of polished kitchens and into the real world of local food.
3. Chef’s Table
Chef’s Table was actually the first original Netflix documentary series, which premiered back in 2015, and has since been nominated for an Emmy-award and won various other awards for its incredible production. Each awe-inspiring episode focuses on a single chef and focuses on their unique look at their life, talents and passion.
There are currently six seasons and each episode is roughly 50 minutes long, so prepare to be glued to the TV for hours.
4. Street Food: Asia
The creators of Chef’s Table now take viewers on a journey through nine vibrant cities in Asia. From the hawker stores of Singapore to South Korea’s famous Gwangjang Market, you’ll discover how true local food is made - expect no fancy restaurants and no expensive dishes.
Once you’ve binge-watched your way through Street Food: Asia, you’ll want to jump on Street Food: Latin America.
5. The Chef Show
Chef Roy Choi and actor Jon Favreau worked together on the 2014 movie Chef, and now reunite for a cooking travelogue series. Across four seasons, the pair travel to different locales around the world, dip their toes in experimenting with their favourite recipes and techniques, and even collaborate with some of the biggest names in the entertainment and culinary industries (hello, Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr.).
6. Nadiya’s Time to Eat
Looking for stress-free recipes that will save you time and money? That’s what home cook Nadiya Hussain aims to deliver through her Netflix series. From falafels to healthy salmon poke bowls, decadent chocolate mousse and even chicken shawarma, Nadiya shows you exactly how to cook classic dishes and new favourites without any stress, which even the most amateur cooks will be able to execute.
The series proved to be a hit success, and she’s since released Nadiya Bakes - a series of the same format, just focusing on baked goods.
7. Cooked
In each episode, acclaimed food writer Michael Pollan, focuses on one natural element - ire, water, air and earth - and its relationship to both ancient and modern cooking methods.
There’s only one season and four episodes, so you’ll be able to binge-watch this in half a day.
8. Sugar Rush Extra Sweet
If you’re a fan of MasterChef, Sugar Rush Extra Sweet will be right up your alley. Time is everything on this cooking show that features teams racing against the clock to bake the best-tasting sweets. Each episode, each team whips up extravagant cakes and other confections with the hope of leaving with the $10,000 grand prize. It’s chaotic, it’s loud and you might even catch yourself yelling at the TV in panic.
9. Waffles + Mochi
When I tell you that Waffles and Mochi are two puppets, you’re probably going to give it a hard pass. ‘Puppets? Pfft, that’s only for kids.’ But - and a massive but - the two puppets are joined by Michelle Obama. Yes, THE former first lady.
The puppet stars, who escape the Land of Frozen (where everything they cook turns to ice), are hired by Mrs. O (Michelle Obama) who works at a supermarket with a rooftop garden. The gang spend each episode meeting chefs and culinary experts from all over the world to learn about specific foods and spices. With a 95 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, you know it’s going to deliver the goods - regardless of your age.
10. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
If you liked Cooked, may we suggest Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat?
Complementing Samin Nosrat’s bestselling cookbook of the same name, this one-season documentary series dedicates one episode to each of these four fundamentals of taste. Each episode is slow and almost meditative, so pour yourself a glass of wine, sit back and press play.
Looking for more shows to binge-watch? Here are 12 TV shows with five or more seasons to keep you couch-bound for days.
