Serious Eats
Fresh Food on TV: Weekend Edition
With all the channels on broadcast TV and cable—and the inevitable episode repeats—it's hard to sort out what's new or worthwhile. Let us sort it out for you so you don't miss anything worth watching. Times may vary with region; check your local listings for exact hour and channels.
Saturday (October 31)
Secrets of a Restaurant Chef (warning, a video plays automatically on site): "The Secret to Stuffed Calamari." Braised calamari stuffed with shrimp, spinach, and herbs; gigante beans; and roasted cauliflower salad with radicchio, pecorino, and fried capers. 10:30 a.m. ET, Food Network
5 Ingredient Fix: "Steakhouse Dinner." Claire makes blue cheese stuffed filets served with roasted grape tomatoes and creamed spinach; and white chocolate mousse for dessert. (repeat) 12:30 a.m. ET, Food Network
Giada at Home (warning, a video plays automatically on site): "Todd's Midwestern Favorites." Giada makes a special meal for Todd, Trevor, Tommy and Kelly that reflects Todd's favorite Midwestern childhood dishes. 1 p.m. ET, Food Network
Barefoot Contessa (warning, a video plays automatically on site): "Comfort Classics Closeup." Makeovers for classics with recipes for bagels with smoked salmon and whitefish salad, roasted potato and leek soup, and herb garlic bread. (repeat) 1:30 p.m. ET, Food Network
Sunday (November 1)
Alex's Day Off (warning, a video plays automatically on site): "Dinner on the Grill." Alex grills mussels stuffed with bread crumbs, yogurt-marinated chicken with harissa, grilled radicchio in a honey glaze, and grape spitzer. 9:30 a.m. ET, Food Network
Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth: "The Bertinet Kitchen, Bath." In Bath, England, teacher and baker Richard Bertinet shows Ruth and her friend Dianne Wiest to his bread making process. He also gives them a tour of the nearby garden and mill. 3:30 p.m. ET, PBS
Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home: "Soufflés." Cheese soufflé, scallop and cheese soufflé, chocolate soufflé, and cream roulade. 4 p.m. ET, PBS
Avec Eric: "Perfect Pairings." Eric explores the relationship between food and wine. At Le Bernardin, the chef sommelier is challenged to pair a wine with a spicy crab salad. Eric then travels to California to visit Iron Horse Vineyard to see their sparkling wine. Back in Le Bernardin he challenges the chef sommelier to create pairings for three canapes, salmon rillette, garlic herbed goat cheese, and guacamole. 4:30 p.m. ET, PBS
America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated: "Fail-Safe Thanksgiving." Making a old fashioned roast turkey with gravy and garlic mashed potatoes, larding, and tasting frozen dinner rolls. 5 p.m. ET, PBS
Lidia's Italy: "Weeknight Stovetop Chicken." Lidia shows how to make chicken with olives, pinenuts, and celery steamed in a skillet. She also visits the Petrini family in Le Marche and talks about the olive varietals particular to this region, especially the Ascoli olive. 5:30 p.m. ET, PBS
The Next Iron Chef: "Pressure." The remaining competitors meet Indian chef, Suvir Saran. First, the chefs have 30 minutes to capture the essence and balance of Indian fare in just one bite. After, they attend a Bollywood-style gala to gain a deeper understanding of the traditional foods and culture of India. Then they then have two hours to prepare a five-course Indian feast that will be judged for the authenticity, flavor, drama, and theatrical presentation of the food. 9 p.m. ET, Food Network
Iron Chef America: "Morimoto vs. Virant." Chicago-based chef Paul Virant challenges Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. 10 p.m. ET, Food Network