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@Brownie Inspiring passion in us is what makes a successful cooking show. When there is too much "hollywood" it's hard to find anything relevant to take away. I, too, loved the Barefoot in Paris special. Using all the same color flowers to make an exquisite arrangement was something to think about! Congrats on a memorable and successful wedding for your daughter. I love success stories like yours!

I'd have to go with Jamie Oliver - even though I sometimes raise an eyebrow at some of his recipes, he approaches cooking (and fresh ingredients) with such zeal and appreciation that it really makes you just want to get into the kitchen and start "bunging things into a bowl"! (Also makes me wish I had a garden like his...).

I'm also a huge fan of Good Eats - as far as cooking styles go, Alton Brown and Jamie Oliver are at opposite ends of the table, but this only goes to show that even though food means different things to different people, at the end of the day we're all in pursuit of the delicious!

America's Test Kitchen--I love the humor and geeky science of the show, the only one to hold a candle to Julia Child's unpretentious seriousness!

Ditto, Ina Garten!! Best cookbooks, recipes that work, and through her program gives her devotees confidence.

Lydia, definitely and america's test kitchen.

Wow Wow Wow....you folks are hitting on all of my pistons. I love the shows you declared as your favorites. There are reasons why certain people are drawn to shows like these. I believe those of us who constantly want to learn, that we gravitate towards people we would actually like to cook with! They bring us inspiration, confidence and an overall awareness that they are cooks who truly want to share their knowledge. It's not about being ultra thin, photographical, or clever. It's all about really good meals. They certainly deliver! Anymore favorites? How about Daisy Cooks?

Jamie Oliver. He makes things look really easy, and I enjoy his Englishness.
Alton Brown. I love his out-of-the-box thinking (making his own smoker out of cardboard boxes, etc.)
Tyler Florence. He, more than most on FN, cooks food that I'd really want to eat.

Alton Brown. Final answer.

Hello..! Well me personaly i like Rachel Ray, Tyler Florence, Emeril, Bobby Flay & a chef out of Atlanta name (ALI), he has his own show down in ATL.

I enjoy watching Ina Garten, Jamie Oliver, America's Test Kitchen, Everyday Food, and Everyday Baking.

This doesn't mean I actually use their recipes, rarely in fact, but I love watching them on the weekends.

I miss david rosengarten's old show on FoodTV, where he cooked everything from hot dogs to fois gras. I like when Bourdain cooks, but that's rare on TV. Alton Brown is a good entertainer and got a lot of people to cook. Then there is Emeril....not talking the big audience show, but the original essence of emeril. Then the original "How to boil water". I really don't see how Tyler is entertaining, Jamie is, but most of the chefs aren't.

I noticed how many pick Jamie Oliver and Ina Garten. I do too! What a contrasting pair they are: one so rambunctious and the other so elegant. On the other hand they have in common their ability to inspire our confidence in their recipes and in ourselves -- they are both good teachers. And their home kitchens, their references to family and friends, their personal warmth and caring, remind us that sharing is a big part of why we cook food.

I've learned more from Good Eats than any other program, and I love all of AB's tips. However, my sentimental favorite is Barefoot Contessa, because Ina looks exactly like my mother. It's a little creepy actually. They dress alike, have the same haircut, and have similar facial structure. My mom was never much of a cook, so watching Ina is like having my mother teach me how to cook.

If you've ever had the pleasure of watching Rick Bayliss latino cuisine you will know how exciting it is to cook with simple ingredients enhanced with heat! His show is on PBS on the weekends. Daisy Cooks, also on PBS puts out a very interesting show on latino food as well usually featuring pork dishes. She draws from her old family recipes. I've made several of her recipes and they were stellar! Tip for the day: "Never trust a skinny cook.: j/k

Although Bobby Flay's cooking matches my own style, lots of grilling and Mexican influences, I don't really like his shows, he comes off really cocky. I love watching Jamie and Nigella but it's rare that I will actually use their recipes. I've made a couple of that new latina girl's (name escaping me, on the simply delicioso show) recipes and I've been happy with those. I also like Alton, but trying his recipes is hit or miss. He made coq au vin look really easy, but when I tried it, it was a lot of work for some chicken. And although Rachel Ray has a bad rap, I like that instead of trying to teach you just how to make one particular dish, she encourages you to think about how to makes to food you like simply and quickly. I haven't really made her meals, but I've learned a lot from her. I guess what I'm saying is that there is no cook that I'm 100% behind, but each one of them has bits and pieces that I like.

Am I the only person on the planet that finds Alton Brown annoying as all get-out? I feel so alone...

Mexico one plate at a time is one of the few that are consistently good.

Maybe a different category, but Top Chef is the best food show on TV.

@carosone Yes he is still on! Usually on Sats on PBS in Virginia. He has a nice cookbook. I'm not Latino but I like latino food because basic ingredients are used. I want to learn more about peppers and their heat as well as new ways to use the spice "cumin." When I roast corn on the grill or in the oven I prepare a cumin butter to slather on the corn before I cook it (either under the husk or cleaned and wrapped in alum foil.

Ellie Krieger (for simple, healthy recipes) and Giada DeLaurentis in addition to Jamie, whose At Home I have really been enjoying.

I didn't at first, but I've learned to love Bobby Flay. Especially after a Boy Meets Grill episode when I swear he was wasted.

Lately my favorite is probably The F Word on BBCA. I like the mix of doable recipes, competition and other food related snipets that are so much more educational than the non-cooking food programming that Food Network seems to think is acceptable television. I make Gordon Ramsey's Rabbit Fricassee every year for Easter.

However, I think my favorite cooking program was the little 5 or so minute Get Stuffed programs that used to air late at night on ITV when I lived in London. Those were great easy recipes for anyone living on a budget and quite entertaining to boot!

Jamie and Nigella most inspiring me. Their attitudes make me feel like I can do everything they can. Or maybe I just have a thing for Brits? Who knows!! ;)

I am a fan of Nigella, even if she does make cooking look like porn. And i think I would leave my fiance for Tyler! Alton brown is singlehandedly responsible for making me the new "Queen of Gravy" in my family, the man is a genius but I fast forward thru a lot of the scientific parts, cooking in my house is a little less science and a little more whatever I have in the fridge tonight. Emeril turns me off, he wipes his nose WAY to much-gross.

Yes, yes. Alton, Ina, Jamie, Nigella, Tyler

Ina Garten, Jacques Pepin, America's Test Kitchen, Tyler Florence, Emeril Lagasse (Essence, not Live), Everyday Foods (Martha Stewart), Lidia Bastianich, Jamie Oliver, and I like to watch Paula Deen's Home Cooking (not party). .I learn technique and recipes from these shows. Alton Brown teaches me things I wouldn't learn elsewhere. I want to get Julia Child's DVD's. I love her cookbooks. Jury is still out on Anne Burrell, but I have high hopes.

I like Bobby Flay and Michael Chiarello and watch occasionally, but their food is too spicy for me to eat, for the most part. Both are very talented chefs and pleasant personalities. I've seen some comments about the younger Bobby, but I didn't have cable then. I like him.

I'll even give Rachael Ray a shout-out, because I think she might appeal to someone who has never cooked - especially college kids. Personally though, she annoys the spit out of me and I can't watch her at all. Same with Giada DeLaurentis - uses mostly fresh ingredients and can teach a beginner. Hopefully, they'd learn enough to want to move on to more quality, and even more hopefully, they'd know that Sandra Lee is like watching a train-wreck. Maybe you can't look away, but you sure don't want to be there in the middle of that mess.

I have learned loads and loads from Alton Brown/Good Eats. He explains everything, and he does it in a very entertaining way. I have laughed out loud many times!
Mario Batali does yummy uncomplicated Italian.
Bobby Flay in Throwdown.
The entire group on Ace of Cakes - especially Duff.
They are all creative. They all have fun doing what they do. Did I mention the creativity factor?!
I feel so much better about having fun and being creative with my own cooking/baking!

Ina Garten and her books are wonderful.

It's time for me to fess up....I have enjoyed Tyler Florence from day one. He is my favorite and then Ina Garten for the foodnetwork people. On PBS, I actually like to watch all of them except Nigella...she's way too painful to watch ..too busy trying to be clever with the english language for me! Jamie is a breath of fresh air and does, indeed, have interesting recipes. Everyday Food is great for young/new cooks because it is clean and straightforward. And, of course, the Test Kitchen is always great fun to watch because of all of the work that goes into presenting their final recipe.

Tyler Florence without a doubt. Even though his frenetic presentations sometimes get on my nerves, he cooks real food that is absolutely delish. I've never made one of his dishes I didn't thoroughly enjoy.

Close second is Ina for all of your above reasons. She inspires confidence and never pronounces that her way is the only way.

STIV61, you list the website for THE KITCHEN DIVA! show but obviously you've never read about the show or the host, Angela Shelf Medearis. She isn't cooking "soul food" which I guess you place in the fried chicken and barbeque category or assumed she'd be doing since she's African-American. Mrs. Medearis via THE KITCHEN DIVA! show is trying to address the need for healthier eating by preparing locally grown, organic, and often-times vegetarian dishes. The program is sponsored by a non-profit organization called Book Boosters, so if you have a problem with the production values I suggest that you make a donation as they operate on grant funds and donations so that they can provide the program at no charge to PBS stations in the hope that viewers who are suffering from food related diseases can use her recipes to prepare traditional favorites in a healthier way. I also looked at the photos, video clips from her shows and recipes on her site and I thought the food looked delicious!