Good Eats

The depths at which this man delves into cooking is amazing, but even more amazing is how he takes those depths and makes them accessible to everyone. With every episode you're almost guaranteed to get a helping of food science, explaining not only what to do, but why you're doing it. Whenever I'm tackling a new food project, I'm always sure to look through the good eats archive to see how Alton Brown can get me started.

If you want to learn how to do a multitude of culinary skills in the kitchen, without going to culinary school, this is a good place to start. Much like Mr. Wizard; Bill Nye; Beakman's World and Mythbusters, the show is slightly quirky while still being entertaining as well as educational. People of almost any age can watch this show and become confident in the kitchen.

It's like Bill Nye for cooking. He goes into the history and science and chemistry of the food he's making and then adds in a bit of humor/comedy. You know, for the kids... But at its core, this show truly simplifies cooking at home and is a great way for beginning chefs to learn a thing or two. I know i did.