Best Food Network Television Shows of 2008

Hands down, the absolute best food show on TV today! Guy Fieri was the winner of The Next Food Network Star, Season Two. I didn't even watch that show all the way through, but quickly had Fieri picked out as the next TV super-chef. Fieri, a chubby little bundle of humor, kinda looks like a blonde version of sexy movie star Colin Ferrell with more meat on his bones! Speaking of meat, this food show is not for the calorie conscious.

Grab a pen and notepad so you can watch this guy drive cross-country to some of the most unique eateries. You may never know where you're going to travel next, so don't be a woulda-coulda-shoulda. Write down the names and cities of these fabulous food places!

Fieri doesn't go to "big restaurant chains" - He finds average people who have started their own food heaven, or kept it going from their parents and grandparents, and found a real niche in their communities. Guy goes into the kitchen with each chef and helps make their recipes. Then, he tastes each one and you can just see how much he loves food. He also interviews customers with huge, delectable plates of food in front of them.

Throwdown with Bobby Flay

Although Bobby Flay is a multiple-restaurant mogul and Food TV sensation, his show Throwdown gives exposure to rising chefs across the country who may never have been on TV before.

By competing with one chef per episode to see who does the better recipe of the same food, Flay has exposed himself to being the "loser" on more than several occasions. Not to mention showing his own and the other chef's recipe step by step; and it is another great way to discover hot spots for food across America.

Good Eats with Alton Brown

Brown's knowledge of food history and scientific facts about why and how foods cook like they do is different than any other show around. Also entertaining are the characters he brings into the kitchen to help him, and sometimes he wears costumes and plays roles to match the theme of the program.

The most recent Deep Fried Turkey episode where he rigged the catapult to dip the turkey in and out of the hot oil was hysterical.

The Ace of Cakes with "Duff" Goldman

Duff and his baking staff, an interesting rag-tag team of talented cake creators, can make any kind of cake under the sun. Scaled to size replicas of Cadillacs, places, world-famous buildings - you name it.

Each episode takes the viewer through the trials and errors of how Duff comes up with solutions to building the strange cake requests he gets from customers. We are then treated to how he transports the cakes to their locations. Seeing him carry a two-ton (OK, I'm exaggerating) monstrosity of a cake into the middle of a crowded, waiting stadium full of people was a sight to behold; as suspenseful as a James Bond car chase.

So, happy drooling over these Best Food Network Television Shows of 2008! Most of these shows air several times a week.

Sources:

Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com. The Food Network is part of the Scripps Family which includes HGTV.

Ace of Cakes: http://www.foodnetwork.com/ace-of-cakes/index.html.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html

Good Eats: http://www.foodnetwork.com/alton-brown/bio/index.html

Throwdown with Bobby Flay: http://www.foodnetwork.com/throwdown-with-bobby-flay/index.html