@StumpTownStu Disagree. There are so many good chefs on the Food Network I've learned so much. And being half Italian I luv me sum Giada, in more ways than one. Bravo too, "Top Chef" separates the men from the boys on that show, a little over my head sometimes but again, have learned alot.
Yeah, Giada's great but her show, assuming we're talking about Everyday Italian and not some new show, is a traditional cooking show. Traditional cooking shows are specifically there to teach people how to cook. A lot of the newer shows are competition shows (Top Chef) and food tour shows (Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives). Those shows are entertaining but few people are walking away from an episode of Top Chef and saying, "You know what, I think i'll make that." You for sure can pick things up but the classic cooking shows, from Julia Child, Martin Yan, Jacque Pepin to Emeril and Giada were specifically walking you through the preperation of a meal. I loved Alton Brown's good eats. Not so much a cooking show as it was a kind of food science show.