“Cooking professionally is hard, while writing, eating, and making a television show is relatively easy,” claimed chef Anthony Bourdain. “It beats brunch.”
That Bourdain laid out his disdain for food media in a cookbook linked to a TV show he hosted is perhaps mostly testament to his being a big enough name to bite that hand that fed him. But did he also have a point?
While endless words can be scribed or spoken of the many and various joys eating has to offer, the experience is not the same as tasting something for oneself.
Nonetheless, the enduring – and rising – popularity of food media, from entire TV channels to books, radio shows, magazines and podcasts, confirms that many find the deconstruction, discussion and debating of our favourite fare almost as satisfying as actually digesting it.
With thousands of food pods now out there for our delectation, however, knowing which have the power to conjure culinary magic is somewhat trickier. Here, then, are nine of the world’s most popular pods for the food obsessed.
Dish
Presented by British TV and radio presenter Nick Grimshaw and acclaimed chef Angela Hartness, Dish was the UAE’s most listened to food podcast last week, and with good reason. Covering all things food, drink and entertaining, this celeb-packed show is also chock full of tips to boost your own cooking efforts.
Recipe Club
The brainchild of Momofuku chef David Chang, Recipe Club seeks to sift through millions of recipes to find the finest and most foolproof ways to create the world’s favourite foodstuffs. From Ritz crackers to peanut butter, plant-based meat to frozen fries, Chang and his friends tackle a dish a week and figure out how to make it tastier – often with a few disasters along the way…
The Chef JKP Podcast
Truly homegrown, chef James Knight-Pacheco’s podcast celebrates the inspirational stories of notable figures across the UAE food and beverage scene. From kitchen pressures to abject perfectionism, Knight-Pacheco brings his knowledge and experience at the pass reveal what it truly takes to come out on top in a highly competitive industry.
Black Girls Eating
Created in the US in early 2021 by creative director Candace Boyd and chef Tanorria Askew, Black Girl’s Eating seeks to explore Black culture’s contribution to the global food scene, offering insights on everything from food history to where it intersects with the anti-racist movement.
Comfort Eating with Grace Dent
Forget culinary perfection – food critic Grace Dent’s podcast is more interesting in the food we eat when noone’s watching. From TV dinners to biscuits and baked beans on toast, Dent’s celebrity guests delve into their most base culinary instincts, and reveal a lot about themselves in the process…
Green Eggs & Dan
Loosely hinged around the concept that “you are what you eat”, comedian Dan Adhoot’s pod invites listeners to join him for at times chaotic conversations about the contents of his celebrity guests’ fridges. Think of it as like sticking your head – or rather your ears – into someone else’s kitchen and you’re on the right track…
Monocle 24: The Menu
A truly global food podcast, Monocle 24’s The Menu serves up interviews with some of the world’s top chefs, suppliers and producers, as well as examining the food news, neighbourhoods and trends that will likely come to influence the contents of your own plate, wherever you happen to live.
Proof
Produced by America’s Test Kitchen, this podcast offers a significant departure from the common chef interview and recipe format in favour of exploring the most quirky, cool, entertaining and downright weird tales from the world’s food and drink scene. Have you ever wondered how people decide what to feed their pets? You will after listening…
The Food Programme
Created by BBC Radio 4, The Food Programme describes its mission as “investigating every aspect of the food we eat”. From the life of a French maître d’ to forgotten foods and the problem of trying to brand bivalves, this is one pod that will leave you looking at what we consume in a very different way indeed.