Entertainment

The Most Bingeable Food Network Shows Ever

And where to stream them.

Food Network
Food Network
Food Network

To find out what platform these movies are streaming on in Australia, head to flicks.com.au.

Netflix carries and produces plenty of food and cooking documentaries and shows, but it’s fresh out of the Food Network programs you know and love. So where to stream Guy Fieri when you really need Guy Fieri in your life, like, right now? Some seasons of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Chopped, and other Food Network staples are available on Hulu with a subscription, the the Food Network website has random handfuls of episodes to watch if you have a cable provider, and full series runs are also available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon Prime and elsewhere, too. But if you want to binge-stream the bulk of Food Network’s library, your one-stop hub is the recently launched Discovery+, where you’ll find these six shows to revisit immediately.

Also read: Unwrapped, One of Food Network’s All-Time Greats, Turns 20 This Year

Beat Bobby Flay

The most infuratingly watchable shows ever produced by the Food Network are the ones that pit Bobby Flay against the world, and Beat Bobby Flay follows that formula to theatrical heights. Two chefs selected by Flay’s Celeb Friends first compete against each other to determine who would be the fiercest opponent to take down the celebs’ arrogant friend. The victorious chef then challenges Flay to a battle over who can make the visiting chef’s signature dish best. More often than it’s preferred, Flay wins the blind tasting, which makes watching many episodes in a single sitting a requisite just to see Bobby Flay lose.

Chopped

Easily the most bingeable competition show out there, Chopped has been through so many iterations of secret baskets, competitors, and themes that it’s almost hard to believe it’s still running, and that Ted Allen still likes his job. But more than 10 years since its premiere, Chopped is still plugging away. Alas, due to a still active licensing deal with other outlets, Chopped isn’t yet available in its episodic entirety, but you can still watch the show on Discovery+ via a channel that broadcasts episodes 24/7.

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

Father Fieri, who art on Food Network, hallowed be thine sick ride. You already know the deal: for more than a decade, Guy Fieri has been taking trips to Flavortown, aka America, eating key dishes at under-the-radar local haunts offering critiques like “lights-out delicious” and “a porchetta that you won’t forgetta.” A coveted Fieri stamp on a restaurant’s wall is all it takes to rocket the joint to a national stop. If Guy Fieri says a place is the bomb-dot-com, it must be good. Out of Triple D episodes but need a Fieri fix? Guy’s Grocery Games-affectionately Triple G-is also on Discovery+.

Food Network Star

Though it no longer produces Guy Fieri-level personalities as it did in its second season (won by Fieri), Food Network Star remains an entertaining behind-the-scenes look into some of the internal logic that goes into what network execs are looking for in people who become more like all-encompassing brands than mere talking heads. Giada DeLaurentiis and Bobby Flay guide the hopefuls through a season’s worth of elimination challenges that often involve talking into a camera and remaining composed in the face of on-screen disasters in measurements of temperament, flexibility, and likeability-all qualities a budding Food Network star needs, on top of being a damn good chef with a clear vision with whom America would want to cook alongside.

Good Eats

Catch up on the show that turned Alton Brown into the demigod of food personalities that he is today, which returned for a 15th season after a long hiatus under the banner Good Eats: The Return. There’s plenty to learn through Brown’s idiosyncratic teaching methods that not only arm home cooks with a new recipe, but explain the applied food science behind some of the more technical steps, too. For the uninitiated, be warned: this is no ordinary cooking show. With its goofy sketches and hokey characters, Good Eats feels more like an adult Blues Clues than any of Food Network’s traditional “dump-and-stir” instructional programming.

Iron Chef America

Stand aside, Cutthroat Kitchen-Kitchen Stadium hosts some of the most intense battles this decade of Food Network has aired. High-profile restaurant chefs face off against an Iron Chef, each making dishes not just including, but showcasing the thematic ingredient of the episode, cooking to running color commentary by Alton Brown. To ruin some of the magic of the hour-long whirlwind: chefs know who they’ll be facing ahead of the taping and they have time to plan out their dishes. But nothing can take away the hand-me-down camp straight from the original Japanese Iron Chef that makes this show so enjoyable in the first place.

Entertainment

Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2023 in Australia

And what it means to be in the year of the Rabbit.

where to celebrate lunar new year australia

Starting with the new moon on Sunday, January 22, this Lunar New Year ushers in the year of the Rabbit. We’ve put together a guide on celebrating the Lunar New Year in Australia.

What is special about the year of the Rabbit?

As you might know, each year has an animal sign in the Chinese Zodiac, which is based on the moon and has a 12-year cycle. This year, we celebrate the year of the rabbit, known to be the luckiest out of all twelve animals. It symbolises mercy, elegance, and beauty.

What celebrations are taking place and how can I get involved?

There are plenty of festivals happening all around the country which you can get involved with. Here they are per state.

New South Wales

Darling Harbour Fireworks
When: Every year, Sydney puts on a fireworks show, and this year, you can catch it on January 28 and February 4 at 9 pm in Darling Harbour.

Dragon Boat Races
When: Witness three days of dragon boat races and entertainment on Cockle Bay to usher in the Lunar New Year. The races will commence on January 27 and finish on January 29.

Lion Dances
When: Catch a traditional Lion Dance moving to the beat of a vigorous drum bringing good luck and fortune for the Lunar New Year. The dance performances will happen across Darling Harbour on Saturday, January 21, Sunday, January 22, and Sunday, February 4 and 5, around 6 pm and 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at Cirrus Dining
When: Barangaroo’s waterfront seafood restaurant, Cirrus, is celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with a special feast menu. Cirrus’ LNY menu is $128pp with optional wine pairing and is available from Saturday, January 21, to Sunday, February 5.

Auntie Philter
When: Hello Auntie’s owner and executive chef, Cuong Nguyen will be dishing out some of the most classic Vietnamese street foods with his mum, Linda. All of Philter’s favourites will be on offer, as well as Raspberry Pash Beer Slushies and other cocktails being served at the Philter Brewing rooftop bar on Sunday, January 22 and Sunday, January 29.

Victoria

Lunar New Year Festival
When: Ring in the Lunar New Year with food, music, arts, and more on Sunday, January 22, from 10 am to 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at the National Gallery of Victoria
When: Celebrate the year of the rabbit at the National Gallery of Victoria’s festival of art, food, and art-making activities for everyone from 10 am-5 pm.

Queensland

BriAsia Festival
When: From February 1-19, Brisbane will come alive with performances, including lion dances and martial arts displays. There will be street food, workshops, comedy and more.

South Australia

Chinatown Adelaide Street Party
When: Adelaide is set to hose a fun-filled day celebrating the Chinese New Year on Saturday, January 28, from 12 pm to 9 pm.

Western Australia

Crown Perth
When: Across January and February, Crown Perth hosts free live entertainment, including colourful lion dances, roving mascots, and drumming performances. The restaurants will also throw banquets and menus dedicated to the Lunar New Year.

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