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In the beginning, we had instructional cooking shows. Then we had competition cooking shows, travel cooking shows, and make-people-despondent-about-their-restaurant shows.
Now? Tangentially- related-to-cooking shows.
It seems that as appetites continue to grow for food on TV, networks are doing their best to churn out wacky shows that mix our obsession with eating with . . . anything else. Here’s a look at what’s new on the menu:
* Sandra Lee’s Taverns, Lounges & Clubs (Wednesday at 10:30 p.m., Cooking Channel):
New York’s First Girlfriend of Tablescapia takes you to her favorite watering holes in this boozy sideshow. That’s right, the woman who brought you rancid concoctions like the Startini Dream and the Cranberry Orange Ho-Ho-Jito on “Semi-Homemade Cooking” wants to tell you where to drink. Is it too much to ask for guest appearances by Kathie Lee and Paula Abdul?
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Chef Race: UK vs. US (Tuesday at 10 p.m., BBC America):
Chefs are racing across America for cash in a very hungry “Amazing Race,” competing in challenges where they have to make the most of a 400-pound bison or cook British dishes in Dodge City, Kan. An episode called “Kill It, Cook It, Eat It” was sufficiently self-explanatory. The chef who makes the worst or weakest dish is sent home a national disgrace.
* Chuck’s Eat the Street (Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., Cooking Channel):
Have you ever been in a new city and thought, “What if I just restricted my eating options to a single street?” Neither have we. Nevertheless, charming young Canadian, Chuck Hughes, will take you on a food tour of a single street in America, just in case you intend to eat so much that your mobility is compromised.
* My Grandmother’s Ravioli (Wednesday at 8:30, Cooking Channel):
Mo Rocca makes jokes about his heritage and maybe yours, too. Mo’s cooking real family recipes with real grandparents, so you can expect a lot of cute tales of yesteryear and “secret ingredients.”
* Blind Dinner Party (premiering Oct. 26, Food Network):
Hosted by the effervescent Margaret Cho, eight random people come together to eat their feelings about politics, culture, religion and the selection of Seth MacFarlane as Oscars host. Will there be food fights? We hope so. Otherwise it’s just people arguing with their mouths full, and that’s what we have the Real Housewives for.
* Sugar Dome (premiering Nov. 25, Food Network):
Apparently our nation’s sugar-fueled rage has not abated, because here we have yet another battle-themed, throwdown pastry competition show. The twist? This time they’re in a dome, so there’s no escape. Another twist, you ask? Pastry chefs are paired with sand sculptors, graffiti artists and other outsiders to whip up the most insane “food art” imaginable. Sad reality: None of it, and we mean none of it, will be appetizing.