#FIRSTLOOK: “EASY-BAKE BATTLE: THE HOME COOKING COMPETITION”

Inspired by elements of the Easy-Bake Ovens we loved so much as a kid, EASY-BAKE-BATTLE: THE HOME COOKING COMPETITION comes soon to us on Netflix. Produced and hosted by Queer Eye‘s Antoni Porowksi, each of these eight x 30 minute episodes sees three Amateur Chefs battle to make quick-preparation meals, under time constraints and sometimes even without an oven! Though the title of this Competition Series is a little misleading – I genuinely thought they would be baking with Easy-Bake Ovens! – this doesn’t mean these challenges are fun and delicious!

Porowski is a knowledgeable and engaging Host and brings aboard some fascinating Guest Judges. Spoiler Alert: Kristen Kish of the latest season of Iron Chef, even makes an appearance! But the true stars of the Show are the Contestants who consistently have to be reminded to keep it simple and despite some of them possessing some impressive techniques, you see them using almost 25 ingredients in a dish, which defeats the concept of “easy”. One episode has the contestants cooking out of a coffee maker and with an iron. I don’t envy the Judges as we don’t quite know if some of these dishes are cooked properly even, but the results time and again are pretty amazing. Even with flops, Contestants are forced to improvise for a shot at a $25k prize each episode!

Truly a fun watch and should garner enough interest for a second season, we hope! EASY-BAKE BATTLE: THE HOME COOKING COMPETITION arrives October 12, 2022 on Netflix.

#FIRSTLOOK: “IRON CHEF: QUEST FOR AN IRON LEGEND”

Just released this past weekend, IRON CHEF: QUEST FOR AN IRON LEGEND is Competition Television at its finest! We loved IRON CHEF, but in all honesty, haven’t watched it in years. This latest installment in the Franchise pits new up-an-coming Chefs against five esteemed and accomplished Iron Chefs:

Curtis Stone
Marcus Samuelsson
Dominique Crenn
Gabriela Cámara
Ming Tsai

And is it ever thrilling! New secret ingredients, true to form, are revealed every episode and the one up-and-coming Chef is pit against one Iron Chef to make a multi-course meal for our panel of judges. The results are breathtaking, craveworthy and drool-inducing. More than ever before we get an inclusive Cast and the real touching stories behind these Chefs and their passion for food. The Challenger is up to win the title of IRON LEGEND, a first of its kind, and wins the Golden Knife!

The Competition culminates in the most successful Challenger going up against ALL FIVE Iron Chefs. Mindblowingly-good. I need a second season. Next time I visit New York, I must try Challenger Esther Choi‘s MOKBAR after seeing her amazing Kimchify-ing of her food! Instant fan.

Really love the thoughtful adjudication by our panel of Judges including Nilou Motamed and Andrew Zimmern, plus one new special guest on each episode! Hosts Kristen Kish and Alton Brown also deliver some smart commentary and banter that make this such a joyful watch.

All eight episodes of IRON CHEF: QUEST FOR AN IRON LEGEND are out now on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)