Making over the Food Network in 10 easy steps!

Personally I would love to see more international shows on FN. I was lucky enough to spend a year in Australia and got hooked on Lifestyle Food while there. The current line up isn't as diverse as it used to be but still, cooking shows from around the world are on all the time. Shows like Neil Perry's Rockpool Sessions, Huey's Cooking Adventures, Rick Stein's Taste of the Sea and even the game show inspired Ready Steady Cook all come to mind as shows that would do well here. I was very glad to see Aarti's show become somewhat of a sensation. Even if it's a very American show, at least there's one show that gives us a glimpse of food from outside of North America. There's so much good food out there but we're not seeing most of it.

I really wish they would being back Good Eats to a full time show again. I hate tuning in at 7:30 to see yet another stupid Food Network Challenge. In my opinion, getting rid of Big Daddy, Alex Guarnaschelli, Anne Burrell, Bobby Flay, Claire Robinson, Ina, Marcela Valladolid, Paula Deen and Rachel Ray would be a good start to getting the ratings back up.

One more thing they should look at changing is the supposed availability of the items in their shows. Rachel Ray is really bad for talking about off the wall ingredients then saying casually that you should be able to pick it up at the local super market etc. Sure you can when you live in NYC, but what about the people that live in a town with 10,000 people and the closest "decent" grocery store is a 40 minute drive? I do, however, like at least the idea behind Rachel Ray's new show, the one about cooking one day and eating all week.

I am in my early thirties and I am a food network viewer. You make some good points with exception. Here are some gripes in regards to food network.

1) To many reruns on the daytime cooking shows. Provide fresh content every day.
2) Alot of shows that I am simply not interested in cupcake show, cake competition, etc
3) To many Chefs I dont enjoy watching. Paula Dean, Arti party show, to name a few. Lose Paula Dean she is boring and adds nothing, I am totally out of touch with her and what she stands for.
4) Lets see more Bobby Flay, Ina Garten, Giada, Fieri is great in all shows. Alton in good eats. I enjoyed Mario Batali show, that got canned. Emeril was decent he split, Rachael seemingly is concentrating on her talk show. They lost alot of "stars"
4) I DO enjoy Guy Fieri he is one of the few with personality. I disagree with less Fieri.
5) Less food competition shows. Chopped and Iron Chef is an exception that is a hit and I enjoy that program.

More budget friendly meals made by the top cooks. Like to see how they deal with less then perfect ingredients!!!!

After Guy Fieri won the "Next Food Network Star" we quit watching that show. And we don't watch anything with him in it.

We like to watch most of the COOKING shows (the more down-to-earth ones)... not so much the contests. The cake challenges were interesting at first, but they quickly got stale...and the woman judge is such a sourpuss she really grates. The "Chopped" host is....too....dramatic.

We, too, find ourselves flipping over to the Cooking Channel more frequently.

I agree completely, thanks for saying it for us!

Agree that all the competition show belong on a Game Channel, not the food network.

I don't like to see all those competition realities like Iron chef, chopped, and etc. When it comes to the judgment, most judges are bias (I understand they are humans, they shouldn't be stereotyped by race, gender, and skin color.) I have, again and again, disappointed by their prejudiced judgments. And... to be honest, I want to see more Asian healthy food cooking shows by Asian-American chefs, because I love Asian food!

hey y'all, paula and neeleys are my buddies from the hood, so putting y'all into every sentance breeds familarity. y'all keep it up, y'all.

Love iron chef and Alton! Stop reality shows, most of us live in reality.

I think the best thing for the food channel to do to get back its base viewership is to have a base line up of chefs that will do demonstrative cooking in more of a how-to format in the earlier hours. Primetime was at it's best, for me, when Emeril was cooking in a how-to talk show format. Followed by one competitive show. Different competitions on different nights, and less reruns of those shows. More reruns of the how to format will put people more in the kitchen and less on the couch.

I stopped watching Food Network years ago because of the lack of diversity. If they have enough program space to have 15 Rachel Ray shows, they have enough space to have a show about Asian, Mexican, Indian, and even African food. And honestly I don't want to see Emeril cooking stirfry or Bobby Flay cooking curry chicken on the grill. Of course they added the Neelys, Sunshine, and Big Daddy Aaron, but I don't want diversity for diversity sake, I want to see certified professional chefs from all shapes, races and backgrounds. I think FN has a unique opportunity to help us understand our neighbors by Bringing us together through Food. I think if they created a better diverse balance (a little competition, a little cooking, a little about travel, a little science) of everything it would be better.

All right! Finally someone is writing about what has happened to the Food Channel programing. There was a time not too far in the past when I had the Food Channel running in the background for a good portion of the day. Sadly, that time has passed. I've tried watching The Iron Chef and Bobby's challenges but they just don't cut it in my book. I looked forward each night to lying in bed for a bit and unwinding while watching Alton and Unwrapped. Now they are basically gone in that late night time slot. So I've switched to other programing. Some of the competion shows are so contrived. Thus I just gave up on them. Indeed - - please, Food Network, return to your tried a true format and I, along with many others, will return to the fold.

I agree, less competition, more teaching me how to cook.

Completely agree! Enough already--no more reality and/or competition shows please. And I don't under any circumstances want to see the "worst cooks" in America when Food Network should be able to provide the best. Be like the Barefoot Contessa (more please!) and go back to basics!

ZERO nutritional information regarding the recipes! For those of us who are calorie/fat/protein-conscious, it's hard to be interested in their recipes when you don't know what's in them. Love the shows, but it should be a given that that information is included in today's healthy eating generation.

love:
chopped. it's the show that got me watching the network in the first place. i am continuously amazed at the surprisingly delicious things people come up with from those ridiculous baskets.

iron chef, symon, alton brown, flay

would love it if aaron sanchez would get his own show. his restaurant is awesome, and has creative food

there should be a decent balance between the decadent shows and the affordable/healthy eating ones

can't stand cupcake wars, food network challenge

Please get rid of Sandra Lee! All she does is 'assemble' ingredients - and not even real ones at that. Same goes for The Neeley's and all of their Next Food Network winners.

Tired of all the competition shows - everytime one comes on, I switch the channel.

I want to see trained chefs teaching how to really cook - actual techniques - not just chopping and dropping. I would watch Cooking Channel but I'm not willing to pay extra for it. Also would like to see more travel/cooking shows. Way back when, they used to show more of those in places outside of the US. I'd like to see more about global cuisine.

I don't know how many times at night I am looking for something to watch on tv and turn to FNC in hopes to find something and all I see is nothing...please bring back the shows that actually teach us how to cook new recipes, using new ingredients or even old ones in a new way!

The daytime shows are the bomb, I usually have it on while doing stuff around the house and follow up online with recipes that I want to try.

I agree with everyone else. I watch the food network to get new ideas and to learn. I switch channels when the competitions come on. I personally like Guy, he has a great approach and sense of humor. I'd like to see more vegetarian dishes. Also; I find it disturbing when the chefs use endangered fish (like sea bass). A more environmentally correct program would be welcome.

I could not agree with you more! You need to send this to the company and I pray they will read this!