Whether you love to cook — or love to watch other people cook — there has never been a greater variety of food TV than there is right now.
From the educational series that PBS does so well to the huge number of drama-filled competition shows, there's truly something for everyone.
If you're the kind of person who likes finding out how the sausage gets made, here are 10 things you may not have known about your favorite cooking shows.
Each hour-long episode of your favorite competition show can take 12 to 14 hours to shoot.
As anyone who has ever worked in TV or film production can tell you, a lot of what you see on screen happens through editing. Production teams shoot tons and tons of footage — then select the best bits to form the most compelling narrative to slide in front of your hungry eyes as the finished product.
On competition shows, your day gets longer the better you are. "Chopped" winner Kathy Fang regularly started her day on set around 5:45 a.m. — and was shooting until 8 or 9 p.m. at night.
When you're that busy, you might end up not even being hungry. "Even though I was surrounded by food all day, I was running around so much I didn't even think of eating," Fang told Delish.
What happens to all that food after a show is done shooting depends on who is involved.
We all know that food waste is a problem that only seems to be getting worse every day. It's natural to wonder who eats all the food made on cooking shows — especially ones with tons of it, like competition shows.
It turns out that the answer varies widely. Some shows, like the "Rachael Ray Show" do what you'd hope and donate the food to local charities, according to The Daily Meal.
But since some food gets kept out under hot studio lights for hours — well past the time when it would be safe for anyone to eat — a lot of that food apparently also ends up in the garbage.
Food sanitation and the prospect of legal liability if anyone gets sick from eating improperly handled — or cooked — foods can be even more powerful motivators than the disappointment of food show judges.
Some "hero shots" of finished food may not even be edible.
Entire books could be written about the tips and tricks in a food photographer or food stylist's arsenal. A simple drizzle of motor oil can look like the most enticing syrup. Mashed potatoes resemble the most delectable scoop of ice cream — and they don't melt under hot studio lights. A turkey might be raw on the inside, according to Creators and Creatives, but look like a crispy-skinned god among poultry thanks to some more judicious use of that handy kitchen standby, motor oil, according to Reddit.
When you're watching food TV, you're eating entirely with your eyes — not your mouth. Your brain is conjuring up the rest of the experience based on what you see — so the fact that some of it may not be perfectly real doesn't matter.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider