America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation

Remember when Food Network used to show programs about cooking, then the entire network turned into a slate of pathetic and inane competitions? It seems like ATK is about to travel down that same sad, sorry road if this horrid show is an example of what to expect.

The main host is horribly cast. Why is she shrieking and screaming at the contestants? Okay, I'm sure the producers want to generate some enthusiasm on the set but seriously? Her shrill voice is like nails on a chalkboard! At least we have one sensible, serious judge along the way.

And where do they find some of these cooks? I would expect someone wishing to obtain a position with ATK would have a touch more than basic food knowledge. We hear several times "I've never cooked that before". The worst was the contestant that seemed unable to comprehend the brief for the challenge in addition to their horrible time management. Just because your parent was a chef doesn't endow you with those skills.

I was really looking forward to watching this program but after two episodes I'm done.

This was a really disappointing show. As much as I love ATK and CC, this is an abomination. Most of the cooks are from either California or, to a lesser extent, Massachusetts. This is one more show that caters to the coasts and to hell with the rest of the country. I don't know or care who wins but I'll only see any of them when they get to ATK.

The level of inexperience for several of the contestants is laughable. On a dish that one cook mentioned he did in dedication to his Dad was horrible. Not only did he overcook the salmon that he said he has prepared many times but he failed to even get his rice done. How is it that you don't start the rice immediately - all of the rice cookers I am aware of can keep the rice warm until the protein is done. It all resulted in a plate that would have been better presented as salmon nachos - at least there wouldn't have been a nearly empty plate.

Others had their own set of afflictions. Bottom line, I watched through about 1/2 of the meal presentations and turnedd it off, not likely to ever watch again. I learned a great deal from ATK and CC and I feel lke this denigrates their "exalted" position in the cooking TV world. Sorry Elle, Julia, Dan, and Jack but this is beneath you!

I was expecting more of the great analytical insight, experience and a little science behind what makes certain dishes "work" as they are intended... or dont work if not done right. A bit of deconstruction, alternate techniques, importance of certain ingredients and whatnot to achieve desired results (taste and texture). I was hoping to learn something.

This show isn't about educating the audience as before, but the contestants learning and growing - like any other cooking competition game show. And that's fine, except that hasn't been what ATK was about and what I was expecting. I found the 1hr slot seemed long and drawn out, whereas with the old ATK format time seemed to go by too fast.

It's not a bad show as far as a cooking competition goes, I guess, but it is not ATK as we have known it. It's just another cooking competition. But I must say the host kept me watching just to get a glimpse of her entirety... knowmsayn? She fine!!

But I am into the more advanced cooking competition shows, and kinda have a full plate on that subject, to make pun. Again, I was hoping for some insightful, educational cooking tips, do's and dont's, etc. Not delivered in that respect.

This show has nothing to do with America's Test Kitchen. Yes, they got some of the America's Test Kitchen regulars to show up to introduce segments and judge the dishes. It appears the prospect of an easy paycheck was irresistible.

This competition format is alien to what is at the heart of the real America's Test Kitchen. The real America's Test Kitchen serves to educate America's home cooks. The cooks on the original show demonstrate recipes, provide some background information, explain the science behind the food (news alert, cooking is chemistry and physics).

And the cast of contestants are off-putting. Everyone overacts to an almost comedic extent. The fake plastic excitement is repulsive. And seriously, I don't want the lady who has never cooked a scallop teaching me how to cook scallops because "for someone who has never cooked a scallop before you did surprisingly well".

Whoever decided this show was a good idea should never be allowed near a TV show in the future. And it would probably benefit mankind if they didn't have children.

It's really fun to see the inside of the America's Test Kitchen building and kitchens, which we don't get to see on the other shows. And I love watching the ATK hosts like Elle, Jack, and Dan give feedback in a new setting.

I'm a big fan of cooking competition shows, so this show is right up my alley. It doesn't have the borderline aggressive edge of a lot of current Food Network shows, but it's more aligned with that style than with The Great British Baking Show. The contestants are friendly with each other mostly because they're not cooking the same dishes side by side. There's a lot of creativity coming from the contestants themselves.