Home cooked. Southern style. $20 dinners. Dinners for a high dollar. People looking for the best food around the country. Competition. Inedible food becoming edible. And tastes of new cultures. What do all of these things have in common? They are all concepts created by the masterminds at Food Network.

Over my short 17 years of owning a TV, I have grown to have a passionate love for the Food Network. I have watched all of the shows and learned some recipes, too. But now I am at the point of thinking I know better than the chef, and that is the farthest from the truth. Sure, I try my best to cook like these people I have been looking up to for my entire life, but sometimes, it flops, and other times, it tastes like it’s made by a professional chef. There isn’t a real gray area with me, but to be completely honest, I’m not the biggest fan of all of the shows, although there are a special few that hold a spot in my heart.

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives holds one of those spots. It showcases the host, Guy Fieri, traveling the country, looking for the best of the best. Although it is not him cooking, he is being immersed in new cultures and food types around the U.S. And in that way, he is able to immerse the viewer in the cultures as well. The way that he and the restaurant owner or top tier worker go through some of the most popular dishes, and show how to make them is just profound. It is something that makes the viewer keep coming back time and time again to see, and maybe even recreate these recipes shown on the show.

Cooks VS. Cons also holds a dear spot in my heart. This show began airing a few years back and captured viewers immediately. It had a certain mystery that other cooking shows did not have on the network. The whole idea is that cooks and “cons,” or people who work in other professions, battle it out to see who can create the best dish; however, their identities are hidden from the judges in order to have equality among the four contestants. Having watched other various cooking shows all of my life that showcased professional cooks, this show demonstrates how other people can be amazing cooks, all while feeling that they need to go down a different career path. It also demonstrated how diverse the cooking community can be, especially when only the professionals are showcased.

Last but not least, Chopped. Chopped also demonstrates some of the same ideals that Cooks VS. Cons made clear. It doesn’t employ “major league” chefs, like Bobby Flay or Rachel Ray, but rather gives chefs from all over the country a chance to win a large amount of money that could change a life. This television series showcases auditioned chefs, which are later chosen, as they are all considered amazing. Then comes the almighty equalizer: the basket. The basket contains four ingredients that these chefs must include in their dishes. They have the freedom to create whatever they like, but their dish must include these key four ingredients. This particular program shows many different cultures through foods and immerses its viewers with no problem.

The Food Network has always amazed me. I have always been floored by how they can make cooking an art. It has its own ways to relieve stress, by completely changing the brain’s focus from stress to food. Sure, it does make you hungry now and then, but for me, the Food Network is more of a way to cope with this stress, rather than just watch a television network. It has introduced me to new cultures, new ways of life, and new ways to alleviate stress. The Food Network is a life changing channel, especially to me, a wannabe cook.