The delights of de-stressing with culinary TV

As we all know these days, life can be extra stressful(especially if you can't avoid watching the news) and the seemingly everlasting winter weather isn't doing much to help mellow things out.

Fortunately, signs of spring are close at hand and if you're in need of simply relaxing TV, food shows are still a safe harbor to anchor your viewing vessel to.

A surprise big hit at the moment is Netflix's Nailed It!, a off the cuff and then some baking competition series. Hosted by comedienne Nicole Bayer with famed chocolate artist Jacques Torres as head judge, a trio of amateur bakers are tasked with recreating some elaborate treats, ranging from cake pop duos to full-on cakes that
feature sharks,princesses and even a certain presidential figure.

To say that these edible arrangements are not always done well is an understatement. However, the tone of the whole show is good natured humor and even some of the judges don't take themselves too seriously.

 I saw on one episode a guest judge help herself to some booze and a cooking pan she liked right out of the pantry and another episode had the extra judge leave in the middle of the taping to pick up his kids from school! Not sure if he made it back for the rest of the show(I need to finish watching that one) but considering just how much of a mess was being made of the final round cakes, perhaps he was trying to make a respectable getaway there.

Nailed It is only six episodes but it has been renewed for a second season, which should give any potential contenders a chance to brush up on their baking skills(or practice their creative explanations for the judges):

If you prefer some prime time bad cooking, Food Network will oblige with Worst Cooks in America:Celebrity Edition. Starting this upcoming Sunday, Anne Burrell and Tyler Florence have a bumbling bevy of celebs to teach a few basic culinary skills to and all in the name of charity(the winner's prize, that is, to their favorite one).

The kitchen contenders this time out include actors Bronson Pinchot and The Office's Oscar Nunez, plus comedienne Maria Bamford, LaToya Jackson and Daisy Duke herself, Catherine Bach. I adore Worst Cooks, both the regular and the celebrity seasons, since you do get to learn a few things along with the "recruits" and have a good laugh to boot during their boot camp training:

For quality baking skills, we do have the current season of Spring Baking Championship on Food Network as well.

Hosted by Cooking Channel's Ali Khan, the pack of pastry chefs competing for the big win have been challenged with mirror ball cakes, tiny sized treats and creating an edible picnic basket filled with goodies(that one was tough for many, I can tell you!).

Another joy in watching this show for me are the judges, particularly when Nancy Fuller and Lorraine Pascal needle each other(putting Duff Goldman in the middle as a playful referee). That American Idol panel vibe they put out here is the sweet icing on the competition cake indeed:

Speaking of Cooking Channel, they have a new season of their flavorful factoid series, Food:Fact or Fiction?, airing on the weekend.

Hosted by Michael McKean, the whimsical way in which food history is displayed is truly entertaining. Did you know that popcorn was at one time considered to not be suitable for movie theaters or that the original treats handed out for Halloween were called soul cakes?

Even foods that you've never eaten turn out to interesting to know more about. For example, I have not had either a Caeser's salad(which has nothing to do with Julius,btw) or a Cobb salad yet seeing how they were invented by sheer instant inspiration and then different restaurants fighting over the right to say they first made it makes me want to taste them at least once:

While food TV can't fill all of your escapist needs, that tasty corner of the pop culture world does offer you a certain amount of comfort. What's more inviting than a warm kitchen with delicious smells wafting from the oven and good friends to share them with?

Well, it's true that you do have to leave that comfort zone sometime but hopefully, when you do go back, there might be a sweet slice of cake waiting for you. Maybe even a beautifully prepared piece that will inspire your artistic appetite as well: