There is a certain allure of cooking shows. The color of the different ingredients, the flash of a knife as it cuts and chops, the sizzle of the oil, the spices that make the dish seem to pop out, plating and serving the finished dish and that final moment of tasting the food and seeing the reaction of the person.

Whole channels have been devoted to cooking shows and all kinds of programs that are about food. Food is life literally.

One of my earliest memories of cooking shows was watching with my mom the show Wok with Yan, a Chinese cooking show that was very popular during its syndication here in the Philippines.

I marveled at the flames and speed of how Stephen Yan worked his culinary expertise to create easy meals that delighted the audience. My mom would then recreate this and serve it to us on weekends.

Ever since then I was hooked as I watched cooking shows when I was growing up. I learned to poach, sear, roast, create sauces and soups, and even bake when most kids were learning to ride a bike. I love the kitchen and all the smells associated with it.

[From Unsplash - Chinh Le Duc]

Aside from cooking I was very fond of watching cartoons. Saturday mornings meant having a bowl of cereal while wearing my pajamas while watching the likes of Bravestarr, Macross, Transformers, He-Man, Gobots (Yes I watched these Transformers rip off as a kid!)

Then I stumbled into the cooking Anime genre!!! A combination of two kinds of shows into one!! How could I not love it! This is why I am making this post. It is to share some of the most memorable cooking animes that I have watched.

Some of the parts like the explosions, the light and aura are exaggerated but a lot of the show has very realistic parts and grounded from real cooking techniques.

Cooking Master Boy - Chūka Ichiban!

[Source- Youtube channel hehayo]

This was one of the earliest anime that I can remember watching. Aired on a local channel I followed it to cable where I was able to finally watch the ending. It had 52 episodes in which the protagonist of the story Liu Mao Xing's mother was murdered for being a super chef and Mao sets off to become one so that he can rightfully inherit their restaurant.

Just like me he grew up watching his mother cook and got her love of creating dishes to make other people happy and satisfied.

He sets forth to travel China and hone his craft by meeting rivals who he challenges on cook offs that showcase their skill with the main ingredient selected for that episode. It is very similar to that real cooking show Iron Chef were people compete and try to win against the Iron Chefs.

One of the most memorable episodes for me was about the Mapo Tofu episode because that after that I tried to make my own Mapo Tofu dish and served it to my family.

Yakitate!! Ja-pan

[Source Youtube channel - Zirra]

Baking is part of the cooking process and this was one that I immensely enjoyed watching as I also baked pies and bread.

The story revolves around Kazuma Azuma who is interested in making the ultimate Japanese bread that will spread all over the world.

He notes that some countries have very iconic breads associated with them like the French have the Baguette, the English has muffins and Germany has rye bread and so he wants to create one for Japan as well. For Filipinos our most iconic is Pan De Sal which I covered in this post Pandesal cravings : Your Filipino breakfast roll

One of the prominent feature of this anime was the protagonist's "Solar Hands" a description of how his hands were warmer than any individual thus giving him an edge in baking because his dough is able to ferment faster.

This was memorable to me because people complain that I have a hotter than normal temperature especially my hands which tend to be hot. I have numerous times had women complain that I am too hot literally. Although I have been used as a hot compress for menstrual pains at times as well. Talk about objectification!

So having the protagonist have the same ability as I have felt awesome to a young boy like me. Although to be honest I don't think it gave me any advantages in cooking. Handling a stick of butter is often messy and I don't even hold ice cream because it melts on my hands.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma

[Source Youtube channel - Tech Traitor]

This is the latest cooking anime that I am watching and I had to admit I binged watch. It is very popular right now and as in its third season.

The anime revolves around Soma Yukihira, a young teenager who wants to beat his dad in a cook off and eventually inherit their family restaurant. He has been cooking since he was 6 years old, watching his father cook and run their restaurant.

The hero's journey begins when his father closes the restaurant and tell him to enroll in a culinary school. He scoffs off this idea of paying to be taught to cook but still goes to Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, which apparently is the most elite culinary school with a passing rate of 10%!

Here he sees different chefs from all over the world and competes to be number one.

Umami is a central component in this show highlights its importance in taste. Known as the 6th taste that our tongue gets from food or beverage it was discovered and coined by the Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda. Often described as a savory deliciousness. Chemically it is amino acid L-glutamate and 5’-ribonucleotides such as guanosine monophosphate (GMP) and inosine monophosphate (IMP). This led to the creation of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG).

I enrolled in a culinary school at one point in my life. This was because my mom did not believe in idle summers and often had us shipped to various workshops and developmental programs when we were younger. So when I see culinary terms used in this show I couldn't help but smile and remember those days.

This show is realistic in its portrayal of food minus the explosions, lights, aura and exaggerated expressions of the judges. This is the closest thing to food porn and I advise you to turn the volume down or wear headphones when watching it. You might also not want anyone to peer over your shoulder when you watch as they might think that you are a pervert.

Back to food it has spawned several videos that tackle the food aspect of the show. Here is a great video of The Kitchen Waifu in recreating the first episodes "Pork Roast"

This is another great video created by React where some people try food that was created by a professional chef from the food used in Food wars and the reaction is just priceless!

So there are the three memorable cooking animes that I have watched. There are a lot of other shows that I left out so sorry if your favorite cooking anime was not included.

Tell me in the comments section what are yours.