“Uncooked Secrets: The Food Network Shows You Never Knew Were Axed!”
Since its debut in 1993, the Food Network has served as a beacon of culinary inspiration, whisking us away into a world of tantalizing recipes and culinary escapades. But what happens when the last slice of pie has been served, and your favorite shows are suddenly on the chopping block? If you’re an old-school Food Network enthusiast like me, you might be sitting there, scratching your head and thinking—hey, whatever happened to those delightful shows like Too Hot Tamales, Ace of Cakes, and Food Detectives? Have they ghosted us? Join me as we dive into a nostalgia-fueled trip down memory lane, exploring those long-lost culinary gems that filled our kitchens with laughter and flavor. Let’s see how many of these canceled classics you can still remember! LEARN MORE.Since the Food Network launched in 1993, it has inspired people to cook. Unfortunately, many of these series are not airing anymore. If you’re an old-school Food Network fan, you might have forgotten about Too Hot Tamales, Ace of Cakes, or Food Detectives. How many of these canceled Food Networks shows do you remember?
Emeril Live
Hosted by chef Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Live ran from 1994 to 1997, with a revival show spanning from 2000 to 2007. In it, Lagasse excitedly taught his “New New Orleans,” which was a version of Creole.
Emeril Live had a studio audience, live music, and celebrity guests. Fans might remember one of Lagasse’s many catchphrases, “Kick it up a notch”, “Pork fat rules”, “Oh, yeah babe”, and “Bam!” If you don’t remember that, you might remember some notable guests, including Pat Benatar, Jimmy Buffet, Alton Brown, and Patton Oswalt.
Ace Of Cakes
For five years, Duff Goldman hosted the reality show Ace of Cakes. The Food Network show focused on his bakery, Charm City Cakes in Maryland. Along with cooking, Goldman also showed his audience how he worked with vendors, made tastings for customers, and designed new cakes.
Ace of Cakes ran for a whopping ten seasons and was one of the highest-rated shows in Food Network history. Despite its overwhelmingly positive reviews, Ace of Cakes ended in 2011, and Goldman did not reappear on the Food Network until the 2019 series Buddy vs. Duff.
Cooking Live With Sara Moulton
In Cooking Live, chef Sara Moulton cooked live while receiving calls from fans. Moulton hosted several shows on Food Network, and she was also the on-air food editor of Good Morning America.
From 1997 to 2002, Cooking Live broadcast every day. During an interview with The Washington Post, Moulton said, “A lot of young people who were 8 or 9 when I was on Cooking Live have continued to cook…They tell me they remember watching.” Moulton continues to host a cooking show distributed by American Public Television.
Too Hot Tamales
In 1997, two chefs and long-time chefs, Susan Feniger and Mary-Sue Milliken, hosted a Food Network show together. It was called Too Hot Tamales, a fun cooking show about modern Mexican cuisine. The show spawned for 396 episodes and a spin-off series, Tamales World Tour.
Although Too Hot Tamales ended in 1999, it was not the end of Milliken and Feniger’s co-hosting careers. The two starred on other Food Network shows, wrote five cookbooks, and even cooked the meals for the 2001 movie Tortilla Soup.
How To Boil Water
How to Boil Water was not a presentation on how to make tea, but rather, a series of lessons for people with little to no cooking experience. When the show came out in 1993, it was hosted by Emeril Lagasse. But it saw several other hosts throughout the years, including Cathy Lowe, Tyler Florence, and Jack Hourigan.
How to Boil Water was once the Food Network’s trademark show, and it remained on the channel for ten years. During its run, the show switched from one host to two, such as pairing comedian Sean Donnellan with chef Lowe.
30-Minute Meals
30-Minute Meals was Rachel Ray’s first-ever Food Network show. As the title suggests, Ray taught fans how to cook quick meals. Most recipes were twists on classic dishes, such as shepherd’s pie, clam chowder, curry, and lasagna.
Although Ray had no formal cooking experience, she hosted a show that ran from 2001 to 2012. She also wrote several books inspired by the show, including 30 Minute Meals: Cooking Around the Clock and 30 Minute Meals: Veggie Meals. Although the show ended almost ten years ago, Food Network announced a revival series in January 2019.
