Programming

A new title to be released today, MasterChef Cookbook by JoAnn Cianciulli, hopes to perpetuate Gordon Ramsay's current Fox show of the same name. The book offers tips on essential kitchen techniques, highlights favorite chef ingredients, and includes over 80 recipes from both judges and contestants. But does it also give away the cooking competition's ultimate winner? Find out (warning: possible spoiler alert!) after the jump.

Hot off the heels of Aarti Sequeira's win on The Next Food Network Star comes announcement of new contestants slated for season three of The Next Iron Chef, and the lineup is a little surprising.

Those hoping to become the next Kitchen Stadium superstar include none other than Ming Tsai, who is already an established television personality on PBS, as well as Food & Wine Best New Chef Bryan Caswell. Another notable participant is Marco Canora, owner of New York hotspots Hearth and Terroir. See all 10 chefs who will be competing — as well as my thoughts on the roster — when you keep reading.

If you're a fan of the Food Network but haven't been watching The Cooking Channel this Summer, there's a good chance that you'll change your mind come September. Its star-studded Fall lineup includes new original programs from Food Network vets Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, and Kelsey Nixon, among others.

Rachael Ray's Week in a Day, which premieres Sept. 25, will be the media mogul's first food-focused show in nine years. It'll feature cooking a week's meals, from scratch, all in one day. Bobby Flay's Saturday show now has a tech-savvy name, Brunch @ Bobby's, and a focus on sweet and savory recipes, including some of his family favorites. The program, which is filmed in his Hamptons kitchen, will premiere Oct. 16.

The Cooking Channel is also giving former Next Food Network Star cheftestants Kelsey Nixon and Jeffrey Saad another shot at the small screen. Nixon's new show, Kelsey's Essentials, is all about basic kitchen techniques, while Saad is set to host the tentatively titled United Tastes of America. His show will explore the history, science, and cultural impact of iconic foods like burgers and pizza.

Also in the pipeline? The Minimalist, based on the food column of New York Times writer Mark Bittman; My Life in Food, a portrait of lives transformed by food, produced by Al Roker; and Bitchin' Kitchen, a cooking show based on one comedienne's witty web series. Which shows do you think you'll catch?

On last night's installment of Top Chef: Washington DC, award-winning pastry whiz Johnny Iuzzini judged the pie quickfire — and revealed he'll be head judge on the forthcoming Top Chef: Just Desserts.

Joining Iuzzini and Gail Simmons, the host of the new series, will be Hubert Keller (a runner-up on Top Chef Masters) and DailyCandy editor-at-large Dannielle Kyrillos.

I'm surprised with the lineup of judges yet, at the same time, not surprised at all. It remains to be seen what kind of insight they'll lend to the evaluation process. What do you think of the announcement? And what are your thoughts on last night's Top Chef 7 episode?

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Oprah Winfrey's on the hunt to find talk show hosts for her new cable network OWN — but she's already found one in celebrity chef Cat Cora.

Yesterday brought news that the Iron Chef is developing a show where she will travel the country, offering nutritional, cooking, and healthy living advice to families in need of a lifestyle overhaul. Shed Media, of Real Housewives of New York City fame, will produce.

Chef Cora's new program won't air until at least January 2011, when the network is set to replace the Discovery Health Channel. It will follow the network's mission to "connecting you to your best self and the world," which seems slightly reminiscent of her former role in Food Network's Kitchen Accomplished.

It'll be nice to see a softer side of Cora, after years of seeing her exhibit nothing but fierce Iron-clad determination to win in Kitchen Stadium. Does this sound like a show you'd watch?

It appears Bravo has decided not to put all of its eggs in the Top Chef franchise basket. Author, New York chef, and onetime dancer Rocco DiSpirito is soon to have his own show, too. Today, the cable network officially introduced the program, Rocco's Dinner Party, on its blog, The Dish.

Each episode will feature four different contestants, from restaurateurs to home cooks, facing off in a three-round cooking elimination. In the first round, contestants will cook their favorite dishes for Rocco; in the second, they'll create an appetizer and concept for the week's assigned dinner party theme; in the last, the two remaining contestants will fashion a complete menu and decor to win.

To me, the concept sounds remarkably similar to Food Network's Chopped — only with parties. Still, I could see how Rocco's star power could make it successful. Will this be the next big cooking hit for Bravo?

Emeril Lagasse is back in a big way: Martha helped save his empire, and this Summer he'll return to the Food Network with Emeril's Fresh Food Fast on the brand-new Cooking Channel. On top of it all, we've just learned he'll be starring in a pilot for a new game show on CBS.

The still-untitled project is a hybrid cooking show and game show. For a prize, members of the studio audience will face off at the stove under the guidance of Emeril himself. According to Deadline, the pilot could potentially replace the CBS departing daytime soap As the World Turns.

Although his pork fat-and-garlic laden cooking isn't my favorite style, I'm happy to see that Emeril — one of the very first TV successes of his culinary generation — is returning to his roots. Would you tune in to watch this game show?

Food Network's gearing up for Summer with more than just a grilling special. On Memorial Day, it will premiere The Cooking Channel. Earlier this year, the new network and successor to Fine Living revealed its lineup would include new titles from Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, and Emeril, along with little-known talent from abroad. Today, it announced the rest of the shows that'll debut May 31.

The primetime space will include Drink Up!, a cocktail class with Darryl "Dr. Mixologist" Robinson; Foodcrafters, a behind-the-scenes show with Food Network's Aida Mollenkamp; and Foodography, a cultural look back at famous foods with Mo Rocca of CBS Sunday Morning. There'll also be the likes of Cupcake Wars, a (you guessed it!) cupcake challenge, and the tentatively titled Food Trucks, a street food faceoff hosted by Tyler Florence.

During the day, the Cooking Channel will air Indian Food Made Easy and Caribbean Food Made Easy; reruns of Julia Child's Galloping Gourmet; and Cook Like an Iron Chef with Michael Symon. Also coming later this year to Food Network: another Next Food Network Star and The Next Iron Chef 3. While some of the shows don't seem original — Foodcrafters sounds a lot like Road Tasted, and Foodography sure reminds me of The Secret Life Of... — I'm excited about the new cooking programs featuring Indian and Caribbean cuisine. What will you watch?