Take Home Chef (TLC)

TAKE HOME CHEF serves up viewers a half-hour of home cooking as an unsuspecting shopper is whisked from the grocery store and treated to a personal food preparation lesson in his or her own kitchen. Australian-born chef/author Curtis Stone serves as the show's host and cooking instructor. In each episode, Stone zeros in on a shopper and guides cameras around the aisles as he and his new student work together to choose the ingredients for the meal they're going to prepare. Next stop: the shopper's home, where Stone provides meal preparation tricks and tips. At the end of each episode, the shopper's family returns home to a surprise gourmet meal.

Foodies will appreciate the insider tricks that Stone divulges. For example, in one episode, he suggests spearing grilled shrimp with slices of sugarcane rather than plain wood skewers to make the food sweeter. Viewers looking for compelling reality fare may be disappointed -- Stone's energy and useful tips help keep viewers' attention, but the episodes feel a bit weak without the surprises, challenges, or suspenseful moments inherent in most reality TV -- but fans of cooking shows will likely find Take Home Chef tasty enough.