Common Sense Media Review
By Stephanie Morgan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cooking contest encourages math, critical thinking skills.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Cook at All Costs
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
COOKING AT ALL COSTS asks the question: Do luxury ingredients always make the best dishes? In a high-stakes cookoff, home cooks have to use both budgeting and auction bidding skills to try to grab the best ingredients and prepare a winning dish. Each starts with $25,000 in their bank, which they can use to bid on and buy ingredients for their dishes. The catch? The winner gets to take home only what they have left in their bank at the end of the competition.
Is It Any Good?
With a genuine and charismatic host and an impressive roster of guest judges, this cooking competition show is a natural standout. And when the first "surprise box" of ingredients is opened to reveal a huge beef heart, it's immediately apparent that Cook at All Costs isn't going to go easy on its amateur chef contestants. Adding to the fun, the set looks like a trendy restaurant sure to have a waitlist, and "the line" -- a huge conveyor belt that moves ingredients and finished dishes between the contestants and mystery judge -- is super sleek. Host Jordan Andino, a celebrity chef in his own right, has a natural on-screen presence and brings a light and joyful energy to each episode. Plus, if home cooks are unfamiliar with what they've been given, he kindly takes pity and teaches them (and viewers at home) about the ingredient in question. Certainly, crazy mystery ingredients are nothing new for cooking shows, but the bidding element is a refreshing twist. It's always a good time to yell at contestants from the couch when you think they're making bad decisions. Plus, kids can practice math and critical thinking skills as they make judgments on what contestants should buy and how much they should spend.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about if they think the home cooks are nervous to be cooking on television and for professional chefs. If so, how do you think they overcame their nerves? Think of a time you were really nervous to do something. What helped?
This competition show uses only one judge instead of a panel of judges. How might this affect how the winner is picked? Do you think it changes the fairness of the competition?
Do you think it's a better strategy to spend a lot of money to get the best ingredients or to try to save money so that you have the opportunity to win more money at the end?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 16, 2022
- Cast : Jordan Andino
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Cooking
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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