I’ll be honest; I’m not exactly a cooking show connoisseur. The majority of the food content that I consume is on YouTube. There’s just something about YouTube food videos that feels authentic and makes you feel like a part of the cooking experience in these videos.
But recently, I’ve ventured into Netflix food shows. I loved Chef’s Table and School of Chocolate and just finished Is It Cake? and was hungry for more. So when I saw a brand new Netflix food series, I was all for it.
Pressure Cooker is a captivating Netflix original series that explores the cutthroat world of high-stakes cooking. It offers a unique take on cooking competitions. The show follows a diverse group of contestants who live together and try to prove themselves through various cooking challenges with one major plot twist: the contestants are the judges. After each challenge, they must vote on who to eliminate.
The Pressure Cooker House
I think the concept of the show is its biggest flaw. Having the contestants vote each other out created fickle alliances, campaigning, controversies, and overall unnecessary tension. The show is not about the food or the cooking as much as it's about the drama. The cooking challenges themselves lack creativity and excitement, feeling more like an afterthought than a central aspect of the show.
The Chefs
The chefs have interesting backgrounds and stories, and I was looking forward to learning more about them. But most of their confessionals painted them as one-dimensional, lacking depth and vulnerability and saying the most cliched lines for an exciting soundbite.
The Food
A big part of cooking shows for me is learning new things. I was always fascinated by the skill showcased in shows like School of Chocolate and Is It Cake? It felt like an exclusive behind-the-scenes into the world of chocolate or cake. I think that was really lacking in the Pressure Cooker.
The Verdict
That being said, the show does have its moments of excitement and drama, making it the perfect watch if you're a diehard reality TV fan. Meanwhile, the new season of Bake Squad is out on Netflix too. Maybe that's better worth your time.