The Taste of Summer

"Baking cookies is comforting, and cookies are the sweetest little bit of comfort food. They are very bite-sized and personal." — Sandra Lee

I think I've made my feelings about reality shows clear — I don't like them. They usually feature people aiming to see who can go lower to win. The shows are often frustrating to watch and play to our voyeuristic nature.

That being said, it's summer. There aren't a lot of shows on, and reality TV is cheap. And, every so often, you find a diamond in the rough. I'm not ready to call "The American Baking Competition" a diamond, but it does look appealing in all that rough... It might also be vicarious food porn. I can't be certain, but spending an hour watching people back pies and cookies does make you awful hungry. (Again, since I went on a hardcore diet this week, that could be the raw vegetables in my tummy talking).

This show premiered on May 29. It features a group of amateur bakers in a tent in Georgia, and each week they have three challenges. They bake a personal favorite, a technical bake (where everyone makes the same thing), and a showstopper, where they can do their take on one style.

The first week was all about pies, and they looked delicious. The second week was about cookies. Again, delicious. But what I like about the show is it lets you get to know the competitors a bit, but it focuses a lot on the food.

I never thought I would say this — and perhaps I'm getting old — but food shows are kinda fun. It's fascinating to watch people make things and to find out how they're made. As with all reality shows the personalities of the players impact the enjoyment of the show, but this one's kinda fun.

I like the premise of the show and the focus on food. It's got a couple judges that are pretty fair and not looking to amp up the action of the show by being overly harsh.

I'm not saying that this is an incredible show, but there are a lot worse ways to spend a Wednesday night during the summer.