Review: The Perfect 3

With voice over from Kelsey Nixon and recipes from your favorite Food Network/Cooking Channel stars the Perfect 3 is more than the sum of its parts.  At first glance it may look like they are just piecing together stock footage from past cooking shows.  Not at all.

In each episode there is a theme recipe (burgers, cake, soup, etc. ) and three different TV chefs demonstrating their favorite interpretation of said recipe.  At the end of each episode Kelsey is joined in the kitchen by a Cooking Channel viewer who’s recipe was chosen from thousands of submissions as the best in the land.

Take for instance the upcoming Burger episode.  Here’s how the Cooking Channel describes how the Perfect 3 tackles the all American burger:

Tyler Florence’s classic version using ground beef brisket, topped with bacon, onions and the works. But wait, on Everyday Exotic, Roger Mooking challenges the classic with a ground lamb burger blended with Chinese 5 spice, finished with cucmber relish. Then Giada de Laurentis’ tuna steak burgers topped with tapenade and roasted red peppers on Everyday Italian is a total game-changer.

As it turns out, my Perfect Bacon Mushroom Burger was one of three finalists for this episode.  The fact that I am allowing myself to do a review of this show should tell that I did not win but heck to have one of the three best burgers in the country is still pretty awesome.

Every time I watch Nixon on one of her hit shows on the Cooking Channel I can’t help but think of how wrong Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson did her on season four of Food Network Star.  She was clearly the best contestant that season.  Her work on the Perfect 3 is just more of what we saw three years ago – bright, engaging and knowledgeable – the perfect host.

The Perfect 3 airs Saturdays at 4:00pm ET on the Cooking Channel.  You can watch the videos of each recipe winner HERE.  Here’s a sample from the Burger episode: