Top Chef Junior

This series is especially fun, since the contestants are so genuinely enthusiastic about food, and come from a generation that has grown up viewing chefs as rock stars. It's impressive as heck to see an 11-year-old displaying cooking skills that are beyond that of many adults out there -- when was the last time you made duck using the sous vide method? -- but they're still kids, which means their emotions can run a little high at times. Some of the contestants handle the time constraints and stress of the kitchen better than others; one child sobs when he fails at skinning a fish, realizing he's a bit out of his depth and won't have time to plate his entire meal.

Sensitive younger viewers might get a little emotional watching their fave contestants be eliminated, but the contestants themselves are so sweetly encouraging of one another in times of victory and defeat. You can tell these kids have a genuine camaraderie as fellow foodies, which their parents make grateful comments about, as well. (Despite celebrity chef culture, not every kid in middle school is name-dropping Thomas Keller.) Likewise, the judges strike the perfect balance between critic and mentor, which encourages the young chefs to hone their techniques without leaving them feeling too discouraged. Top Chef Junior is a great choice to watch as a family, and could even encourage some dinnertime experimentation to boot.