I admit it. I’m addicted. FoodTV. Bravo. Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef, Iron Chef (both the original and the American versions), Chopped. I could watch all of them. Ok, well, I do. All I can say there is thank god for TiVo.

I’m currently sort of fascinated by Chopped. First of all … Ted Allen. I have a tiny bit of a crush on Ted(yes, I have a thing for geeky food guys), but I wish he’d be a little less strident on Chopped. I love him as a judge on Iron Chef America and I would like to see him bring that level of humor to Chopped. That’s what I love about his personality and the über-intense serious mien that he brings to Chopped just isn’t Ted.

The thing that I really like about Chopped is that the show is about the cooking, not about the people. I also like that the chefs tend to be a diverse group of “real” people.

I have to admit that I do tend to think “I could do that” more with Chopped, which might be one of the reasons why it appeals. Also I like thinking about the ingredients before the chefs get going and wondering what I would make.

It’s given me some ideas of what I’d like to cook and try to experiment with.