Ready.. Set... Cook!
Encyclopedia
Ready.. Set... Cook! was a cooking game show
that debuted on the Food Network
in the US
on October 2, 1995. The show's format was based upon the UK
series Ready Steady Cook
, and originally hosted by television personality Robin Young
.
. In 2000, Biggers was replaced by Ready Steady Cook presenter Ainsley Harriott
.
The teams were given 20 minutes (later reduced to 18) to make a meal using the ingredients bought plus the usual items found in a kitchen pantry. The host would meanwhile move back and forth between the teams to ask questions about the meals being produced.
When time ran out, each team explained the dish they had prepared, after which the audience would vote by holding cards (one per audience member, a tomato on one side and a green pepper on the other) to show which team's meal they liked best. The team with the higher number of votes won the game, with both contestants winning kitchen appliances and/or cookware.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
that debuted on the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on October 2, 1995. The show's format was based upon the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
series Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
, and originally hosted by television personality Robin Young
Robin Young
Robin Young is an American television and radio personality. She has been a Boston, Massachusetts-based radio and television host since the mid-1970s when she hosted Evening Magazine for WBZ-TV....
.
Hosts
Young hosted through September 27, 1996. The following Monday, she was replaced by another TV personality, Sissy BiggersSissy Biggers
Martha "Sissy" Cargill Biggers is an American television personality, lifestyle expert, wife and mother of two. She has hosted the Food Network's Ready.. Set... Cook! and Lifetime's Biggers & Summers and Live from Queens talk shows, the latter of which won a CableACE Award...
. In 2000, Biggers was replaced by Ready Steady Cook presenter Ainsley Harriott
Ainsley Harriott
Ainsley Harriott is a British celebrity chef and television presenter.-Early career:Trained at Westminster College of Catering, Ainsley obtained an apprenticeship at Verrey's restaurant in the West End and later worked as a commis chef...
.
Gameplay
Two well-known chefs (usually representing their restaurants) along with two members of the studio audience (one per chef) competed as teams to prepare the best meal. One was called "Red Tomatoes", the other "Green Peppers". The contestants were then each given $10.00 to spend on ingredients for the chefs to prepare a meal.The teams were given 20 minutes (later reduced to 18) to make a meal using the ingredients bought plus the usual items found in a kitchen pantry. The host would meanwhile move back and forth between the teams to ask questions about the meals being produced.
When time ran out, each team explained the dish they had prepared, after which the audience would vote by holding cards (one per audience member, a tomato on one side and a green pepper on the other) to show which team's meal they liked best. The team with the higher number of votes won the game, with both contestants winning kitchen appliances and/or cookware.