Switch on your television on any day of the week and the chances are you'll be able to watch some sort of food/cooking/restaurant kind of program.
It seems that we have an insatiable appetite for programs that feature cooking.
Maybe that's down to a 'feel good' factor about food, watching culinary artists at work, watching some of them making mistakes, or the competitive spirit they must have to win.
Whatever it is, these genre of programs look as though they are here to stay.
Ambitious hopeful chefs battle it out.
One of the most popular shows is Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen in the US.
As a world-renowned chef Ramsay knows what it takes to get to the top, and his sharp tongue has brought many up and coming chefs to the point of tears.
The successful winner of the series has the opportunity to take up a high profile position at one of Gordon Ramsay's classy restaurants.
In 2008, for example, Christina Machamer won the senior chef position at Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood.
And where there's a top class restaurateur, you'll find a top quality maitre d'.
In Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, that person is a Belgian by the name of Jean-Philippe Susilovic.
His wide knowledge of food and wine comes about because of his extensive work in restaurants around the world.
The UK Hell's Kitchen equivalent features another world-renowned chef, Marco Pierre White.
Incidentally, did you know that Gordon Ramsay studied his culinary arts under White at one time? Marco Pierre White's trademark is to wear a bandana round his head, and walk round with a meat cleaver in his hand.
Scary? To many, yes.
His stare pierces like an arrow, and the celebrity contestants, most of whom have an average knowledge of cooking, can be seen quivering with nervousness as he barks out his orders.
White does the firing of those celebrities who in his view don't make the grade over the first few days, then it us up to the TV audience to phone in to vote for whom they want to see saved.
The prize for the eventual winner? Simply knowing they've survived till the end, and go home with a lot more knowledge of cooking than they arrived with.
Nick, the indispensable maitre d', is usually unflustered as he looks after the needs of the guests in the Hell's Kitchen restaurant, though he has been known to show some ill-temper on occasions.
Another food-type program aired by Fox Broadcasting network in the US is Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA.
The format was based on the British reality TV series Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
Ramsay is called upon to go to failing restaurants to offer assistance in the way of advice on all aspects of running a restaurant, from hiring and firing staff, to the menu itself.
He spends several days at the restaurant hoping to turn it around into a viable business.
In the UK, Raymond Blanc's The Restaurant is a series which sets out to find a couple who are capable of running their own restaurant, with the backing of top chef Raymond Blanc.
Along with his 'inspectors' Blanc sets weekly challenges which test out all aspects of running a restaurant.
In the Great British Menu the nation's finest chefs compete against each other to find the chef who will cook a special meal.
In 2009 the challenge pairs chefs from eight British regions who battle it out to win the favor of the judges.
The feast consists of four courses chosen by the nation to reflect and celebrate the best of British food, to be eaten by returning servicemen who've been on active duty abroad.
Using the best ingredients from their local area, the chefs need to create a starter, a fish course, a main course and a dessert.
Each week one of the pair is eliminated by the three judges, with the winner going on to represent his or her region.
Interestingly, this year only one contestant, in the Northern Ireland heat, is a female.