How to Watch Cooking Channel Without Cable

I’ve found that Cooking Channel appeals to a much broader audience than most would expect. While many assume it’s for a specific demographic, the viewership skews more male and younger than traditional stereotypes suggest. And fortunately, I don’t need to rely on cable to watch my favorite cooking shows on this network.

In a hurry? Most of the major live TV streaming services offer Cooking Channel. Here are our favorites:

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If you consider yourself to be a foodie, you’ll love the content showcased on the Cooking Channel. Over the course of several hours, you can learn how to prepare a healthy meal, learn more about the history of famous eateries in the United States, and see some of the most bizarre foods that have been eaten at state fairs and carnivals.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the history of the Cooking Channel, some of its most popular shows, and how you can stream it without breaking your content consumption budget.

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What Is Cooking Channel

The Cooking Channel was spun-off from the Food Network. And it is currently owned by Television Food Network (TFN). This entity is a joint venture between Discovery Inc and Nextar Media Group.

Until 2009, the network was known as the Fine Living Network (FLN). At that time, the majority of its programming was aimed at individuals with a significant amount of disposable income.

However, in 2009 after the financial crisis, the poor economic conditions made it impossible for such a format to be profitable. Therefore, FLN was renamed the Cooking Channel and featured programming that was aimed at a broader audience.

It officially launched in May 2010. And since then, it has featured both original programming and shows that also air on the Food Network.

Cooking Channel Shows

• Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations: Chef Andrew Zimmern travels the world looking for the most interesting food.
• Burgers, Brew & ‘Que: Host Michael Symon crisscrosses the country sampling some of the finest burgers, ribs, and craft beer that the nation has to offer. It’s not uncommon for Symon to chow down with guests from the music, television, and sports worlds.
• Carnival Eats: This show travels the world to find the largest, most colorful and overall zaniest carnival menu items that people are legally allowed to eat.
• Food Paradise: If you have ever wanted to see someone eat a plate of bacon, this is your show. You’ll also get a chance to see people consume fried burgers, fried grilled cheese, and other decadent dishes being made at restaurants that are staples of their communities.
• Man Fire Food: Takes a closer look at the various ways that meat can be cooked. It also discusses the various tools that are used to make a burger or pulled pork sandwich taste its best.

Cooking Channel Sister Stations

Cooking Channel is related to a number of other Discovery channels:

• Food Network: The top companion channel to the Cooking Channel, Food Network features a variety of quality programs such as Chopped and Holiday Baking Championships.
• HGTV: Although this channel offers little in the way of culinary programming, it does have a lot of content dedicated to helping you build a quality kitchen or outdoor grilling space. The channel’s top shows include Kitchen Design and Love It or List It.
• Travel Channel: Programs such as Amazing Eats and Bizarre Food America allow you to learn more about different parts of the country without having to actually go there yourself. Other quality food programming includes Burger Land and Food Wars.
• Magnolia Network: If you have ever seen Fixer Upper, you know all about Chip and Joanna Gaines. Their network features some shows that have a cooking theme such as Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines and Cooking With Zoe.
• Destination America: Deep Fried Masters and Fast Food Mania are among the most popular shows on this network. Like the Travel Channel, Destination America tends to focus more on the various tourist sites and landmarks that you’d want to see if you were on the road.

Stream Cooking Channel

Cooking Channel is a “cable” channel, so you can’t pick it up with an antenna for free. But there are various ways to stream it both live and on-demand.

Live TV Streaming Services

All the major streaming services other than YouTube TV offer Cooking Channel, although it doesn’t usually come with the base plan.

• FuboTV: The base package is $79.99/month and offers 130+ channels including Food Network, HGTV, Tastemade, and Travel Channel. Fubo offers Cooking Channel as part of its Fubo Extra add-on, which gives you 46 extra channels for $7.99/mo. All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and simultaneous streaming on ten devices. (FuboTV review)
• Philo: Cooking Channel is one of the more than 65 that you get for a flat $28.00/month fee. You will also get Animal Planet, Travel Channel and the Food Network. It doesn’t include any sports or local channels but it’s still a deal at that price. (Philo review)
• Sling TV: Both Sling Blue and Sling Orange come with Food Network, HGTV, and Travel for $40.00/month. To get Cooking Channel, you need to upgrade with the Lifestyle Extra for $6/mo more. Both plans come with 50 hours of cloud DVR. Sling Blue allows you to stream on up to three devices. (Sling TV review)
• DIRECTV STREAM: You can get Cooking Channel by subscribing to the DIRECTV STREAM Choice package for $114.99/month. This package also gives you access to regional sports networks (RSNs) and much more. It comes with unlimited cloud DVR storage (online orders only) and streaming on unlimited devices at once. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
• Hulu + Live TV: For $82.99/month, you’ll get access to 85+ live channels as well as the Hulu on-demand library, ESPN+, and Disney+. The base plan comes with Food Network, HGTV, and Travel Channel. For $7.99/mo more, you get the Entertainment add-on package with Cooking Channel, Destination America, Magnolia Network, and a dozen others. The base plan comes with unlimited cloud DVR, 9 months of storage and streaming on up to two devices. (Hulu + Live TV review)

Cooking Channel Go App

Cooking Channel Go is a mobile app that allows you to watch live and on-demand content from this and most other channels that fall under the Discovery umbrella.

It uses TV Everywhere so you need a TV provider to log in. You can use it with any of the streaming services above except for Sling TV.

Discovery+

You can subscribe directly to Discovery+ for $4.99 per month. Your subscription gives you unlimited access to hundreds of shows that have aired on Cooking, HGTV, History, and other channels affiliated with Discovery. Furthermore, there are original programs such as American Detective and Million Dollar Wheels that you’ll only find through Discovery+. An ad-free version is available for $6.99 monthly.

Note, however, that you do not get Cooking Channel live through Discovery+. You only get shows on-demand.

You can also get Discovery+ for the same price through Amazon Prime if that is more convenient.

TVs and Other Devices to Watch Cooking Channel

All the streaming services support most of the devices in use today:

Other than DIRECTV STREAM, all the services support TVs based on Android TV. DIRECTV STREAM has its own device that you can order direct.

Hulu, Sling, and Fubo all support the Xbox gaming system and smart TVs from LG, Samsung, and VIZIO. Hulu also supports most PlayStation units.

There are more supported devices. See our streaming service reviews for complete details.

Wrapping Up

The Cooking Channel produces a plethora of programming for those who enjoy eating or preparing food. It can also be worth watching for those who enjoy learning about the history of food or the history of the places that serve it.

Available on most major streaming platforms, you should have no problem finding a plan that allows you to watch this channel in a convenient and affordable manner.

We recommend Hulu + Live TV but if you are on a budget, Philo (Try Philo free for 7 days.) is a great deal.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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