Chef at Home
Season 5
Chef Michael Smith invites you into his home kitchen and shows you how to create simple, flavourful meals for your family and friends. Close your cookbooks, look in the fridge, fire your imagination and let your instincts and appetite be your guide!
Where to Watch Chef at Home • Season 5
26 Episodes
- Fish TacoE1
Fish TacoMichael explores the role that spices play in the kitchen as he makes spicy salmon tacos with avocado salsa and brightly flavoured southwestern brown rice and black beans for dinner. He promotes plain vanilla to the star of the show in a pineapple vanilla upside down cake and even slips some spice into a round of ginger melon mojitos! - Seaweed SalmonE3
Seaweed SalmonMichael sets out to cook dinner and finds adventure every step of the way. He explores ancient cooking methods by cooking salmon in seaweed. Adventuresome ingredients flavour luxurious saffron rice and exotic Asian long bean salad. To top it all off a round of Caesar cocktails turn into a whirlwind presentation extravaganza! - Lobster FeastE4
Lobster FeastA kitchen full of your favourite ingredients is a great way to rev up your cooking. Michael steams off a pile of lobsters and they end up in a lobster pesto salad, dipped in lemon brown butter and in a batch of decadent lobster mashed potatoes. His favourite pantry shelf inspires a three chocolate extravaganza for dessert! - Cornmeal Crusted CatfishE5
Cornmeal Crusted CatfishMichael discovers that one of the best places to practice sustainability is in the kitchen. As he cornmeal crusts a great green choice, catfish, he reveals a surprising array of simple tricks that anyone can use to make their cooking sustainable. A potato cheddar casserole and farmers market salad completes the menu. - Big Beefy RibsE8
Big Beefy RibsThe gift of a special bottle of wine inspires Michael to match food to wine instead of the other way around. He braises big beefy ribs in a big beefy red wine and serves them with roasted asparagus and purple mashed potatoes with a cabernet sauvignon reduction mashed in. A mulled chardonnay apple vanilla ice cream sundae rounds out the menu for dessert. - Fresh Herb PicnicE9
Fresh Herb PicnicMichael finds inspiration for a picnic in his fresh herb stash. He flavours a grilled chicken and pineapple salad with mint. He adds thyme and bay leaves to warm bacon cabbage slaw. Basil flavours a surprisingly good watermelon feta salad while cilantro becomes a tasty pesto. When rain threatens to spoil the fun the picnic moves indoors along with mint flavoured limeade! - Beer Can ChickenE10
Beer Can ChickenMichael discovers how tasty it is to grill a chicken perched on a beer can. But does the beer actually flavour the chicken? He finds out! And the results share the picnic table with Greek potato spinach salad, grilled corn and basil butter and an incredible grilled banana split - Roast Organic ChickenE11
Roast Organic ChickenMichael gives in to his comfort food cravings with a menu full of organic choices. A simple roast chicken dinner shares top billing with dark chocolate pudding topped with white chocolate whipped cream. Garlic steamed broccoli and roast garlic mashed potatoes round out the feast as Michael and his family get comfortable with their organic choices. - Kids PartyE12
Kids PartyMichael cooks for Gabe and a gang of his friends. He starts with some healthy snacks: pumpkin pie pumpkin seeds and olive oil popcorn. Chinese chicken balls, steamed broccoli trees and sweet potato soup round out the menu as he discovers how much fun it can be to cook for the toughest crowd of food critics ever! - Cook Ahead SundayE13
Cook Ahead SundayWith some weekend time on his hands Michael shows how easy it can be to turn your kitchen into a prep kitchen and get ready for the busy week ahead. He shows how convenient it is to slow cook a French onion chicken stew. A batch of always-needed tomato sauce is packed with hidden veggie flavour. He also creates a lunchtime favourite with a classic Nicoise tuna salad. - Local FlavourE14
Local FlavourMichael finds dinner inspiration with local ingredients from his own neighborhood. Local food is a great way to add flavour to the table and chicken baked with ham, and cheddar, croissant bread pudding, apple pie flavoured carrots, salsa stuffed twice baked potatoes don’t disappoint! - BBQ Pulled Pork SandwichE16
BBQ Pulled Pork SandwichSome of the very best flavours in any kitchen come from patience. Michael rubs a pork shoulder with an infinitely customizable spice blend then slowly BBQ’s for a pulled pork sandwich. The pork shares top billing with a soft white potato flavoured roll and a simple coleslaw. The addictive flavours of slow food! - Gnocchi with Roast Tomato SauceE17
Gnocchi with Roast Tomato SauceMichael explores the fundamental role that salt and pepper play in all cooking. He seasons a simple roast cherry tomato and black olive pasta sauce, his favourite fennel salad and a batch of handmade potato gnocchi. He even uses salt and pepper to make a batch of homemade spicy strawberry sorbet! - Creative KitchenE18
Creative KitchenMichael loves to play in his kitchen, even when he’s not making dinner! With time on his hands he tries out a few cutting edge ideas. Caramel vinaigrette, ice wine foam, encapsulated mango puree and olive oil poached salmon all show off the combination of art and science that make all kitchens tick. - All Fish NightE19
All Fish NightIt’s Michael’s turn to host his dinner party club and he decides on an all-fish menu. The meal begins with some ocean tastes, smoked salmon rye bread crisps and seared tuna bites. He glazes pan seared scallops with vermouth and mustard and shares Mediterranean tomato mussel broth with pasta. He even adds squid to Neptune’s feast and figures out a way to make a fishy treat too! - Potluck Pot PieE21
Potluck Pot PieMichael gets ready for a community potluck. He shows how sharp knives are a cook’s best friend when cooking for a crowd. Two chickens easily become a table full of individual basil biscuit crusted chicken potpies and a pile of vegetables become a tasty balanced Asian vegetable salad. - Bake SaleE23
Bake SaleMichael is asked to contribute to a local charity bake sale and comes up with a table full of treats. After fueling up with a batch of his signature whole grain pancakes he gets baking. A batch of three layered chocolate peanut butter crunch squares and old-fashioned Monkey Bread are the tasty results!