My friend Hilary told me about the show MasterChef Junior over a year ago. She said that her kids loved watching it and that the show was pretty entertaining. We finally got a chance to watch the shows (available on Hulu) and this was a parenting milestone moment for me: Theo and I basically binge-watched the entire first season and we both had a blast. Nothing like sharing the anticipation of “okay, just one more episode…” with your child.

I had never watched the adult version of MasterChef, but from what I understand, the celebrity chef judges (including Gordon Ramsay) can be pretty tough. They are much less harsh on the kid version of the show which means no bad language and no abusive behavior. Also, it is genuinely impressive what the kid contestants on the show can do. They are aged 8-13 and are cooking at a level beyond many adults — like truly talented kids here, not just making “kid food” or easy dishes.

The current season (Season 2) is airing on FOX right now and the episodes become available on Hulu about a day after they air. Check it out and see if you and your kids love it as much as we do. My hope is that my super picky eater will become inspired by the wide variety of foods shown and maybe become more adventurous in trying new things (so far it hasn’t happened yet!).