Alton Brown for sure but the way he talks on his show can get old (frequent random pauses and emphasis). I learn the most watching his show. But my favorite show is Ace of Cakes.
I call Paula Deen the butter lady; 99% of what she cooks involves a stick of butter. I had a good laugh when she started making jokes about her butter use.
Rachael Ray to me is the best at what she does. She just seems like a natural.
Giada’s show is relaxing to watch, but her recipes suck. As do Sandra Lee’s, but I wonder if that’s because she got pidgeon-holed into the “semi-homemade” crap theme.
Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri are really annoying.
Ina Garten seems super pretentious; that goes triple for Alex Guarnaschelli.
Anne Burell is SO condescending. She seems to be working on it though.