The Food Network, the only 24-hour cable channel dedicated exclusively to cooking, eating, culinary shopping excursions and nutrition, reaches 80 million U.S. households. For the organic home cook, the programming lineup is diverse, educational-and occasionally a tad wacky.

The "Big Easy"-Going Man

When you hear the familiar cry of "Bam!" emanating from your television, you know Emeril Lagasse is passionately pitching a handful of "kickin' it up" spices into some divine dish-eggplant salad with mushroom dressing, falafel with tahini sauce or winter squash chowder-on one of his two extremely popular shows, Essence of Emeril (4 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. Saturday) or Emeril Live (8 p.m. and midnight daily).

Five Seasonal Sensations for On-the-Go Lifestyles

Visiting a large whole-foods supermarket is akin to a child's sojourn at the nearest toy store: You love to cook. You carefully scout premium foods and ingredients. You read labels and are willing to expand your palate by trying new things.