Since the advent of of television, cooking shows have tantalized our taste buds.
From the early days of Julia Child’s The French Chef (1963) to today’s Food Network shows such as Cutthroat Kitchen, America’s appetite for all things food and cooking has proven insatiable. Add in social media such as Facebook and Twitter, where folks routinely snap and send photos of their plates, and we are routinely deluged with images of succulent food.
In the early days of the QVC home shopping network, when I was a television producer, the show hosts used to do simple on-air demonstrations, such as burning cheese on T-Fal fry pans to show the non-stick feature. As the televised shopping industry grew, demonstrations became more elaborate. Within a few years, world renowned chefs began visiting the studio to sell their cookbooks, spices, cookware sets, etc. One of my favorite memories is meeting the grand dame of French cooking herself, which I wrote about here.
Nowadays, one of QVC’s most popular shows is In The Kitchen with David. David Venable is a charismatic foodie, loved by customers for his “yum yum” face, that humorous look of pleasure he evokes while eating a forkful of prime rib or a slice of decadent cheesecake. While early cooking shows featured mostly gadgets and cookware sets, now QVC offers a wide variety of food which can all be delivered to your door.
I recently reached out to a few friends who are avid QVC customers (as well as a few insiders) to learn what QVC foodie items are bestsellers and what are considered to be the best tasting of the bunch. Here’s the unofficial list.
Top 5 Best-Selling Foods on QVC:
KIND Healthy Snacks
KIND snacks have become one of the latest food brands to become quite popular. KIND offers various snack bars and granola bars with tastes to please everyone. Several of the choices are reduced-sugar snacks and the bars often come in packs of 18 so you have enough for a few weeks. For some of the most popular KIND Snacks options, click here.
Authentic Gourmet
A set of 18 French Strawberry Croissants being pried open to let the steam unfurl across one’s television screen, or decadent goo oozing from the chocolate hazelnut croissants. Authentic Gourmet offers croissants that will make you want to host the next family brunch. But that’s not all. Fans rave about their potstickers too. Click here from Authentic Gourmet’s QVC Bestsellers.
Kansas City Steaks
With a variety of N.Y. strip steaks, tenderloins, steakburgers, prime rib and more, you can find something for that fancy New Year’s Eve dinner or the casual summer barbecue. In addition to the classic steakburgers, you mix it up with flavors such as vidalia or bacon cheddar. They are available in different size packs such as 8, 10 12 or 24. You can check out Kansas City Steak Company’s bestsellers on QVC here. My trials with grilling a steakburger pictured below.
Junior’s Cheesecakes
Third generation Junior’s owner Alan Rosen has been a long-time on-air guest with his popular Brooklyn style cheesecakes, and his team is continually coming up with new versions that are sometimes exclusive to QVC. If you don’t have the opportunity to visit one of the two Junior’s locations (Times Square and Brooklyn) sampling their cheesecakes in your own home is your best alternative. Choose a Chocolate Dream Cheesecake or maybe a mini-cheesecake assortment. They even offer sugar-free options. For Junior’s bestsellers on QVC click here.
Mrs. Prindables
Known for the invention of the gourmet caramel apple, Mrs. Prindable’s is best known in the studio for giving line producers and crews a mid-shift sugar rush. They have branched out from the chocolate apple business, now offering covered caramels in a gift box and more, but the apples remain the core of their business. For a selection of some of the highest rated Mrs. Prindables items on QVC, click here.
Concerned about shipping such foods? With insulated packaging, dry ice, and quick shipping methods, a customer often receives their orders within about five days. I recently ordered Kansas City Steak Burgers on a Friday night and they arrived on Wednesday. Packed in a giant styrofoam box that was easy to unwrap, dry ice remained and the burgers were frozen solid. While food shipped does increase the price of goods, many food items are offered with shipping and handling included in the price. Once you find a food you can’t live without, QVC conveniently offers most foods on auto-delivery.
