SINGAPORE — We know. You really, really want to get out and start running 10km every day. But factors beyond your control always seem to prevent that from happening. The National Environment Agency has even announced that showery conditions are to be expected in the first two weeks of September. You have no choice but to stay indoors on your couch in front of the television.

So, even though you love surfing — channels, that is — you don’t exactly have a beach bod to show off because you’ve been indulging in one too many plates of char kway teow. It’s okay. Food is Singapore’s national obsession — you’re simply a product of your culture. It’s not your fault.

Clearly, the only option available is to remain firmly planted on that couch and binge-watch saucy, sizzling, sensational food shows on TV. You see, food shows are the apex of quality television. It is the genre that truly engages all your senses. And it is highly educational — not only can it help you upgrade your skills in the kitchen, it can even take you around the world and teach you about cultures you otherwise might not have had the opportunity to interact with.

So, go ahead, indulge. Nobody will blame you. In fact, here’s a list of some of the choicest morsels currently airing on TV right now. All these awesome culinary programmes aren’t going to watch themselves.

We’d just suggest tipping your friendly and pitiable Deliveroo/Foodpanda/McDelivery guy while you are at it — he probably wishes he was at home on his couch, too.

CHEF’S TABLE SEASON 2

It’s not just food porn — it’s about how the minds of great chefs all over the world shatter boundaries of perception when it comes to eating, cooking, plating and entertaining. Each episode follows the journey of one acclaimed chef, and this season’s stars include Grant Achatz of Chicago’s Alinea, Dominique Crenn of San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn and Alex Atala of Sao Paulo’s D.O.M.

Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix.

CHEF’S TABLE FRANCE

France, rather indisputably, the 
fine dining capital of the world, gets its own show in this Chef’s Table spin-off. The French maestros featured include Alain Passard of L’Arpege in Paris, Michel Troisgros of La Maison Troisgros in Roanne, Adeline Grattard of Yam’Tcha in Paris and Alexandre Couillon of La Marine in Noirmoutier.

Available starting Sep 2 on Netflix.

LUKE NGUYEN’S STREET FOOD ASIA

Vietnamese-Australian chef and restaurateur Luke Nguyen plays 
guide to Asia’s smorgasbord of street food in this buzzy series, uncovering secret and unusual dishes. That’s not all — he also takes a behind-the-scenes look at street food in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, following vendors on their daily dawn-to-dusk routine of picking up ingredients, setting up their stalls 
and serving customers.

Mondays at 9.25pm on TLC (Singtel TV Ch 254 and StarHub TV Ch 427).

DINING WITH DEATH

If all these food shows are making you a little bit too hungry, well, switch over to Dining With Death, which is all about delicacies that are also potentially deadly. Items on the morbid menu include fugu, toads and scorpions. Travel through dense forests and outback areas in countries such as Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to find out how the food is caught and handled, as well as why people take the risk and eat them.

Fridays at 11pm on 
Mediacorp TV Channel 5.

INSPIRED WITH ANNA OLSON

Canadian chef Anna Olson travels to our part of the world — South-east Asia — and explores everything from high-end restaurants to street food stalls, picking up techniques and flavours. Inspired by her journeys, she then recreates Asian dishes with her own twist.

Fridays at 9pm on AFC 
(StarHub TV Ch 435).

KNIFE FIGHT SEASON 4

Knife Fight pits two chefs against each other, giving them three mystery ingredients to incorporate into at least two dishes — all within one hour. Some of the mystery ingredients include marinated duck testicles and Japanese natto.

Mondays to Wednesdays at 9.25pm on Diva (Singtel TV Ch 303 and StarHub TV Ch 513).

SURFING THE MENU: 
NEXT GENERATION

MasterChef alumni Dan Churchill and Hayden Quinn join forces for a bromantic adventure around Australia in GiGi, their rusty, trusty 50-year-old car, cooking, surfing and snorkelling along the way. While they’re uncovering Australia’s mysteries, they keep you guessing about the biggest mystery of all: How they manage to maintain those abs.

Mondays at 9pm on TLC (Singtel TV 
Ch 254 and StarHub TV Ch 427).

CHEF IN YOUR EAR

Imagine being a top chef who can only cook through a proxy — by communicating with another chef through a microphone. Wait, it gets worse: This other chef is completely clueless. Frustrations mount — and so do the laughs.

Wednesdays at 8pm on Diva (Singtel TV Ch 303 and StarHub TV Ch 513).

TRISHA’S SOUTHERN KITCHEN SEASONS 6 & 7

Step up to the plate with country music star and bestselling cookbook author, Trisha Yearwood, who returns for a sixth and seventh season of her Emmy Award-winning show. You might not be able to travel to Georgia, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn about down-home southern cuisine.

Season 6, Mondays to Fridays at 7pm on AFC (StarHub TV Ch 435). Season 7 premieres Sept 8, Mondays to Fridays at 7pm.

MICHELA’S TUSCAN KITCHEN

Welsh-Italian home cook Michela Chiappa takes you all over colourful Tuscany for food inspiration, with each episode centering around a market, street food stalls or a family-run trattoria. Because nobody eats like the Italians do.

Thursdays at 7.25pm on 
BBC Lifestyle (StarHub TV Ch 432).