Paris Hilton’s new Netflix series is all about cooking – sort of

Celebrities branching out from singing or acting into cooking (whether through cookbooks or cooking shows) has become commonplace. Some are more successful at it than others – think Chrissy Teigen or Trisha Yearwood – but dozens have given it a go over the years. The latest to score a Netflix special might surprise you, however. Paris Hilton’s cooking show ‘Cooking with Paris’ has just debuted on Netflix.

After reading the Eater review, I felt compelled to watch at least one episode so I could judge for myself. For the record, I have never watched an episode of any Paris’ other shows, nor do I consider myself a fan. But I do not live in a cave so I am aware of her public persona, and I just had to see what she would do in a kitchen. As the review notes, Paris knows that her audience expects certain things, so she delivers them. She goes to the grocery store wearing stilettos and a haute-couture pink dress with a train. She decorates her home outlandishly for the meals (with the help of several assistants and event planners, natch).

In the first episode, Paris makes brunch with Kim Kardashian. It’s obvious that Paris is not at home in the kitchen: she doesn’t know the difference between a mixer and a blender. I literally laughed out loud at that scene when someone off camera helped her identify which is which. (In case you were wondering, Kim might not be an expert but it is obvious she does cook.) Unsurprisingly, Paris’ kitchen is filled with high-end appliances, is spacious, gorgeous, and basically everything my kitchen (with its mismatched appliances, cheap vinyl flooring, and chipped 1960s tile) is not. But at least I can identify small appliances without a prompt, so I’ve got that going for me.

The show reminded me a little of Sandra Lee’s ‘Semi-Homemade’ – the matching outfits and home décor, using convenience food in a dish (Frosted Flakes French toast) – but it’s different and far more entertaining than Lee’s show. Paris doesn’t take herself seriously, and as the Eater review notes, she is in on the joke. She realizes it’s absurd to have a crystal-encrusted spatula, but to her credit she understands that it can’t go into the dishwasher.

One scene at the end of the first episode caught my attention. While they are eating their brunch, Paris tells Kim “I feel like I have been living like a 21-year-old for my entire life and now I feel like I’m ready to move on.” Throughout the episode she talks about getting married and having children. As she approaches 40, Paris seems to be growing up. Perhaps learning how to cook will help her move to the next level of adulthood.

I might not feel compelled to try any of the recipes in ‘Cooking with Paris’, but the show is a pleasant diversion from a world that is filled with grim events. I didn’t think I would make it through an entire episode, but now I feel like I might enjoy watching the rest of the six-episode series.