PBS joins food TV contests with ‘The Great American Recipe’

NEW YORK (AP) — America has perfected the stressful TV cooking competition, pitting amateur or professional chefs against each other in such high-pressure, scream-filled shows as “Chopped,” “Cutthroat Kitchen” or “Top Chef.”

PBS hopes to change that with an original food competition show, “The Great American Recipe,” which dispenses with the angst and scary knife graphics. It’s more “The Great British Baking Show” than “Hell’s Kitchen.”

Gentle and supportive, the show gathers 10 home cooks from around the country and gives them the opportunity to showcase their signature dishes. The eight-episode series premieres Friday on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video app.

“Yes, they were competing, but they really were just there to be their best selves and tell…