The best discovery I’ve made during my recovery is a treasure trove of vintage cooking shows on Amazon’s Instant Video, with 10 seasons of The French Chef rising to the top. (Available for free to Amazon Prime members!) These relics are filmed in black and white on a bare bones set and it looks like they were done in one take. There are plenty of lessons that seem terribly outdated, including a recipe on how to turn instant mashed potatoes into something worth eating. Why would Julia Child add cream and egg yolks to dehydrated spuds? Because, I suppose, they were all the rage way back when.

Yet, most of the preparations and techniques still seem as relevant as they were when this ground-breaking series first aired back in the 1960s. While watching, I’ve been inspired to one day try my hand at making croissants, pate and tiny tarts filled with sweets and savories for holiday entertaining. That was Julia Child’s gift, wasn’t it? Making every home cook feel as if they could do just about anything. She’s forever encouraging. You goof up, as she often does, but you don’t let it slow you down.

There are dozens and dozens of cooking shows out there now, most with better ingredients and certainly with slicker production values. But there’s never been anybody quite like Julia Child and it’s been a pleasure watching these tasty blasts from the past.

— Leslie Kelly