Cue the toque

All of these chefs consider videos and TV part of what they do. The better they come across on camera - and many take media training to understand how to do this - the bigger their reservation books swell. And if they have written cookbooks, those sales will swell, too, if the authors have a TV presence. Both Ming and Adams were on food competition shows recently that got them lots of attention.

Viewers see a seamless flow of cooking mixed with repartee, personal stories, and kitchen hints. They do not see flubs, informal dialogue rehearsed over and over, or the crew of stylists backstage. As for the expense, Tsai’s costs are donated or underwritten by sponsors. Chang and Adams supply their own ingredients and staff.

Cooking shows debuted in Boston with Julia Child’s 1963 “The French Chef.’’ Today, there are 109 programs listed on the Food Network website, with many of the same shows among the 88 programs aired on its sibling, Cooking Channel. PBS offers 50 cooking shows. Viewers can also find shows on Bravo, ABC, NBC, Fox, BBC America, and VH1.

“We can’t give our viewers enough,’’ says Bob Tuschman, Food Network’s senior vice president of programming and a judge on “Food Network Star.’’

Tsai’s television studio is at Clark Distribution in Milford, behind displays of Sub-Zero appliances, Wolf ranges, and other high-end kitchen luxuries. The set, built by Clark and donated by the company for the show, has an Asian sensibility with a Buddha statue, shoji screens, and Chinese prints.

The chef is speaking directly to the camera, practicing his lines. “Hey, Ming Tsai here. Welcome to ‘Simply Ming,’ ’’ he begins. He introduces a special guest. “Today, I have the one and only Jacques Pepin to try our new approach - of cooking on the fly: pane a l’Anglaise, breading to keep the moisture in your protein.’’

Even though he has had media training, Tsai has to repeat these simple sentences so many times, he exclaims, “Mon Dieu!’’ to laughter from an audience of 30.