Take a Photo Tour of Food Star Kitchen

Browse exclusive photos to check out little-known areas of the set, and learn insider culinary trivia about the show.

Welcome to Food Star Kitchen

Clocking in at over 80 feet by 80 feet, Food Star Kitchen is no small arena, and it serves the purpose of more than just cooking. Keep browsing these exclusive photos for an insider's look at the empty set, and hear from the show's culinary producers to learn little-known trivia about what it takes to make each episode happen.

Full Coverage

Depending on the challenge at hand and which area of the kitchen is being filmed, cameras will be moved in a 360-degree circle around the kitchen.

The Ultimate Pantry

The shelves of this super-stuffed pantry were chock-full of fresh and dried goods, including a whopping 150 pounds of flour in six varieties and 12 different kinds of pasta, according to a culinary producer, as well as much of the equipment finalists can use. Think tiny hand tools, like offset spatulas and rolling pins, and larger pieces, like stand mixers and food processors.

Condiments Galore

Of the 13 kinds of oils and seven kinds of vinegars up for grabs in the pantry, according to a culinary producer, this shelf contained only a few that were at the ready at all times.

Fruits and Veggies

This is just one small portion of a larger collection of fresh produce available to the finalists in any given challenge. "Our first produce delivery was roughly 688 pounds," a culinary producer told us.

Pick Your Plate

Wide, tall, big small, round, square and seemingly everything in between — finalists were limited only by their imaginations when it came to plating their dishes. According to a culinary producer, there was no fewer than 35 different kinds available.

Tools for the Taking

Check out those packed shelves full of equipment. Pastry tips, ring molds, scales, meat thermometers and more — it's all here.

Pans Aplenty

There are no fewer than 13 sets of stainless steel pans up for grabs, which equated to 104 pans and 65 lids, a culinary producer said.

Equipment Options

Though there's a wall of ovens in the back of the kitchen, two more were built into the wall of the demo kitchen, which is located on the side of the set, directly opposite the pantry.

Room for Everyone

Complete with six sinks and multiple stoves, the kitchen's back wall offers plenty of space for finalists to execute just what they need in order to bring their dishes to life.

Select Stations

The demo kitchen can accommodate only a few people at a time, so finalists do most of their work at individual prep stations, located on each side of the kitchen.

At the Ready

Wooden spoons, tongs and a slew of tasting spoons are all set up on each finalist's prep station, so competitors don't have to run to the pantry for common items.

Pull, Don't Push

There's no doubt about it: When walking through the side doors near the back row of stoves, finalists are to pull the doors to make their entrance.

Making an Entrance

About those "Pull" doors. This is the other side of them, outfitted with the Food Network logo.

Wide Shots

That tall cranelike piece of equipment is called a jib, and the camera affixed at the end of it is responsible for capturing the myriad shots, especially those from high above the kitchen.

Waiting for the Judges

At the back of the kitchen, just in front of that block of stoves, is where the judges' table goes. That's where Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis and the guests debate episode eliminations.

Home Accents

Like most home kitchens, the demo kitchen features shelves outfitted with the likes of tchotchkes and serving pieces.

Food Network Is Here

Can you guess where this Food Network logo is on set? (It's hung on the wall just behind the demo kitchen shelves.)

Peek-a-Kitchen

Snapped just behind the shelves in the demo kitchen, this shot shows off the enormity of this multipurpose space.

Serving All Purposes

From the sliding doors to the corner refrigerator to the prep stations and the open space in the middle, this corner shot snapped near the pantry shows off the layers and magnitude of the kitchen.

Beauty Plates

Believe it or not, it takes all of these cameras and plenty of intricate lighting to film finalists' dishes on a table located just outside Food Star Kitchen.

Comfort and Functionality

Because finalists often crowd the stew room during the tense moments of mentor deliberation, there needs to be plenty of seating available to the whole cast.

Views on the Go

Thanks to this hand-held monitor, floor producers are able to see shots from all cameras at any given time.

A Star, Obviously

What else but a brightly lit star would be appropriate decor for the finalists' stew room on set.

Want More Food Network Star?

Check out Food Network's official Star headquarters for more insider coverage of the competition, plus exclusive mentor interviews, behind-the-scenes photos and winning recipes.

More: Food Network Star