I guarantee it.

Whatever happened to Martin Yan?

This video will explain my devotion.

I remember "Yan Can Cook" on PBS when I was growing up. It was more fun than pretty much anything else on TV, mostly because of those frenetic knife skills and his wacky humor. He always seemed like he was on the verge of exploding, but a hyper cook is a fun cook, if he knows what he's doing (hence why RR doesn't count in this category). And I liked his slogan: "If Yan can cook, so can you! I guarantee you!" His show made food accessible, especially good Asian food, and encouraged even average cooks to stretch their boundaries and try something new. It really wasn't that hard, and it didn't have to be expensive; he gua-ran-teeed it. He could tell you the difference between light and dark soy sauce, and when to use either. Plus, he usually used screaming hot oil in a very large wok. The possibility for disaster was huge, but miraculously never happened, because he clearly knew what he was doing.

He's humble about his skills, but not falsely so; the man's been named a Master Chef by the American Culinary Federation and has a master's degree in food science. The difference between Yan and, say, Ray, who also promotes the "I can cook and so can you!" attitude is simple: Yan makes food you'd want to eat, respects his ingredients, and brings with him years of experience and authenticity. And he's funny.

He hasn't been on public television in Mississippi for a while, and I miss him. Part of me would like to see the Food Network pick up his show, but I have a feeling they'd probably try and make him dye his hair platinum and come up with catchphrases like "Yum-o" or "money" while cooking duck pizzas with plum dipping sauce in under 30 minutes in a kitschy "Asianized" kitchen with a Buddha in the corner that matches the one on his apron.

Still, I have to think he'd be better than the cooktard likes of Sandra Lee and Rachael Ray. Why? Because Yan CAN Cook!