Despite the show ending over a decade ago in 2004, Friends is still probably the most #relatable thing on television for college students today. From dealing with relationships to being broke AF, the gang is always going through with some hilarious calamity.
Another common thread throughout the show is food. Monica is a cook and Joey is, well, Joey. He's a bottomless pit for Italian food that's made for some of the most classic scenes in the entire series.
With food as a central theme throughout the show, Friends may not always be the best option for binge-watching when you're hungry.
I like to think of myself as somewhat of a Friends expert, having seen each episode several times. So I have taken the liberty of compiling a list of the Friends episodes you should stay away from if you don't want to end up drooling all over your laptop.
1. The One with the Dozen Lasagnas
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Maybe it's just because lasagna is my all-time favorite food, but it seems like a cardinal sin to turn down a dozen of Monica's perfectly good lasagnas. Especially for the reason that they have meat in them. That's what makes lasagna even more delicious.
2. The One with the Stoned Guy
I would give anything to be the one taste-testing Monica's cooking. She's an Italian cooking legend. But, the guy looking to give her a job is completely stoned in this one and can't even appreciate the cuisine.
3. The One with Five Steaks and an Eggplant
Early in this episode, there's a scene where the whole gang goes out to dinner to celebrate, but half of them are broke so they're stuck ordering the cheapest thing on the menu, which just about every college student can relate to.
4. The One with the List
In this episode, Monica spends hours and hours trying to create Thanksgiving dessert recipes for Mocklate. Being a chocoholic, that alone makes me cringe. Not to mention the end, when we find out that the stuff was slightly toxic.
5. The One with the Jam
Monica, like me, cooks when she's stressed or trying to cope with emotional stress. Unfortunately for me, I am also Joey in this situation, shoveling everything that I make into my mouth as quickly as possible.
6. The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister
I am taking charge here and saying that jello shots count as food. Because we've all been Chandler in this situation, with a food coloring-dyed mouth and a lost count of how many shots deep we are. They just taste too good.
7. The One Where Monica and Richard are Just Friends
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I dream of the day when I have a significant other to cook a gourmet meal with in the kitchen. In this episode, the sexual tension between Monica and Richard is palpable as we watch them make tomato sauce together.
8. The One with a Chick and a Duck
This episode is pretty much every amateur cook's dream. Monica is offered a restaurant from her beau, which she almost turns down because she's not attracted to him.
But then everything turns out well in the end when she realizes her feelings for him. But the most important part is Monica gets her head chef position.
9. The One with the 'Cuffs
Steer clear of this one if you're easily hungered by cooking shows because it's a whole lot of Monica trying to impress her mom. She's tirelessly working a catering job at her parents' house just to prove she can.
10. The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie
I was nearly as frustrated with this hunger-inducing episode as Ross was with having the bad luck to fall for one girl, and then another, from so far away. Luckily, a trip to the pantry cured all of my hunger that came from watching Monica try to whip her new kitchen crew into shape.
11. The One with the Fake Party
Most of the time I just laugh at Phoebe's shenanigans, but in this episode I could really relate to her. My meat cravings may not be triggered by pregnancy, like Phoebe's were, but they both end the same way. By eating some meat.
12. The One with All the Thanksgivings
As the name suggests, this episode flashes back to several Thanksgiving days in the gang's past. That means a whole lot of delicious traditional Thanksgiving food. And, finally, a full explanation of why Chandler hates the holiday so much.
13. The One with Ross's Sandwich
I think that every single foodie in the world can relate to Ross in this episode on a spiritual level. I know that if someone stole my leftover sandwich, especially if it had Monica's moist maker, there would be consequences.
14. The One Where Ross Can't Flirt
Even though I was experiencing some major second-hand embarrassment watching Ross try to flirt with the pizza delivery lady, my real focus was on all that extra pizza. Sitting on my couch, I was wishing that I could be there to help the gang take care of it.
15. The One with the Ride-Along
As much as I would like to say that I would protect my friends in a dangerous situation, I would probably pull a Joey. Everyone thinks that he was being heroic, but in reality, he was saving his favorite sandwich.
16. The One Where Ross Got High
The name of this episode doesn't give much away about the grave culinary crime that Rachel commits. She accidentally combines a trifle recipe with one for Shepard's pie. It's a culinary disaster that still haunts my nightmares.
17. The One with Phoebe's Cookies
Now that I know what the actual recipe for the cookies was, I totally understand why Monica was so obsessed with recreating Phoebe's grandma's cookies. The classic nestle tollhouse recipe is simply a step above the rest.
Although I admit that I admit trying to work backwards to recreate a recipe would be a fun undertaking.
18. The One with All the Candy
This is the second of three dessert-centric Friends episodes in a row. Here, we can all relate to the residents of Monica's apartment building. There's never enough candy, especially when it's homemade.
19. The One with All the Cheesecakes
Again, Friends reaffirms its status as the most relatable TV show of all time with the events of this episode.
Rachel and Chandler can't contain themselves when one cheesecake after another is accidentally delivered to their apartment. I'm not even sorry to admit that I would be eating it off the floor alongside Joey.
20. The One with the Rumor
Brad Pitt fits right in with the relatable Friends gang in this Thanksgiving episode. He is pretty much all of us, shoveling complex carbs, after about two days on any new diet.
21. The One Where Joey Dates Rachel
Being told to order two entrees on a first date just because you want to is just about every foodie's dream. That's just what Joey does for Rachel on their date. Rachel proceeds to eat the leftovers when she gets home, which, unashamedly, is pretty much all of us.
22. The One Where Joey Tells Rachel
Even though I felt bad for Chandler in this episode, I was equally as excited about the foodie connection that Monica made with Phoebe's new boyfriend. I only hope that I can find someone to connect with over our mutual love of cheese.
23. The One with the Cooking Class
I really admire Monica's determination in this episode. She relentlessly tries to change a harsh critic's opinion, resulting in a lot of food being made on screen. I'd like to get on the books as a volunteer to taste test her food anytime.
24. The One with Rachel's Other Sister
As you can see, pretty much every Thanksgiving episode has made this list. This one is no exception. I cringe at the thought of a Thanksgiving dinner ruined by one unwanted guest.
25. The One with Christmas in Tulsa
Although my family usually celebrates Christmas dinner with a tenderloin or turkey, I can totally appreciate the Christmas ham tradition. That's why the stolen ham in Chandler's office got my stomach growling up a storm.
26. The One Where Ross Is Fine
If I was a part of the terrible double date in this episode, the first thing I would do is make sure Ross's hands were okay.
Then, I would have no shame in chowing on those deliciously sizzling fajitas. Not to mention washing it down with a few margaritas.
27. The One with the Cake
With a name like that, you can't expect anything but cake cravings from this Friends episode. The only thing that kept me from laughing my head off at the unfortunate shape Emma's birthday cake was the thought of being at the party and not being allowed to eat it.
28. The One with the Late Thanksgiving
It's only fitting that the last food-centric Friends episode was a Thanksgiving one. If I was Monica in this episode, I would have eaten instead of waiting for the gang to show up an hour late. The hanger always gets the best of me.
The way I see it, you can use this article two ways. The first is to actually avoid these food-centric Friends episodes to avoid hanger. Or, you can grab a snack and sit down to enjoy some of the most relatable foodie moments in TV history.