Network Biography
About the Show
Half a century of daytime cooking. Forty-seven affiliate stations. A long, complicated, and largely unauthorized relationship with the Cleveland co-op that supplies our bleach.
Our History
Corrosive Cooking debuted on the WCCK Network on March 4, 1974, with a single 22-minute episode titled The Sour Cream of Things to Come. The Major was 24 years old. The studio was a converted appliance showroom in Akron, Ohio. The first episode’s recipe — a tuna casserole augmented with what the prop department called “a flair of pantry citrus” — was, in fact, augmented with Pine-Sol.
The show has aired continuously every Tuesday since, with the exception of the 1985 writers’ strike, the 2003 ceiling collapse, and an unscheduled hiatus in 1991 during which the Major was, in his own words, “getting his stomach lining replaced for purely cosmetic reasons.”
Now in its 51st season, Corrosive Cooking is broadcast in 47 markets across the United States, syndicated to 12 international affiliates (notably in Reykjavík and Saskatoon), and streams in most regions through the WCCK Plus service.
Studio 7B
Every episode of Corrosive Cooking is taped at Studio 7B, the network’s flagship broadcast facility on the south side of Akron. The studio kitchen has been rebuilt seven times — most recently in May 2026 after the linoleum gave out — but it has always retained the original 1974 wood-grain accents and mustard-yellow tile backsplash.
The studio audience capacity is 87. Tickets are awarded by lottery and require the signing of a 14-page liability waiver. Audience members receive an “I Was There — Studio 7B” T-shirt at the conclusion of each taping, regardless of outcome.
Awards & Honors
- ·Daytime Emmy Nomination, Outstanding Culinary Series — five times (1981, 1986, 1992, 2003, 2017)
- ·Toxicology Today “Show of the Year” — eight consecutive years (2011-2018)
- ·OSHA “Most Improved Studio” Award — 1997
- ·Honorable Mention, James Beard Foundation, “Most Memorable On-Air Recipe” — 1989 (revoked, 1990)
- ·Cleveland Co-op Bleach Society Lifetime Achievement Award — Major Wallace Fenwick, 2019
The WCCK Network
WCCK is a regional broadcast network headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Founded in 1962 by the Vandermark family (no relation to Hollis), WCCK currently produces 14 hours of original programming each week, including Corrosive Cooking, the long-running boating program Two Hands on the Tiller, and the morning news block WCCK at Sunrise.
WCCK is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WCCK Holdings, Inc., which is itself wholly owned by Specific Industries.
A Note from the Founder
“We were the first to bring household chemicals to the dinner table — at least, the first to do so on television. I’m proud of every season, every recipe, and every audience member who made it home. Thank you for fifty-one years of cooking with us. Now please, for the love of all that is broadcast, ventilate your kitchen.”
— "Major" Wallace Fenwick, Founder & Host