Blog

Did you have a recent cooking failure with a YouTube recipe? Explore what makes YouTube recipes so easy to get wrong, and how much of that depends on you.   

Do you watch food videos? Food channels are a big part of YouTube content. And they have a significant following all over the world. The audience itself is very diverse. There are people who love different cuisines and are always looking out for something new. There are others who may need help cooking their first fancy meal. Or there could be suburban moms looking up gluten-free party treats for a child’s birthday party. With more access to residential providers like Charter Spectrum internet service, this audience only continues to expand. But how far can you trust YouTube food recipes? Let’s find out below.

Why YouTube Recipes Can Turn Out Bad

When you watch a YouTube food channel, many want to try cooking some tasty meals for yourself. But in certain cases, it can be easy to overlook some key facts. The biggest one by far is that the YouTube creator is most likely an experienced cook. They have years of experience and a great interest in food. Enough to be able to monetize it on YouTube. Therefore, what may seem common sense to them may be new information to a lot of their viewers.

The results of your cooking, therefore, will always be different from that of a YouTube recipe. Even when you think you do everything right, a side-by-side tasting would show differences. But that doesn’t mean your food will taste bad. Unless you do everything wrong, the final product should at least resemble the original recipe. When trying out new recipes you found on YouTube, remember the following caveats:

Your Cooking Skills Matter

Your skills in the kitchen (or lack thereof) can be the difference between a good meal and a bad one. No matter how attentively you watch a video, you will need some experience with cooking. Otherwise, your first few attempts will be learning experiences at best. In other words, until you know your way around the kitchen, complex recipes will mostly turn out to be disasters. But that’s okay. Everybody has to start somewhere. But start off with some tasty yet easy-to-cook recipes. Once you become more familiar with various cooking processes and preparing ingredients, the quality of your cooking will improve.

The ingredients can Differ

The type of ingredients used in a meal makes a huge difference to how it tastes and looks. This is often a key area where your cooking can differ from the recipe you followed. You may still follow the precise instructions. But there is no guarantee you’ll use (or even find) the same ingredients as in the video. Some meals are made with organic ingredients. Others require processed ones. Still, others may have a complex preparation for the ingredients before you even start cooking a meal. In certain cases, you may not find exotic ingredients you need near you. This may force the use of locally sourced alternatives, which may not always have the same impact. But don’t worry! You can still cook a great meal with alternatives. It will just be a bit different from the original YouTube recipe.

You Need the Right Equipment

You can’t make a pot roast in a frying pan, right? The range of cooking equipment available will always have an impact on what you can cook. Most YouTube food content creators have a full-range kitchen. Meaning they don’t just rely on the basics in everyday kitchen equipment. They may have top-of-the-line food processors, professional ovens, and so forth. That’s not to mention special utensils and mediums that aren’t native to your cuisine. Of course, you can still cook most meals in the comfort of your own kitchen. But more complex ones may need more equipment. And without that equipment, the quality of the meal could vary.

Some Meals Require Early Preparation

How often have you seen a “5-minute” meal video but found out the real meal took a lot more time to cook? This is a very easy trap to fall into. Many YouTube videos are time-lapsed to fit into a shorter playtime. But there is no fast-forward button in real life. So, while a video may advertise a quick meal, you should watch it first. You may find that the video contains already prepped ingredients. Or it may require you to preheat or treat certain equipment before cooking.

You, on the other hand, will need to do all of that first. Prepping your ingredients and equipment can sometimes take hours. This could derail your efforts if you’re cooking on a schedule. Imagine inviting your friends to dinner and only getting done with the ingredients by the time everyone arrives!