Since the pandemic began, and online cooking became a thing, the hashtag #quarantinecooking has been used more than 700,000 times on Instagram alone. LA Times food writer Jenn Harris has curated a list of the best chefs and celebrities to watch... the next time you are trapped in the Instagram vortex.
"The general theme is that everyone is cooking—whether you're someone who cooked before or who has a Food Network cooking show, or you're just someone who's watched other people cooking. People have started to cook and are documenting what they're cooking on their phones and Instagram," said Harris.
Jet Tila is a chef, culinary anthropologist, and Food Network star, and he is doing cooking lessons from his Instagram account.
"He and his wife have also done Instagram lives where they teach viewers how to do everything from Pad Thai to quesadillas. I talked to him, and he told me that in addition to upping his followers by like 20% in a couple of weeks, he also sold out of his cookbook," added Harris.
Spanish chef Jose Andres is taking things up a notch by doing something called "cooking the musical."
"He and his family do these cooking videos in their kitchen, and they challenge themselves to finish a dish in the time it takes to finish a song from Hamilton and or another one of their favorite musicals. It is really funny," said Harris.
American chef Christina Tosi is also thinking of our furry friends by making dog biscuits.
"Christina is the light that we all need right now; she's so much fun. Tosi has a new dog named Butter, for who she made biscuits in baking videos. She does a new baking video every single day—she always has a fun soundtrack, and she will show you how to make dog biscuits," added Harris.
Actress Natalie Portman also enjoys making virtual cooking videos. "Natalie Portman, I call her the classiest of the bunch because she does the videos with French jazz playing in the background, and she specializes in plant-based foods," said Harris.
The big question is, why are people watching so many videos now? "Some people are bored, but it is also satisfying to watch other people cook. It is inspiring to watch others cook and will motivate others to try new recipes. Or if you see Natalie Portman's kitchen and your kitchen happens to be cleaner at the moment, that's like a small win that we all need," added Harris.