I get the point you're making in general but I just can't get behind discrediting Adam Ragusea's content based on his "NPR personality", as annoying as it may be to some (or perhaps many?). His research is thorough and reasonably balanced, and he'll typically point out when that might not be the case. His videos are absolutely rife with substitutions, both in terms of ingredients and equipment, to help make recipes more accessible to the average home cook. It's hard to see why you'd put him in the same category as Weissman or Babish.
More importantly though, your alternative recommendations are excellent and we could all use a little more variety. A recent personal fav of mine is rootedinspice on YouTube. Sadly they only post shorts, but they're usually pretty easy to follow anyways.
Rainn, thanks for your comment. I agree with you, Ragusea does his homework and creates serviceable, simple recipes for the home cook — but there's an underlying, what an old Newsweek editor of mine used to call, "Upper West Side" arrogance going on that, while not the brash food 'bro, I do find annoying. He is smug, and I think there were two videos that turned me off him; the first was his "rinsing rice" reaction video to Uncle Roger's famous BBC chef takedown, which at first blush comes across as a useful "let's explain to white people" video, but is really just Ragusea using some data points to contradict, or undermine, not just Uncle Roger's rice cooking methods, but, most of Asia's. The second was an episode trying to explain why brownies have a thin, pale, crispy skin. WTF? It was just precious noodling on something irrelevant. It wasn't even funny.
I completely agree with this article. Adam Ragusea is an arrogant and self-righteous prick at the first peak of the Dunning-Kruger curve. Babish is pure production-value and no actual practical value to the home cook. Weissman is a meme-lord and makes recipes that he claims are quick but are quite involved and meant to impress rather than educate or even taste good. Ethan Chleb is probably the best of the popular white dudes right now as his personality is fairly neutral, and he gives practical advice backed by some surface-level science/evidence.
I think Kenji is still at the top of my list. I think cooking purely from recipes is limiting though and I prefer learning about techniques, concepts, and systems, which is what Kenji often does.
I've been enjoying Brian Lagerstrom and, like Tasting History with Max Miller, I enjoy B. Dylan Hollis, the TikToker who now has a YouTube channel. What I like about Miller and Hollis is that they're not professionals, but have a love of recipes and the history of food. Hollis is a lot campier, but, his recipes are actually doable, unlike Babish or Weissman. There's also the lack of attitude. I think that's why I like Stephen Cusato (NACS); he's a Brooklynite, through and through, so it's just the facts with some self-deprecating humor.
Good advice some I know most interested in School of Wok never tried that always good to branch out. Still follow babish....everyone needs some japanese porn in their life :) thanks for this my friend, hope all is well
You go from raging at Ragusea (and God knows I have problems with some of his notions, but it's mostly his IFLScience bullshit) for for being white male and straight (as if he could somehow do anything about those things, or should shut up and disappear due to them) to calling Babish (another youtuber I'm agnostic about) "Japanese pornography", because his work is:
"all mannered, cooly distant cinematography serving up often questionable media-mentioned recipes with an air of smug detachment."
what a whiny and mean-spirited article. These are people btw, just trying their best to put their ideas out in the world. Do i agree with everything these people say? Absolutely not. Do some personalities rub me the wrong way and I avoid entirely? Yes. But your article just comes across as bigoted and self involved. Your only real criticisms are about race and gender
I get the point you're making in general but I just can't get behind discrediting Adam Ragusea's content based on his "NPR personality", as annoying as it may be to some (or perhaps many?). His research is thorough and reasonably balanced, and he'll typically point out when that might not be the case. His videos are absolutely rife with substitutions, both in terms of ingredients and equipment, to help make recipes more accessible to the average home cook. It's hard to see why you'd put him in the same category as Weissman or Babish.
More importantly though, your alternative recommendations are excellent and we could all use a little more variety. A recent personal fav of mine is rootedinspice on YouTube. Sadly they only post shorts, but they're usually pretty easy to follow anyways.
Rainn, thanks for your comment. I agree with you, Ragusea does his homework and creates serviceable, simple recipes for the home cook — but there's an underlying, what an old Newsweek editor of mine used to call, "Upper West Side" arrogance going on that, while not the brash food 'bro, I do find annoying. He is smug, and I think there were two videos that turned me off him; the first was his "rinsing rice" reaction video to Uncle Roger's famous BBC chef takedown, which at first blush comes across as a useful "let's explain to white people" video, but is really just Ragusea using some data points to contradict, or undermine, not just Uncle Roger's rice cooking methods, but, most of Asia's. The second was an episode trying to explain why brownies have a thin, pale, crispy skin. WTF? It was just precious noodling on something irrelevant. It wasn't even funny.
I completely agree with this article. Adam Ragusea is an arrogant and self-righteous prick at the first peak of the Dunning-Kruger curve. Babish is pure production-value and no actual practical value to the home cook. Weissman is a meme-lord and makes recipes that he claims are quick but are quite involved and meant to impress rather than educate or even taste good. Ethan Chleb is probably the best of the popular white dudes right now as his personality is fairly neutral, and he gives practical advice backed by some surface-level science/evidence.
I think Kenji is still at the top of my list. I think cooking purely from recipes is limiting though and I prefer learning about techniques, concepts, and systems, which is what Kenji often does.
I've been enjoying Brian Lagerstrom and, like Tasting History with Max Miller, I enjoy B. Dylan Hollis, the TikToker who now has a YouTube channel. What I like about Miller and Hollis is that they're not professionals, but have a love of recipes and the history of food. Hollis is a lot campier, but, his recipes are actually doable, unlike Babish or Weissman. There's also the lack of attitude. I think that's why I like Stephen Cusato (NACS); he's a Brooklynite, through and through, so it's just the facts with some self-deprecating humor.
This was a good read. I like the tone in which you write. Will be checking out some of these creators. What do you think about Epic Meal Time?
Good advice some I know most interested in School of Wok never tried that always good to branch out. Still follow babish....everyone needs some japanese porn in their life :) thanks for this my friend, hope all is well
You go from raging at Ragusea (and God knows I have problems with some of his notions, but it's mostly his IFLScience bullshit) for for being white male and straight (as if he could somehow do anything about those things, or should shut up and disappear due to them) to calling Babish (another youtuber I'm agnostic about) "Japanese pornography", because his work is:
"all mannered, cooly distant cinematography serving up often questionable media-mentioned recipes with an air of smug detachment."
you're a hypocrite and a fucking racist.
You seem stupid
Shit man I don't even like the guys you're dissing, but you're one nasty cunt.
Well at least I'm not a coward with a fake profile and no bio, cunt.
what a whiny and mean-spirited article. These are people btw, just trying their best to put their ideas out in the world. Do i agree with everything these people say? Absolutely not. Do some personalities rub me the wrong way and I avoid entirely? Yes. But your article just comes across as bigoted and self involved. Your only real criticisms are about race and gender