| You Suck at Cooking | |
|---|---|
 Title screen | |
| Website | yousuckatcooking |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Genres | |
| Subscribers | 3.22 million [1] |
| Total views | 408 million [1] |
Last updated: December 4th, 2023 | |
You Suck at Cooking (YSAC) is an absurdist culinary YouTube channel that started in 2015. It is presented by an anonymous narrator. The channel has gained over 3 million subscribers and 300 million views.
You Suck at Cooking parodies the genre of online cooking tutorial videos. [2] [3] The videos, set in a home kitchen, are shot on an iPhone from a first-person perspective that shows only the kitchen counter and the narrator's hands. [2] [4] The visual style has been described as "deliberately gritty", with lo-fi editing, poor lighting, shaky camerawork, and an "unapologetically messy" cooking environment. [2] [4]
The narrative style has been characterized as "chaotic but self-aware" and seemingly but not really "effortless" and "haphazard". [2] [3] [4] The narrator's "wry [and] often exasperated" persona speaks with a brisk deadpan tone and repeatedly goes on absurdist riffs. [4] [5] The videos often feature irreverent skits; simple, quirky songs; and absurd visual gags made with jump cuts and stop motion. [4] [6] [7] These gags regularly depict bizarre ways of gathering or processing ingredients (e.g., chopping vegetables by smashing them with a baking sheet). [2] [4] Despite the levity, You Suck at Cooking does genuinely relate recipe instructions and culinary advice. [5] [7] The recipes are intended for novice chefs; the dishes on the channel rarely end up looking picture-perfect. [4] [8]
You Suck at Cooking has developed a number of inside jokes and running gags. [4] [9] In one recurring storyline, talking eggs act out a police drama; in another, a robot named Pimblokto tries to cook. [4] [6] The narrator of You Suck at Cooking coined his own terms for several kitchen items; he refers to the oven as an "onion" or "undo" ( /ˈʌndoʊ/ UN-doh), spatulas as "wangjanglers", and ground pepper as "pepper pepper pepper". [3] [10]
You Suck at Cooking uploaded its first video to YouTube on January 13, 2015. There are over 150 episodes as of 2023 [update] . While the narrator sometimes invents backstories for himself (and other characters), his real identity is unknown and subject to some fan speculation. [4]
A parody cookbook by the YouTuber, You Suck at Cooking: The Absurdly Practical Guide to Sucking Slightly Less at Making Food, was published in 2019. [7] [11]
In 2017, You Suck at Cooking was recognized at the 9th Shorty Awards with a nomination in the 'Weird' award category. [12] Celebrity chef Jet Tila once named You Suck at Cooking as his favorite show. [13]
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