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 700 million views.
Overview
You Suck at Cooking parodies the genre of online cooking tutorial videos.[1][2] The videos, set in a home kitchen, are shot on a cell phone from a first-person perspective that shows only the kitchen counter and the narrator's hands.[1][3] The visual style has been described as "deliberately gritty", with lo-fi editing, poor lighting, shaky camerawork, and an "unapologetically messy" cooking environment.[1][3]
The narrative style has been characterized as "chaotic but self-aware" and seemingly but not really "effortless" and "haphazard".[1][2][3] The narrator's "wry [and] often exasperated" persona speaks with a brisk deadpan tone and repeatedly goes on absurdist riffs.[3][4] The videos often feature irreverent skits; simple, quirky songs; and absurd visual gags made with jump cuts and stop motion.[3][5][6] These gags regularly depict bizarre ways of gathering or processing ingredients (e.g., chopping vegetables by smashing them with a baking sheet).[1][3] Despite the levity, You Suck at Cooking does genuinely relate recipe instructions and culinary advice.[4][6] The recipes are intended for novice chefs; the dishes on the channel rarely end up looking picture-perfect.[3][7]
You Suck at Cooking has developed a number of inside jokes and running gags.[3][8] In one recurring storyline, talking eggs act out a police drama; in another, a robot named Pimblokto tries to cook.[3][5] 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".[2][9]
History
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.[3]
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.[6][10]
Reception
In 2017, You Suck at Cooking was recognized at the 9th Shorty Awards with a nomination in the 'Weird' award category.[11] Celebrity chef Jet Tila once named You Suck at Cooking as his favorite show.[12]
You Suck at Cooking (October 15, 2019). You Suck at Cooking: The Absurdly Practical Guide to Sucking Slightly Less at Making Food: A Cookbook. Clarkson Potter (Penguin Random House). ISBN9780525576556.
