NEW YORK, April 8 — From the latest hit shows to must-watch documentaries, streaming platforms have long focused on entertainment-based, sofa-friendly content. Now, the food world is picking up on these new tools to take over our kitchens, offering professional advice and up-close experiences with expert chefs.
Back in the days of the first Covid lockdowns, many of us took to social media or tuned into TV shows to improve our skills in the kitchen. While stuck at home, the digital realm became our best ally for learning how to make a loaf of bread, for example, or how to prepare a quiche Lorraine. With the worst of the pandemic hopefully now behind us, this newfound role for smartphones and computers in the kitchen is far from ancient history. Quite the contrary, it seems.
Kittch, the Twitch for cooking
Digital devices are becoming as indispensable as a whisk to whip up egg whites or an oven to cook your roast chicken. Because nowadays, the top tips and tricks are all on the web. And it’s the chefs themselves who are delivering them, often via streaming platforms specially dedicated to connecting users with restaurant professionals. In the United States, Kittch aspires to become the Twitch of the kitchen. The site was officially launched in early March, after several months of testing. It’s a new project so promising that even the former US basketball star, LeBron James, has reached into his wallet to become an investor.
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Kittch invites chefs to provide their own video cooking lessons. Some big names have already signed up, including Elena Arzak, Best Female Chef of 2012, and heir to her father’s three-starred restaurant Arzak, which has been rooted in the Spanish Basque Country since the late 19th century (it was originally a tavern). Within two to three years, Kittch hopes to bring together 10,000 to 20,000 chefs, according to its president Brian Bedol. Like a YouTuber or a Twitch member, chefs can, of course, also monetise their content, which in the long run may offer restaurateurs a new way to grow their business. On Kittch, you can find cooking classes, but also wine tasting lessons and recipe preparation guides.
Pro-level classes for all
Does it make sense to be giving professional-level cooking lessons to kitchen amateurs? While it’s an obvious question to ask, we should also bear in mind just how much the level of many people’s cooking skills has progressed, especially after the Covid lockdowns. Chefs were out in droves, sharing their tips and posting Stories on their Instagram accounts during the various stay-at-home mandates. Some amateurs have probably even toyed with the idea of going pro...
“Masterclass” is an American streaming platform that capitalises on the experience of personalities who are top names in their respective fields, including food and culinary skills. The monthly subscription starts at US$15 (RM63) a month and gives subscribers access to the entire catalogue. The triple-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn is the latest star to get onboard, offering a course on vegetarian cuisine. The French chef, who is the first woman to obtain three-Michelin-star status in the United States, reveals her top tips for turning a tomato or a melon into the centerpiece of a dish, shifting the focus away from animal proteins.
Other platforms include The Chef & The Dish, which allows users to book private or group cooking classes in various languages with chefs from around the world. For instance learn how to make fresh pasta with Chef Carlotta in Bari, Italy or ceviche with Chef Lucia in Lima, Peru. — ETX Studio
