Edit (6/4): Please read this Business Insider article by Rachel Premack on the racism and toxicity at Bon Appetit. I can no longer recommend BA’s videos or support the company. Please join me in unsubscribing from BA’s YouTube channel (and print subscription, if you have one) until they (and Conde Nast as a whole) acknowledge and take meaningful, proven action to dismantle the toxic, racist environment they’ve protected and perpetuated.

Unless you live under a rock (or are blissfully ignorant of viral internet things, in which case, please teach me your ways), you’ve probably heard about the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen YouTube channel. The BA YouTube channel has 5.9+ million subscribers and 1.3+ billion views (and a dedicated meme account with 421k+ Instagram followers — hi Will and Harry!).

On a cooking channel? Aren’t these just fancier, longer Tasty videos?

Here’s the thing: They aren’t.

The Bon Appetit YouTube channel is quite possibly the best “pivot to video” that a print publication has ever achieved — and it’s the heartwarming, deeply comforting content we all need right now.

If you’re new to the channel and its chefs, it might be intimidating: With over 1130 videos, where should you start? More importantly, who are these people — and why should you care?

This post is the primer you need to get into the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen cinematic universe, including my totally unqualified opinions on the best test kitchen chefs.

A short history of Bon Appetit and the BA Test Kitchen

Bon Appetit was founded in 1956 as a “food and entertainment magazine” that features “recipes, entertaining ideas, and wine reviews.” Conde Nast acquired BA in 1993, and, as of 2011, the company is headquartered in NYC.

In 2012, BA launched their YouTube channel for recipe tutorials. It started out as what the industry calls “hands and pans” videos, which are the shot-from-above videos we’ve come to know from brands like Tasty.

In 2016, the first episode of “It’s Alive” debuted as BA’s first hosted show, hosted by Brad Leone. In 2017, “Gourmet Makes” (hosted by our queen, Claire Saffitz) followed.

Over the past few years, the channel’s following has grown to nearly 6 million subscribers and 1.3+ billion views. The popularity of the YouTube channel has actually increased magazine readership — a lot of new Bon Appetit fans find the YouTube channel first, then subscribe to the magazine after they get to know and love the chefs.

Why do people love BA so much?

Why is BA’s YouTube channel so popular? There have been some great articles on the topic, like this one by Kerri Jamera for Parade and this one by Lauren Strapagiel for Buzzfeed, so I won’t try to answer what others already (eloquently and professionally!) have.

But did want to get an expert opinion — and nothing says “subject matter expertise” like memes. So I reached out to Meme Appetit's Harry Kersh and Will Martin. Meme Appetit (@meme_appetit) is an Instagram sensation, with 421k+ followers and a merch line, all dedicated to the BA Test Kitchen and its incredible chefs.

I asked the Meme Appetit duo why they think the Test Kitchen appeals to so many people around the world. Here’s what Harry had to say:

“BA really stands apart from the rest of food media because it’s so down-to-earth and approachable. The videos present the chefs as real human beings who sometimes make mistakes but still come out with tasty food, and that’s relatable to anyone wherever in the world you’re from!” –Harry Kersh

Source: @meme_appetit — *Source:* *@meme_appetit*

Choose your character!

Harry hit the nail on the head — the chefs really are the best part of the BA videos. So here’s an introduction to each of the BA Test Kitchen chefs, including unofficial titles that I 100% made up and which of their videos I recommend you watch first.

Quick note: Not all of the chefs have their own shows, so for the most Test Kitchen bang for your buck, I recommend checking out the Test Kitchen Talks videos (especially the recent ones where the chefs are all cooking at home) and the Making Perfect series —a bunch of the chefs are featured in each video.

Another, more important note: I list the chefs who have their own shows before the chefs that don’t — and all but one of those chefs are white. Bon Appetit needs to do better. By mainly featuring white chefs, the Test Kitchen plays a real role in white-washing what this excellent Eater article calls the global pantry:

“The mainstream is white, so what is presented in the mainstream becomes defined as white, and — ta-da — what you see in viral YouTube videos somehow ends up reinforcing a white norm, even though the historical roots of a dish or an ingredient might be the Levant or East Asia. You might say whiteness works by positing itself as a default. You might also say that this sucks.” –Navneet Alang for Eater

So keep that in mind during your journey down the BA rabbit hole. The chefs often give information or a backstory about an ingredient or recipe, but there’s still a ways to go — if you see a recipe that interests you (especially if a white chef is making it), look it up and see where it comes from!

Now on to the chefs…

Brad Leone

Official title: Test Kitchen Video Host

Unofficial title: Dad of the Test Kitchen

Show: It’s Alive with Brad

He ferments things
Also sometimes travels around the world to find ingredients and cook stuff
Has a fermentation station
Pronounces “water” as “wourder”

Fun fact: The BA YouTube as we know it today wouldn’t exist without him. According to the excellent article by Lauren Strapagiel, the footage from the first “It’s Alive” episode was filmed for fun — then sat dormant for eight months until camera operator and editor Vincent Cross and Matthew Hunziker put together an edited cut. “It was everything video wasn’t supposed to be at the time… Hunziker thought it would never make it to YouTube. Leone thought he’d get fired. But it worked.”

Video to watch first: How to Brew Your Own Kombucha with Brad (that very first episode!)

Claire Saffitz

Official title: Contributing Food Editor

Unofficial title: Perfect Human

Show: Gourmet Makes

Recreates junk foods from scratch as gourmet versions
Gets stressed easily but always makes it through
Always has to temper chocolate
There may or may not be a 3rd-day curse — you watch the videos and be the judge!

Fun fact: #IWDFCFTBATK.

If you’ve encountered some hardcore Test Kitchen fans, you may have seen the hashtag #IWDFCFTBATK — aka “I would die for Claire from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen.”

The phrase comes from this viral video by Mike’s Mic.

(Another fun fact, because Claire deserves it: She attributes the iconic gray streak in her hair to the 2016 election. Relatable.)

Video to watch first: Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Twix

Amiel Stanek

Official title: Editor-at-Large

Unofficial title: Quirky Polish Uncle

Show: Almost Every Way

Shows every way to cook something (and tastes/reviews them all)
Extremely funny voiceover narration
I’ve watched all of these several times and find them deeply comforting

Fun fact: He has as a Bernie sticker on his laptop! (I would, too, but mine arrived in the mail after Super Tuesday :( )

Video to watch first: Every Way to Cook an Egg (59 Methods)

Molly Baz

Official title: Senior Food Editor

Unofficial title: Salt Queen

Show: Molly Tries

“Test Kitchen chef Molly Baz attempts many complicated and rarefied cooking techniques.” (Scavenger-hunt style!)
She always learns cool things and feeds the results to coworkers at the end
Ostrich eggs! Raindrop cake!

Fun fact: She has a dog named Tuna! (Pictured!)

Video to watch first: Pro Chef Learns How to Cook Ostrich Eggs

Carla Lalli Music

Official title: Food Editor-at-Large

Unofficial title: The Cool Mom

Show: Back to Back Chef

“A celebrity chef challenges an amateur to keep up as each prepares a dish, but the amateur can only hear - not see - the celebrity chef.”
Used to have different celeb chefs host, but Carla is the best so it’s just her now
Guests include Trixie Mattel and Natalie Portman

Fun fact: She’s obsessed with cooking beans (and unironically has Corona beans in her home pantry right now).

Video to watch first: WWE Superstar Braun Strowman Tries to Keep Up with a Professional Chef

Alex Delany

Official title: Drinks Editor

Unofficial title: My crush/Brad’s Nemesis

Show: One of Everything

Alex and a coworker order one of everything at NYC restaurants and take one bite of each thing, then pick their faves. (Don’t worry, leftovers go to the crew + friends!)
Used to do Alex Eats It All, which is still worth a watch

Fun fact: Claims that coffee tastes best out of a novelty mug. Also a music/vinyl snob —and has 80 Spotify playlists (and 42k+ followers!) to prove it.

Video to watch first: 14 Chicago Hot Dogs in 12 Hours. Which is the Best? (This is Delany’s first video — and probably not his best — but had to get the Chicago vid in here!) (A good first watch for One of Everything: Trying Everything on the Menu at an Iconic NYC Restaurant (Ft Claire Saffitz))

Chris Morocco

Official title: Test Kitchen Director

Unofficial title: Supertaster™

Show: Reverse Engineering

Chris uses his supertaster ability to reverse engineer a celeb chef’s recipe from taste, touch, and smell alone
His blindfolds are themed
It’s perfect and I’ve watched every episode at least 5x

Fun fact: Always has 100 tasting spoons at his station/in his apron. Also, his children are only allowed one banana each per day and are constantly asking for second bananas.

Video to watch first: Recreating Guy Fieri's Trash Can Nachos From Taste

Andy Baraghani

Official title: Senior Food Editor

Unofficial title: Official Test Kitchen Thirst Trap

Show: Andy Explores

Goes to different authentic restaurants and learns how to cook different cuisines and use different techniques
Is always amazing at everything

Fun fact: He’s so beautiful that magazines have interviewed him about his skincare routine. (Unrelated to skincare: I really recommend Andy’s 2018 essay, “I Hid Who I Was for So Long. Until I Became a Cook.”)

Video to watch first: Andy Learns How to Cook Palestinian Food

Sohla El-Waylly

Official title: Assistant Food Editor

Unofficial title: The Realest

Show: She doesn’t have an official one yet, but she deserves it 100%!

She’s always swooping in to help Claire in Gourmet Makes
Her Test Kitchen @ Home segments have been incredible
In the coffee at home episode, she made a “white Russian” — but with bourbon and coffee liqueur (no vodka in sight)

Fun fact: She has 2 very cute dogs named Clementine and Vito (pictured!). She is also just an absolute delight and extremely relatable.

Video to watch first: Sohla Makes Lamb & Scallion Dumplings (or her section of the coffee at home video, which starts at 18:52 here)

Christina Chaey

Official title: Associate Editor

Unofficial title: Also The Realest

Show: Also doesn’t have her own, also 100% deserves one

She’s so relatable
She writes excellent content for BA’s Healthyish newsletter, including this important piece on gentle foods for chaotic times
Extremely underrated

Fun fact: She’s been doing no-contact drop-offs/trades of baked goods and other foods with friends via bike during NYC’s lockdown — and chronicling it all on her Instagram stories.

Video to watch first: Trying Everything on the Menu at a Famous NYC Sandwich Shop (Ft Christina Chaey), which is technically Delany’s show, but Chaey is the special guest and steals the show. I also recommend the tour of her kitchen is this Test Kitchen @ Home video (starts at 21:42 here) featuring the mushroom poster pictured.

Gaby Melian

Official title: Test Kitchen Manager

Unofficial title: The Fun Aunt

Shows: She doesn’t have an official one…

BUT she’s in almost every Test Kitchen video keeping everyone’s shit together
She lets Claire destroy/morph together/take apart different kitchen tools for Gourmet Makes
I love her

Fun fact: She invented a drink called the “Gaby Feel Better Drink,” which is ginger, lemon, honey, and whiskey. (You can watch her make it in this video at the 4:33 mark.)

Video to watch first: Watch Gaby make her favorite cocktail at the link above, then check out Brad and Gaby Make Beef Empanadas, then contact Bon Appetit and demand that they give Gaby more videos. She is an absolute gem throughout the entire Test Kitchen Talks series.

Rick Martinez

Official title: Contributing Food Editor

Unofficial title: Taco and Cookie King

Shows: Doesn’t have an official one

He DID lead his own issue of the magazine themed around tacos: Taco Nation!
For the Test Kitchen @ Home segments, he’s been filming from Mazatlán, Mexico, where he’s been traveling to research his upcoming book

Fun fact: Rick has the best nail polish. In his Test Kitchen videos, you’ll often see him with his signature blue nails. He also always keeps a bag of emergency cookie dough in the freezer (which is a habit I need to adopt).

Video to watch first: Rick Makes Tacos Placeros. Also, watch Rick’s daily Instagram stories — it's the closest we’ll all get to living in a beautiful home on the coast of Mexico with fresh local produce and homemade meals.

Priya Krishna

Official title: Contributing Writer

Unofficial title: Secret Cocktail Queen

Shows: Also no official show

She’s in Texas with her parents during quarantine and they have been cooking (and drinking) a lot together — and they show up in her Test Kitchen @ Home segments often
She and her dad taught Brad how to make yogurt on It’s Alive

Fun fact: She wrote a cookbook called “Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family” (which I just bought for my Kindle!).

Video to watch first: Priya Makes Saag Feta for the recipe, Brand and Priya Make Yogurt for the entertainment value and dad cameo.

And now you're primed and ready to explore the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen cinematic universe! As always, my opinions are at least 75% subjective. Thank you to all of the GIF makers out there and to Harry from Meme Appetit for chatting with me.

Bon appetit!