Ranking The Most Popular Cooking Channels On YouTube From Worst To Best

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From the educating and insightful to the hilarious and outrageous, cooking shows are everywhere in today's media. However, on YouTube, creators have a unique opportunity to gain a viewership on their own terms. Without the help of television stations, book deals, or tabloids, YouTube cooking channels instead need to create a following through their talent alone. While they may not make as much money as other celebrity chefs, they are able to create the content that they alone want to make. Oftentimes, this results in unique channels, often featuring people, cuisines, and methods that wouldn't be featured in the mainstream media. And sometimes, that's exactly what we're looking for.

But, while some of the most popular cooking channels on YouTube are pretty amazing — relatable, entertaining, and filled with information home cooks actually need and want — others have us a bit stumped as to why their viewership is as high as it is. These are the most popular cooking channels on YouTube, ranked from worst to best.

Laura in the Kitchen, hosted by Laura Vitale, is in the same category as Jamie Oliver and How to Cook That. Laura Vitale, like those other hosts, has talent, but lacks anything interesting or new to offer viewers. She's no different than the traditional television chefs and her channel offers no new angle to the cooking channel genre. Her most popular videos are described as "homemade," such as her homemade cupcakes, homemade pizza, and homemade cinnamon rolls.

While the channel has over 3.3 million subscribers, and Vitale herself seems to have a significant following, the channel lacks the spark of its competitors. Nonetheless, Vitale has found success on other platforms, like her television show "Simply Laura" and her cookbook, "Laura in the Kitchen: Favorite Italian-American Recipes Made Easy."

Jamie Oliver is an Essex-born chef and restaurateur who has also established a presence on YouTube with his cooking tutorials. While he certainly has talent, Oliver doesn't bring anything new to the YouTube cooking channel genre. JunsKitchen has his cats, Gordon Ramsay has his foul mouth, and Epic Meal Time has its absurdist humor, but it seems like Oliver doesn't really have anything to separate him from the pack. His most popular videos feature him offering tutorials for how to make the perfect scrambled eggs, perfect roast potatoes, and a perfect steak. Apparently, he doesn't know any other adjective besides "perfect."

Just because Oliver has over 4.2 million subscribers, doesn't mean he's the best cooking channel to watch. One of the reasons YouTube cooking channels became so popular is because they offer something different than the traditional cooking shows on television. Unfortunately, Oliver brings nothing new to the table, which is why he's earned such a low position on this list. 

Gordon Ramsay is one of the most famous chefs in the world, so it's no surprise he has a considerable YouTube presence. While a lot of his channel consists of clips from one of his television shows, he also has decent amount of content made specifically for YouTube. We like to believe that's all the good stuff that's straight from the chef himself, without network or production team input. One video (from "Gordon Ramsay's The F Word") features him hunting, butchering, and cooking a wild boar on the Georgia-Alabama border, while another is a tutorial just for his YouTube audience on how to make the perfect smoky pork sliders. Between the clips from his television shows, his cooking tutorials, and his traveling adventures, this channel is a foodie's dream.

While some viewers are off-put by Ramsay's harsh personality and penchant for curse words, many, if not more, find him hilarious and refreshingly direct. His reputation for having an incredibly high standard makes it even more exciting when he actually enjoys a dish. And doing anything in the kitchen the way Ramsay taught you just makes you feel like you've got your cooking act together. Whether you love him or hate him, Ramsay and his foul mouth are here to stay on YouTube.

How to Cake it, run by the talented Yolanda Gampp, is an over-the-top baking channel that shows you how to make a cake look like anything from a giant cheeseburger and fries to a Rubik's Cube. While Gampp's creations are incredibly impressive, they aren't very practical to make at home. Between the different types of cake, frosting, and tools, you probably won't be able to recreate any of her cakes with stuff you just have lying around in your kitchen. However, that doesn't make it any less fun to watch her make her crazy cakes.

Apparently, her 3.9 million subscribers don't seem to mind that they'll probably never be able to recreate what they watch her do. Clearly, cooking channels don't all have to be educational or instructional to be beloved among viewers — they can just be entertaining. Whether it's due to her charming personality, her unique ideas, or her breathtaking results, Gampp has a reliable audience that always seems ready for more.

With so many different cooking channels available on YouTube, creators have to try even harder to separate themselves from the pack. However, for channels like Food Wishes, hosted by John Mitzewich or "Chef John," that have been making videos since 2007, cheap gimmicks and unique angles aren't necessary. Food Wishes has been around for so long that the channels quality reputation and steady followers are all it needs to stay relevant in the world of cooking channels. Considering the fact that Mitzewich is 55-years-old, it's also impressive that he's been able to keep a younger audience interested for so long.

While some of other channels offer cooking tips and other food related content, Food Wishes only publishes recipe videos and provides a text-version of their recipe on their blog. Additionally, Chef John also makes a point of not appearing in the videos, in order to make the food the star. While other cooking channels also leave out the chef's face, it's likely that Chef John was the first person on YouTube to do it. With 2.7 million subscribers and growing, we don't think Food Wishes will be dying out anytime soon.

Unlike the first two videos on this list, Bon Appétit caters more to people who have a slightly higher base knowledge of cooking. Since the channel is run by several people, there are different video series within the channel; like Gourmet Makes, in which a pastry chef attempts to make gourmet versions of different junk foods and candies; Back-to-Back Chef, where they challenge celebrities to keep up with professional chefs or challenge regular people to keep up with celebrity chefs in the kitchen from verbal instructions only; and Working 24 Hours at..., which is pretty self-explanatory. Because the channel has so many creators and sub-series, they are able to cater to a wider audience.

However, this channel may not be for you if you're just looking for some general cooking tips or easy recipes for beginners. Many of the videos go into much more detail than other channels, explaining the difference between certain techniques, ingredients, or tools, and discussing the different outcomes you might get with each. Fortunately, considering they have over 3.2 million subscribers, it's unlikely their more specialized approach is hindering their popularity.

Considering that Epic Meal Time's most popular videos were published seven or more years ago, some people might assume that their channel has been on the decline, but in fact, the men behind this channel still continue to produce quality, successful content (but hey, every video can't have 30 million views). Their most popular video was "Fast Food Lasagna," in which they go to every major fast food chain and order several units of the chain's most popular item, like the Big Mac from McDonalds and the Baconator from Burger King, and then combine them in layers to make one giant "lasagna." Almost all of the videos on this channel follow the same format: They try to make the most epic, huge, outrageous dish they can, like the 6-foot Quesadilla or the Thanksgiving Burger. They also accompany these ridiculous dishes with their unique, absurdist brand of humor.

With over 7 million subscribers, they are one of the most followed cooking channels on YouTube. The channel has become so successful that the show's host, Harley Morenstein, has gone on to be featured on Episodes of Bon Appétit, Good Mythical Morning, and even Comedy Central's This is Not Happening.