J. Kenji Lopez-Alt Claps Back At Reddit Food Critics
In terms of being relatable and striking a chord with fans, few chefs manage to do as good a job as J. Kenji López-Alt. As evidenced by his YouTube channel, he spends a lot of time at home cooking with a camera so that his viewers can observe him in the kitchen as he reflects on food and works on new dishes. "I enjoy making these videos, and I'm gonna keep at it, so long as it doesn't become a chore," he writes on his channel. In addition to his YouTube offerings, he's also a cookbook author and the culinary consultant at Serious Eats.
López-Alt really does have plenty of content for budding home cooks. He can be seen preparing a plate of yummy kimchi grilled cheese, doling out tips for making a simple potato salad, and cooking up his take on anything from a Thai omelette to tortilla pizza. He's pretty regular with his videos too and keeps his fans entertained.
He's also not uncomfortable speaking up about topics he feels strongly about. For example, he recently shared his views on Redditors who get a bit too extreme about food.
The chef wants people to take it easy
A Redditor posted about J. Kenji López-Alt's interaction with one of his followers recently. This got a lot of attention from Reddit users on the Serious Eats subreddit. Why? Well, the chef responded to someone who said that they once wrote about how much they like Ree Drummond's mashed potatoes. However, they received too much hate and decided to never post in that Reddit forum again.
López-Alt said that folks can get be a bit too extreme in these situations. "Oh god, those people are the worst," he wrote in reply. "The 'serious' in 'Serious Eats' is meant to be ironic because the whole tone of the site was realizing how ultimately silly it is to get worked up over food."
Food enthusiasts can't help but agree with the veteran chef. It also seems that López-Alt has a history of swooping in when food snobs try to assert their superiority. As another commenter wrote, "Kenji once backed me up when I was getting attacked for using deli roast beef for my cheating homemade Philly cheesesteaks (it's thinly sliced beef, cmon!), and for that I will always be grateful."