TikTok and Instagram tags are changing how people cook — for the better

The lifespan of cookbooks and their use over the centuries was something that many authors didn’t know about. Authors weren’t present to see them be prepared by strangers, to see the ingredient ratios be tweaked, or to participate in the laminated copy getting passed down to future generations. Mailed responses to recipes, whether thank you’s, stories, or suggestions, took time and effort, and therefore were rare. Next came the more immediate and highly revealing tag function via social media.

Last May, I attempted Cathy Barrow’s funnel cake hand pies, a recipe that requires dropping folded apple pies into hot oil, ahead of a picnic. The resulting messy, greasy pie shells turned out to be almost raw inside and burned on the exterior. After removing my embarrassingly messy pie shells from the oil, I took a snap to Instagram Stories and proudly mentioned Barrow. Barrow was already there when I arrived and they were attempting to figure out what went wrong. What was the temperature of your oil? Are you a Thermapen user? Here’s a link to buy the best instant thermometer. Here’s why I like that digital precision.The new kitchen tool I purchased soon after was a great help to my hands, and my delicious pies.

Now that chefs are notified and able to track posts they’ve been tagged in, the distance between creators and consumers of recipes has never been closer. The creators have the ability to see cross-overs and veganized versions, as well as new pairings for their dishes. It’s more of a collaborative process, with both parties learning something and everybody having the chance to speak their mind. I’ve been advised on bread knives by authors, egged on by flour companies, and boosted by celebrity chefs I thought were unreachable. I have recently emailed four chefs about how this new generation of recipe discussion has changed their lives. These are their answers, which have been edited to be more concise and clear.

#fridaypieday

Erin Jeanne McDowell author of The Book on PieAnd the future Baking with Savory NotesShe is prolific in her creativity Instagram Lives, YouTube tutorialsAMAs in Instagram Stories, where she can diagnose pie issues and suggest stunning bakes. Instagram is helping McDowell connect with other bakers such as Raeanne Sgan who was there to swap ingredients for Filipino fruit.

How do you feel about being tagged by people on social media? These tags can make you feel.

I get most of my tags on Instagram, YouTube and sometimes TikTok/Facebook. My content is all about teaching folks about baking in an approachable way, so when they share their bakes with me it’s absolutely wonderful. It’s like getting to see the direct impact my work is having and that my recipes are extending far beyond my own kitchen. It’s been especially rewarding connecting with people all over the world.

If you look at the conversations that begin with a DM (or a tag), is there one you find memorable?

My amazing assistant, DM, was the way I met her. We have been working together since then. Our joke is that Instagram is our modern resume. After seeing her Instagram account, she reached out. I then vetted her. Raeanne Sagan was a budding pie baker and I had a wonderful conversation. Since she started her business, it has been over a full year. I have felt that I was able to witness the entire process from its inception. It’s been incredible.

Do you feel that the feedback provided by food tags is different from the relationships chefs and writers have with their customers? Do you think this shift will continue into the future — and are you excited about that?

It is a great skill to help people understand what they perceive to be problems or errors. Especially with baking, some of my very purposeful choices can seem confusing to inexperienced folks and could be viewed as a mistake, even if it isn’t! It was once that if somebody thought there was an error in a book or magazine it would be considered a complete to-do and many weeks to months before they could get an answer.

Now, a few times folks have DMed me with a problem while they are baking and I’ve been able to help in real time. A lot of problems can be resolved by using photos and videos. Someone wrote to me once saying that the recipe for my pie was baking 10 more minutes than it should have. It took about 15 minutes longer to bake, which I confirmed by watching the video. It shouldn’t take so long. I suggested to the individual that they purchase an oven thermometer. Turns out, their oven was running a whopping 40° cold!

#fromscratch

Eitan Bernath is the author of “The upcoming.” Eitan Eats the World: Comfort classics you can cook right nowA 19-year-old French chef, most famous for Sein snappy videosTikTok’s newest viral TikTok recipe. Jewish classics like latkes or brisket also featured. ChopThe average age at 11.

Do you feel that the feedback provided by food tags is different from the relationships chefs and writers have with their customers? Do you think this shift will continue into the future — and are you excited about that?

The relationship between food creators and their audiences speaks to social media at its core: it’s so user driven. You know what your audience likes and what they don’t. My audience is in the driver’s seat and every content decision I make is based off that intuition.

Is it hard to feel constantly tagged on food photos or videos? How do you learn from all the tags?

With my community of over seven million, I’m constantly consumed in content that my audience is interested in. It’s a wildly new dynamic as opposed to traditional media — being enveloped in content my audience is interested in allows me to curate the content I make to appeal to them. […] It’s incredible to see your recipes in so many different kitchens and be reinvented by so many different cooks. It’s humbling and insanely exciting. Everyday I learn from many people how to reimagine my recipes.

If you look at the conversations that you have with your audience that begin with a DM (or a tag), is there any that stands out as memorable?

In my DMs, a mom told me that her daughter watched one of my videos before going to sleep every night. That’s really special to me.

#theflavorequation

Nik Sharma (autor ofFlavor EquationHis skills are taught by His newsletterHe also shares ingenious recipes Instagram, Take-N-Forget MealsIn, The New York Times. Coming from a molecular genetics background, his recipes bounce between fantastic flavors and home cook techniques while teaching you the science behind the dishes — important skills for those adjusting his recipes.

Do you feel that the feedback provided by food tags is different from the relationships chefs and writers have with their customers? Do you think this shift will continue into the future — and are you excited about that?

I can’t speak for the time before social media, but it’s been a great way for me to learn from my followers. It gives me a sense of their needs and what they’re interested in and what I can share with them. What I enjoy about the interaction is learning — sometimes a reader from a different part of the world or the country will share information on how they approach the same recipe similarly or in a different way. I’ll learn about what ingredients are easily available and what is not, and then I need to think about a substitute for them. I am forced to make my recipes accessible to as many people as possible.

It is possible that this trend will change in the future, but I am not certain. The point where we reach exhaustion will come. Our brains aren’t evolving at the same rate as we share information. Larger media outlets depend on people to respond to queries on their accounts. For someone like me that’s doing it alone, time is of the essence so I spread my time out during the week. I respond to all questions I receive during the week, and I take breaks on weekends.

What do you learn from being tagged in people’s meals using your recipes?

I’m often curious to see how people would pair my dishes with other dishes or how they present it. I also watch how different people approach the same recipe — some will use shortcuts while others follow it to a tee. Some might try substitutions that work and don’t work. It’s the best place to get user experience data.

If you look at the conversations that you have with your audience that begin with a DM (or a tag), is there any that stands out as memorable?

The most special DM I’ve received, that later turned into an email, was from a reader who was looking for new ways to add some flavor back to their husband’s meal. She was trying to improve her husband’s appetite after he had been through chemotherapy. She was able to share her joy with her husband through the delicious food that she prepared.

#lunchideas

Bettina Makalintal (senior reporter at Eater), which is owned and operated by Polygon parent firm Vox Media, loves watermelon. Instagram Stories TikTok is a hot, squishy TikTokGorgeous photos of food, to help you build your own personal collection of recipes. She creates meditative videos that are tightly shot and have no narration. The only sound she hears is ASMRy poppings of fried veggies.

How do you feel about being tagged by people on social media? These tags can make you feel.

I get tagged on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok in pictures of people’s meals for reasons ranging from the very specific (people cooking a tofu recipe I posted a year ago) to the very broad (people making eggs — a reference to my cooking Instagram handle). It is truly heartwarming to know that others think of me not only when they cook and eat but also that they trust my advice or consider me a source for inspiration.

You can find so many online people who offer cooking tips and advice. It’s a great honor for me to be able to share that space with them. These tags also have served to ground me. It made the internet seem smaller and more personal, making it a space where I can find a small community around food.

Do you feel that the feedback provided by food tags is different from the relationships chefs and writers have with their customers? Do you think this shift will continue into the future — and are you excited about that?

This reduces the distance between chefs and consumers. As a child, I found it difficult to make connections with chefs that I liked watching on the Food Network and in magazines. Social media and tag technology make it much simpler to connect with chefs or recipe developers. Being a creator allows you to acknowledge and thank your followers much easier. Viewers can interact with and even be watched by chefs they admire.

The availability of creators to consumers is increased by tags. It makes it easier than ever to communicate with creators from their followers in real time. Some people tag me during the cooking or prepping process so I’m able to assist with troubleshooting or guide them through the steps. Although I feel this is a positive shift, there are downsides. One being that creators must always be available for information and feedback.

It’ll be interesting to see how this relationship continues to shift, especially as creators who’ve built up these little communities of their own through social media move them into paid and slightly more exclusive models like Demi Community and Patreon.