It seems like, out of nowhere, food footage has taken over Facebook, like our feeds have become amateur cooking channels. How many times a day do you stop to check out quick videos of different meals being prepared? If you’re anything like me, 20 minutes can easily fly by from scrolling and watching, watching and scrolling.
And how could it not? The vids are only a minute or so long, plus feature a fun little tune to guide you through.
I’m always amazed at some of the recipes (which look like a breeze in sped-up video mode, right?) because I’m not the best at cooking, but I can appreciate the creativity. My favorites to watch from outlets like Tasty and Delish are desserts, drinks and dishes I never thought I could make. They leave me salivating — and wishing I had them in front of me, immediately.
Having pulled off several of these video-to-kitchen recipes at home, some alongside my boyfriend, here are a few of the tastiest ones saved to my Facebook account. Make them tonight.
Although finding dried hibiscus flowers was a challenge, hibiscus tea worked just as great. I’m not into many spicy foods, but the cocktail’s jalapeño added the right amount of kick that also blended well with the sweet hibiscus flavor. Something like this is perfect for brunch with friends. And who doesn’t love a fresh take on a margarita?
Chicken has a tendency to become boring after a while, so I’m constantly looking for exciting ways to cook it. You’ve likely tried regular caprese salad, but this isn’t an appetizer — it’s a meal in itself. When I made the recipe, I paired it with some sautéed asparagus for an additional green element. The olive oil and balsamic gave the tomatoes a robust taste, and I couldn’t help but test how far the mozzarella topping stretches. Is that childish? Eh, maybe. Do I care? Nope.
Cheesecake-Filled Banana Bread
For someone who loves cheesecake and banana bread, this combo was right up my alley. I sent the food formula to my boyfriend, since we had overripe bananas at the house and nothing to do with them, and as he was making it, he sent me videos and pictures of the process. I couldn’t stop drooling. The banana bread was fluffy. The cheesecake filling was soft. And what a surprise it was to find nuts in the bread, which added an extra layer of crunch.
Everyone knows snickerdoodle anything is life, but adding cheesecake to it (I told you I had a thing for cheesecake) takes a dessert to a whole ’nother level. These bars, which I couldn’t contain my excitement for, served as a late-night Sunday treat the first time we made them. (Is it obvious dessert is my favorite meal of the day?) My boyfriend even made a new batch for his dad as a way of saying “thank you” for doing a repair in our apartment.
Slow-Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
This was the easiest Facebook cooking video meal I’ve made. Known for being ultra convenient, slow cookers give you more time to get non-cheffy things done while your dinner basically prepares itself. The chicken turned out moist and juicy, alongside the sweet veggies covered in the recipe’s honey-garlic mixture.
This article appears in Jun 1-8, 2017.