If you’re anything like me, a hungover Sunday entails lying in bed, ordering copious amounts of pasta on Uber Eats and binge watching Claire Saffitz’ Bon Appetit videos.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Bon Appetit, it’s a YouTube channel based on an American food and entertaining magazine and it’s pretty much just a bunch of adorable, hilarious and utterly charming chefs and food enthusiasts who teach the world how to cook and challenge themselves to create dishes I’d never dream to attempt.
It sounds simple, until you watch Claire Saffitz’ YouTube series for Bon Appetit. Gourmet Makes sees Claire – an unlikely social media sensation – attempt to recreate our favourite junk and comfort foods.
Each episode is an emotional journey full of ups and downs and there’s no doubt that some have left Saffitz wondering how she could possibly go on – or temper chocolate one more goddamn time.
Here’s some of the best Gourmet Makes videos, ranked from how much they emotionally scarred Claire Saffitz. You’re welcome.
Twinkie
Remember when Gourmet Makes videos were only TEN MINUTES long? What else did we do with all our time? Pastry Chef Attempts to Make A Gourmet Twinkie was the first Gourmet Makes episode and relatively drama-free compared to what was to come. Early on, Saffitz remarks, “this is harder than I thought it was going to be,” and as one user correctly commented, this comment foreshadowed the entire series. The only real challenge during the Twinkie ep is making is making them “spongier” which is achieved relatively quickly.
Pocky
Claire Saffitz can’t believe how talented she is during the Pocky ep of Gourmet Makes – even though she had never eaten one until she had to recreate them. When she manages to dip the Pocky stick in chocolate and IT WORKS, Saffitz says “that was incredible” and honestly – she couldn’t be more correct.
Speaking on Internet icons, listen to the GOAT team breakdown Peppa Pig’s Grammys snub on It’s Been A Big Day For… below:
Peeps
At the start of Gourmet Makes Peeps episode we’re met with fellow BA test kitchen legend Chris Morocco reflecting on how viewers “didn’t like” him giving Claire “sh*t for not tempering chocolate.” We still love you Chris – and yes, every Dumbledore does need their Voldemort – but these bad vibes really set the scene for the rest of the episode. Not only is Saffitz sick during the ep and can’t actually taste what she’s creating, her peeps begin to weep overnight, they lose their ‘beaks’ and Brad says they have a “weird smell.” However, Carla tells her to “peep on peepin’ on” and ultimately, everything works out for the best.
Sour Patch Kids
The best thing about Gourmet Makes Sour Patch Kids ep is Cosmo, Carla’s cute AF son. Sadly, everything else is one uphill battle. Claire begins with the bright idea to model the shape of her Sour Patch Kids off Cosmo, but unfortunately, it’s a dream that never comes to fruition. Taste and texture becomes challenge, blanching fruits takes hours upon hours and when Chris Morocco tastes her concoction he says he thinks he’s gonna “pass out for a sec.” Sad music plays multiple times and at one point Claire says “it’s a huge waste of time.” All-in-all, Claire’s Sour Patch Kids aren’t perfect but my God, she gets an A+ for effort.
Kit Kat
The Kit Kat episode of Gourmet Makes is where Claire Saffitz’ on-again off-again relationship with chocolate tempering began. She even says “I’m gonna attempt chocolate tempering, which I’ve never successfully done,” setting off a chain of events throughout the entire series that lead to a mess of melted chocolate and an incredible amount of emotional scarring. The Kit Kats test Claire’s patience, in fact, they nearly drive her to breaking point – and at one point she tells Chris Morocco “I can accept zero criticism right now” which is a MOOD. Twenty minutes later and Claire’s Kit Kats snap, they Kit, they Kat, and you know what, she ultimately nailed it.
No wonder she’s a social media influencer/icon without even trying.
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