YouTube Creator Cookbooks

by Sarah Smith, Adult Services

Two of my favorite things are to explore new places and to eat delicious foods. There’s never enough money or time to travel as much as I might want to, so on nights when it feels like I’m stuck in my routine, I like to dream about visiting a faraway restaurant or walking the sunshine filled streets in some other city. On those evenings, I often turn to YouTube where I can virtually follow along on someone else’s travels or get a glimpse at what it’s like to live somewhere else.

Recently, a few of my favorite YouTube creators have published cookbooks, making it even easier to explore something new from right here in Dubuque. I don’t need to pack a suitcase, spend hours cramped in an airplane, and suffer the disorientation of jetlag to satisfy my wanderlust! Instead, I can just borrow a book from Carnegie-Stout, drop by the grocery store, and then cook up something different and interesting in my own kitchen! Check out these YouTube creator cookbooks for yourself:

“Kitchen Passport: Feed Your Wanderlust with 85 Recipes from a Traveling Foodie”
by Arseny Knaifel

Knaifel is a resident of Berlin, Germany, one of the most diverse and exciting food destinations in Europe. His YouTube channel, My Name is Andong, is a mix of travelog, food science, and cultural background that has convinced me that Berlin is somewhere I’d really like to visit someday. For now though, I’ll see if I can’t put together a Doner Kebab at home.

“Simply Korean: Easy Recipes for Korean Favorites that Anyone Can Make”
by Aaron Huh

Many years ago I spent six months in South Korea, and I fell in love with the food! Huh’s YouTube channel, Aaron and Claire, is very focused on food. I love how he explains the ingredients and always offers alternatives or substitutions for items that may be difficult to find outside of a larger city. I especially love how his wife gets to taste test all of his creations. Now, if only I could convince my husband to make some budae jjigae for me to test!

Tasting History: Explore the Past Through 4,000 Years of Recipes”
by Max Miller with Ann Volkwein

Miller’s YouTube channel, Tasting History, is a bit different from the other two. Viewers aren’t just armchair traveling to another place, but get to time travel instead! Miller picks different recipes from early cookbooks and explores the origins. But he also gives you other fascinating information for a different perspective on foods both familiar and strange. I had no idea Thomas Jefferson was so central to the popularity of one of my favorite comfort foods, mac and cheese!


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