Gourmet Makes

Gourmet Makes is a popular YouTube series produced by Bon Appétit, the internationally recognized food and drinks magazine. Running since 2017, the series signed its distinctiveness in the world of culinary entertainment with its high-class take on varying kinds of fancy junk food items. This inviting premise is made more fascinating by the relentless dedication of its host, the culinary genius, Claire Saffitz.

The each episode in the series sets Claire Saffitz on an exhilarating challenge, she is handed a beloved, widely recognizable snack food—like Oreos, Kit Kats, or Twizzlers—and challenged to recreate it. However, the twist is that Saffitz doesn’t merely knock up a lookalike; she articulates a gourmet rendition of the snack. These treats are made from all-natural ingredients, abandoning the processed and unpronounceable components listed on the back of the original packaging. It's cooking of the most targeted kind, with Saffitz tasked with deconstructing a commercial treat's appearance, flavor profile, texture, and even its packaging, before attempting to recreate it from scratch.

In the process, Saffitz doesn’t shy away from complications. On the contrary, viewers are made privy to all the triumphs and umpteen trials along the process of making these commercial goodies into high-end gourmet treats. The openness of these attempts—failures, successes, consistencies, inconsistencies—generates a keen sense of authenticity, making Gourmet Makes more than just a routine cooking tutorial. It's also about culinary science, problem solving, meticulous attention to detail, and the sheer will to never give up.

The show’s niche lies not only in its special concept, but also in its format. With several episodes running well over half an hour, Gourmet Makes caters to the YouTube generation’s growing appetite for long-form content. These generously lengthy episodes enable the exploration of the creative process in delightful depth, with a spotlight on the methodological aspects of making gourmet versions of everyday snacks.

One of the key pulls of Gourmet Makes is, undoubtedly, Claire Saffitz. As a professional chef trained in pastry, her knack for flavor combinations, her scientific knowledge, skill with tools and understanding of techniques are on prominent display. Her inherently appealing persona—warm, relatable, slightly neurotic at times—is another happy addition to the series. She is distinctly human in her mix of frustration at repeated failures and delight at sudden successes—an equilibrium that keeps the viewer hooked.

Beyond the food and its preparatory spectacle, the series is also characterized by its lively and absorbed ambiance. The show is shot in the Bon Appétit test kitchen, fostering authentic interactions among staff members that spontaneously become a part of the narrative. This breaks away from the artificial solo presentation often seen in traditional cooking shows which positions Gourmet Makes as a refreshing deviation from the norm, adding a layer of familiarity and humor that keeps viewers returning for more.

Furthermore, the show’s presentation style stands out for its simplicity. There's an explicit absence of over-stylized visuals or dramatic culinary stunts. Instead it’s a genuine portrayal of a chef experimenting, learning, improvising, losing, and winning—keeping the flavor real and luring viewers into the captivating world of gourmet remakes.

Gourmet Makes, in essence, is a hearty blend of epicurean experimentation, scientific discovery, and personality-driven entertainment. It’s an engaging journey through the reinvention of familiar snacks with a gourmet twist that invites culinary enthusiasts to marvel at the fusion of food, creativity, and tenacity. Its unpredictable narrative prompts an eagerness within viewers to persist and indulge in the exotic flavours of the numerous episodes.

Overall, Gourmet Makes skillfully curates an extraordinary culinary voyage that takes the viewer from the comforting realm of beloved snack foods to the intriguing domain of gourmet chef-ery, all the while perpetuating a strong sense of authenticity, camaraderie and relentless problem-solving dedication.