This video has been a long time coming. Also feel free to ignore this one if you are just here for the normal videos 😅 Here's a quick recap of the first half before the Q&A: The problem that we want to solve is: It's hard to feed yourself everyday based on your unique constraints. (Time, energy, money, job, family, etc.) The current solutions all tend to fall short in some way: - Websites: Too many ads, long stories no one wants - Cook books: Great if you have time, but not helpful for shopping / planning, throwing a quick meal together, can't take it with you - Video content: Not enough educational content. A lot of content is made to chase views / ad revenue. - Meal kits: High cost per meal, limited menu - Paid content / courses: Already tons of free information / content everywhere. These solutions are okay, but none of them are flexible enough for all types of home cooks. What we want to build is the Cook Well companion app. This is a paid utility app. Not a content app. The core features we want to start with are: 1. Feed of recipes + frameworks based on your constraints (time, health, macros, cuisines, etc.) 2. Grocery list -> Start from scratch, add recipes directly, or add a grocery template. 3. Calendar -> Add notes, leftovers, dinner plans, recipes, etc. This calendar is backward and forward looking. You can plan a full week or items day by day. 4. Let's Cook -> Prompt based on ingredients you already have to help you figure out something you want to cook. We want to partner with creators. The app will need to be paid, so we can continue to develop features and make it better over time, but it is one piece of the overall Cook Well ecosystem. The rest will be freely available without (having to rely on the broken advertising model): - Keep Cookwell.com ad free. Same recipes available in the app are available here. - Cook Well makes our own content (RUclips videos, newsletter, etc.) - Support creators to help them make better content Overall, I believe this will create a better ecosystem for everyone involved. We need to figure out how to fund this and how exactly we will work with other creators. If you are interesting in hearing updates on Cook Well and potentially supporting a Kickstarter, you can sign up with your email here: www.cookwell.com/kickstarter We'll be back to normal deep dive videos in a couple weeks, see you then✌Hope everyone has a great new year!
I don't know how relevant it is to what you want to accomplish, but something I wish more apps and ecosystems would do is design for both casual users (simple, friendly, spaced-out interfaces with basic information only) and power users (high information density, lots of organizational customization, etc.). Power users always represent a small portion of the market, so they're rarely ever catered to, but I think that's a big mistake, because they're also the most likely group of people to contribute back into the ecosystems they use. I haven't found any existing solutions that meet my own cooking needs, so I've slowly been building up my own over time via Google Sheets. My initial motivations were to optimize my meal planning for healthier ratios between ingredients and to stop throwing food away. I live alone and prefer to buy in bulk, so I can only dispose of food so fast, making the latter a big problem. Here's a quick overview of what I've got built up in case anyone finds any inspiration buried within: -Database of common ingredients with all nutrition info, pricing, fullness factor, etc. (I grocery shop almost exclusively at Aldi, so this is manageable for me to fill manually.) -Recipe sheets that take the above to calculate macro ratios, price per meal, etc. and show recipes in the "Cooking for Engineers" tabular format, all of which can be dynamically changed if I want to say hit a certain calorie target for the day or use up a specific amount of an expiring ingredient. -Combination pantry tracker and meal planner sheet with one ingredient (with expiration dates, some from StillTasty) per row, one recipe group per column, and checkboxes at the intersections for when an ingredient is usable in a recipe. This makes it easy to sort everything in my pantry by first expiration and plan out my next meals to take out problem ingredients first. It took a while to setup, but actively using it day-to-day isn't much of a time investment, arguably a time savings from being able to cook at home more and not throw out ingredients. The next thing I want to tackle with it is making recipes less rigid by incorporating ingredient roles like those on Cook Well.
I hope you take this as it's meant, with grace, as I'm a huge fan, but I'd just love for you to take as much time as you need with your educational videos to get them right. The butter video had several small mistakes in a short timespan and had a very weird pacing/repetition issue, especially during the "how it's made" section. It also felt oddly "plagiarized", in that it didn't really seem that you brought any real understanding to the table, and were just quoting several others. Properly cited of course, but I'm not sure there was any "Ethan" voice in that first ~15 minutes at all. I understand if speed is important and if you need to get content up to keep the lights on, but I hope you can get to the point where you can give things a third and fourth pass.
As a person who has started in and invested in businesses (but I'm just a small potato) I would really encourage you to reconsider how you think about taking in outside investors. Yes, venture capitalists might have a specific model for needing returns, but there are other kinds of investors out there who are interested in building patient, well run businesses. I'd also encourage you to get more comfortable with talking about how this business is going to make money. To achieve your vision, it's going to need to be subscription-based because it's going to have to make money -- because if it doesn't make money, it will stop existing. And it's going to be challenging for anyone to invest in a business if the person who is running that business isn't laser focused on figuring out how to make a product that people like so much, they're willing to pay for it.
Tried to post this once already... Will see if it works this time or doubles 😅 There's an app to remove all that blog fluff called "JustTheRecipe", paste a url into it and it'll extract the ingredients and the steps and let you bookmark them
I'm here for ideas and techniques. I'm not going to subscribe to a service or pay for an app. Might be an unpopular take but since you're being open and transparent, I will too. Thanks for the great RUclips content you've created so far.
I'm not paying for content when there is so much out there for free. I pay for Ad Free RUclips because I don't want the interruption. That's all that I want to pay for.
Appreciate the feedback! That’s why we are approaching this from an ecosystem point of view. If people find the app valuable and are willing to pay for it, great. If not, we will still have video content, written content, and be updating the website. All of that will be freely accessible except without having to rely on the current advertising model.
@@nypariah Agreed. That’s why I mentioned I also don’t like the paid content model. This is not a content or a paid recipe app, it’s a utility. All of the same recipes and education will be freely accessible on cookwell.com. What’s paid is the utility of what can be done with the free content.
Hear me out - I personally don't think people need recipes. We need EDUCATION. Ingredient education. Your vision is beautiful, but imagine if everyone can be a creator, their OWN creators and create things in the kitchen on their own without the use of recipes or copying what someone else does. I love your youtube channel because it has given me education on how to use basic ingredients in my kitchen and turn it into something of my own. Your garlic video has elevated my cooking honestly. I needed someone to teach me how to use garlic! it's in every recipe and I know how to use it because of you. I don't think people need a shopping list either, they need to be educated on how to choose ingredients (your video about tomatoes, onions, butter, etc - those videos HELP me make choices when I shop at the grocery store. You have passed down your knowledge and I can use it every time I shop because you have given me the gift of education. Imagine this: you open up a folder called "spinach" and educate people on the different kinds of spinach, what they are used for, and different ways to cook it. Can it be baked? steamed? can it be eaten raw? give us examples on how to use it, mixed with cheese to make a filling, used a topping, eaten as an entire salad. What things pair well with spinach? give us some tips, like how when you make ravioli with it, it will be watery so it needs to be paired with something that will draw out the excess moisture. How do we store it to keep it fresh, then maybe throw out some example recipes for those who still aren't inspired or can't think of what to do with it. Maybe educate us some more about how we can incorporate vegetables into our meals, or how we can swap out carbs for other things like cauliflower alfredo sauce, or using other pasta like chickpea pasta, or achieving juicy results with lean meats. etc. I am a home cook and I watch youtube videos not for recipes but to learn the WHY behind these chefs choices. Any creator can say "first you add the carrots then the onions" but I love the ones that explain "you need to add the carrots first because they cook faster than the onions, then you'll want to add the onions"
I completely agree. That’s why we have started building out the fundamentals side of Cook Well: www.cookwell.com/fundamentals We have already started incorporating these into the recipes as a start, but to your point, we have also thought about many ways these can be used out side of the recipe format in the form of education. Another big dream of mine is to have everything we learn in the deep dive videos summarized into the key points that can be referenced quickly either on cookwell.com or in the app.
@@EthanChlebowski I don’t know if this will be helpful, but so much of what is described above falls into the category of the cumulative knowledge you might get by watching others cook (eg: your mom or grandmother, etc.) and our own trials and errors when we cook, ourselves. The thing I like best about what you do is taking those fundamentals and going so far beyond what each of us would learn on our own that explains to us why certain things do what they do, how to avoid problems (or how to solve them when they happen) and a true understanding of ingredients and cooking methods. Understanding different products (eg: comparing canned tomatoes) also helps us choose ingredients based on their intended purpose. (Note: I’ve made your “Fiery Carbonara” recipe and used the technique with the cornstarch gel constantly since I learned that from you. Heartfelt thanks for that, especially!)
@@EthanChlebowski yes! That would be amazing! It's honestly what has helped me become a better home cook. I like to know the WHY behind cooking aside from anything else. Your deep dive videos have given me so much knowledge and I truly love those series.
I love the way you take a methodical, design-minded approach to all of your content. I’d definitely support a kickstarter to build this into the best it can be.
Ditto… I still use Paprika to organize recipes, shopping, scaling, and idea creation. I’m excited about your combination of “help us all” and additional pay for services for those who have discretionary funds they want to use in this arena.
@@Alceste_I feel like Ethan has always been, or at least always appeared to be, genuinely interested in engaging with his community though. Nothing wrong with engaging with comments after a big video about discussion goes live, that's exactly what he's looking for.
I SOOOOO appreciate your no ads on Cook Well. I love your teaching style and format so so much! I have no thoughts on the app, but I already cook everyday and have worked out my own solutions.
Your consulting background makes so much sense given how you’ve framed the problems to be solved. Excited to see what happens. A few thoughts from a UX/UI Designer: - the companion app needs to be usable on desktop as well (See TickTick as a case study) bc so much of the work flow with planning occurs on a computer - choose a tech stack that enables this (react native, for example) where you can utilize your development resources to do iOS/Android/Web simultaneously. The app may not be as snappy as native dev for the ux, but it makes sense given the use case here. - would LOVE to have macro nutrients listed out for the day. I still will use my macro counting app (Shout out Jeff Nippard for macro factor), but some way for me to have my cooking oriented around knowing my macro intake would be supremely helpful.
This is the best advertisement for a service I've ever seen. It isn't trying to push a product in my face-it's telling me about the methodology and design of a wonderful creation in the making that would benefit me in several ways. Well done! I'm sold.
The Alton Brown series that taught me the most about home cooking? Cutthroat Kitchen by a huge margin. As a home cook, I may not have the ingredients I **want**, I may have to work with the ingredients I **have**
I'd consider turning the grocery list around the other way, like take a list of what looks good at the grocery (or what's kicking around the refrigerator) and then present ideas about what to do with that. More than targeting a specific dish going in, it's far more common for me at least to end up thinking "I have this, and at the grocery that looks especially good today, what fun dish can I make from that."
Spot on! We plan to have work both ways depending on each persons preference: 1 - Tell me what to buy, and here’s what I’ll make. 2 - Here’s what I bought, give me suggestions on what to make.
This! Man, it’s looking at the same stuff at home every day and having to come up with new things every night for dinner (with picky kids, too) 😫 Why is it so exhausting!!!
Right? There's absolutely a place for inspired goal dishes, they're great. Still I think the far more common, and far less served, case is one starting with availability and then helping with ideas on options on something different to do with that.
There was a website I used to use that did this but I've since lost the bookmark 2 phones ago. Basically it was a checklist of what you have or are buying plus quantities (2 cans of pureed tomato, etc) and it would spit out aggregated recipes from the web that are freely avail in list format. Best part was that it would only show recipes that fit the quantities you input unless you checked a box for "include X amount of missing ingredients". So if you were at the store and were out of garlic you could check that box and select how many missing items you were okay going out to buy.
app idea: Create a section that is essentially a manageable "pantry" of what you currently have in stock in your home kitchen. The app makes note of this. Then when planning out your week by choosing which recipes you're going to make for each day, generate a grocery list that will show what you need to buy to create all the recipes for the week less what you have in your "pantry" already. This would be an intuitive way of both meal planning and grocery shopping. Obviously the user could just leave the pantry section blank and when they add each recipe they want to cook a shopping list can be generated that includes literally everything, but if you want to streamline things and add some value, it might be a feature worth exploring to justify a fee. Just a thought!
This would apply a lot more to things like seasonings, oils, and basic pantry staples but if someone wanted to be incredibly thorough and list all their canned and frozen goods as well then they could potentially see the benefit in creating a recipe if they add it to the list and their now updated shopping list shows they only need a few items or even nothing to create it.
@@Garrett9339"sellout" about entertainment based RUclips channels with a food focus. I guess no fun is allowed, only dry information. Get some perspective, your point of view is whack.
I need a recipe skeleton.... you've kind of already done this, but hear me out. I need a recipe where I can pick the meat, use the vegetables on hand, and whatever carb my family likes, and make different things. Right now, I use things like salads, burritos, soups to use up what I have. I would love more ideas like this. Maybe different sauces to pull different things together? New spice/herb combos to freshen a tried and true recipe. Again, I think you've done things like this. Just saying what I find helpful.
I may not be as active a viewer of yours as I was years ago but I just want to say I absolutely love how you've approached everything about this channel and every other venture of yours. You are a tremendously smart person and have made a remarkable impact on my cooking and even life habits organizationally. I also really appreciate your methodology and reasonings provided for your opinions, everything you do is very carefully calculated and it's evident in what we see in the videos. I really relate to this mindset and I will always try to support you whenever possible. Your productivity and transparency is so inspiring, thanks for everything Ethan.
I want you to know, that you, Ethan, are solely responsible for my growing interest in cooking as a college student and beyond. My mom used to be a professional chef and makes great meals all the time for us, but I never took to it even with that. Your videos are getting me there. I would love an app like this, and I don’t pay for a lot of things, but if it delivers on the points you mentioned, I absolutely would shell out. The entire process of cooking is so intimidating to me, but you hit the nail on the head with the before and after being the hard part, especially the before. I would love a spot where I can organize all of my cooking related thoughts, and have thought about it, and the app represents that so well. I also want you to know that you are doing this right (so far). The fact that you have very clearly put so much thought into the goals of the app and the intention along with how it would interface with an actual human is refreshing. I can really tell this is something you’re passionate about, and that makes me happy. Lastly, please do a kickstarter to help with funding, this is no small feat. It’s free money for you and I would certainly donate. If you do that (and regardless) please make a bite size, sendable video that condenses everything down (I’m sure you would). Having something that’s short and easy to watch and share will be helpful in letting people see your vision. Happy to see you pushing for improvement!!!
The app sounds similar to the Sorted Foods Sidekick app. Would talk with them to be sure you’re not overlapping. However, that “Let’s Cook Mode” is what gets me excited. I would focus on that than the other stuff which doesn’t sound like anything new.
You and Brian Lagerstrom make the most practical, useful, and tasty recipie videos on youtube. I hate meal planning/prepping. I want to just make food that sounds tasty every day and its you and Brian that I look up on almost a daily basis.
The app sounds cool I guess but even if it was free I wouldn’t use it because I’ve seen this movie before. It starts free then I take time making lists/favorites/recipes/notes or whatever else and then it becomes paid, or more expensive if it started paid, or the features that I used become paid or more expensive. Love your content. Hope the project works out well for you, but like not SO well that your yt channels suffer. Got to 30:56 and wanted to add that I would LOVE a series “But worse (and way simpler)”. Like where to cut corners that save time/money/energy with minimal impact on overall dish. My hot take is that, while I generally peel my own garlic, if I’m making a bunch of stuff one week that takes ginger and garlic then just give me that whole jar of minced ginger and garlic combined. It takes a little more to achieve the same flavor but it is SO much easier and keeps way better than I would’ve initially thought when stored in the fridge.
I hear and agree with you. We haven't gotten too far into specifics, but the goal from the beginning would to be very clear on what's paid / what's free. Also I may steal that "But worse (and way simpler)" title idea. I have a series where I wanted to explore that exact topic as it relates to a bunch of different dishes. For example, explaining differences between a 10 min pizza made with french bread vs a 2 hour pizza dough vs a 2-3 day long ferment.
@ using that title would make my day but so would doing that series. There’s so many things I see and think ‘oh there’s no way that’s THAT much better’ but then again I’ll be damned if I ever buy pregrated nutmeg ever again.
@@EthanChlebowski followup on the worse and way simpler concept, having a second channel where you upload completely unedited footage of the whole cooking process for such recipes for both clarity and transparency would be awesome. That way people can very easily gauge how long it would take for them (compensating for skills/equipment used, etc). Also wanted to echo what someone else said in this comments section: Please don't burn yourself out man. I've been to cookwell pretty often, and I really enjoy the experience. Your channel has taught me a lot about the techniques of cooking, and I hope this app works out for you the way you best imagine it to. Maybe one day when I have more disposable income, I will sign up for it. Good luck and wish you a very successful 2025!
@amuzak9063 the man is trying to develop a teaching platform that he can actually make more money than youtube limitations. That way he can invest more time and really develop something. Your suggestion of "Just add a second channel" doesn't really help.
You don't need to find the perfect answers for cook well to be worth it, you seem to already have good enough answers, so just keep improving on them and with work and time you surely get to a point where you and your viewers are happy.
Your "let's cook" button idea is what I've been looking for since I started my cooking journey. I would pay for the app/kickstarter if it was reasonably priced. This idea really excites me, genuinely. I also thought it would be cool to let users post what they've cooked (pic and recipe link) and share with friends like Strava does for running/biking. That would be inspiring and possibly create some word of mouth buzz. Love the idea. Can't wait to see what you do with it.
This project seems very ambitious. I hope it is successful, but with so much going on I'm not sure how you will be able to roll it out. At my day job, I think in terms of goals/milestones and that might be helpful to you. Start small and focused and then build out. I love your deep dives and the more "science-y" videos more than the typical recipe type videos. I hope you are able to keep making them, they truly are high-quality, documentary level projects. I can tell you put a ton of work into them and always get a little thrill when I see its going to be a long one. Thank you. 🙂
14:18 I think a cool addition to the app could be adding your own recipe. Maybe not in version one of the software but being able to add your own recipe and then upload it to a database that compares it to similar recipes. And then if it aligns too closely withan already established recipe, it can be either deleted or you can add a different sub category of that recipe that shows the differences, even if they’re slight.
So you're going into a direction Sorted Food went. They are prolific British cooking channel which post mostly entertainment cooking content on youtube, and recipes and helper tools on their paid subscription app. Notably, their youtube cooking content tends to be ingredient-first approach, rather than pre-planned recipe, which is good, IMO. But they are very much UK-based, and geared towards that audience in terms of ingredients and preferences. Sounds like a good idea.
Your tag line: "Cooking for yourself everyday is hard." struck a chord with me. I would love a product that helps me achieve that goal. In fact I loved the piece you did about how people used to cook based on what they had, not a recipe. People knew how to cook from ingredients and flavors and making a different version of a dish. I want to be able to do that. Feed my family, save money on groceries, not wasting food, and cooking healthier food.
The "Let's Cook" feature seems like it could really be a game-changer. Being able to just click on different items that are already in my pantry/fridge, and receive suggestions for recipes based on those ... yes, please! I would add, maybe even a "'delayed Let's Cook" option where say, once or twice a week we get a reminder with a few items to prep ahead of time so that we can use them later in the week (i.e. to soak beans, start a ferment, etc.). I would be willing to pay for something like that!
Everything you said about recipe sites and cookbooks totally hit home! Love the vision you have for cookwell. I’ll be keeping my eyes open in case you decide a kick starter will be a good fit.
Your channel has helped me not just with how I cook, but how I appreciate food, value points and how to appreciate them. Our family, since the rapid rise in cost of living, has shifted entirely from eating out to eating in and all of us, kids included, have become such better cooks as a result. Thanks again. Looking forward to supporting what you build!
I enjoy what you do. I had a gastric bypass a few months ago and have a lot of trouble finding what I can eat that A) is exciting to my pallet. B) doesn’t hurt to eat. C) fits my dietary needs. And D) isn’t hard to make. The no nonsense free food education is invaluable to many folks like myself. There are many places on the internet for it, but most are ads trying to sell products and nobody learns much other than the talking points of said product. I’m glad you have this cookwell website going and I’m going to use the heck out of it. It’s truly appreciated
I would pay many dollars for this app. I have ADHD and feeding myself is a huge mental burden. I will be following this app's future career with great interest.
The best cooking resource I've come across is a group chat between my friends where we share the improvised meals we make for our families and the cooking 'hacks' we've discovered along the way. I don't need more fancy recipes that create a ton of dishes - just everyday meal ideas that I can riff on to get everyone fed and minimize cleanup and food waste.
Love this. We’ve thought about adding community features just like you are describing. Friends + Family members or people who have a similar constraints so you can share what’s working for you.
The single most important video I saw from you and which inspires me to this day is when you took a cooking class in Mexico and shared that with your audience here. I still talk about it with my friends whenever it comes up. I appreciate all the work you do to educate people about how to cook instead of blindly following a recipe. Thanks for the newsletter!
On not recommending specific brands: As a non-American, I hugely appreciate this. Canada may have MANY of the same brands as America, but virtually every RUclipsr I watch has rec'd a brand I can't get here and I imagine that's even more frustrating for people on other continents.
The issue with non-specific brands is consistency. Take something as basic as salt. By weight, salt is salt, but by volume it's all over the place. And it tends to be used by volume.
I can definitely appreciate the time and effort of your new style deep dive videos. But I really miss the OG 2020 ones. From make a triple smash burger, to kitchen organization or even what you eat in a day. Those videos made me love the channel. I’m so glad you have the cook well channel as that reminds me of the OG videos. Wishing you nothing but success in the future man 🤘🏽
I get what you're saying on rib roasts, and yeah a perfectly cooked ribeye steak is better (to me at least). But I think the point of a rib roast is usually cooking for a large group and you can throw the whole roast in the oven and get something delicious that didn't take much active work, is easy to serve, and allows you to spend more time working on the rest of the meal. Imagine trying to put out 10 good steaks while also doing several other dishes in a home kitchen by yourself AND entertaining guests. And although you don't get a nice sear on most of the meat, I think a great sauce from the drippings makes up for it in flavor so long as you salted far enough ahead. Anyway, love all your content and good luck with your business plans going forward. I think your style of teaching does solve the problems you've identified if you can get people to engage with it seriously, and considering you have 2.17 million followers it seems like you're doing that as well. Finally, I have a pitch for a future video, a followup on the coffee beans: the impact of different coffee brewing methods. Thanks for all the great work and happy new year.
Your profile in the app should include what kitchen appliances you have available. I find this to be a hugely important factor, especially for students or anyone in a smaller apartment. You can stumble upon an amazing recipe but if it needs a specialized appliance or would be a pain without this appliance it is useless.
As a homecook, my biggest obstacle(s) are my kids. Theres a 50/50 chance one or both of the kids won't eat what I make. My creativity and enjoyment is stifled because half the house won't eat the food, and making the same 3 things (or slight variations of them) every week gets monotonous.
Get them involved with the cooking process. I didn’t like eating vegetables as a kid until I saw how they were prepared and felt invested in the process.
Charlie Anderson. Putting it here again. He’s got me hooked. He’s figured out a lot of things and if I want to learn about THOSE things-he’s the go to. Brian Lagerstrom is a go to on almost any home cook recipe for any meal or occasion. Mike Green uses his garden/homesteading, lifestyle, cooking for kids, knowledge of fermentation and appliances to draw me in on any topic. I feel his passion in any topic. Study what these guys are doing: find your passion and do it and the people will follow. Don’t try to be everything to everyone.
Framework and protocols - Do not neglect a focus on the use of cheaper seasonal vegetables. ... and note what season applies to the episode. eg. it's mid summer here in December. 😉
I am a spanish guy... my mom never teached e how to cook, my dad always expected me to know how to cook, so he never teached me anything. But despite it all, i learnt how to cook on my own, through years of trial and error. The main key point, you grew with decently cooked meals every single day. Then you know what you are aiming for! And with years, you will make it better. Its not so much about the recipies, is about balance, and how your soul feels that day. Love cooking, it feeds your family!
I have a question for you. What do all the different spices do? So i can change the recipes to suit my taste. What are their flavour profiles if i doubled or halved their amounts in a curry? 1. chilli powder makes it hot and red. this one is easy. 2. turmeric? 3. gharam masala? 4. curry powder? 5. cumin powder? 6. coriander powder? 7. bayleaf? 8. cardommon pods? 9. cassia bark? connamon, citrus and fresh woody aroma i think. Like for instance if I tripled or quadrupled these spices, how would the taste of the dish change? ginger, garlic, tomatoes, onions, yoghurt, oil, salt etc are all obvious what the flavour profile taste they bring to dishes. But the spices I've always been confused apart from the obvious chilli powder. if you could make a video on what would happen to the flavour of the dish, if we doubled any 1 spice. It would help cooks understand how to change the ratios to suit individual tastes.
Excited for the app! One thing I don't see covered in a lot of places is "cooking hardware": pots, pans, utensils, and small appliances. Your videos are excellent in that you minimize (explicitly or implicitly) the necessary tools to get a good meal on the table, especially when it comes to frameworks. I hate reading through an interesting recipe only to find out it needs a food processor, and I'm in a rental apartment in France with a motley assortment of pots and pans, two questionable knives, five well-used spatulas, and a three-burner induction stove. It would be nice to have some content around "cooking hardware", and if it can be built in - at least a callout if a recipe needs a specific utensil or appliance ahead of time.
I feel like that specifically is not a common issue, although of course I could be wrong. But the kitchens I'm familiar with tend to have the same baseline stuff, like at least two pots and one skillet, bowls, similar appliances etc. FYI if a recipe calls for a food processor, usually you can use a blender.
I REALLY LOVE your deep dive videos. Walking us thru certain ingredients, and what they taste/act like in different situations is an amazing way to learn USEFUL cooking basics. I'm not trying to be a pro chef, but learning these things helps me make tastier food for me and my friends!
Prime rib/rib roast is just ribeye steaks done wrong. The best thing about rib roasts around the holidays is the price. I saw some prime rib roasts for $9.99 / lb the other day. Just buy the cheap rib roast, slice it into ribeye steaks and reverse sear. 1000% better. Regarding the app thing, I would never subscribe to a cooking app. If it was a really great app with no ads and I could purchase it flat out for a one time cost of $10 or something I would consider that.
I think there might be two things could be added to this list, first, make gpt-like chatbot to make recommendations based on recipes one user had tried or maybe based on a photo a user upload about their fridges. Second, allow everyone to post their own recipes and share, for example, personal recipes can be shared within a small group of friends.
As someone who's subscribed to meal kits for the last 9 years, the reason I do it is the same one you're trying to solve. Cooking is easy, but selection inside decision paralysis, and portioning from the size one gets from a grocery store results in inefficiencies in both waste and takeout expense I can completely eliminate (which pays for the kit's premium) Things to do: - Talk to Nebula team. You're making the food version of their science and discovery themed startup. Learn how to get audience and creator partnerships - Data is going to be huge. Not having to plug in what's in the fridge before you can get a suggestion will be a big barrier to clear. I need to be able to click one button and have the app tell me what I'm making today and have everything already guaranteed to be on hand from previous shopping trips.
How could it be guaranteed to be on hand when food has expiration dates? Is all that info getting input manually as well? That's more exhausting than cataloging the ingredients on hand, no? And how would that work for ppl who live in households where a roommate or family member might have eaten previously purchased ingredients?
Integration with Siri might be useful to keep the app updated with what's on hand. Like being able to just say "hey siri, I just used the last of x" while you're busy cooking or putting groceries away
I also immediately thought of nebula when he was talking about revenue sharing!! I think it’s a great idea just the implementation needs to be impeccable for it to succeed
If you added a social aspect where users could also share recipes/their changes or their own recipe books they can share with friends and rate them there that would be cool!
The original Iron Chef (Japan) had an episode where the chefs went into different homes and cooked with the ingredients at hand. A suggestion is to list available ingredients in app to find recipes. I’m writing this early in video so you might have this idea, but have a memory of a speck of dirt, so sorry if you’re already planning to do this.
I like your recipes and how you present cooking techniques, so i would be happy to support a more robust integrated service (like an app). But also, please make family sharing an early feature. Would love to favorite a few recipes, then share with my wife and decide together and have the shopping list sync in real time. Heck, if i can mark that we have something in the pantry while she is at the store and have it cross off her list that would be amazing. Same with calendar, if we pick a recipe it would be great to see the day we are going to cook it.
I remember I had an app for cocktails where I would take the ingredients I have and then it would show me a list of drinks that I could make. I would love an app or a website where I can click all the pantry items and stuff in my fridge that I have and then recipes out of those items would pop up, and even some that I’m an ingredient or two away from. that would be really helpful.
I had that too. The difference is that most of the stuff in my liquor cabinet lasts across many servings and doesn't expire. When it comes to fresh food, there's going to be a lot of data entry you would need to do constantly, because things expire and you don't want to subtract each tomato every time you eat it.
The number one problem I have right now is like what you said, food content is so much about entertainment that creators like Joshua Weissman are not even making recipes anymore, without new exiting recipes its hard to become exited about cooking.
As someone looking to do this for themselves, I genuinely appreciate what you're doing. A small suggestion: Since you already have recipes and plan to do a grocery list, it seems to me that a good feature would be to be able to basically his 'add to grocery list' from any individual recipe (you could even add in 'quantity' for 'how many times do you want to make this?') to build the list for you. When using any application, it's often minor stuff like that which, at least to me, helps stuff feel better to use.
My biggest issue is that my wife and I have COMPLETELY different dietary requirements - she is on a very low sodium, low fat diet, while I'm diabetic and on a Keto diet - there is almost nothing I've found that lets us find recipes that fit all our needs (especially the low sodium!). I'd love an option that can find recipes that fit multiple criteria so I don't have to continually make two separate meals (I'm the cook) or eat the same 4/5 dishes every week.
That's a tough one, your only overlap is basically lean protein and vegetables - and the latter only if you're sparing with the oil and salt. You could get some mileage out of serving the same lean protein with e.g. bread or pasta vs salad with a rich fatty dressing but that only gets you so far. TBH in your/her shoes I'd be trying to get a doctor to offer an easier solution than "just don't eat salt" if possible.
@@booki5973 While yes, that's often what I do, there are whole classes of cuisine I have trouble replicating because the individual ingredients themselves are too full of sodium. Asian, for instance - Soy sauce, Fish Sauce - pretty much any flavorful sauce - even "low sodium" - is incredibly high in sodium), a number of cheeses, bread products, etc - and while it's easy to find diabetic-oriented recipes and websites, it's actually really hard to find sites/recipes for the very low sodium diets.
Excited to watch this! You're hands down the best person making RUclips content right now, or at least exactly what I'm looking for: not just recipes, food education
So sort of (apologies for mentioning a technical competitor) like a more advanced version of the sidekick app that sorted has, I'm assuming anyway, I've not used it so I can't say for sure, but that's what it sounds like to me. My biggest issue is time, and the fact my wife is vegetarian, I am not, so sometimes having to make two seperate dinners is rather time consuming. I like your idea of the companion app, I really hope it goes well for you, I can't see why other creators wouldn't be on board. It is yet another subscription though, and people are starting to get overloaded by them.
You have to make two separate dinners? I have a similar family situation, and the way we get around that is, we make double amount of rice or pasta or potato base, and then one serving of meat to plop on top of the base for the meat-eater. Sides of veggies work for everyone. Or like, for lunch, you make two sandwiches with lettuce and tomato, and then slap cheese on one and bacon on the other. This would be harder if it was VEGAN and meat-eater, cuz then cheese is off the table as a protein, baking will need milk substitutes, no butter for veggie sauteeing... That's a lot of extra changes, fr. No shade on eating meat, btw, I've TRIED being vegetarian, it is NOT for me, I need my protein! XD
@86fifty we got into the habit of two seperate ones when she was vegan. It's just carried through over the last 8 months or so when she decided vegan wasn't for her after all, but she was for close to 5 years, so habits get formed i suppose. I do eat vegetarian every now and again, even vegan when she was, nothing wrong with the food if you prepare it right, I just personally don't care to give up meat all the time, I like it too much. Lol
I am almost principly against paying for any app - I've literally never paid for an app on my phone ever. But your vision here??? Trying to organize the food internet? In an intellectual and practical, collaborative/collectivist way?? This is so needed!! I am really pumped for what youve described. I have so many (thousands!!) recipes, videos, grocery lists, etc. scattered amongst multiple formats and places I have to search. My family and I value cooking good food at home. We eat out maybe 1-2 times/month. That's a lot of meal organizing and learning that I'm juggling all the time! This app sounds awesome. Thank you for daring to expand your vision. More and more, people are so far removed from the complex yet fundamental skill and joy of feeding themselves. As you've clearly foreseen, so many people could really benefit from this kind of resource, even throughout many different phases of life.
Oh, for recipe creators I would be so excited to see @AaronandClaire (Korean cooking!) and Marc at @SauceStache (maybe could fit into a rebrand for him since he's pivoting from sauce to vegan 😊)
That makes sense, when I was dating my ex I had shown her your video on scrambled eggs and explained why I enjoyed it as "it's sort of like good eats in that they go over the reasons for things instead of just saying do this"
I'm a grumpy old and cynical former Marine. I fully expected a pitch for money ... what I saw, however, was a passionate creator with a commitment to home cooks and everyone living better. I have limited income as a retiree but the value in the program you're proposing is a value I am absolutely willing to pay for. Try reaching out to Jean Pierre's channel - he's fun and helpful and might be a good creator for the project - try contacting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in case there is some sort of assistance for his Healthy World initiatives. But for me, your knowledge is important and your passion for home cooks (especially old dudes like me - LOL) has value beyond expectations. Don't stop your pursuit of this endeavor - it resonates with a healthier, and smarter, world. Thanks man ....
Seemed like an interesting way to show-off a neat feature tbh. Edit: nevermind, Ethan says elsewhere that it is indeed a mistake. Oh well, it worked out well imho. :')
@@Alceste_ I’m curious how that would be neat way of showing off the feature he was describing? no negativity behind this comment just genuinely curious to see it how you saw it.
I follow a few cooking channels on youtube and one that has a similar app is Sorted and they have a similar companion app. I'm pretty sure that this would work for you too. I think experienced home cooks don't really use apps like these because I only check recipes/videos for ideas. I rarely use recipes for cooking (where I live it's hard to get a lot of international ingredients). Would love to see your success because your deepdive videos on ingredients and recipe ideas are one of the best on this platform! So I wish you the best with the app!
Commenting to say every pain point you mentioned re: home cooking, I feel deeply. Cook Well has been such a boon, and it's my go-to for if I'm at a loss as to what to make prior to going to the supermarket. I think I'm the ideal user for Cook Well, and I thank you good sir.
Really looking forward to the app! As a home cook, my biggest issue by far is creativity. Between my job and raising my son, i just don't have time. I love looking up recipes, and altering it to feed me and my kitchen. But I can only think of slight alterations. That's why I love your framework videos, lots of interesting ideas of what to do with one thing. I get it might be creatively boring for you, but I'll always appreciate someone else doing the creative legwork for me
Wow, this popped up after I spent 30 minutes trying to get the energy to cook lunch only to have my kid say he didn't like it. If the app is reasonably priced I'll give it a try. If it can stop the nightly grocery store run because I didn't plan meals for the week it will likely pay for itself.
I love your recipe deep dives so much. I was explaining their value to my spouse as, "sure, I was able to cook with these things before, no problem. A recipe says to use a yellow onion, I used a yellow onion and it came out fine. But now, I know why it chose a yellow onion, I can make my own recipes, and sometimes I know a shallot might work even better." My cooking and understanding are elevated thanks to these deep dives, and I really appreciate the effort and time you put into them.
As a Product Manager working in tech (which I know may not mean anything), the “Cookwell” concept is overly complex and isn’t crisp enough yet to resonate with users. My, possibly unpopular, opinion is that for now you should focus on short form videos (like your older videos eg fermentation, pk chicken karahi etc), some deep dives, and some live cooking type stuff including the fast food comparison with your brother. Incubate the Cookwell idea some more while you make other videos…it doesn’t seem like it’s ready for general consumption
Agreed. I'm a software developer and the desire to make this everything for everyone and also make it free and also earn money is a fun dream but it's not going to happen. Pick one thing for one target audience and do it well. Create a knowledge base, OR a cooking community, OR a recipe app. Samsung Food (formerly Whisk) app does a lot of what he's describing, and it's already too much.
I watch your channels to add variety to my cooking recipes. Your grocery store has better stuff than where I shop most of the time (Walmart), but I have made several of your dishes. I like the cookwell channel. I would suggest a meal vlog channel where you make quick easy tasty dishes from your library of recipes.
Pretty good, looking forward for this website. I really hate recipe websites nowdays, it is 1000s of pages of bullshit history, then the ingredients are not well mentioned, it is a disaster
And the ads block 95% of the screen. After sifting through the mounds of useless text, you have practically one ingredient/step listed between two ads for each ingredient/step.
I love recipes and videos for inspiration, but they are rarely part of my daily cooking routine. Shopping is a blend of what I'm in the mood for, what's available/on sale, with maybe a bit of "I saw this and want to try it." As I shop, I decide what I can do with my selections, & grab other things to round out my meals. At least a few meals a week are something that's "I need to use this up." Soup, casserole , stir fry, fritters, etc., just different ways to combine what's on hand & turn it into something tasty. Perhaps a series of videos/articles on how to improvise with available ingredients?
Love this! I am definitely a target customer for Cook Well 😅. For me personally the one missing piece of Cook Well is I’d love to see a “cook with me” calendar where members can hop on a live video call with a creator and the creator cook a meal live while they interact with members on the call answering questions and giving advice in real time. It would really take the companion app to the next level if that was a feature included!
@keenanburkepitts I really like this idea. Homemadecooking does love cooking classes, they email a list of ingredients ahead of time. During the live class you can type questions into the chat and get answers. I haven’t done any classes recently (been busy) but they were free. Website has videos of previous classes. There are a different chefs and I have a favorite.
If you haven't start to build, it might be worth reaching out to the folks making the Paprika app, it handles all the current use cases laid out in the video - plus can extract recipes from blogs. They don't produce content, so it could be a natural fit.
34:02 Immediately after a couple of your ingredients videos series, I got the Jeff Nippard vibe. The inspiration definitely translates well to your work!
I think a cool idea for the app is that it auto calculates amounts of ingredients based on a drop down menu for the user to choose how many it will serve. So lets say you need ingredients for 2 one night and 10 another night. you would just change the amount of servings and it will automate how much you need of each ingredient.
Totally agree. Things get a little tricky when canned goods are some of the ingredients, but I'd much rather end up wasting half a can of beans than throw out 3 or more servings of the recipe after it has sat in the fridge for a week and a half.
I enjoy watching you, because you are information oriented without over-the-top flash, comedy or antics, which I dislike. I also, like Brian Lagerstrom's channel for the exact same reasons.
I also would recommend Chef Leo for your app, I know you mentioned that there were enough pizza videos out there, however I have l learned so much from him about the process that I have applied to making other dough related foods. He is another information-oriented creator that I have enjoyed learning from.
You do what is going to make you happy. But, it’s tiresome when every content creator that gets a following decides they need to become the next Mr. Beast and morph into an ecosystem. Good luck in your endeavors, but the future direction of your channels don’t seem all that appealing to me based on this video. I just want to watch cooking videos and recipes.
Knowing how to store the fewest tools needed to cook. Knowing how to store the healthiest food indefinitely. How to store meal prep ingredients longer. I can cook nearly anything, but having two shelves of cooking appliances/pots and my cubbords full of dishes and Tupperware is space challenging on top of not spoiling food.
I don't think the problem with inspiration. It comes down to time, energy, and desire. When you shop, you think I will make X. Then two days latter, it's a crazy day, and you just want something else completely. I think learning knives skills, and culinary math. Teach people to think of their kitchens like restaurants. Help them save money by cooking. Take out is convenient, easy and in the moment, but is expensive and keeps getting more expensive. Not the full answer, but a series of key components
Time is a big deal. If I have a family of children and teens running around making noise while I’m conceiving of the dinner-which is going to take cleanup, I need to come in with a plan that I can execute while dealing with distractions. If your site or app account for family style favorites that I can bust out in 30-45 minutes…I think you’re on to something.
Some apps do already do this, but being able to enter whats in your pantry and fridge to see matching recipes (full match or very close) is really nice. You can also pick a main ingredient to filter by when something is going bad. Nothing fully replaces learning "food reflexes" but people could use training wheels
Dude, your thought process is monotropic af and I frickin love it. Monotropism: bottom-up thinking. But more accurately, inside-out, context-seeking thought processing that is rooted in a core/fundamental idea or concept. This as opposed to top-down or outside-in thinking. The latter is great for quick decisions and broad pattern recognition, but the former is the most effective way to break down and thoroughly comprehend an idea or concept in detail.
@@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock the self deprecation really isn’t necessary. No one is superior here. It truly saddens me to see when people’s experiences with new information have been so unfortunate that they find mere use of an unfamiliar word offensive or condescending.
Absolutely love this and can’t wait for you to get it off the ground. Get Brian Lagerstrom for sure! His Week-nighting series is made for this type of content and all of his recipes are top notch. I’d totally get in on a Kickstarter! 🎉
As someone that has struggled with the motivation to cook a lot, I think the paid companion app ties in to everything I’ve been struggling with in cooking and would absolutely be worth it! Very excited to see it play out. Also, the creator connection program is a super creative idea!
This channel provides something no other cooking channel does and I would love to see that app. I’d definitely be a user, I’ve tried a few grocery/meal plan apps and never liked them long term.
I really liked the hot takes. For mac n cheese, Blooming the spices in the flour and butter mixture brought in my experiments more improvement than adjusting to the "perfect" ratio of black pepper, cayenne pepper and sweet paprika. Thats why i get to irritated when some recipes call for unhinged measurements like 0.6-0.8grams of one spice
I tend to think in terms of ratios. Prime example is herb and spice blends and then how much of that blend to use with 1kg of meat or veg. In doing so with 'blends' - and generally all ingredients - I avoid volumetric measures using weight. I've always used SI metric measures, so I'm not handicapped in that regard.
Do your thing man. That's why we watch you. I love that you make videos on bay leaves and make keema mattar. I feel like you're me but if I decided to freely explore my cooking brain
I can't stand grossly indulgent food channels like "guga foods" (the gluttonous swill on that channel makes me want to vomit). I Watch this channel because it helps me figure out how to get the best ingredients for myself, I could care less about anything else, most certainly not an app. If you wanna make money with your cooking skills, perhaps open a restaurant.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
This video has been a long time coming. Also feel free to ignore this one if you are just here for the normal videos 😅 Here's a quick recap of the first half before the Q&A:
The problem that we want to solve is:
It's hard to feed yourself everyday based on your unique constraints. (Time, energy, money, job, family, etc.)
The current solutions all tend to fall short in some way:
- Websites: Too many ads, long stories no one wants
- Cook books: Great if you have time, but not helpful for shopping / planning, throwing a quick meal together, can't take it with you
- Video content: Not enough educational content. A lot of content is made to chase views / ad revenue.
- Meal kits: High cost per meal, limited menu
- Paid content / courses: Already tons of free information / content everywhere.
These solutions are okay, but none of them are flexible enough for all types of home cooks. What we want to build is the Cook Well companion app. This is a paid utility app. Not a content app. The core features we want to start with are:
1. Feed of recipes + frameworks based on your constraints (time, health, macros, cuisines, etc.)
2. Grocery list -> Start from scratch, add recipes directly, or add a grocery template.
3. Calendar -> Add notes, leftovers, dinner plans, recipes, etc. This calendar is backward and forward looking. You can plan a full week or items day by day.
4. Let's Cook -> Prompt based on ingredients you already have to help you figure out something you want to cook.
We want to partner with creators. The app will need to be paid, so we can continue to develop features and make it better over time, but it is one piece of the overall Cook Well ecosystem. The rest will be freely available without (having to rely on the broken advertising model):
- Keep Cookwell.com ad free. Same recipes available in the app are available here.
- Cook Well makes our own content (RUclips videos, newsletter, etc.)
- Support creators to help them make better content
Overall, I believe this will create a better ecosystem for everyone involved. We need to figure out how to fund this and how exactly we will work with other creators. If you are interesting in hearing updates on Cook Well and potentially supporting a Kickstarter, you can sign up with your email here: www.cookwell.com/kickstarter
We'll be back to normal deep dive videos in a couple weeks, see you then✌Hope everyone has a great new year!
I don't know how relevant it is to what you want to accomplish, but something I wish more apps and ecosystems would do is design for both casual users (simple, friendly, spaced-out interfaces with basic information only) and power users (high information density, lots of organizational customization, etc.). Power users always represent a small portion of the market, so they're rarely ever catered to, but I think that's a big mistake, because they're also the most likely group of people to contribute back into the ecosystems they use.
I haven't found any existing solutions that meet my own cooking needs, so I've slowly been building up my own over time via Google Sheets. My initial motivations were to optimize my meal planning for healthier ratios between ingredients and to stop throwing food away. I live alone and prefer to buy in bulk, so I can only dispose of food so fast, making the latter a big problem. Here's a quick overview of what I've got built up in case anyone finds any inspiration buried within:
-Database of common ingredients with all nutrition info, pricing, fullness factor, etc. (I grocery shop almost exclusively at Aldi, so this is manageable for me to fill manually.)
-Recipe sheets that take the above to calculate macro ratios, price per meal, etc. and show recipes in the "Cooking for Engineers" tabular format, all of which can be dynamically changed if I want to say hit a certain calorie target for the day or use up a specific amount of an expiring ingredient.
-Combination pantry tracker and meal planner sheet with one ingredient (with expiration dates, some from StillTasty) per row, one recipe group per column, and checkboxes at the intersections for when an ingredient is usable in a recipe. This makes it easy to sort everything in my pantry by first expiration and plan out my next meals to take out problem ingredients first.
It took a while to setup, but actively using it day-to-day isn't much of a time investment, arguably a time savings from being able to cook at home more and not throw out ingredients. The next thing I want to tackle with it is making recipes less rigid by incorporating ingredient roles like those on Cook Well.
This is incredible. I’m so inspired by what you are trying to create here. No joke, I want to work for you!
I hope you take this as it's meant, with grace, as I'm a huge fan, but I'd just love for you to take as much time as you need with your educational videos to get them right. The butter video had several small mistakes in a short timespan and had a very weird pacing/repetition issue, especially during the "how it's made" section. It also felt oddly "plagiarized", in that it didn't really seem that you brought any real understanding to the table, and were just quoting several others. Properly cited of course, but I'm not sure there was any "Ethan" voice in that first ~15 minutes at all. I understand if speed is important and if you need to get content up to keep the lights on, but I hope you can get to the point where you can give things a third and fourth pass.
Did you think of Nebula?
As a person who has started in and invested in businesses (but I'm just a small potato) I would really encourage you to reconsider how you think about taking in outside investors. Yes, venture capitalists might have a specific model for needing returns, but there are other kinds of investors out there who are interested in building patient, well run businesses.
I'd also encourage you to get more comfortable with talking about how this business is going to make money. To achieve your vision, it's going to need to be subscription-based because it's going to have to make money -- because if it doesn't make money, it will stop existing. And it's going to be challenging for anyone to invest in a business if the person who is running that business isn't laser focused on figuring out how to make a product that people like so much, they're willing to pay for it.
The second biggest problem every homecook has is scrolling through someone's life story on every cooking blog.
I *HATE* that. Just give me the recipe.
I recommend the app just the recipe, paste a link to a recipe in and it clears all the clutter, and let's you save/bookmark all the recipes
There's a chrome plugin called RecipeFilter. You need it. Trust me.
Tried to post this once already... Will see if it works this time or doubles 😅
There's an app to remove all that blog fluff called "JustTheRecipe", paste a url into it and it'll extract the ingredients and the steps and let you bookmark them
this. it’s beyond cringe.
I'm here for ideas and techniques. I'm not going to subscribe to a service or pay for an app.
Might be an unpopular take but since you're being open and transparent, I will too.
Thanks for the great RUclips content you've created so far.
For real. I already have less than enough money to make ends meet, so a paid companion app or anything else just isn’t in the cards.
Yeah, no way Im paying for any extra content anywhere. There's info everywhere for free.
I'm not paying for content when there is so much out there for free. I pay for Ad Free RUclips because I don't want the interruption. That's all that I want to pay for.
Appreciate the feedback! That’s why we are approaching this from an ecosystem point of view. If people find the app valuable and are willing to pay for it, great. If not, we will still have video content, written content, and be updating the website. All of that will be freely accessible except without having to rely on the current advertising model.
@@nypariah Agreed. That’s why I mentioned I also don’t like the paid content model. This is not a content or a paid recipe app, it’s a utility. All of the same recipes and education will be freely accessible on cookwell.com. What’s paid is the utility of what can be done with the free content.
Hear me out - I personally don't think people need recipes. We need EDUCATION. Ingredient education. Your vision is beautiful, but imagine if everyone can be a creator, their OWN creators and create things in the kitchen on their own without the use of recipes or copying what someone else does. I love your youtube channel because it has given me education on how to use basic ingredients in my kitchen and turn it into something of my own. Your garlic video has elevated my cooking honestly. I needed someone to teach me how to use garlic! it's in every recipe and I know how to use it because of you. I don't think people need a shopping list either, they need to be educated on how to choose ingredients (your video about tomatoes, onions, butter, etc - those videos HELP me make choices when I shop at the grocery store. You have passed down your knowledge and I can use it every time I shop because you have given me the gift of education.
Imagine this: you open up a folder called "spinach" and educate people on the different kinds of spinach, what they are used for, and different ways to cook it. Can it be baked? steamed? can it be eaten raw? give us examples on how to use it, mixed with cheese to make a filling, used a topping, eaten as an entire salad. What things pair well with spinach? give us some tips, like how when you make ravioli with it, it will be watery so it needs to be paired with something that will draw out the excess moisture. How do we store it to keep it fresh, then maybe throw out some example recipes for those who still aren't inspired or can't think of what to do with it.
Maybe educate us some more about how we can incorporate vegetables into our meals, or how we can swap out carbs for other things like cauliflower alfredo sauce, or using other pasta like chickpea pasta, or achieving juicy results with lean meats. etc.
I am a home cook and I watch youtube videos not for recipes but to learn the WHY behind these chefs choices. Any creator can say "first you add the carrots then the onions" but I love the ones that explain "you need to add the carrots first because they cook faster than the onions, then you'll want to add the onions"
This ^^^^
Not everyone has the time or energy to seek a masters degree in ingredient theory.
I completely agree. That’s why we have started building out the fundamentals side of Cook Well: www.cookwell.com/fundamentals
We have already started incorporating these into the recipes as a start, but to your point, we have also thought about many ways these can be used out side of the recipe format in the form of education.
Another big dream of mine is to have everything we learn in the deep dive videos summarized into the key points that can be referenced quickly either on cookwell.com or in the app.
@@EthanChlebowski I don’t know if this will be helpful, but so much of what is described above falls into the category of the cumulative knowledge you might get by watching others cook (eg: your mom or grandmother, etc.) and our own trials and errors when we cook, ourselves.
The thing I like best about what you do is taking those fundamentals and going so far beyond what each of us would learn on our own that explains to us why certain things do what they do, how to avoid problems (or how to solve them when they happen) and a true understanding of ingredients and cooking methods. Understanding different products (eg: comparing canned tomatoes) also helps us choose ingredients based on their intended purpose. (Note: I’ve made your “Fiery Carbonara” recipe and used the technique with the cornstarch gel constantly since I learned that from you. Heartfelt thanks for that, especially!)
@@EthanChlebowski yes! That would be amazing! It's honestly what has helped me become a better home cook. I like to know the WHY behind cooking aside from anything else. Your deep dive videos have given me so much knowledge and I truly love those series.
I love the way you take a methodical, design-minded approach to all of your content. I’d definitely support a kickstarter to build this into the best it can be.
Ditto… I still use Paprika to organize recipes, shopping, scaling, and idea creation. I’m excited about your combination of “help us all” and additional pay for services for those who have discretionary funds they want to use in this arena.
Don’t burn yourself out, man :)
Yep, I’m being very conscious of this! I only want to be working on things I’m genuinely passionate about and feel like they have clear purpose.
@@EthanChlebowski Seem you've been fairly responsive in the comment section on a sunday afternoon tho. :'(
@@Alceste_I feel like Ethan has always been, or at least always appeared to be, genuinely interested in engaging with his community though.
Nothing wrong with engaging with comments after a big video about discussion goes live, that's exactly what he's looking for.
I SOOOOO appreciate your no ads on Cook Well. I love your teaching style and format so so much!
I have no thoughts on the app, but I already cook everyday and have worked out my own solutions.
Your consulting background makes so much sense given how you’ve framed the problems to be solved. Excited to see what happens. A few thoughts from a UX/UI Designer:
- the companion app needs to be usable on desktop as well (See TickTick as a case study) bc so much of the work flow with planning occurs on a computer
- choose a tech stack that enables this (react native, for example) where you can utilize your development resources to do iOS/Android/Web simultaneously. The app may not be as snappy as native dev for the ux, but it makes sense given the use case here.
- would LOVE to have macro nutrients listed out for the day. I still will use my macro counting app (Shout out Jeff Nippard for macro factor), but some way for me to have my cooking oriented around knowing my macro intake would be supremely helpful.
This is the best advertisement for a service I've ever seen. It isn't trying to push a product in my face-it's telling me about the methodology and design of a wonderful creation in the making that would benefit me in several ways. Well done! I'm sold.
This dude really took "I dont care what you do just be the best you can at that thing" and RAN with it
Thanks
The Alton Brown series that taught me the most about home cooking? Cutthroat Kitchen by a huge margin. As a home cook, I may not have the ingredients I **want**, I may have to work with the ingredients I **have**
alton brown is the absolute GOAT
I'd consider turning the grocery list around the other way, like take a list of what looks good at the grocery (or what's kicking around the refrigerator) and then present ideas about what to do with that. More than targeting a specific dish going in, it's far more common for me at least to end up thinking "I have this, and at the grocery that looks especially good today, what fun dish can I make from that."
Spot on! We plan to have work both ways depending on each persons preference:
1 - Tell me what to buy, and here’s what I’ll make.
2 - Here’s what I bought, give me suggestions on what to make.
Sounds ambitious! Best of luck in the work you have ahead.
This! Man, it’s looking at the same stuff at home every day and having to come up with new things every night for dinner (with picky kids, too) 😫 Why is it so exhausting!!!
Right? There's absolutely a place for inspired goal dishes, they're great. Still I think the far more common, and far less served, case is one starting with availability and then helping with ideas on options on something different to do with that.
There was a website I used to use that did this but I've since lost the bookmark 2 phones ago. Basically it was a checklist of what you have or are buying plus quantities (2 cans of pureed tomato, etc) and it would spit out aggregated recipes from the web that are freely avail in list format.
Best part was that it would only show recipes that fit the quantities you input unless you checked a box for "include X amount of missing ingredients". So if you were at the store and were out of garlic you could check that box and select how many missing items you were okay going out to buy.
Thanks!
app idea: Create a section that is essentially a manageable "pantry" of what you currently have in stock in your home kitchen. The app makes note of this. Then when planning out your week by choosing which recipes you're going to make for each day, generate a grocery list that will show what you need to buy to create all the recipes for the week less what you have in your "pantry" already. This would be an intuitive way of both meal planning and grocery shopping. Obviously the user could just leave the pantry section blank and when they add each recipe they want to cook a shopping list can be generated that includes literally everything, but if you want to streamline things and add some value, it might be a feature worth exploring to justify a fee. Just a thought!
This would apply a lot more to things like seasonings, oils, and basic pantry staples but if someone wanted to be incredibly thorough and list all their canned and frozen goods as well then they could potentially see the benefit in creating a recipe if they add it to the list and their now updated shopping list shows they only need a few items or even nothing to create it.
@@danielgrabowski5436 From what it seems, it was already mentioned, but not in a straightforward way
The app supercook does this.
Indeed the feed should prioritize recipe suggestions based on what’s already in the fridge/pantry. With the option to “get adventurous”.
please no food rankings
You don't want him to rank EVERY FROZEN FOOD in a grocery store like all the other sellouts?
Personally I like those videos
@@Garrett9339I unsubscribed from Josh Weissman because he used to be a cook and now he just goes to his local fast food places and eats their fries.
@@Garrett9339"sellout" about entertainment based RUclips channels with a food focus. I guess no fun is allowed, only dry information. Get some perspective, your point of view is whack.
@@XsiahI'm sure Joshua is crying in his mansion over stick in the muds.
I need a recipe skeleton.... you've kind of already done this, but hear me out. I need a recipe where I can pick the meat, use the vegetables on hand, and whatever carb my family likes, and make different things. Right now, I use things like salads, burritos, soups to use up what I have. I would love more ideas like this. Maybe different sauces to pull different things together? New spice/herb combos to freshen a tried and true recipe. Again, I think you've done things like this. Just saying what I find helpful.
I may not be as active a viewer of yours as I was years ago but I just want to say I absolutely love how you've approached everything about this channel and every other venture of yours. You are a tremendously smart person and have made a remarkable impact on my cooking and even life habits organizationally. I also really appreciate your methodology and reasonings provided for your opinions, everything you do is very carefully calculated and it's evident in what we see in the videos. I really relate to this mindset and I will always try to support you whenever possible. Your productivity and transparency is so inspiring, thanks for everything Ethan.
I want you to know, that you, Ethan, are solely responsible for my growing interest in cooking as a college student and beyond. My mom used to be a professional chef and makes great meals all the time for us, but I never took to it even with that. Your videos are getting me there. I would love an app like this, and I don’t pay for a lot of things, but if it delivers on the points you mentioned, I absolutely would shell out. The entire process of cooking is so intimidating to me, but you hit the nail on the head with the before and after being the hard part, especially the before. I would love a spot where I can organize all of my cooking related thoughts, and have thought about it, and the app represents that so well. I also want you to know that you are doing this right (so far). The fact that you have very clearly put so much thought into the goals of the app and the intention along with how it would interface with an actual human is refreshing. I can really tell this is something you’re passionate about, and that makes me happy. Lastly, please do a kickstarter to help with funding, this is no small feat. It’s free money for you and I would certainly donate. If you do that (and regardless) please make a bite size, sendable video that condenses everything down (I’m sure you would). Having something that’s short and easy to watch and share will be helpful in letting people see your vision. Happy to see you pushing for improvement!!!
Thank you for the message! Lots more to come ✊
The app sounds similar to the Sorted Foods Sidekick app. Would talk with them to be sure you’re not overlapping. However, that “Let’s Cook Mode” is what gets me excited. I would focus on that than the other stuff which doesn’t sound like anything new.
You and Brian Lagerstrom make the most practical, useful, and tasty recipie videos on youtube.
I hate meal planning/prepping. I want to just make food that sounds tasty every day and its you and Brian that I look up on almost a daily basis.
Glen and Friends is awesome too
@internetshaquille is another great creator too!
The app sounds cool I guess but even if it was free I wouldn’t use it because I’ve seen this movie before. It starts free then I take time making lists/favorites/recipes/notes or whatever else and then it becomes paid, or more expensive if it started paid, or the features that I used become paid or more expensive.
Love your content. Hope the project works out well for you, but like not SO well that your yt channels suffer.
Got to 30:56 and wanted to add that I would LOVE a series “But worse (and way simpler)”. Like where to cut corners that save time/money/energy with minimal impact on overall dish. My hot take is that, while I generally peel my own garlic, if I’m making a bunch of stuff one week that takes ginger and garlic then just give me that whole jar of minced ginger and garlic combined. It takes a little more to achieve the same flavor but it is SO much easier and keeps way better than I would’ve initially thought when stored in the fridge.
I hear and agree with you. We haven't gotten too far into specifics, but the goal from the beginning would to be very clear on what's paid / what's free.
Also I may steal that "But worse (and way simpler)" title idea. I have a series where I wanted to explore that exact topic as it relates to a bunch of different dishes. For example, explaining differences between a 10 min pizza made with french bread vs a 2 hour pizza dough vs a 2-3 day long ferment.
@ using that title would make my day but so would doing that series. There’s so many things I see and think ‘oh there’s no way that’s THAT much better’ but then again I’ll be damned if I ever buy pregrated nutmeg ever again.
@@EthanChlebowski followup on the worse and way simpler concept, having a second channel where you upload completely unedited footage of the whole cooking process for such recipes for both clarity and transparency would be awesome. That way people can very easily gauge how long it would take for them (compensating for skills/equipment used, etc).
Also wanted to echo what someone else said in this comments section: Please don't burn yourself out man. I've been to cookwell pretty often, and I really enjoy the experience. Your channel has taught me a lot about the techniques of cooking, and I hope this app works out for you the way you best imagine it to. Maybe one day when I have more disposable income, I will sign up for it. Good luck and wish you a very successful 2025!
@amuzak9063 the man is trying to develop a teaching platform that he can actually make more money than youtube limitations. That way he can invest more time and really develop something. Your suggestion of "Just add a second channel" doesn't really help.
You don't need to find the perfect answers for cook well to be worth it, you seem to already have good enough answers, so just keep improving on them and with work and time you surely get to a point where you and your viewers are happy.
Your "let's cook" button idea is what I've been looking for since I started my cooking journey. I would pay for the app/kickstarter if it was reasonably priced. This idea really excites me, genuinely. I also thought it would be cool to let users post what they've cooked (pic and recipe link) and share with friends like Strava does for running/biking. That would be inspiring and possibly create some word of mouth buzz. Love the idea. Can't wait to see what you do with it.
This project seems very ambitious. I hope it is successful, but with so much going on I'm not sure how you will be able to roll it out. At my day job, I think in terms of goals/milestones and that might be helpful to you. Start small and focused and then build out.
I love your deep dives and the more "science-y" videos more than the typical recipe type videos. I hope you are able to keep making them, they truly are high-quality, documentary level projects. I can tell you put a ton of work into them and always get a little thrill when I see its going to be a long one. Thank you. 🙂
14:18 I think a cool addition to the app could be adding your own recipe. Maybe not in version one of the software but being able to add your own recipe and then upload it to a database that compares it to similar recipes. And then if it aligns too closely withan already established recipe, it can be either deleted or you can add a different sub category of that recipe that shows the differences, even if they’re slight.
So you're going into a direction Sorted Food went. They are prolific British cooking channel which post mostly entertainment cooking content on youtube, and recipes and helper tools on their paid subscription app. Notably, their youtube cooking content tends to be ingredient-first approach, rather than pre-planned recipe, which is good, IMO. But they are very much UK-based, and geared towards that audience in terms of ingredients and preferences.
Sounds like a good idea.
Your tag line: "Cooking for yourself everyday is hard." struck a chord with me. I would love a product that helps me achieve that goal. In fact I loved the piece you did about how people used to cook based on what they had, not a recipe. People knew how to cook from ingredients and flavors and making a different version of a dish. I want to be able to do that. Feed my family, save money on groceries, not wasting food, and cooking healthier food.
The creator had a problem. "I know, I'll make an app," he thought. He now has two problems 😀
The "Let's Cook" feature seems like it could really be a game-changer. Being able to just click on different items that are already in my pantry/fridge, and receive suggestions for recipes based on those ... yes, please!
I would add, maybe even a "'delayed Let's Cook" option where say, once or twice a week we get a reminder with a few items to prep ahead of time so that we can use them later in the week (i.e. to soak beans, start a ferment, etc.). I would be willing to pay for something like that!
Everything you said about recipe sites and cookbooks totally hit home! Love the vision you have for cookwell. I’ll be keeping my eyes open in case you decide a kick starter will be a good fit.
cockwell will never replace cockbooks.
Your channel has helped me not just with how I cook, but how I appreciate food, value points and how to appreciate them.
Our family, since the rapid rise in cost of living, has shifted entirely from eating out to eating in and all of us, kids included, have become such better cooks as a result.
Thanks again. Looking forward to supporting what you build!
11:33 small editing thing: looks like the audio cut out here randomly (it's only a few seconds and not critical to the video afaict, but just fyi)
Ahhh yep lol. I was moving some stuff around in the edit and must have misplaced it!
I enjoy what you do. I had a gastric bypass a few months ago and have a lot of trouble finding what I can eat that A) is exciting to my pallet. B) doesn’t hurt to eat. C) fits my dietary needs. And D) isn’t hard to make.
The no nonsense free food education is invaluable to many folks like myself. There are many places on the internet for it, but most are ads trying to sell products and nobody learns much other than the talking points of said product.
I’m glad you have this cookwell website going and I’m going to use the heck out of it. It’s truly appreciated
Brian Lagerstroms and his weeknighting series would be a great fit if he is down
Absolutely agree, he was first person i was thinking of for who I would want to see since his recipes and processes are awesome
Brian’s channel is complete. I like it on its own.
I would pay many dollars for this app. I have ADHD and feeding myself is a huge mental burden. I will be following this app's future career with great interest.
The best cooking resource I've come across is a group chat between my friends where we share the improvised meals we make for our families and the cooking 'hacks' we've discovered along the way. I don't need more fancy recipes that create a ton of dishes - just everyday meal ideas that I can riff on to get everyone fed and minimize cleanup and food waste.
Love this. We’ve thought about adding community features just like you are describing. Friends + Family members or people who have a similar constraints so you can share what’s working for you.
The single most important video I saw from you and which inspires me to this day is when you took a cooking class in Mexico and shared that with your audience here. I still talk about it with my friends whenever it comes up. I appreciate all the work you do to educate people about how to cook instead of blindly following a recipe. Thanks for the newsletter!
On not recommending specific brands: As a non-American, I hugely appreciate this.
Canada may have MANY of the same brands as America, but virtually every RUclipsr I watch has rec'd a brand I can't get here and I imagine that's even more frustrating for people on other continents.
The issue with non-specific brands is consistency. Take something as basic as salt. By weight, salt is salt, but by volume it's all over the place. And it tends to be used by volume.
I can definitely appreciate the time and effort of your new style deep dive videos. But I really miss the OG 2020 ones. From make a triple smash burger, to kitchen organization or even what you eat in a day. Those videos made me love the channel. I’m so glad you have the cook well channel as that reminds me of the OG videos. Wishing you nothing but success in the future man 🤘🏽
I get what you're saying on rib roasts, and yeah a perfectly cooked ribeye steak is better (to me at least). But I think the point of a rib roast is usually cooking for a large group and you can throw the whole roast in the oven and get something delicious that didn't take much active work, is easy to serve, and allows you to spend more time working on the rest of the meal. Imagine trying to put out 10 good steaks while also doing several other dishes in a home kitchen by yourself AND entertaining guests. And although you don't get a nice sear on most of the meat, I think a great sauce from the drippings makes up for it in flavor so long as you salted far enough ahead. Anyway, love all your content and good luck with your business plans going forward. I think your style of teaching does solve the problems you've identified if you can get people to engage with it seriously, and considering you have 2.17 million followers it seems like you're doing that as well. Finally, I have a pitch for a future video, a followup on the coffee beans: the impact of different coffee brewing methods. Thanks for all the great work and happy new year.
Your profile in the app should include what kitchen appliances you have available. I find this to be a hugely important factor, especially for students or anyone in a smaller apartment. You can stumble upon an amazing recipe but if it needs a specialized appliance or would be a pain without this appliance it is useless.
As a homecook, my biggest obstacle(s) are my kids. Theres a 50/50 chance one or both of the kids won't eat what I make. My creativity and enjoyment is stifled because half the house won't eat the food, and making the same 3 things (or slight variations of them) every week gets monotonous.
Get them involved with the cooking process. I didn’t like eating vegetables as a kid until I saw how they were prepared and felt invested in the process.
Charlie Anderson. Putting it here again. He’s got me hooked. He’s figured out a lot of things and if I want to learn about THOSE things-he’s the go to.
Brian Lagerstrom is a go to on almost any home cook recipe for any meal or occasion.
Mike Green uses his garden/homesteading, lifestyle, cooking for kids, knowledge of fermentation and appliances to draw me in on any topic. I feel his passion in any topic.
Study what these guys are doing: find your passion and do it and the people will follow.
Don’t try to be everything to everyone.
Framework and protocols - Do not neglect a focus on the use of cheaper seasonal vegetables. ... and note what season applies to the episode. eg. it's mid summer here in December. 😉
I am a spanish guy... my mom never teached e how to cook, my dad always expected me to know how to cook, so he never teached me anything. But despite it all, i learnt how to cook on my own, through years of trial and error. The main key point, you grew with decently cooked meals every single day. Then you know what you are aiming for! And with years, you will make it better. Its not so much about the recipies, is about balance, and how your soul feels that day. Love cooking, it feeds your family!
So excited! I'm normally not a big fan of another app, but this sounds amazing and unique. Really does fill in a void.
I have a question for you.
What do all the different spices do? So i can change the recipes to suit my taste. What are their flavour profiles if i doubled or halved their amounts in a curry?
1. chilli powder makes it hot and red. this one is easy.
2. turmeric?
3. gharam masala?
4. curry powder?
5. cumin powder?
6. coriander powder?
7. bayleaf?
8. cardommon pods?
9. cassia bark? connamon, citrus and fresh woody aroma i think.
Like for instance if I tripled or quadrupled these spices, how would the taste of the dish change?
ginger, garlic, tomatoes, onions, yoghurt, oil, salt etc are all obvious what the flavour profile taste they bring to dishes.
But the spices I've always been confused apart from the obvious chilli powder.
if you could make a video on what would happen to the flavour of the dish, if we doubled any 1 spice. It would help cooks understand how to change the ratios to suit individual tastes.
Protocols and frameworks are the absolute best thing you produce, please keep trying to incorporate them!!!!!
Excited for the app!
One thing I don't see covered in a lot of places is "cooking hardware": pots, pans, utensils, and small appliances. Your videos are excellent in that you minimize (explicitly or implicitly) the necessary tools to get a good meal on the table, especially when it comes to frameworks. I hate reading through an interesting recipe only to find out it needs a food processor, and I'm in a rental apartment in France with a motley assortment of pots and pans, two questionable knives, five well-used spatulas, and a three-burner induction stove.
It would be nice to have some content around "cooking hardware", and if it can be built in - at least a callout if a recipe needs a specific utensil or appliance ahead of time.
I feel like that specifically is not a common issue, although of course I could be wrong. But the kitchens I'm familiar with tend to have the same baseline stuff, like at least two pots and one skillet, bowls, similar appliances etc. FYI if a recipe calls for a food processor, usually you can use a blender.
This wasnt asked for but from a marketing angle I think dropping the space between the two words would make it look a bit more sleek
👏👏👏
I REALLY LOVE your deep dive videos.
Walking us thru certain ingredients, and what they taste/act like in different situations is an amazing way to learn USEFUL cooking basics.
I'm not trying to be a pro chef, but learning these things helps me make tastier food for me and my friends!
Prime rib/rib roast is just ribeye steaks done wrong. The best thing about rib roasts around the holidays is the price. I saw some prime rib roasts for $9.99 / lb the other day. Just buy the cheap rib roast, slice it into ribeye steaks and reverse sear. 1000% better.
Regarding the app thing, I would never subscribe to a cooking app. If it was a really great app with no ads and I could purchase it flat out for a one time cost of $10 or something I would consider that.
I think there might be two things could be added to this list, first, make gpt-like chatbot to make recommendations based on recipes one user had tried or maybe based on a photo a user upload about their fridges. Second, allow everyone to post their own recipes and share, for example, personal recipes can be shared within a small group of friends.
I personally do this a lot with ChatGPT now, but I don’t think it has the best library of recipes.
As someone who's subscribed to meal kits for the last 9 years, the reason I do it is the same one you're trying to solve. Cooking is easy, but selection inside decision paralysis, and portioning from the size one gets from a grocery store results in inefficiencies in both waste and takeout expense I can completely eliminate (which pays for the kit's premium)
Things to do:
- Talk to Nebula team. You're making the food version of their science and discovery themed startup. Learn how to get audience and creator partnerships
- Data is going to be huge. Not having to plug in what's in the fridge before you can get a suggestion will be a big barrier to clear. I need to be able to click one button and have the app tell me what I'm making today and have everything already guaranteed to be on hand from previous shopping trips.
How could it be guaranteed to be on hand when food has expiration dates? Is all that info getting input manually as well? That's more exhausting than cataloging the ingredients on hand, no? And how would that work for ppl who live in households where a roommate or family member might have eaten previously purchased ingredients?
Integration with Siri might be useful to keep the app updated with what's on hand. Like being able to just say "hey siri, I just used the last of x" while you're busy cooking or putting groceries away
I also immediately thought of nebula when he was talking about revenue sharing!! I think it’s a great idea just the implementation needs to be impeccable for it to succeed
If you added a social aspect where users could also share recipes/their changes or their own recipe books they can share with friends and rate them there that would be cool!
The original Iron Chef (Japan) had an episode where the chefs went into different homes and cooked with the ingredients at hand. A suggestion is to list available ingredients in app to find recipes. I’m writing this early in video so you might have this idea, but have a memory of a speck of dirt, so sorry if you’re already planning to do this.
I like your recipes and how you present cooking techniques, so i would be happy to support a more robust integrated service (like an app). But also, please make family sharing an early feature. Would love to favorite a few recipes, then share with my wife and decide together and have the shopping list sync in real time. Heck, if i can mark that we have something in the pantry while she is at the store and have it cross off her list that would be amazing. Same with calendar, if we pick a recipe it would be great to see the day we are going to cook it.
I remember I had an app for cocktails where I would take the ingredients I have and then it would show me a list of drinks that I could make.
I would love an app or a website where I can click all the pantry items and stuff in my fridge that I have and then recipes out of those items would pop up, and even some that I’m an ingredient or two away from. that would be really helpful.
I had that too. The difference is that most of the stuff in my liquor cabinet lasts across many servings and doesn't expire.
When it comes to fresh food, there's going to be a lot of data entry you would need to do constantly, because things expire and you don't want to subtract each tomato every time you eat it.
That app already exists, it's called SuperCook! Also has a website.
The number one problem I have right now is like what you said, food content is so much about entertainment that creators like Joshua Weissman are not even making recipes anymore, without new exiting recipes its hard to become exited about cooking.
As someone looking to do this for themselves, I genuinely appreciate what you're doing.
A small suggestion:
Since you already have recipes and plan to do a grocery list, it seems to me that a good feature would be to be able to basically his 'add to grocery list' from any individual recipe (you could even add in 'quantity' for 'how many times do you want to make this?') to build the list for you. When using any application, it's often minor stuff like that which, at least to me, helps stuff feel better to use.
My biggest issue is that my wife and I have COMPLETELY different dietary requirements - she is on a very low sodium, low fat diet, while I'm diabetic and on a Keto diet - there is almost nothing I've found that lets us find recipes that fit all our needs (especially the low sodium!). I'd love an option that can find recipes that fit multiple criteria so I don't have to continually make two separate meals (I'm the cook) or eat the same 4/5 dishes every week.
Just curious, couldn’t you exclude the salt from the recipe and let individuals add it to their own taste in their dish?
That's a tough one, your only overlap is basically lean protein and vegetables - and the latter only if you're sparing with the oil and salt. You could get some mileage out of serving the same lean protein with e.g. bread or pasta vs salad with a rich fatty dressing but that only gets you so far.
TBH in your/her shoes I'd be trying to get a doctor to offer an easier solution than "just don't eat salt" if possible.
@@booki5973 While yes, that's often what I do, there are whole classes of cuisine I have trouble replicating because the individual ingredients themselves are too full of sodium. Asian, for instance - Soy sauce, Fish Sauce - pretty much any flavorful sauce - even "low sodium" - is incredibly high in sodium), a number of cheeses, bread products, etc - and while it's easy to find diabetic-oriented recipes and websites, it's actually really hard to find sites/recipes for the very low sodium diets.
Excited to watch this! You're hands down the best person making RUclips content right now, or at least exactly what I'm looking for: not just recipes, food education
So sort of (apologies for mentioning a technical competitor) like a more advanced version of the sidekick app that sorted has, I'm assuming anyway, I've not used it so I can't say for sure, but that's what it sounds like to me.
My biggest issue is time, and the fact my wife is vegetarian, I am not, so sometimes having to make two seperate dinners is rather time consuming.
I like your idea of the companion app, I really hope it goes well for you, I can't see why other creators wouldn't be on board. It is yet another subscription though, and people are starting to get overloaded by them.
You have to make two separate dinners? I have a similar family situation, and the way we get around that is, we make double amount of rice or pasta or potato base, and then one serving of meat to plop on top of the base for the meat-eater. Sides of veggies work for everyone. Or like, for lunch, you make two sandwiches with lettuce and tomato, and then slap cheese on one and bacon on the other.
This would be harder if it was VEGAN and meat-eater, cuz then cheese is off the table as a protein, baking will need milk substitutes, no butter for veggie sauteeing... That's a lot of extra changes, fr.
No shade on eating meat, btw, I've TRIED being vegetarian, it is NOT for me, I need my protein! XD
@86fifty we got into the habit of two seperate ones when she was vegan. It's just carried through over the last 8 months or so when she decided vegan wasn't for her after all, but she was for close to 5 years, so habits get formed i suppose. I do eat vegetarian every now and again, even vegan when she was, nothing wrong with the food if you prepare it right, I just personally don't care to give up meat all the time, I like it too much. Lol
I am almost principly against paying for any app - I've literally never paid for an app on my phone ever.
But your vision here??? Trying to organize the food internet? In an intellectual and practical, collaborative/collectivist way?? This is so needed!! I am really pumped for what youve described. I have so many (thousands!!) recipes, videos, grocery lists, etc. scattered amongst multiple formats and places I have to search.
My family and I value cooking good food at home. We eat out maybe 1-2 times/month. That's a lot of meal organizing and learning that I'm juggling all the time! This app sounds awesome.
Thank you for daring to expand your vision. More and more, people are so far removed from the complex yet fundamental skill and joy of feeding themselves. As you've clearly foreseen, so many people could really benefit from this kind of resource, even throughout many different phases of life.
Oh, for recipe creators I would be so excited to see @AaronandClaire (Korean cooking!) and Marc at @SauceStache (maybe could fit into a rebrand for him since he's pivoting from sauce to vegan 😊)
That makes sense, when I was dating my ex I had shown her your video on scrambled eggs and explained why I enjoyed it as "it's sort of like good eats in that they go over the reasons for things instead of just saying do this"
@@Backflip2002 "Good Eats" will forever be legendary in its ability to educate and entertain, not *just* culinarily, but especially culinarily. 😉👍
I'm a grumpy old and cynical former Marine. I fully expected a pitch for money ... what I saw, however, was a passionate creator with a commitment to home cooks and everyone living better. I have limited income as a retiree but the value in the program you're proposing is a value I am absolutely willing to pay for. Try reaching out to Jean Pierre's channel - he's fun and helpful and might be a good creator for the project - try contacting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in case there is some sort of assistance for his Healthy World initiatives. But for me, your knowledge is important and your passion for home cooks (especially old dudes like me - LOL) has value beyond expectations. Don't stop your pursuit of this endeavor - it resonates with a healthier, and smarter, world. Thanks man ....
Hey, @EthanChlebowski - it seems like there's something up with the audio from 11:34 - 11:38?
Seemed like an interesting way to show-off a neat feature tbh.
Edit: nevermind, Ethan says elsewhere that it is indeed a mistake. Oh well, it worked out well imho. :')
@Alceste_ Sorry, where did you see him say that?
@@ThisSideUp11 erm.. some of his answers on other comments saying the same stuff you did.
@@Alceste_ I’m curious how that would be neat way of showing off the feature he was describing? no negativity behind this comment just genuinely curious to see it how you saw it.
@@Blaine- Basically adding contrast by use of space and subtraction, making sure the focus of watchers goes to the on-screen feature being shown.
I follow a few cooking channels on youtube and one that has a similar app is Sorted and they have a similar companion app. I'm pretty sure that this would work for you too. I think experienced home cooks don't really use apps like these because I only check recipes/videos for ideas. I rarely use recipes for cooking (where I live it's hard to get a lot of international ingredients). Would love to see your success because your deepdive videos on ingredients and recipe ideas are one of the best on this platform! So I wish you the best with the app!
11:31 ...... HUH?
Commenting to say every pain point you mentioned re: home cooking, I feel deeply. Cook Well has been such a boon, and it's my go-to for if I'm at a loss as to what to make prior to going to the supermarket.
I think I'm the ideal user for Cook Well, and I thank you good sir.
Hey Ethan. Good job of letting us know about the show. Great channel my friend. So interesting. Cheers! Pete in Florida ❤
Really looking forward to the app!
As a home cook, my biggest issue by far is creativity. Between my job and raising my son, i just don't have time. I love looking up recipes, and altering it to feed me and my kitchen. But I can only think of slight alterations. That's why I love your framework videos, lots of interesting ideas of what to do with one thing. I get it might be creatively boring for you, but I'll always appreciate someone else doing the creative legwork for me
Wow, this popped up after I spent 30 minutes trying to get the energy to cook lunch only to have my kid say he didn't like it. If the app is reasonably priced I'll give it a try. If it can stop the nightly grocery store run because I didn't plan meals for the week it will likely pay for itself.
I love your recipe deep dives so much. I was explaining their value to my spouse as, "sure, I was able to cook with these things before, no problem. A recipe says to use a yellow onion, I used a yellow onion and it came out fine. But now, I know why it chose a yellow onion, I can make my own recipes, and sometimes I know a shallot might work even better."
My cooking and understanding are elevated thanks to these deep dives, and I really appreciate the effort and time you put into them.
As a Product Manager working in tech (which I know may not mean anything), the “Cookwell” concept is overly complex and isn’t crisp enough yet to resonate with users.
My, possibly unpopular, opinion is that for now you should focus on short form videos (like your older videos eg fermentation, pk chicken karahi etc), some deep dives, and some live cooking type stuff including the fast food comparison with your brother.
Incubate the Cookwell idea some more while you make other videos…it doesn’t seem like it’s ready for general consumption
Totally agree. They will over engineer this currently. They need to move quick and lean, into what already works well for them.
Agreed. I'm a software developer and the desire to make this everything for everyone and also make it free and also earn money is a fun dream but it's not going to happen.
Pick one thing for one target audience and do it well. Create a knowledge base, OR a cooking community, OR a recipe app.
Samsung Food (formerly Whisk) app does a lot of what he's describing, and it's already too much.
As a Software Engineer working in tech, I've rarely met a project manager who was right more often than they were wrong.
@ product manager and project manager are two different roles my friend
@@certainstrength Y'know what, fair enough, I misread.
I watch your channels to add variety to my cooking recipes. Your grocery store has better stuff than where I shop most of the time (Walmart), but I have made several of your dishes. I like the cookwell channel. I would suggest a meal vlog channel where you make quick easy tasty dishes from your library of recipes.
Pretty good, looking forward for this website. I really hate recipe websites nowdays, it is 1000s of pages of bullshit history, then the ingredients are not well mentioned, it is a disaster
And the ads block 95% of the screen. After sifting through the mounds of useless text, you have practically one ingredient/step listed between two ads for each ingredient/step.
Dude, it's clear you put so much time and thought into your work. Appreciate the craft from top down 👏🏼
I love recipes and videos for inspiration, but they are rarely part of my daily cooking routine.
Shopping is a blend of what I'm in the mood for, what's available/on sale, with maybe a bit of "I saw this and want to try it."
As I shop, I decide what I can do with my selections, & grab other things to round out my meals.
At least a few meals a week are something that's "I need to use this up." Soup, casserole , stir fry, fritters, etc., just different ways to combine what's on hand & turn it into something tasty.
Perhaps a series of videos/articles on how to improvise with available ingredients?
one hundred percent this! Improvise is a great verb for it!
This guy really just sat here and tried to convince us he only makes enough to pay two people 😂😂
Love this! I am definitely a target customer for Cook Well 😅.
For me personally the one missing piece of Cook Well is I’d love to see a “cook with me” calendar where members can hop on a live video call with a creator and the creator cook a meal live while they interact with members on the call answering questions and giving advice in real time. It would really take the companion app to the next level if that was a feature included!
We’ve thought about community based features as well…one of the future plans if we can get this it off the ground!
@keenanburkepitts I really like this idea. Homemadecooking does love cooking classes, they email a list of ingredients ahead of time. During the live class you can type questions into the chat and get answers. I haven’t done any classes recently (been busy) but they were free. Website has videos of previous classes. There are a different chefs and I have a favorite.
I love this idea!
If you haven't start to build, it might be worth reaching out to the folks making the Paprika app, it handles all the current use cases laid out in the video - plus can extract recipes from blogs. They don't produce content, so it could be a natural fit.
Oh my dear, I present you Breadowski 2.0. Now let’s make some Chleb.
😂😂😂😂
34:02 Immediately after a couple of your ingredients videos series, I got the Jeff Nippard vibe. The inspiration definitely translates well to your work!
I think a cool idea for the app is that it auto calculates amounts of ingredients based on a drop down menu for the user to choose how many it will serve. So lets say you need ingredients for 2 one night and 10 another night. you would just change the amount of servings and it will automate how much you need of each ingredient.
Totally agree. Things get a little tricky when canned goods are some of the ingredients, but I'd much rather end up wasting half a can of beans than throw out 3 or more servings of the recipe after it has sat in the fridge for a week and a half.
I enjoy watching you, because you are information oriented without over-the-top flash, comedy or antics, which I dislike. I also, like Brian Lagerstrom's channel for the exact same reasons.
I also would recommend Chef Leo for your app, I know you mentioned that there were enough pizza videos out there, however I have l learned so much from him about the process that I have applied to making other dough related foods. He is another information-oriented creator that I have enjoyed learning from.
You do what is going to make you happy. But, it’s tiresome when every content creator that gets a following decides they need to become the next Mr. Beast and morph into an ecosystem. Good luck in your endeavors, but the future direction of your channels don’t seem all that appealing to me based on this video. I just want to watch cooking videos and recipes.
Knowing how to store the fewest tools needed to cook. Knowing how to store the healthiest food indefinitely. How to store meal prep ingredients longer. I can cook nearly anything, but having two shelves of cooking appliances/pots and my cubbords full of dishes and Tupperware is space challenging on top of not spoiling food.
I don't think the problem with inspiration. It comes down to time, energy, and desire. When you shop, you think I will make X. Then two days latter, it's a crazy day, and you just want something else completely.
I think learning knives skills, and culinary math. Teach people to think of their kitchens like restaurants. Help them save money by cooking. Take out is convenient, easy and in the moment, but is expensive and keeps getting more expensive.
Not the full answer, but a series of key components
I’m looking at it as “Inspiration based on your constraints”
Contraints meaning things like your time, energy, desire, budget, food you have.
Time is a big deal. If I have a family of children and teens running around making noise while I’m conceiving of the dinner-which is going to take cleanup, I need to come in with a plan that I can execute while dealing with distractions. If your site or app account for family style favorites that I can bust out in 30-45 minutes…I think you’re on to something.
Some apps do already do this, but being able to enter whats in your pantry and fridge to see matching recipes (full match or very close) is really nice. You can also pick a main ingredient to filter by when something is going bad.
Nothing fully replaces learning "food reflexes" but people could use training wheels
Dude, your thought process is monotropic af and I frickin love it.
Monotropism: bottom-up thinking. But more accurately, inside-out, context-seeking thought processing that is rooted in a core/fundamental idea or concept. This as opposed to top-down or outside-in thinking. The latter is great for quick decisions and broad pattern recognition, but the former is the most effective way to break down and thoroughly comprehend an idea or concept in detail.
or you can just be a regular ass person who doesn't need fancy labels on everything, and just figure shit out.
@@shamancredible8632 have a snack, bro.
Thanks for including the definition of that word so us lowly intellectual peasants can understand your enlightened thoughts.
@@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock the self deprecation really isn’t necessary. No one is superior here. It truly saddens me to see when people’s experiences with new information have been so unfortunate that they find mere use of an unfamiliar word offensive or condescending.
Absolutely love this and can’t wait for you to get it off the ground.
Get Brian Lagerstrom for sure! His Week-nighting series is made for this type of content and all of his recipes are top notch.
I’d totally get in on a Kickstarter! 🎉
As someone that has struggled with the motivation to cook a lot, I think the paid companion app ties in to everything I’ve been struggling with in cooking and would absolutely be worth it! Very excited to see it play out. Also, the creator connection program is a super creative idea!
This channel provides something no other cooking channel does and I would love to see that app. I’d definitely be a user, I’ve tried a few grocery/meal plan apps and never liked them long term.
I really liked the hot takes.
For mac n cheese, Blooming the spices in the flour and butter mixture brought in my experiments more improvement than adjusting to the "perfect" ratio of black pepper, cayenne pepper and sweet paprika. Thats why i get to irritated when some recipes call for unhinged measurements like 0.6-0.8grams of one spice
I tend to think in terms of ratios. Prime example is herb and spice blends and then how much of that blend to use with 1kg of meat or veg.
In doing so with 'blends' - and generally all ingredients - I avoid volumetric measures using weight. I've always used SI metric measures, so I'm not handicapped in that regard.
Do your thing man. That's why we watch you. I love that you make videos on bay leaves and make keema mattar. I feel like you're me but if I decided to freely explore my cooking brain
I am very much here for the deep dives myself ^w^
Ethan, you INSPIRE me to be great, selfless, and understanding of everyone's condition.
I can't stand grossly indulgent food channels like "guga foods" (the gluttonous swill on that channel makes me want to vomit). I Watch this channel because it helps me figure out how to get the best ingredients for myself, I could care less about anything else, most certainly not an app. If you wanna make money with your cooking skills, perhaps open a restaurant.