Filmsane

We’ve all seen them. Long before the creation of Binging With Babish even. The entertaining yet mouthwatering scenes in the movies or TV shows. You know… the ones that feature cooking various recipes and of course the subsequent eating of those creations? I mean who can forget the Cubanos sandwiches from Jon Favreau’s Chef, the breakfast dessert pasta from Elf, or the prison sauce form Goodfellas?

But have you wondered how do they look like IRL? Well for all of you film nerds and foodies (like me) I highly recommend checking out (and the immediately binging) on Binging With Babish. Youtube channel in which since the inception, roughly one year ago, has over 800,000 subscribers, and a devoted following among both communities.

Hosted by the trained filmmaker and self-taught chef, Andrew Rea, Binging With Babish is a sight for sore eyes in the abundance of cooking channels on Youtube. Because it’s not just that. Every video starts with a reminder of the particular scene from the particular film/TV show that served as an inspiration, and then follows with the recipe itself.

But here’s the catch (and the leverage ahead of the competition if you ask me). The dish is the main star of the video. Not the chef (think Jamie Oliver, Laura Vitale) not the movie, not the Hollywood stars in that particular film that is the main inspiration. Rea (with exception of his torso and hands) is barely seen in the videos and the preparation takes center stage there.

In his most recent interview with Eater, Rea explained that each video costs roughly 100$ from beginning to end, and days to prepare (in post production) before it’s uploaded for the adoring fans. He’s also the narrator in each of the videos, and yet another positive thing about them is that they are not overwhelmingly long and tedious. No, with an average 5 minutes for each video, they are quite pleasant and binge worthy to be honest.

The thing is it’s not just the duration that makes the most of the appeal for Binging With Babish, or the recipes. The humor in the selection of recipes, the misses and smash hits in the final product, but also the different variations of the same dish. You’ll notice the chocolate VS cinnamon Babka in Seinfeld Special Part I video, and two slightly different Ratatouille recipes in which only the latter had the authentic Pixar shape that we all know and love.

Now you can fairly say that most of the recipes that Rea makes in Binging With Babish are delicious, but there are few that are pretty disgusting (not by his fault of course). In this bracket is the infamous selection of dishes inspired by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and aptly they can be found It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Special video episode. I highly recommend it. It’s bit longer than usual, but hilarious and sooo worth the watch.

Since the beginning Rea has offered a video tutorials on the basics in modern gastronomy. Such as… how to sear a stake, or How to Make New-York-Style Pizza (inspired by TMNT) but most that followed are straightforward recipes based on famous films or TV shows.

There are currently 37 videos Binging With Babish channel, and the fans (my self included) want more. The offer suggestions for the upcoming videos in the comment section, and show their support in the growth and expansion of Binging With Babish.

Photographs/recipes of his creations can also be found on the Instagram page of Binging With Babish, and also on his official website Binging With Babish.

Keep up the good work Mr. Rea! And keep those videos coming!