Pastry chef Claire Saffitz has attracted a cult-like following through her Bon Appetit “Gourmet Makes” videos. They draw people in with nostalgic eats and keep them wanting more due to her fun and quirky personality. Who wouldn’t want to watch a professional chef struggle to make a gourmet versions of childhood snacks, Halloween candy siblings fight over, or the noodles students survive on in college?
Saffitz, along with the rest of the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen crew, make each episode special by adding their own personality to the show. In my eyes, the Test Kitchen is like a foodie’s version of The Office. Gabby Melian and Rhoda Boone serve as Saffitz’ cheerleaders, reminding her of successes even when she feels like she might never succeed. However Brad Leone, is not always as supportive. Even though he does a good job of picking Claire up when she is down with his goofy humor, he doesn’t hesitate to tell her when something is completely off. Finally, and perhaps the most entertaining individual to watch on Gourmet Makes, is Chris Morocco, a well known supertaster in the BA Test Kitchen. Before tasting any of Claire’s creations he first has to smell it, then take just the tiniest bite to be sure he doesn't overwhelm his delicate palette. Morocco’s strong sense of taste leaves him very little room to go easy on Claire Saffitz. Each person plays their own role and Saffitz relies on them to taste her creations and help her move toward the perfect gourmet version of each food.
At the beginning of each episode, Saffitz begins with the same line: “And now for my favorite part...” She says this before she begins to read the absurd number of ingredients off the back of the box of different foods. Seeing what actually goes into these snack foods--ones that seem to last forever on the shelf--is extremely intriguing. Watching the immense amounts of ingredients fill up the screen as Saffitz reads them off the back of the box would grab anyone’s attention, and even more so, hearing the crazy things companies put into foods would make anyone stop and think about a better version.
Saffitz makes better versions of beloved snacks with regular ingredients from the grocery store and home kitchen tools. In the 32 episodes of her series, she has remade versions of everything from Twinkies to Ruffles and Ramen noodles. Some of these remakes are complete replicas, Claire trying to perfectly copy the original without the crazy ingredients and equipment available to the companies that mass produce the products. For others, however, Claire put her own spin on the snack to improve upon it.
Although every video so far has ended in a successful recreation, Saffitz goes through crazy ups and downs each episode. She thought she might never get the Cheetos to puff up just right, and tempering chocolate, oh tempering chocolate. The first episode where Saffitz attempted to temper chocolate was Kit Kat, and it seemed like the most painful thing she had ever done. Her coworker, Chris Morocco, incessantly reminds her each time she makes a candy bar, or something involving snappy chocolate, that she must temper the chocolate. Although the Kit Kat episode was a bit of a traumatic experience for Saffitz, in her most recent video she tempered chocolate without a problem given her new sous-vide method.
While watching Saffitz struggle is entertaining in its own maniacal way, the true joy comes when she is extremely successful and has fun with the recipes. Standouts are her Lucky Charms episode, especially when Saffitz hand-piped the colorful marshmallows, and Ferrero Roches, when she got to implement some of her craftiness, wrap them in gold foil and label each individual candy with the somewhat ridiculous name her coworker Brad Leone gave them: “New Rochelle Balls.”
Whether you are looking for a good laugh and some fun food videos to watch, or you are truly interested in the method of making gourmet versions of your favorite childhood snacks, Claire Saffitz has managed to create just the series. And if she hasn’t recreated your favorite yet, just wait; it might be coming.