Critiquing Your Recipe Video Scripts

Should I drop the KZbin act and start being a script consultant?
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[@xipalips]

It breaks my heart to know as a non-Christian I can never make this recipe.

[@andersonic]

"Falls off your fork" sounds like a malaprop combination of "fall off the bone" and "fork tender." Does tender meat fall off your fork? That sounds frustrating.

[@netshaq2]

Heh that’s pretty funny

[@swedneck]

"fall of your fork" tender is when you cook the meat so long it just turns into soup

[@JustcallmeJayrot]

I don't necessarily think of myself as a beginner cook, but I definitely find myself often confused (frustrated) with recipes that leave too much up to interpretation or "riffing". Usually when I'm looking up a recipe I want the step by step. I want to see how THEY made, so that it looks and tastes like theirs. Then I'll make my own customizations. Your thumbnail really illustrates the ambiguity brilliantly and succinctly.

[@VNdoug]

Most of the time I make a dish exactly like the recipe the first time. The next time I make it I'll start improvising because then I'll know what the author intended it to taste like and how I can improve it to my preferences. It's incredibly annoying when a recipe goes "salt to taste, pepper to taste, chili powder to taste, any vegetables you like, cook until it's done". That's how people wrote recipes before the 1700s when they didn't have such things as "clocks" or "standardized measures" or "acess to worldwide ingredients and spices"

[@Brent-jj6qi]

@@VNdougsalt and chilli/pepper has to be done to your taste though. Despite the standardization, things have inconsistent levels of salt, and you might’ve cooked more or less water out. Additionally, you might have different amounts of salt you like. Also, for chilli, not everyone has the same spice level. Stuff like any vegetable you want is kinda dumb these dahs

[@DailyCakeSlice]

I would love to see more of this. As a noob cook it really shows me how deep your process goes and WHY I learn so much from your videos.

[@LindsayDaly]

'Amelia Bedelia themselves out of a meal' don't get me started on lemon merengue pie!

[@ghlibisk67]

Elite level reference

[@people287]

One of my favorite chefs, Rick Bayless, does a wonderful thing in his cookbooks,. He leaves a dedicated section after the recipe for riffs, variations, and substitutions and is very specific about what works and why!

[@EphraimIgnacio]

I’ve worked with multiple chefs that have worked directly under Bayless and they’ve all said the same thing “His food is great and he really respects the culture but goddamn is he an asshole” lol

[@people287]

@@EphraimIgnacio oh noooo, that's unfortunate. I guess, as they say. Never meet your heroes!

[@BrockSamson169]

@@people287 Hate to say it, but being a top tier chef and being an asshole usually go hand in hand.

[@empatheticrambo4890]

This script editing is honestly interesting despite the fact that I neither make scripts nor content. I do write things, and the point about the peanut butter experiment is memorable

[@dingo4530]

I am not sure I would have been able to stay as patient as you did making this video. That writing was really rough.

[@benpfeifer8192]

yeah as a long time writing tutor this one was tough lol

[@p0rq]

This was strangely interesting to watch, Shaq. As you were giving these insights it made me think about your own videos and why I like the presentation of your content. You make it look so easy, but as with all such things, there’s a lot of line-by-line careful thought that goes into making it so.

[@mattador]

> I move away from the mic to breathe in. (In all seriousness, this is a good concept for a series.) (And yes, "for" is a preposition.)

[@TheZooloo10]

I just wanna say, I've noticed you giving more flavor profile options / spice blends in your videos and its a huge help in learning different flavors.

[@giuliagiuliana]

Writing here a lil' feedback -> Even if I could had never imagined watching a video like this (not saying this isn't on brand with your stuff, it's just that my limited imagination couldn't create it), I started watching the video not knowing what to expect... and it was way more interesting than I anticipated! Even if just watching the master at work does not provide me with the ability to replicate what you do, it sure was interesting seeing (a bit of) the thought process that goes into your scripts. Your monologues and video scripts flow really well and are quite informative, and videos like this give me a glimpse of the *why* your stuff is more effective, interesting, concise, etc. I wanted to add that, since I am not a native speaker, sometimes I have to watch a video more than once to absorb all the infos contained, but they don't have any useless filler so it doesn't annoy me. Anyway, I'm sure you would make a fine script consultant, but please do not stop posting on KZbin lol. Maybe it could be a Patreon tier - you critique some kind of writing that your supporters give you? Have a beautiful day!

[@giuliagiuliana]

I also wanted to add that: this video helped me realize that I find your videos to be calming and/or relaxing because you just specify so much stuff, you anticipate every question I might have, and it gives me peace of mind. Even if I do not intend to immediately replicate the recipe you talk about. This video might have helped me identify the reason I like watching the videos even if I have already understood and memorized the content. It should go without saying that I do also appreciate that your videos are so refined and trimmed as to not waste the viewer's (my) time. Thank you for your work.

[@andrewkrahn2629]

"the weight is also important for knowing how long to cook it for" I've got less on an issue with the final preposition than with the repeated "for". They do different things in the sentence, but it sounds odd. tl;dr - final prepositions are normal English, but formal writing is about kissing up to your profs/clients/bosses, so probably still don't use them there --- Also, final prepositions are a problem in formal writing, but the idea that they're "incorrect English" dates back to one specific guy from about 250-300 years ago who thought it sounded bad because it wasn't enough like Latin. A final preposition is complete nonsense in Latin and its descendants (French and Spanish, for example). But English isn't a straight-up romance language! Ending sentences in prepositions is a very old, normal part of English and at least some other germanic languages. So being snooty about a final preposition (or starting with "therefore", I think?) in a sentence that's supposed to be casual isn't even an appeal to ancient tradition, it's an appeal to one 18th century pedant. At the same time, highschoolers/college freshmen finding this, you should still use these rules when writing for school/work, as unfortunately being seen to know/follow the rules can help you a lot with some people who can help you succeed in life.

[@Benisued]

That was super informative! I really like your critical eye and how you take information and render it in your style

[@cwestrephx]

These are some great tips. As I myself have gone from absolute beginner to at least novice cook, learning largely from KZbin videos, I've developed some skill for understanding the breakdown of recipes, and where I can make substitutions. But I absolutely did NOT have that skill at the beginning. So having specific recommendations, like you say in the video, is really important. If you want to throw in a couple specific possible substitutions in particular places, that can help people who are trying to develop that cooking intuition, but the backbone of the recipe really need to be as straightforward and particular as possible in order to reach the widest possible audience.

[@7vezda]

I wanna know this mythical place where brisket is cheap

[@7vezda]

I'm going to assume you're not in the US since you're saying this in kg, but here at least, brisket is NOT cheap relative to other cuts of beef, or by any other metric, because the demand has gone way up over the past 8 or so years due to being a popular cut for BBQ.

[@sweetestpotato4392]

Your patience! This reads like the content creators first recipe, bless their heart. Kudos for wanting to get it right.

[@mn-ly2tp]

As someone who consumes a fair bit of cooking content, this script* {being reviewed} is brutal. But it also seems like I'm not the target audience. This {script being reviewed} seems very TikTok quick form aspirational focused to be consumed by people who want to watch cooking content but have no intention of actually making anything

[@KLBoringBand]

He’s got a main channel Internet Shaquille that’s designed to teach recipe techniques. This is his side channel that’s more general thoughts.

[@mn-ly2tp]

Yeah I'm talking about the recipe he's reviewing, not the channel as a whole. I edited my comment to make it more clear

[@KLBoringBand]

Ahhh, sorry! I did misunderstand your OP. I get you now.

[@mn-ly2tp]

No worries, I agree my original comment was poorly worded and not clear

[@neogohanamv]

I agree on this. The recipe amounts to "cook some beef and throw it in a slow cooker with like.. veggies and herbs and stuff. Whatever you like, you do you." There's really nothing here that doesn't already come in the guide that's packaged with a slow cooker or instant pot. New cooks will be left too confused with all the room for variation, and anyone with an above-basic proficiency will be bored. I think having a single hard-line recipe with exact amounts would be best, and then at the end, introduce some tested variations, also with exact amounts. New cooks will see how the simple version can be successfully jazzed up, and then they may be inspired to try their own combinations. But leaving too much freedom to a new cook is more likely to result in failed experiments and, subsequently, frustration, dissolved interest, and lost trust in you as a source of cooking instruction.

[@CommandantSpangler]

I would love to see more of this. You’re awesome Shaq

[@NarutoFreak47]

Interesting. I thought it started fine but as it went on I started noticing those little things you called out. I don't know if I'll ever become any kind of recipe writer, but this was a very insightful look into how we can fine-tune the process. Thanks for sharing this!

[@kay60552]

I'm so glad someone addressed how to use a crock pot in a god honoring way

[@stefanristicmovies]

i really really like this concept

[@charlieg4113]

I found this extremely insightful and really fun to watch... getting to watch you explain to others answers questions I never knew to ask.

[@lydsfizz]

This was so incredibly helpful thank you for posting this!

[@blueegg4198]

11:52 From now on when I'm writing instructions, I'm going to think of my audience as Amelia Bedelia.

[@tomv8952]

Absolutely loved this. Getting a bit of a peek into which decisions you would make and why is really interesting. I'm still thinking about trying to make videos in the future (backburner for now) but this is another excellent resource, even just the initial comment about "ok, that's your target audience, but what do they know about cooking?"

[@needabetterhobby]

Love the Amelia Bedelia reference

[@N22883]

This was really fantastic, thank you for posting. I’ve been working on a mental and physical health website for some time, and within the past few weeks I’ve been struggling with deciding who my intended audience is, and how to adjust it accordingly I also love the tip about the peanut butter sandwhich, and imagining how wrong someone could misinterpret it

[@N22883]

To follow up on this, I’d actually really love a video, or some recommended resources, about how to write better

[@normalgirlbim]

Porque no los dos? Yesss this should be a series! so good

[@kelseyf2619]

Love this content!

[@DavidXimil]

Just started my own channel, thank you. This was very helpful

[@Bashfluff]

Even though I'm a fiction editor (yes, "for" is usually a preposition) I didn't catch every mistake you did. I'd love to see a couple more videos like this one.

[@evanbelcher]

I love this video. I do think one thing that wasn't totally taken into consideration, though, was that it's not just a recipe audiobook, there's visuals to go along with it. So for example, when they're talking about not cutting potatoes or carrots too small, they'll likely be showing a clip of them cutting them to a good size. Or maybe in your experience, the video isn't enough to clarify underspecific instructions? I would have loved to hear you address this factor either way.

[@thatoneguy7597]

Cool video, love getting a glimpse of your creative process (even by proxy). On a holistic note, I'm kind of curious what your thoughts are on recipes like this. Not to rag on this specific creator or anything, but I feel like I've seen this "slow cooker braised meat" recipe at least a dozen of times from various outlets and creators with very minimal differences in the described process/commentary. Do you feel the added value is generally found in the style of delivery and specific target demo?

[@NarutoFreak47]

Obviously not Shaq, but if you're interested in another's opinion anyway, here you go: I think these kinds of recipes are great launchpads specifically for figuring out one's own preference for their delivery and style. The intro mentions this is a person already creating videos but just wants to branch out. Because they already have an audience of some sort, doing something cozy like this for an audience that maybe hasn't ever waded into "cooking KZbin" could be a real net positive for them and their community while still expanding on the creator's own skillset. I think the idea has legs even if a brand-new creator was doing this, because we've all gotta start somewhere. When you're new to lighting and camera angles and audio and editing, it's hard enough to line that up with a recipe that's simple. Something with more steps and nuanced approaches to the finalized dish would become even more challenging. I think the creator will struggle more with getting "found" if they do a similar recipe to a lot of other folks, but I think getting their bearings on the easier stuff and evolving to the hard stuff is better for them than doing the hard stuff and not getting noticed for it. Makes for easier burnout, I imagine. That's baseless speculation though. I suppose some low-quality stuff does make it to the trending page once in a while, so it's not impossible. This is getting a little rambley though. Point is, I totally get the angle of there being "too much." I just think the low hanging fruit is the logical start point, which is how we ended up with so many in the first place. From there, the creator has to really see what their "yes, and" contribution is going to be.

[@thatoneguy7597]

Thanks for the perspective! And agreed, definitely makes sense to start “simple” as you foray into a new skill/artform

[@BrockSamson169]

I'd think beginner cooks want a recipe to follow, and intermediate cooks are already at a place where they can riff on an established recipe, so the target audience for a "beginner recipe that tells you to riff on it how you like" seems extremely small. I definitely agree with Netshaq that you should just give a specific recipe and add recommendations for twists to it as a sidebar and not interwoven through the whole video.

[@BigDaddyDracula]

you move away from the mic to take a breath, very chocolate rain

[@ggw1776]

I really think the author of this needs to read a book, unironically

[@stephendwyer3755]

Shaq really knows his stuff

[@Nekeku]

I think a recipe should start with a description of what the finished dish actually is.

[@amyreynolds27]

I'm so glad someone else uses Amelia Bedelia as a verb.

[@cleric4933]

A scriptique, if you will.

[@cowboy4187]

Great vid

[@Jake-uy6qw]

My least favorite instruction while learning to cook: SALT TO TASTE I've eaten Tombstone pizzas literally every day of my life man, idk how it's supposed to taste! I've learned how to "salt to taste" from one of your videos though, so thanks for that

[@NZ255]

Add salt until it’s too salty. Then start again

[@DawsJosh]

As someone who cooks, I fundamentally do not understand who this "recipe" is for. It's essentially "did you know you can put beef in a crockpot for some amount of time with some other stuff and food will come out? Riff on that! " That's basically the first recipe every college kid learns, who doesn't know that? I'm watching YOU to see how to improve that. And if I DIDN'T know you could do that, you've given me very little guide on what to do. I don't know if you left off the name as part of the identifying info, but I have no clue what dish this is supposed to be. Pot roast? I probably wouldn't add chilies to pot roast. Stew? Generically braised any type of beef?

[@netshaq2]

"That's basically the first recipe every college kid learns, who doesn't know that?" -> People who haven't learned it in college yet

[@saibgassanov3378]

I think you answered your own question in the very first sentence

[@t7y49]

Idk, I lived off of ramen noodles, bologna sandwiches, and beer during college. Sometimes I'd have an orange juice and I think that saved me from scurvy. I learned to cook once I graduated, but I give credit to college students who actually learned to cook proper meals. If I could go back I would eat like I do now. It's so cheap and healthy to cook from scratch! That's why I like this channel though. No assumptions about prior knowledge are made. Any gaps I have don't matter. He's thought of them. Always make instructions for someone you think is ridiculously stupid because you can blind yourself with your own knowledge and the point is to transfer knowledge, not to shame people who don't know everybody you do.

[@pauciloquentflibbertigibbe5217]

My thing for something like the 'two cups of liquid' is that I would simply look around for some immediately available liquids in my home that I would imagine other people having. Maybe orange juice or milk, or maybe even cleaning product. If I can find something unimaginely stupid to use, but would technically match the instructions given, I would know I should be more specific, because at least one person whou might see the video is probably that stupid.

[@iyziejane]

Chuck roast is $6/pound at Kroger, $9/pound at whole foods. Factor in the loss of weight from slow cooking, the flavor being good but mid, it is hardly worth making, let alone affordable. Pork and Chicken are better cheap roasting meats for a beginner cook to learn on imo.

[@bsnow304]

Sure, but that's tearing down the whole recipe and starting over at that point

[@iyziejane]

@@bsnow304 yeah, it just feels like it's been 5 years ago since we can call chuck roast "affordable", like maybe Shaq fell a bit out of touch on that one

[@nobodysanything2330]

❤

[@drbrezo53]

Need that hat

[@chiaradamore-klaiman8692]

Tarragon is not a woody herb and has an almost fennel or anise like flavor. Tarragon would work much better for braided chicken and is definitely an odd choice for beef.

[@AdorableTwist]

I knew I could never be a content creator when I saw a comment critique an instant pot recipe for not specifying the pot had to be in the cooking mechanism before adding ingredients. They claim they added everything right into the instant pot as instructed.. but not the pot.

[@T1NBANE]

Hi Shaq, please invite me over for dinner

[@netshaq2]

what's on the menu :)

[@T1NBANE]

@@netshaq2 I've got a hankering for some cauliflower tacos 😄

[@daBlyyzee]

I like to comment first when I'm early to a video but definitely not first But I respect you too much to waste your time Mr. Shaquille You're one of the good ones. You do a great job making sure there is never a wasted moment in your videos. I don't have any constructive criticism, and I'm a very critical person. So at least for this amateur critic, you're doing everything right. Keep up the good work

[@rotationalbox588]

People don’t like dark meat??

[@EphraimIgnacio]

Wrong people don’t like dark meat.

[@vicemayorskeletonmeat]

mcdonalds chicken nugget effect

[@bunnybeverley]

I feel like a lot of people here wanted this to be an epic roast and are being too harsh on the author! C'mon guys

[@nicolle2126]

between you and jacksfilms critiquing his viewers videos, i really hope youtubers reviewing other people's work becomes a little trend.

[@crackpotfox]

"For" is a conjunction, which should also not end a sentence.

[@mistermistery4097]

In this case it's a preposition 🙃

[@crackpotfox]

@mistermistery4097 Oh jeez, you're right. That's really obnoxious.