David Chang Is Now Reviewing Random Kitchen Tools on Instagram

For many chefs used to the go-go-go pace of the professional kitchen or television studio, being unoccupied at home has given them the opportunity to slow down, explore new creative outlets, and help people cook their way through quarantine. Folks like Chrissy Teigen, Alton Brown, Antoni, and Massimo Bottura have demonstrated cooking on Instagram, and Christina Tosi has taught Instagram Live baking classes.

Now it seems Tosi’s former boss, David Chang, has gone in a different direction. The award-winning chef and founder of the Majordomo/Momofuku restaurant group and media empire has taken to Instagram under the name “normalpot” to review random kitchen gear. 

With the name entered as “yosenada” (Spanish for “I know nothing”), the account began in mid-April with a review of the Instant Pot (C+) in which he gives the pot no credit for helping make his chili delicious, and saying that a normal pot would do the same (we’ll have to respectfully disagree there, Chang). Since then, he’s given an A to a rainbow silicone whisk from Kuhn Rukon, explained why everyone needs Korean red pepper powder, and declared chopsticks — any kind, just the utensil in general — an A+.

He rants against new-fangled, design-y tools like a snap-on colander and praises deli takeout containers (no surprise there). Under an F+/- for some five-blade herb scissors, Instagram user srchavez21 astutely points out that “this page has turned into ‘local man yells at obscure kitchen equipment.’”

But there are some gems in between the random rants: Praise for Walgreens-brand thickening powder for gluten-free gravy, and a nice ode to affordable canned tuna with hot pepper sauce. Down-to-earth, helpful, and excited, they are by far the best part of the account. But in a close second is his latest game: Start, Bench, Regift (the kitchen tool version of Marry, F*ck, Kill).