By Bryan Thiel
One of the joys of having a schedule dominated by night shifts, is enjoying day-time TV.
Ok, so it’s not really a joy as a lot day-time TV can be pretty tough to watch, but without it I wouldn’t have found a surprising passion of mine.
Cooking.
I was never really big on spending time in the kitchen as a kid…I was busier pretending I was a super hero, or a Jedi, or a dog (this happened). But as I got older and found myself with more free time during the day, or odd days off during the week, I discovered that I really enjoyed cooking.
And if there’s anyone that the internet has helped enable, it’s trolls home chefs.
Most home chefs have a lot of spare time during the day, while some are free at pretty odd hours. They’re up on weekday mornings for talk shows or have the ability to scour the internet for recipes they’d like to try later that day. We love going to the grocery stores at “off hours” (You can have your Saturdays, weekend warriors), because we can get in, find what we need, get out, and get cooking.
As it stands, there’s lots of apps, websites, and social media accounts to follow that can help lead you in a number of directions in the kitchen: are you a beginner? Do you want to go around the world in 80 recipes? Do you need more along the lines of ‘fast and easy’ for nights you don’t have a lot of time? Whatever you want, there’s something out there for you.
Facebook is probably the place on social media that is the most inundated with ways to draw home chefs in. Buzzfeed’s Tasty was one of the first Facebook accounts that really started capitalizing on what Facebook could do, posting videos for recipes that could take anywhere from 20 minutes to six hours, and pressing fast forward to give viewers an easy-to-make recipe with step-by-step instructions in a minute or less. Other accounts like Delish, Incredible Recipes, and Tipsy Bartender (for those of you who like cooking with an edge) have all followed suit on Facebook.
These are great because they’re always accessible.
If you’re trying to create a content plan for people that like trying new recipes, it can be difficult. The most ideal times are around the noon hour because home chefs will probably be out shopping that afternoon, and the 9-5’ers are on break and may have time to run out and grab some ingredients, or plan a stop by the grocery store on the way home. Other times would be early in the day or after dinner, because it gives people time to plan for the next meal they want to try.
Another recent development, is the implementation of Instagram ‘stories’ the same similar to what you can access on Snapchat. These are broken up into chapters, and can give creators a way to show off their recipes step-by-step.
The great thing about cooking is that, if you want to try, anyone can do it. And now, thanks to the internet, you can find all sorts of recipes, share them, and make all of your fellow friends and aspiring culinary artists pros.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Yes!!! Cooking is one of the most amazing skill and everyone should be familiar with it! Before I got into cooking I was terrified of the kitchen and everything in it because I didn’t understand what to do. After I worked in a kitchen for 2 years, doing prep and meals, it was an amazing experience and grateful I now know how to cook for myself.