Last week I talked about Tasting History. Now for a more specific niche: baking recipes from the 1900’s through the 1980’s. This niche is occupied by B. Dylan Hollis, who posts to both TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Naturally, these videos are much shorter than Tasting History’s, but they pack a lot of wit into their brief duration as Dylan blitzes through the cooking process (with no small amount of judgement at the creative decisions involved) and then reacts to the final product! Forever my favorite is Pinto Bean Cake, which I may or may not have memorized by now, and I had enough trouble picking one other example that you get three: Lime Jello Fudge, Prune Whip, and Secret Cornbread! The absurdity of the concepts alone is amusing, but add to it Dylan’s commentary and the fact that some of them are actually good, and you have an ideal recipe for entertainment. (Some are also hilariously bad. Dylan’s face is priceless either way.)
He also does some long-form videos, the longest of which is Food for the Gods, in which he also goes into his process of taking vague vintage recipes and refining them into something specific and replicable for his cookbook, Baking Yesteryear! Where the shorts are super chaotic and packed with wit, the longer videos are calmer and more informational. I happen to like both!
Also, he plays jazz piano. A man of many talents, truly.
