The current boom in cooking shows seems to be the result of an increased interest in pursuing the culinary arts both in and outside of the home among Korea’s young population. One cooking show that’s making history is JTBC’s Please Take Care of My Refrigerator (냉장고를 부탁해), starring six celebrity chefs who attempt to create a dish in 15 minutes. The catch is that the chefs may only utilize leftovers from the refrigerators of two celebrity guests.
Before the intense cooking begins, the two hosts MC Kim Sung-Joo and comedian Jeong Hyeong-Don lead a thorough inspection of the two refrigerators that are brought straight from the guests’ homes and into the studio. The food in the fridge tends to reveal a lot about the celebrity guest – half-eaten delivery food in Zhang Yuan’s fridge, side dishes made by Sistar Bora’s mother, and truffles and caviar in G-Dragon’s reflect the kind of lifestyles that they pursue.
After the guests make food requests tailored to their individual tastes, the chefs must compete against each other to cook the best dish in 15 minutes. The guests then select the winning dish.
What sets this show apart from other cooking shows is that the chefs solely use ingredients that can be commonly found at home and share their own expertise through practical and easily mimicable tips. This unique aspect has inspired slews of blog posts written by viewers who have emulated their own recipes after watching the show! Try it out for yourself with Please Take Care of My Refrigerator on Monday nights at 9:30PM on JTBC.