How editing and personality caused viewers to question a soufflé pancake recipe
Soufflé Pancakes
I watch YouTube cooking videos for information and entertainment. However, one video recipe that I enjoy, but never attempt, is the soufflé pancake. This tall, fluffy, delicate pancake requires more time and equipment than I can spare. According to the New York Times, the soufflé pancake was developed and sold by two Japanese cafés in 2014. Due to its appearance and taste, soufflé pancakes began to appear on Instagram by 2016. On Dec 27, 2016, the media company Buzzfeed posted one of the oldest video recipes, titled Fluffy Japanese Pancakes, under its Tasty channel. Although more soufflé pancake videos with different instructions have appeared, Buzzfeed’s Tasty video has inspired more YouTube creators to attempt its recipe.
Unfortunately, several people failed because the batter spilled during the flip, or the pancake burned. This resulted in one YouTuber citing fraud, and another content creator defending the original video.
This was a mild controversy, but the situation was a good example of how cooking videos could be evaluated for learner engagement and instructor presence. So, I chose to re-watch the original video, one of the failed attempts, the accusation, and the rebuttal videos to determine if they provided viewers enough information to create a soufflé pancake or not.
Tasty
Like many early Buzzfeed Tasty videos, Fluffy Japanese Pancakes was less than two minutes. Although the video provides images and text, it was meant to entertain or serve as a quick reference for the actual online recipe because of the following characteristics:
- The video was framed in a square to allow high-definition camera shots to show interesting closeups and overhead shots.
- The editing sped up mixing and cooking to match catchy background music.
- Only the text for ingredient and time appeared.
- No narration, and the only voice was to conclude the outro.
However, the video has garnered more than two million views on YouTube, and enough viewers felt psychological engagement, that Ruth Clark and Richard E. Mayer defined as a mental activity to form a learning objective: create their own soufflé pancakes.
RachhLovesLife
Almost two years later, on Oct 6, 2018, YouTube host, Rachel Cooper, posted the video I Tried the “JIGGLY” JAPANESE PANCAKE from TASTY BUZZFEED… this was HARD. Unlike the Tasty video, Cooper’s video was longer and less polished for the following reasons:
- Cooper shot her video in her kitchen that looked dark and flat because it lacked additional lighting.
- Because her camera was too low and not close enough for a proper medium shot, the camera cut the top of Cooper’s head off. She also appeared even taller and off balance while she talked during the first half of the video.
- A mixing bowl in front appeared to shake by itself.
- Her egg whisker did not have a long enough extension cord, so she had to switch hands to mix, resulting in some splatter.
- The camera shook and moved too fast from an overhead shot of the egg whites to another bowl.
- Her close-up of the finished pancake also shook.
Although this video was rough, it was entertaining and informative. Cooper used cheerful background music that matched her personality, she also had a YouTube title card that clearly stated the topic. Additionally, Cooper stated her reason for the video and explained what she was going to complete at every step. She also provided tips and additional information:
- Rotate the bowl while folding the whipped egg whites into the batter to keep the mixture from deflating.
- She did not get the exact molds that Tasty used, but explained why and provided viewers information where to purchase the molds
- When her first attempt failed, Cooper added more butter and lowered the stove temperature.
Fortunately, Cooper’s second attempt was successful, but it was not as neat as Tasty. Because of her editing, and her struggles filming while cooking, it was initially unclear if the Tasty recipe was problematic or if she needed more time to prepare. However, Cooper concluded that she needed more background information as Tasty did not mention greasing the pan and rings more. She also mentioned that the pancake needed to be cooked at a higher temperature. Indeed, Clark and Meyer cited Leopold, Sumfleth, and Leutner (2013) that instructor provided summaries that benefited learners more than learners trying to generate their own learning first.
Ironically, Cooper’s wish for more clarity occurred almost three years later when a food scientist and YouTuber used Cooper’s first failed attempt to debunk the Tasty video.
How to Cook That
On Feb 26, 2021, Food scientist Ann Reardon posted her video, Fluffy Jiggly Japanese Pancake Recipe DEBUNKING Tasty, that included several failed souffle pancake attempts. Reardon’s video was also less polished than Tasty’s as she did not use a studio but, her video had better production values than Racheal’s.
- The video had an animated introduction and YouTube title card.
- Reardon narrated over several video clips of people failing to create their soufflé pancakes and even included a later Buzzfeed Tasty video with their own botched pancakes.
- She showed herself trying to follow the recipe as closely as possible, but also explained why she did not use cake rings.
- Her video camera was positioned from a first-person point of view so people could see how ingredients were mixed, combined, cooked, and failed.
- Reardon further challenged the Tasty recipe by showing the video had flipped an already cooked pancake, thereby avoiding pancake batter spilling out.
- Reardon then showed other examples of soufflé pancakes that were not cooked with a mold, and proceeded to explain that even with additional stabilizers, the soufflé pancake would never be as fluffy or fully cooked before providing an alternative recipe.
Unlike Cooper, Reardon used the soufflé recipe to persuade people to try an easier recipe. Even though Reardon’s video was fourteen minutes, twice as long as Cooper’s, it was more engaging and educational. However, Reardon had challenged a recipe that was developed by a popular Tasty producer. Rei McClenny. Viewers who commented on her video either supported or rejected Reardon’s analysis.
At the request of his fans, one YouTuber watched Reardon’s video and created his own rebuttal and breakdown for Tasty and Reardon’s recipes.
David Seymour
Youtuber David Seymour had already attempted the Tasty recipe once in Mar 7, 2019, but he posted I Tested Ann Reardon’s Souffle Pancakes VS Tasty’s Fluffy Japanese Pancakes on Mar 12, 2021.
Although Seymour did not have a food science degree, he had more experience cooking viral recipes than Cooper. Seymour also had a well-lit room for recording himself talking to the audience. Because of his experience and production values, Seymour’s videos shared some similarities and differences with the other two.
- Seymour did not have an animated introduction but had an eye-catching YouTube video card like Reardon and Cooper.
- He used minimal background music and sound effects.
- Seymour also narrated over several video clips that Reardon showed and some of Reardon’s clips.
- He used graphics and text to promote his sponsor.
- Seymour used a well-lit kitchen, but he limited the shots to show what he was doing.
- Like Cooper, he provided additional information for using the Tasty recipe.
- Seymour only showed his face at intervals, cutting to various clips without breaking his narration.
- He also provided a closeup for both pancakes and provided feedback on taste and texture.
It was interesting that Seymour did not question or defend Tasty flipping a cooked pancake. Instead, he focused on replicating both recipes and sharing how he successfully made the Tasty recipe. Unlike Reardon or Cooper, because Seymour had previously attempted the soufflé pancake, he had achieved a level of psychological engagement that allowed him to organize his rebuttal in a coherent manner and integrating it with prior knowledge. As such, his video was also interesting and informative, but some commenters felt that his analysis was biased, since Rie had appeared on his channel previously.
Conclusion
The debate about the Tasty recipe eventually devolved into a couple of posts on Tasty, Reardon, and Seymour’s video comments stating disappointment. However, I was surprised at my reaction to re-watching these old videos. Although I thought the three videos provided useful information that Tasty did not, the level of production did influence how much I remembered, but while I remembered Reardon and Seymour’s more, I still forgot a lot of details. I had especially forgotten that Reardon’s video received criticism from fans of Rei McClenny who created the Tasty video, and that Seymour was also her fan. Fan appeal should not be underestimated when creating video content.
References
Fluffy Japanese Soufflé Pancakes Have American Fans Waiting in Line. The recipe and history behind the surging Instagram food trend. By Daniela Galarza
April 9, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/09/dining/japanese-souffle-pancakes.html
June Haldeman 
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