Phenomenal Foodies: Q&A with Ann Reardon from How to Cook That
Q&A with one of Youtube’s biggest and brightest foodies (and one of my personal favorites), Ann Reardon from How to Cook That!
Ann Reardon’s Youtube channel, How to Cook That is home to some of the most mouthwatering desserts on Youtube- no wonder she has well over a million subscribers. From a magic chocolate lava cake to an Instagram cake to chocolate decorations to a Fault in Our Stars ice cream cake, Ann has you covered. This would be perfectly paired with my Fault in Our Stars cupcakes!
Her creations are truly remarkable, which makes it all the more impressive that she is self-taught. A mother to three boys, Ann began her blog to keep herself awake at night while feeding her third baby boy, and the videos took off from there.
When I think of a Phenomenal Foodie, Ann’s name is one of the first in my mind. For a registered dietician, having a channel dedicated to decorating desserts and sweet treats may be an anomaly- but thank god Ann has followed her passion. Her channel is an inspiration to many, including myself.
What was the first thing you ever cooked?
Most of the early things I baked were biscuits or cookies, which only required measuring, stirring, and spooning onto trays ready for Mum to put in the oven. Perfect for little hands.
Where does your love for desserts and baking come from?
As a child, we were not allowed to buy many sweets, but we had a pantry full of ingredients. So I could bake something yummy, and it was greatly appreciated by everyone.
What kind of videos are your favorites to make?
I do chocolate creations, cakes, and desserts, and I honestly enjoy all of them. Some of my favourites though, are the Twitter cake and chocolate van Gogh.
Around how much time does it make to produce a video (editing, filming, uploading, etc)?
Filming and production time depend on the video. This week’s cake video took 6 hours to film and an additional 9 hours to edit. Annotating, captioning, and making the thumbnail takes about another hour. There is a lot of work that goes into making a video, which is why I laugh when people say, “Can you upload more often?”. I have three wonderful boys and a husband that need my time too.
You obviously make a lot of desserts- what do you do with all of it?
Today’s cake went to a charity auction, others go to our neighbors, get given away on Instagram, taken to mothers group, or eaten by us.
Who are some of your favorite chefs or foodies out there?
My favorite pastry chef is Anna Polyvoui, and in terms of a food Youtuber, I’d have to say, Laura Vitale.
Who do you like to watch on Youtube?
I like to watch whatever the videos that are trending for the week, plus devin supertramp, superwoman, shaytards and many others.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one type of food, what would it be?
My dietitian mind kicks into gear here, and immediately I am trying to choose a food that will give the most nutrition. In reality, each food group gives different unique nutrients, so you’d end up with deficiencies whatever you choose. So let’s just enjoy it and have beautiful fresh fruit.
If you’re not in the kitchen cooking up a storm, what can we find you doing?
Playing trucks, reading story books, helping with homework, cleaning, going for walks with my husband, and answering emails.
What is your favorite part about making Youtube videos?
It is flexible, I can work it around my schedule with the kids and still be a stay-at-home mum. Anyone with a computer and an HD video camera can succeed with YouTube, you don’t have to know the right people or have connections you just have to be creative and work hard.
In the next couple of months, what can we expect to see coming up on How to Cook That?
Some yummy Christmas gifts and goodies. Early next year we will release a new animation for the Surprise Cakes app, but it is top secret, I can’t tell you what it is. We already have the fireworks, fire-breathing dragon, and unicorn. I’ll let you try and guess what the next one will be.
Thank you so much, Ann!
