Making A Successful Cooking Demo Video for All Channels

One thing that emerged from the pandemic is that people began watching a lot more videos online, and their appetite for relatable, POV-style videos grew. YouTube watchers have grown from 1.2 billion in 2015 to 2.7 billion in 2025. TikTok has grown from 653 million users in 2018 to nearly 2 billion users now.

Nowadays, you may be asked to conduct a cooking demo via video instead of in front of a live audience.

What is different about making a video versus cooking in front of a live audience?

• The audience's attention span is significantly shorter, typically lasting only a minute or less. In contrast, a live audience would expect to sit for at least 30 minutes to watch a demonstration.

• Making everything look good close-up on camera - the food is now right in their hand instead of across the room on a stage!

• Editing is essential and time-consuming.

• Getting to do it on your own time is a bonus, plus you can do it over if you don’t like it.

• Not having to worry about tastings

• You need to have someplace to publish the video

But not much else!

In our live cooking demo advice, we always follow these rules:

• Making the demo enjoyable for the audience. Create something enjoyable that they will enjoy. If it can incorporate cooking lessons, nutrition tips, and allow them to try something new, that is even better.

• Make them feel like they can do it by using relatable and accessible equipment.

• Have everything premeasured so that the demo is not boring to watch.

• If the cooking time is extended, have a finished version so you can show how to make it and what it looks like. (This would be unnecessary on a video because you can cook it and shoot it later.)

• If your budget and time allow, have a sample to taste. Unfortunately, the video skips this part.

But now you have to add a few more things if you want to do a video. Here are the top 5.

1. Good light. You can purchase very economical and usable LED lights on Amazon or stage your video in a location near a window or in a room with ample natural or artificial lighting.

2. You still need a fun recipe that shows the audience they can do it. You should practice and plan how you will show it, including having everything measured out. The easier it looks, the more likely people are to watch and try your demo.

3. Video editing software. There are plenty of free apps, and one of our favorites is InShot because it is very easy to use. You can edit right on your phone or tablet.

4. A smartphone or video camera, a tripod, or some other method to hold the camera in place. My assistant just used a stack of books and a vase. That works!

5. You need a channel to publish your video—maybe YouTube, your website, your social channels, or all of those.

Phew. Most people have or can easily get all of those.

Now, for the hard part: You have to cook your recipe in front of the camera. This is harder than an in-person demo because people judge you up close and want to see it all in under a minute! It is essential to have clean cutting boards, pots, bowls, cups, and utensils. You may also need to clean your stove.

Fortunately, we have a few good tips to help you.

1. Watch a few of the top influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. They employ a variety of fun ways to show chopping, from speeding up the video to using jump cuts where the knife touches the onion, and it magically appears as a pile of diced onion—no tears shed. However, even if you aren’t doing those things, you can still have fun, and people will appreciate your advice.

2. Define your audience, what they need, and where you will post your video.

   • If you plan to post it on YouTube, a website, or show it in class, the video can be a little longer (1-3 minutes) and should include clear instructions to make it more educational and valuable. It will likely be the traditional 16:9 ratio (horizontal).

   • If it's a reel for social media, it should be faster (30 seconds or less) and entertaining, as well as have a 9:16 ratio (vertical). It can always have a link in bio to a blog with a recipe and a longer video.

   • Consider the audio - do you want a live version with you speaking while you're doing it, or would you prefer to film/edit and then add a voiceover? The latter is the easiest!

   • If you need to film for all of these channels, shoot wide, and then crop while editing for each version. You can also shoot vertically and horizontally while cooking, so you have both clip ratios ready.

3. When ready to film, pre-prep all of the ingredients. We like using glass bowls because people can see what is in them from any angle. Take the time to clean up the shooting area. Make sure the lighting looks good. Just do a little test shot with your smartphone. If you are new to videoing, having enough ingredients to reshoot a few times might be good. The clean-up is constant because you can’t Photoshop a mess.

4. Be engaging and make everything clear and easy to see.

   • Don’t be afraid to change the camera angle to engage the viewer and give them a good view of what you are doing and what the food looks like. Sometimes, the camera can be handheld, and sometimes, it can be on a tripod.

   • Practice making the set and actions for the viewers. No one wants to see your hand in front of the pot or bowl while you add things. Get out of your own head and watch the clips while you are making them.

   • Pour everything towards the camera!

   • Keep watching the clips as you make everything to be sure. It is better to do everything in stages, watch, and reset as you go, rather than to put the camera on a tripod and do the whole thing at once.

5. After filming, you can easily edit your recipe video on your phone in an app like InShot. If you want to edit well, you can use Adobe’s Premiere Pro, which has a monthly fee and a huge learning curve. Splicing is a valuable tool for removing a lot of boring footage or bloopers. Sometimes, you might want to show the demo as an educational class, but for social media and its algorithms, you will want the reel to be 30 seconds or less. Hint: People only need to see one revolution of a stir, not you stirring for 2 minutes. The introduction clip to the video should show the finished dish and hook people into watching.

6. You can do a voiceover and add text in editing if you wish. It is best to add music in an app like Instagram or TikTok. However, for YouTube or web embedding, if you want to use music, you must pay for it online or use BenSound.com for free, provided you attribute the source.

Watch our videos for ideas, and have fun! You will get better in time, and chances are your message is far superior to the one-million-view reel that shows people how to make a fried chicken biscuit with salt-laden gravy for breakfast. Remember your mission and just keep shooting!