Doing it for the ‘gram

Like many people, I segregate the types of things I peruse by social media platform. I connect with friends on Facebook, use Twitter to follow policy wonks, and utilize Instagram as a timeline cleanse, following mostly food personalities and sites. As such, my Insta feed is usually filled with loads of stunning food images. Sometimes these photos spur me into action in the kitchen, but other times I just admire the food from afar. There is rarely an unattractive food photo on Instagram, because that’s not how you get clicks.

While that is not surprising, you might not realize that Instagrammable food is not just the purview of bloggers and influencers. The need to get photos that will spark viral sharing extends to chefs of all stripes, including those who develop recipes for chain restaurants. Recently America’s Test Kitchen got the scoop on this from Brian Davis, who is a research and development chef for chain restaurants.

Davis says that foods with a unique look, like Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappucino, make it easier for it to go viral. Nonetheless, something as ordinary as a chicken sandwich can make the rounds if it tugs at the right strings for viewers. Some items never take off and disappear in a flash, such as Cap’n Crunch coated fried chicken.

After reading about how chefs are looking for just the right amount of weird so a food can go viral, I wondered if recipe development has always been about the latest fad or generating the most buzz. It reminded me of the “sell the sizzle, not the steak” advertising motto of the late 20th century. While I do enjoy seeing photos of luscious table spreads and gorgeous food, part of me thinks “that looks great, but how does it taste?” David Chang’s concept of “ugly delicious” comes to mind. Just because the food looks fantastic doesn’t mean it tastes that way, and sometimes the best tasting foods are the least photogenic. But I will still enjoy the pretty pictures.