q+a with barefoodtim
life, love, and all things cooking - today i'm answering your questions, even the nosy ones
You may know my short-form content and my takes on food, but I don’t always talk much about life outside of that. I wanted to take the time to really get into it, so I asked my Instagram and Substack communities to submit their questions. Here are some answers to my favorite questions.
Note: Lots of recommendations and examples in here. Nobody is paying me or sponsoring this post. I’m a free man.
Show me the inside of your fridge.
First of all, not a question.
Second, I’m incredibly jealous of people (typically online) who maintain a spotless fridge, freezer, and pantry and are comfortable posting photos of them. Couldn’t be me. When I tell you I’m just a guy trying to get by, I absolutely mean that.
It’s not always clean, but it is functional. I do clean it often, but my fridge has things that are likely expired in the back and my freezer has things that I wouldn’t consider eating, and my wife says I believe food poisoning is made up - so you know it’s old.
What I will do, is give you a visual. My daughters complain that we’re an ingredient household. They hate that pretty much any meal I make comes from the result of a lot of time and simple ingredients. They’ll thank me later, but our fridge is packed with fruit, vegetables, milk, and cheeses. Sauces are minimal, just the basics like soy sauce, sriracha, mayo, and chili oils. For drinks, there are lots of gatorades, sparkling waters, cold brew, and the occasional energy drink. My deep freeze has a constant rotation of local beef, pre-portioned meals that I’ve cooked and frozen, along with some spare corndogs, hot pockets, and frozen fruit so the kids can make smoothies.
Why do you say “don’t ask for a recipe?”
Originally, because I didn’t feel like writing them out. I’m showing you pretty much every step, do I really need to write them out? Apparently the answer is yes. I put together an ebook, which was a massive project to write solo, but I’m proud of it. This was how I read the room on if people wanted recipes from me. The answer is yes, and I have long term plans to put something physical in your hand.
I just moved out and I’m trying to cook at home more. What are the essentials?
I don’t know you, but I’m picturing someone standing on the curb with a cardboard box full of clothes. Assuming that’s the case, here’s what I would buy if I started with an absolutely empty kitchen. I could talk about this all day, so will stick to five things. Budget is left out, because you can always find cheaper alternatives if needed.
Chef’s Knife
More on this below. Wusthof and Zwilling are my recs for people just starting out but have an interest in quality. Get a Kikuichi if you’re really trying to ball out. Try and stay away from the super cheap brands because they are terrible at holding an edge.
Butcher’s Block
Plastic cutting boards are out, it’s wood all the way for me. Boo’s blocks are pretty accessible and easy to find, they last forever, and the product is great. If you’d rather support local, I was just sent an end grain board by Boards by Shore and it’s absolutely incredible.
Deli Containers
These help greatly with prep and clean up. You can find them on Amazon, but I’d suggest going to your local kitchen supply store like Acemart for a much better price. They have lids and you can just throw them in the fridge if you have extra prepped ingredients.
Cast Iron or Carbon Steel Pan
These pans are versatile and affordable. They’re reliable for nearly every type of cooking. The only thing to really keep in mind is they require special maintenance. It doesn’t take much effort, but you can’t soak them in the sink or anything like that. Stainless steel is a very close second.
Good Salt
For the love of everything holy please stop using table salt. Upgrade to something like Diamond Crystal for cooking or Maldon for finishing.
What’s the best parenting advice you’ve ever received?
“Be the parent you needed” and “stay in the room”.
The first one is self-explanatory, and the second one because it’s important to stick around when they’re pushing you away. My daughters are middle/high school age now and that one resonates with me, because navigating emotions is never easy. Instead of walking away or allowing them to push us away, it’s important to lean into it and guide them through challenges.
Why don’t you include your family in your content?
I’ve shared every little milestone with them privately along the way. We celebrate everything together and they give me ideas for videos on the regular. My wife is hilarious but an introvert; she helps with voiceovers and tells me when I’m being too mean. I choose to keep their faces out of it because I’ve never really been a fan of building a brand at their expense. Some people still believe they’re made up, but I can live with that.
Why did you start your “hometowns” series?
The first 5 years of my life and most of my childhood vacations were spent on the east coast. All of my school years were in the midwest, and I’ve lived in Texas for the last ten years. I’ve been exposed to so many different regional American cuisines and have naturally picked up an interest in who eats what, where, and why.
The midwest loves beef and casseroles, Texas loves BBQ and Mexican inspired foods, Jersey is all about diner food while New England loves a good seafood dish.
I thought it could be fun to share those fun, quirky meals that only a select few are aware exist. From a content perspective, everyone has a hometown, so it makes sense that it would be a relatable concept.
Are you sober?
I quit drinking in 2021.
A craft beer habit hit me hard during the pandemic, which was the same time that my mental health was particularly challenging. I challenged myself to sober October that year, and it went really well. After that, I told myself I would go a year without drinking to see how it affected my mood, fully anticipating that I would go back to drinking on the 366th day. Once the day came, I felt too good to go back to it and just never picked it back up. Less of an addiction thing for me, but more of learning how to navigate a world where it’s so common. Some days I miss it, but most days I feel very confident in my decision to learn to live without it.
What knives do you cook with?
I’d been using Wusthof and Zwilling knives for the longest time - ten years maybe? However, I recently upgraded to a Kikuichi Damascus after talking to a local kitchen store supplier.
I’ve been shocked at how lightweight it is. I weighed it, because I’m that guy, and it’s exactly half the weight of my old knives. It holds an edge better and is just naturally sharper and thinner. It does have rules though. Great for chopping fresh produce and soft meats, but not good for coming into contact with hard things like bones. It’ll chip. I see myself using the Wusthof/Zwilling for things that require heavy lifting, and the Kikuichi for more technical stuff that requires a bit of finesse.
Tim, what’s your coffee order?
Americano in the morning and cold brew in the afternoon. I started drinking my coffee black when I was 20. Subconsciously I believed it was a flex, and it kind of is. I have been figuratively dipping my toes into oat milk flat whites lately, which is a nice shake up.
How has starting your cooking channels changed your life?
Having been a wedding photographer for the last 8 years, my weeks have generally been extremely busy on the weekends and very quiet on weekdays. When I say quiet, I mean almost to the point of boredom. I would cook a lot on those days, and stock the fridge so my wife and daughters had meals ready to go that fit well into our busy evenings. In February of 2024, I figured filming what I was cooking would be a fun little creative outlet to kill some time.
Fast forward a year and some change, and we’re here. Every single day is packed with filming, editing, writing recipes, going to the grocery store, meeting with brands, drafting concepts - the list goes on and on. In just a year, I’m at a point where I need to have some sort of team, but I’m trying to figure out what that looks like. Do I want this to be as big as possible? Do I want to keep it small and manageable? I think about these things daily.
Beyond the financial impact, the videos I'm making have spilled into the real world. People come up to me in public to tell me they enjoy my stuff, which is probably the craziest change. My cooking channels have changed nearly every aspect of my life.
I’m the sole chef in our family but my husband is willing. Food to build his skills and confidence?
The most important part of this is him finding out what about the process and cooking in particular interests him. I really love being able to make foods that are as good or better than something I’d get from a restaurant, and especially enjoy impressing my wife and daughters.
I’d encourage him to start with the basics, which only take 1 or 2 attempts to really figure out. Here are a few starters/things for him to google:
How to reverse sear a steak
Learning basic knife skills
How to make fresh pasta
When to cook with high heat
How to bake bread at home
How to blanch vegetables
How to get a good crust on fish
How do you plan on differentiating your content as the short form cooking video space keeps growing?
Honestly haven’t even thought about this. I just plan on continuing to have fun and enjoy it first and hope that shines through for my audience. I’ve accepted that my content will slowly shift and evolve over time but it should!
Something on your bucket list?
Owning goats.
I also want to live outside of the United States for a period of time. I’ve traveled quite a bit, but it’s not the same as being a resident. Maybe Europe, South America, or Asia.
What’s your filming setup?
Canon R6
Canon RF 24mm
Rode Go Mic
2 LED stand lights
2 30” modifiers
1 C-Stand
How do you know you’re with the right one?
Oh here we go. I’m sure this looks different for everyone, and I’m far from qualified as a relationship expert, but I have been married for a long time.
For me, knowing my wife and I are still a great fit is that after all these years, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. I don’t get jealous of the looks, status, income, and experiences of others, because I’m content in what we have. We still push and challenge each other, so it’s not overly content or complacent, but confident.
You could meet the love of your life, truly the most perfect person for you — but if you’re not ready for that commitment, you’ll always feel like you’re lacking. Right person, wrong time is very much a real thing.
Your favorite meal at the moment?
I’m not sure if it’s common for people to hyper-fixate and latch onto meals for days, weeks, or even months at a time, but that’s the energy I bring. I could eat the same breakfast and lunch every single day until I die. Dinner, however, needs to stay exciting.
Unfortunately, my family thrives on culinary diversity to the point that even leftovers need to be repurposed into new, fresh ideas. Leftover baked potatoes become home fries every time. I’m sure I owe them a thank you, for the gentle encouragement to consistently pump new plates out of our home kitchen.
To actually answer the question, I’ll go to absolute town on a yogurt bowl. It’s not fancy, and is more of a snack than a meal, but it’s about as customizable as it gets. A little greek yogurt with lots of nuts, chia seeds, fruit, and chocolate. It makes a great breakfast, lunch, or late night snack, is quick, nutritious, and relatively affordable. I try to eat reasonably for breakfast and lunch, since most nights I’m forced to eat the most insane meals from your hometowns.
How do you manage your home kitchen as a father and content creator? Do you actively track "inventory" and aggregate recipes? Paper or digital for recipes? If digital, what apps?
Love this. My pantry is very well stocked, so if it’s a staple, I can almost guarantee it’s in there. If I don’t have it on hand, I’m at the store at least every other day picking up fresh fruit and vegetables because my family crushes through them.
Recipes are a combination of digital and paper. I have a notepad that I’ll scratch observations on when I make tweaks to things to see how they come out, which is extremely helpful for baking. I probably use my notes app the most, which is a bit chaotic but it works. I truly just write things down like this, when I know I don’t have them at the house. It’s not glamorous, but it doesn’t have to be.
First meal you fell in love with cooking?
Chicken Francese - this is the only thing I recall really being taught how to make by my dad.
That was a lot of writing. Thanks for sticking it out! I really enjoy finding new ways to connect with the people who value what I’m doing here. Follow along on Instagram and Youtube, and subscribe below.
Great post. Loved reading it.
Super fun to read your answers!