This Small Subreddit Has Some Of The Most Creative Cooking Content You’ll Ever See

Good old Reddit. It’s where we go when we’re looking for a product recommendation, to air some grievances, dive into a niche hobby, or just want to shoot the breeze with some strangers. The site is full of food-focused subreddits, with the most famous being Kitchen Confidential, named for Anthony Bourdain’s legendary memoir. But other than this iconic sub, there are plenty of little-known places for the culinary world to convene on Reddit.

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As a longtime Reddit addict—ahem, user—and cooking hobbyist/former professional, I’ve had a chance to dive deep down the rabbit hole to find some incredible food subreddits. Some of these subs are full of creativity and talent yet they’re completely off the radar of those who love to cook (and are chronically online). Of these low-key epicurean corners of the Internet that I’ve dug up, few have been as memorable as r/52weeksofcooking.  

What Is r/52weeksofcooking?

52 Weeks of Cooking—which has been going strong for a whopping 15 years—is both the home of a cooking challenge designed to maximize kitchen creativity and a place to show off the results of those imaginative conquests. The sub implores visitors to make a new dish for every week of the year based on a different theme that’s posted every week. The current week’s theme can be found in the pinned posts at the top of the subreddit. 

Themes range from food-specific topics like “offal” or “last meal,” but sometimes users are given extra-challenging prompts to inspire their culinary genius, like “idioms,” “fictional places,” and “villains.” Participants are expected to interpret the themes however they wish, which yields some pretty fascinating and creative results.

The Most Memorable Posts

The current highest-rated post of all time on the sub features Body of Christ Nachos—a cheesy snack made with the Eucharist instead of tortilla chips—as a unique interpretation of the theme “cruciferous.” A little offensive? Sure. Hilariously creative? Absolutely. Other top posts include a beautiful charcuterie board made entirely of potato-based foods, a sponge cake made to look exactly like a dirty kitchen sponge, and Tide Pod sugar cookies. One of my personal favorite posts was submitted under the theme “flying,” titled: “Pasta Al Limone with Cream and Salmon But Instead of Cutting Up the Salmon I Dropped It Off the Roof of My House.” The post includes some hilarious pictures to back up its claims.

If you decide to participate in the sub and post your own culinary pics, be a good Redditor and read the rules in the sidebar first. They’re simple enough to follow and they’ll give you a better idea of how posting works and prevent you from getting your submission removed by the mods.