Hook library / Cooking
16 hooks for food creators.
Cooking videos win on the first bite of food on screen. Open on the finished dish or the sizzle, name the shortcut or the mistake, and keep a new step every two seconds.
Before / afterRaw to this in [number] minutes.
The mistakeYou're adding the garlic too early.
Contrarian claimStop rinsing your pasta.
Named thing + stakeSave this for the night you don't want to cook.
Number with stakes[Number] ingredients, one pan, no recipe.
Verdict questionRestaurant or homemade? Guess.
Countdown3 things that make any dish taste better.
Insider viewWhat chefs do that home cooks skip.
POVPOV: you finally get crispy skin every time.
Curiosity gapThe cheapest ingredient in my kitchen does the most work.
The mistakeWhy your rice is mushy, and the fix.
Countdown5 pantry staples I'd never be without.
Verdict questionRate this out of 10.
Named thing + stakeMake this on Sunday, eat it all week.
Contrarian claimYou don't need a recipe for this.
Insider viewThe one tool I'd buy before any fancy pan.
Make your own, for any topic
Type what your next cooking video is about and get ten more, one per pattern.
How to use these hooks
- Pick one that's trueOnly use a hook your video actually pays off.
- Fill the bracketsYour real numbers, product and place.
- Show it by 0.5 sWords on screen and a matching picture straight away.
- Test twoTwo versions over a week; keep the one that holds.
Why these work
- Before / afterShows the change in the first second, then explains how.
- The mistakeNames an error the viewer is probably making. Nobody scrolls past their own mistake.
- Contrarian claimSays the opposite of what the niche repeats. The disagreement keeps them watching.
- Named thing + stakeNames something specific and says what it costs the viewer to ignore it.
- Number with stakesA specific number in the first line reads as proof, not opinion.
- Verdict questionAsks the viewer to judge. People stay to see if they were right.
- CountdownPromises a fixed number of items, so they stay to the last one.
- Insider viewSomething only someone inside the job would know.
Hooks for food creators: questions
What should the first frame be?
The best-looking moment: a pour, a sizzle, a slice. Food first, face later.
How fast should cooking videos cut?
A new shot every one to three seconds. Speed up the waiting parts.
Should I list ingredients on screen?
Yes, as they go in. People save videos they can cook from.
Got the hook? Make the whole video.
Avouch writes, cuts and captions the rest. Film on your phone or type an idea; a finished video comes back in minutes.