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BTS member Jin vs NCT’s Taeil – which K-pop idol is the best chef? 6 Hallyu stars with crazy cooking skills

STORYCeline Ham
BTS’ Jin, Girls’ Generation’s Yoona, Shinee’s Key and Girls’ Generation’s Yuri cooking up a storm for fans – is there anything these idols can’t do? Photos: YouTube, @limyoona__official; @sm_ccc_lab/Instagram; @karol16/Pinterest
We love seeing our favourite K-pop stars doing their thing on stage, but discovering their hidden skills is a special treat. Here are six idols who are not only talented musicians, but also capable chefs in their spare time too.

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BTS’ Jin

Jin loves taking the lead when it comes to cooking for the rest of BTS. Photo: @bts.bighitofficial/ Instagram
Most people associate BTS’ Jin with mukbang (eating broadcasts) thanks to his mukbang show Eat Jin, during which he connects with his fans by showing them what he is eating and sharing his opinions on the dishes. Eat Jin has shown fans that the globally-acclaimed star is a big eater, but there have also been plenty of occasions where Jin was the chef – and quite a good one too!
Jin has also shown off his culinary skills on BTS’ reality show Run BTS, often leading the other BTS members in cooking challenges, and on YouTube videos posted on BTS’ official YouTube channel, BangtanTV. However, the most memorable occasion was perhaps when he cooked for other BTS members on their first anniversary in 2014. The crew all enthusiastically praised his miyeok-guk (seaweed soup).

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Shinee’s Key

Shinee’s Key is a skilled cook and seems to love nothing more than sharing his food with others. Photo: @bumkeyk/ Instagram

Key is well-known as the Shinee member with the culinary skills. This became even more apparent when he starred in the famous Korean reality show I Live Alone. In almost every episode, we could find him skilfully whipping up a range of dishes using home-grown garden herbs. On top of that, he regularly shared his dishes with his neighbours and celebrity friends.

Most notably, before Key’s bandmate Taemin left for his military service, Key drove over to Taemin’s house to deliver a salad and tuna tataki – not the easiest thing to make well, by the way. After taking his first bite, Taemin commented that he’s loved all the food that Key has ever cooked him – a heartwarming moment that fans definitely appreciated.
The tuna tataki that Shinee’s Key cooked for Taemin before he headed off for military service. Photo: @bumkeyk/ Instagram

What impresses us most about Key’s cooking, however, is how creative he is with his recipes. To take one example, he cooked Korean spicy ramyeon with sundubu (soft tofu), which looked so delicious that it went viral online.

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Girls’ Generation’s Yoona

Need a cake for a special occasion? Girls’ Generation’s Yoona has got you. Photo: @limyoona__official/Instagram
Girls’ Generation’s Yoona is something of an expert when it comes to baking. She spends her free time making pastries ranging from chocolate chiffon cakes to lemon madeleines. And just like Key, Yoona loves sharing her creations with others. On the reality show On & Off, we saw Yoona baking cute cookies for her staff.

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Girls’ Generation’s Yuri

Girls’ Generation’s Yuri shares her best recipes with the world on her YouTube channel. Photo: @yulyulk/Instagram

It seems like several K-pop stars signed to SM Entertainment could have been chefs if they hadn’t gotten into showbiz. In the YouTube channel series of Girls’ Generation’s Yuri, Yuri’s Winning Recipe, she cooks for her fellow celebrity friends and shares her recipes with her fans.

Yuri has even branched out from Yuri’s Winning Recipe to create meal kits for Korean dumplings, tteok-bokki and more.

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NCT’s Taeil

NCT’s Taeil makes a point of sharing his cooking recipes in his YouTube videos. Photo: @nct/ Instagram

From Italian pasta to Korean noodles, K-pop boy group NCT’s main vocalist and oldest member, Taeil, can do it all. On NCT’s official YouTube channel, Taeil has his own series of videos called Master Moon Chef, where he cooks up various dishes with his bandmates.

It’s clear from the way Taeil confidently shares tips on how best to cook the ingredients that he is a good chef – not to mention that he’s rather skilled at plating too, presenting everything beautifully. He also shares recipes on his own YouTube channel, so make sure to check them out and try making them!

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Super Junior’s Kyuhyun

Super Junior’s Kyuhyun knows how to expertly pair Korean anju (tapas) with certain types of alcohol. Photo: @superjunior/Instagram
Super Junior’s Kyuhyun loves trying different types of alcohol, so he is always on the hunt for food that pairs well with drinks. On the reality show Things That Make Me Groove, which aired on Shibuya Channel on YouTube, Kyuhyun was seen cooking a range of anju – Korean-style tapas.

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K-pop idols
  • SNSD’s Yoona is an expert baker, shown making cookies for her staff on reality TV series On & Off, while bandmate Yuri has her own YouTube cooking channel
  • Shinee’s Key cooked for Taemin before he left for military service and Super Junior’s Kyuhyun is talented at pairing anju – Korean-style tapas – with cocktails