As I was falling down the YouTube rabbit hole during quarantine, I found myself in a peculiar place: food recreations. After binging the well-known Bon Appétit’s “Gourmet Makes,” I needed another series to feed my food obsessions — thus came Joshua Weissman’s “But Better.”

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Joshua Weissman

In Episode 1, Weissman recreates the infamous Popeye's Chicken sandwich (first photo) with his own "kwripsy" chicken sandwich (second photo).

The series follows Weissman as he battles against coveted fast foods with his upscale version of them. Using professional cooking skills, high-quality techniques and real ingredients,  the 21-year-old chef elevates the quick eats to restaurant-quality bites.

In the end, Weissman almost always comes out as the self-proclaimed winner.

I should warn you of a few things before falling into Weissman’s rabbit hole:

1. This is not a “do-it-yourself” series. In fact, anyone at a beginner’s cooking level should probably hold off on attempting his recreations because Weissman’s cooking technique and use of ingredients are impressive to say the least.
2. Weissman’s recreations are not identical to the drive-thru originals. Though he swears to make the recipes similar, they are not. His food merely captures the essence of fast food items.
3. My last piece of advice is don’t make the rookie mistake of watching on an empty stomach; the B roll shots will leave you salivating.

In other words, don’t expect to be able to go home, hungry, and recreate his Arby’s curly fries unless you have fresh black truffle shavings lying around and know how to use them.

As Weissman takes on fast food chains with his artisanal reinventions, he takes his viewers through an experience that is almost familiar but new at the same time. By watching childhood favorites, like McDonald’s chicken nuggets, come to life in an actual kitchen, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia hit — or maybe that was just my stomach grumbling.

Despite being a fan of his competitor’s foods, the YouTuber is very critical of them at the beginning of each episode. By revealing the flaws we all hate to admit are there when it comes to fast-food franchises, Weissman places himself in the lead before even touching a whisk.

But Weissman’s confidence can often borderline arrogance, throwing in commentary like “I broke down this whole chicken for flex,” and “not everyone has to be extra like me” in his voiceovers.

During his Wendy’s Baconator cook-off, Weissman described his revamped burger as “the Michelin-starred French laundry,” and his counter-part as a flop, “trying to fly away because it’s embarrassed.”

The eccentric food blogger is self-righteous to put it lightly, but he truly does know what he’s talking about. If you can look past his not-so-subtle brags, then you can learn to appreciate his talent at the stove.

Rather than using store-bought brioche buns or even pre-made barbecue sauce from his fridge, Weissman creates almost every ingredient from scratch and incorporates recipes from his cookbook, “The Slim Palate Paleo Cookbook,” into the dish.

Crafting homemade Japanese milk buns and caramelizing onions for a sweet, savory sauce are doubtfully a part of In-N-Out’s Double-Double recipe. But in Weissman’s version it is a must, and doesn’t it just look beautiful that way?

But if his skills on the grill aren’t enough, then simply be enticed by the visually appealing B-roll and hilarious meme/Vine references thrown in. It pains me to say that not many YouTubers know how to capture an audience, but Weissman has got it down to a science.

The impressive edits coupled with mouth-watering food is too irresistible to deny. So if you find yourself nearing YouTube’s food rabbit hole, don’t be afraid to dive into “But Better.” Trust me, it is better.