In a tranquil area of Sydney’s north shore, Adam Liaw reflects on the phenomenon of TikTok recipe videos, expressing his concerns regarding the surge of amateur cooks offering culinary advice. He notes a troubling trend where newcomers, unfamiliar with the cultural significance of the dishes they share, teach cooking to vast audiences, leading to potential inaccuracies and cultural dilution. “It’s like the blind leading the blind,” he remarks, emphasising the importance of understanding a dish’s context beyond mere ingredients.
As he walks through the serene Flat Rock Gully track, Liaw’s passion for cooking is deeply rooted in family traditions. His early culinary experiences stemmed from watching his grandmother cook delicious meals, a love for food he inherited as the child of Singaporean-Malay migrants. This foundation ultimately led him to participate in MasterChef Australia, which he won in 2010, marking the start of his professional cooking journey.
Liaw acknowledges that his 15 years in the culinary world have brought new levels of understanding, although he admits to once struggling with tasks like bread baking. During the pandemic, he, like many Australians, honed this skill and built his reputation as a trustworthy food authority, hosting shows and writing straightforward recipes with practical advice. He emphasises the necessity of heating the pan before adding oil, critiquing common misconceptions in cooking.
Expanding his media career, Liaw will soon delve into social justice themes with an episode of Dateline, where he visits Changi prison in Singapore. This project resonates personally; his grandfather was imprisoned there during World War II, instilling in him a keen sense of justice. Before his culinary fame, Liaw worked as a lawyer, where he studied the moral complexities of criminal punishment.
However, Liaw’s transformation into a food media personality was not immediate after MasterChef. He faced challenges in securing opportunities and only truly landed on his path when he filled in as a host for SBS’s Destination Flavour in 2012. His humorous take on the contrast between law and culinary careers highlights the common thread of managing emails, regardless of the industry.
For Liaw, the essence of cooking lies in its representation of love and family connections. He criticises modern perceptions of cooking as a chore, attributing this shift to a culture of convenience food that emerged post-1950s. He believes this mindset prioritises work over meaningful domestic life, stating, “Cooking has been the most normal thing in the world to do.” Liaw continues to prioritise cooking for his family every night, asserting that it is the most vital aspect of his life, far above any professional accomplishments. He hopes to encourage Australians to reclaim cooking as an act of enjoyment rather than a burdensome obligation.