Wired published a profile of chef Jon Kung this week, compiling his supposedly essential kitchen tools and techniques. The piece covers his approach to sharpening knives and the controversial topic of washing rice.
What actually happened is that a food publication asked a chef to list his must-have items and methods, then presented it as definitive guidance. The resulting list reads like any other influencer "starter pack" — confident assertions dressed up as universal truth.
Why it matters is that this is the same content format tech media has been churning out for years, just applied to a different subject. "Here are the tools the experts actually use" works whether the experts are software engineers or line cooks. The certainty is the product, not the advice itself.
The closing line of context: If you need a blog post to tell you to sharpen your knives, you probably also need one to remind you to reboot your router.