Cover One of the great cooks in K-pop, Jin of BTS shows off his culinary prowess in ‘Run BTS’ (Photo: Run BTS)
One of the great cooks in K-pop, Jin of BTS shows off his culinary prowess in ‘Run BTS’ (Photo: Run BTS)
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For these celebrities turned great cooks, knives are more than props and kitchens are legitimate places for instinct, logic and creativity
K-pop idols and K-drama actors are rarely associated with kitchens in a serious way. Food appearances, when they happen, are usually packaged as fan service. Picture late-night ramyeon, variety-show challenges or carefully styled “healing” content. But a closer look reveals a subset of Korean celebrities whose relationship with cooking is neither casual nor performative. These are entertainers who cook regularly, talk about technique with specificity and have built reputations—among peers, staff and viewers—as reliable, capable and great cooks.
Some learned out of necessity while living abroad or on set. Others went as far as to pursue formal training or develop a disciplined home practice that rivals professional kitchens. In each case, cooking functions less as a hobby than as a parallel craft: structured, repeatable and informed by culture and technique.
Here is a list of Korean celebrities who are actors, singers, hosts on stage, but great cooks in the kitchen.
In case you missed it: 10 Korean cooking shows worth bingeing
1. Jang Keun-suk
Above The first actor-as-chef crossover, from heartthrob to home cook with serious technique
Before “Prince of Asia” became a meme, Jang Keun-suk was building a reputation off-screen as someone who actually cooks. Stories from travel shows and fan events often mention his ability to prepare full meals for friends and staff. In variety programmes like One Fine Day, he’s seen executing Korean classics: bulgogi that’s tender from patient marination, kimchi jjigae with proper depth and rice cooked with exactly the right chew. It’s not mere theatrics: fellow cast members have praised his timing and balance of seasoning. Jang Keun-suk even competed as a guest “chef” on Chef & My Fridge, creating a paella dish in 15 minutes and beating long-time cast member Kim Poong. His kitchen presence feels more chef than idol on break.
2. Kim Seok-jin (BTS)
Above ‘Worldwide Handsome’ with hands that know good stock and perfect frying technique
Jin is probably top of mind when one thinks of Korean stars who are great cooks. Mr Worldwide Handsome has quietly earned cult fame among ARMY for his culinary chops. He doesn’t just cook; he executes, mastering dishes that are hard to pull off outside a professional environment. On In the Soop, he layered flavours in stews, managed multi-component banchan spreads and executed his signature dish—fried rice—with enviable precision. He even made sashimi with fish he caught himself.
What sets Jin apart isn’t novelty but consistency: the man knows how to control heat, balance salt and handle volume without panic. For someone whose primary craft is vocal performance, his kitchen symmetry is impressive.
See more: 5 Korean celebrities who own restaurants
3. Wendy (Red Velvet)
Above Wendy does not cook to perform, which makes her kitchen skills all the more special
Wendy’s cooking journey isn’t accidental. Several Kakao live streams and behind-the-scenes glimpses show her preparing soups, stews and baked goods with genuine attentiveness. One standout moment was a full bibimbap spread, complete with gochujang, julienned veggies and rice cooked for ideal separation and texture. Fans note that she frequently cooks to decompress, treating the kitchen as a place of meditation rather than a performance. Given her crisp, controlled falsetto, it’s no surprise her culinary style is equally considered.
4. Lee Know (Stray Kids)
Above Lee Know brings rhythm and precision to the pan and loves to cook for other Stray Kids members
Lee Know is another member of the idols-who-are-great-cooks club. His repertoire includes beef Wellington. His athletic discipline translates seamlessly into his cooking. On streams and vlogs, he approaches mise en place like choreography: thoughtful, rhythmic and structured. He’s shown a knack for pan-searing proteins with textbook timing and keeps his pans so clean it’s almost militaristic. His renditions of Korean home dishes—tteokbokki with balanced sweetness and spice, perfect yet simple banchan—show that he’s not just flipping food for camera angles; he genuinely knows the sequence and heat control that make basic dishes sing.
See more: 5 looks that define Stray Kids’ Lee Know—from grunge to ‘gorpcore’
5. Taeyong (NCT)
Above Taeyong moves with purpose rather than improvisation in the kitchen
Taeyong’s approach to cooking is architectural. He’s spoken in interviews and streams about watching technique-focused videos, absorbing the logic behind heat, texture and ingredient chemistry. Unlike idols whose cooking is playful, his kitchen time is earnest: methodical seasoning, careful stacking of flavours and an eye for plating that mirrors stage composition. Whether it’s a high-impact stir-fry or a slow-cooked stew, he moves with purpose rather than improvisation.
6. Henry Lau
Above Henry Lau is multilingual in kitchen technique as he is in music
Henry’s culinary story is cross-cultural: Taiwanese-Canadian heritage meets Seoul’s local pantry. In various variety appearances and personal content, he’s turned out Hong Kong-style dishes, including silky steamed eggs with shrimp, wok-hei-kissed noodles and comfort soups that respect their roots. What makes Lau interesting is not novelty fusion but respectful execution: he doesn’t uplift dishes by overcomplicating them; he elevates them by understanding their internal logic. He’s the kind of cook who treats garlic not as garnish but as foundation.
7. Ryu Soo-young
Above A rigorously self-taught cook whose authority comes from repetition, not diplomas
Ryu Soo-young did not attend a formal culinary academy, and that distinction actually sharpens his credibility. His reputation as a serious cook comes from years of obsessive self-study, on-set necessity and later, systematic experimentation on programmes like Fun-Restaurant. Colleagues have repeatedly noted that he cooks to feed people, not to perform: large-batch braises, properly layered stews, proteins seasoned early and rested patiently. On television, he approaches recipes analytically, often explaining why a step matters rather than simply executing it. His cooking reflects the mindset of a working professional. He is efficient, repeatable and calibrated for real diners, which is why chefs tend to respect him more than idol cooks with flashier optics.
8. Jung Jae-hyung
Above Singer Jung Jae-hyung loves to show off his culinary chops
Jung Jae-hyung didn’t graduate from a culinary academy, but his cooking practice carries the same hallmarks of disciplined study that one finds in professionally trained chefs. Maybe because he lived in France for so long. On television appearances and livestreams, he talks about balancing seasoning, respecting heat progression and structuring dishes with clarity rather than embellishment. He’s prepared classic Western dishes like tomato-based sauces reduced properly and pastas dressed with careful timing, focusing on fundamentals instead of gimmicks. You can see it all in his YouTube show Fairy Table, where he cooks for various celebrities at his home. His approach echoes his musicianship: analytical, patient and attentive to how small adjustments shift the entire composition.
9. Cha Seung-won
Above The veteran actor became an unexpectedly capable kitchen presence through ‘Three Meals a Day’
Cha Seung-won first revealed the depth of his cooking chops on tvN’s Three Meals a Day, the rural reality series that requires cast members to prepare every dish from scratch using local ingredients. What stood out wasn’t light variety-show playacting, but his ability to handle staple Korean cooking tasks. He built broths, stir-fried proteins and prepped seafood pulled straight from the sea with surprising confidence and ease. Viewers quickly dubbed him “Chajumma” (a playful mash-up of his name with ajumma, a term for a seasoned home cook), not because he was comic relief, but because his skill with heat and seasoning consistently delivered hearty, balanced meals.
On later iterations of the series, he pushed into more complex territory, such as beef bone broths, multi-component stews and elaborate rice dishes. Cha Seung-won moved from being a guest star to a reliable culinary contributor. His kitchen work feels rugged and practical, anchored in technique even when the setting is improvisational.
10. Lee Jung-hyun
Above She is known more for eye-catching home-cooking showcases than for professional kitchen work. But the quality is unmistakably above casual
Lee Jung-hyun’s profile as a cook comes not from restaurant training or food competition shows, but from social media and televised personal cooking that demonstrate genuine skill beyond mere variety-show gimmicks. In documented appearances, she’s prepared expansive Korean meals that resemble the spreads of a well-run home kitchen. She has managed to prepare plates of grilled fish, slow-simmered soups, marinated proteins and thoughtfully balanced banchan garnishes. Her plating and ingredient confidence suggest a thorough familiarity with technique and timing, even if it’s rooted in personal practice rather than professional kitchens. What she brings to the table is a sophisticated home cook’s intuition: she can compose a full, restaurant-worthy Korean meal without instructors or scripts.
11. Ahn Bo-hyun
Above The actor’s culinary skills were spotlighted on ‘The Backpacker Chef’, where adaptability and resourcefulness became part of his cooking persona.
Ahn Bo-hyun isn’t just another face on screen—his inclusion as a regular cast member on tvN’s The Backpacker Chef underscores the fact that his kitchen instincts aren’t superficial. On this travel-meets-cooking variety show, he regularly cooks on the fly in unfamiliar environments, pairing local ingredients with creative confidence while feeding large groups in improvised settings. The format demands real skill: limited tools, time pressure, surprise guests and menus tailored to clients’ tastes. Ahn’s ability to oscillate between structured dishes and spontaneous fixes—from pan-seared proteins to hybrid fusion plates—shows a cook comfortable with variables instead of stage props. His contributions have been noted in show commentary and fan discussions, not as gimmick but as capable work that keeps service moving.
12. Hyomin (T-ara)
Above One of the rare idols whose cooking credibility is backed by formal training and competitive rigour
Hyomin’s reputation as a serious cook isn’t the result of a well-edited variety segment; it’s grounded in formal culinary education and certification. She trained in Japanese cuisine and earned a recognised cooking certificate, a discipline that prioritises knife work, temperature control and ingredient respect over flair. This background became visible during her appearances on cooking and lifestyle programmes, where she demonstrated comfort with sashimi preparation, precise plating and the restrained seasoning that Japanese cuisine demands.
Unlike idols who treat cooking as performative content, Hyomin approaches it methodically. In interviews, she’s spoken candidly about cooking as a skill she wanted to master properly, not just display, and it shows in the quiet confidence of her movements. She cooks like someone who understands that good food is built, not improvised.
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Sasha Lim-Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila, she also covers entertainment and dining, as well as a broad range of topics. She was the former digital editor at Esquire Philippines and was the digital managing editor at Spot.ph, and now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
