As kids, we were told to never play with our food, but once you become an adult, you get to make up the rules as you go, and for Richard Mckoy that rings particularly true. As a Torontonian who enjoys photography and making music, starting a YouTube channel to impress his friends and family with his food review skills felt like a natural next step in his creative endeavours. That’s how Minute Munch found its home on his YouTube channel Eat With Richey.
Minute Munch features honest reviews of popular frozen dinners from today and yesteryear
Of course, these reviews aren’t meant to be serious, but if one was truly curious about the smell, taste, texture, and consistency of a typical frozen dinner entrée — Eat With Richey has you covered! We caught up with Richard to learn how he came up with the concept for Minute Munch and what he plans to cook, eat or review next!
Where did the concept to consume and review frozen dinners come from?
I’ve always wanted to review things. When I was younger, I wanted to review music. I realized that wouldn’t make a ton of sense since I was creating music around that time, so I thought that I’d review something that had nothing to do with my dream.
The frozen dinner thing was kind of a challenge for me. I wanted to see if I could make anything entertaining. I wanted to make a show that nobody asked for — popular.
Were you a fan of frozen dinners before starting your YouTube channel?
I would eat them when I was younger and didn’t know any better. I bought frozen dinners as comfort food all the time. They were cheap and full of salt. I’ve avoided them completely for the past 10 years or so and only eat them on the show. I mostly prepare my own meals or order in.
What’s the best frozen dinner you’ve tried so far?
The best frozen dinner I’ve tried was probably the LEAN CUISINE® Thai Peanut Chicken or the Chili’s Pepper Jack Mac ‘N’ Cheese Frozen Dinner. I think about that mac and cheese once a month. When I eat a good frozen dinner I get excited. A big part of me wants to find a healthy and cheap frozen dinner so I can completely transition into the frozen food life. I would save so much time.
Preparing your mind and body for frozen dinner food reviews is all part of the process
Knowing that microwaveable frozen dinners are not the healthiest meal prepping option, we asked Richard a few questions about preparing his body for each video and what specific planning is involved in creating each frozen dinner food review.
Do you plan the meals ahead of time or let the frozen grocery aisle inspire your choices?
I film 10 episodes in one day to ensure I have content for at least two months. I do not plan what frozen dinners I’m going to review. I wake up and head down to the grocery store. I buy and review all the meals in one day because I feel like my life is ending the next morning. It feels like a confusing hangover.
Your commentary is really what makes the channel. Did you have experience critiquing things of this nature in the past?
I kind of do a mini-review in my head of every meal I eat. When I find something I enjoy, I just keep eating that thing.
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I would review my mother’s cooking when I was young. My mom really loved to hear what I had to say, and she actually implemented some of my suggestions. It was actually really nice to have an adult value your opinion on something. I feel like her taking me seriously might have inspired me to do this show — thank you, mum.
Is there anything you do before or after to prepare or save your body from the items you’re consuming?
I take Metamucil every single morning. It just makes me feel healthier — if that makes sense. I take it in the morning and night after filming Minute Munch. To be honest, I don’t have any stomach issues after eating all those meals. The suffering is mostly mental. After filming a block of episodes, I just feel like I did something wrong for two days.
Creating unique content makes space for more delicious food content in Eat With Richey’s future
Since debuting Minute Munch, Richard has already begun dreaming up new food content ideas for his YouTube channel. We learned a bit more about what’s ahead for Eat With Richey, in addition to the lasting impressions Minute Munch has left on him as a creator and food fan.
Is Minute Munch the only thing we can expect to see from Eat With Richey?
Nope! I’m working on a cooking show right now. The new show is about upgrading commonly prepared food. I’ve already filmed a poached egg episode and an episode on upgrading ramen. I plan on working on a few other show ideas.
Big thank you to my great friend and Minute Munch Videographer Hilary for filming every episode of minute munch. She really pays attention to the set’s details and ensures that things run smoothly and make sense. She definitely saved me from having to reshoot stuff. She always entertains my show ideas and adds a ton to the overall vibe of the show. It would be so weird to do the show alone in my living room. I would just be a man reviewing frozen dinners during a pandemic.
Are you worried you will eventually run out of frozen dinners to review? If so, what do you think you would do next?
I do not believe I’ll ever run out of meals to review. The frozen dinner aisle is huge, and it’s only expanding, unfortunately.
Do you have major aspirations of becoming a famous frozen food reviewer or YouTuber— or is this all just for fun?
It’s all for fun, really, but out of all my creations, this food review show has gotten the most feedback from my friends. I actually get messages from friends asking when the next one is coming out. When I take a bit longer to release a video, my friends will message me and hold me accountable. It’s a great feeling to have people looking forward to your work no matter what that work is. I want to be famous now.
Has this creative endeavour changed the way you grocery shop now?
Certainly not. I try to eat well when I’m not filming Minute Munch. After filming a season, I really want to eat plain foods without salt. I do find myself browsing frozen dinners now, though. Before the show, I didn’t look twice at that section of the grocery store.
Deep dive into all the Minute Munch frozen dinner reviews on the Eat With Richey YouTube channel — don’t forget to like and subscribe! Find out when each Minute Munch episode will air by following Richard Mckoy on Instagram.
