Shadowing Practice: Do these Viral Recipes Really Work? Let’s Test Them - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
It's time for a debunking video where I take a look at clips that you've sent in to find out if they are real or fake. To start off with, so many people sent me all different videos of people trying to make marshmallows out of pureed apple.
25 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
It's time for a debunking video where I take a look at clips that you've sent in to find out if they are real or fake. To start off with, so many people sent me all different videos of people trying to make marshmallows out of pureed apple.
2
I can't debunk this because what they showed you in the video is actually what happens. If you take some hot water and add to that lots of gelatin, then whip it up together, you can see the protein in the gelatin allows it to quickly create a foam just like egg whites do. But in this case, as the gelatin cools and thickens, the foam becomes stable and sets just like this.
3
It's going to taste horrible. It'll just taste of gelatin. But if we add some vanilla and some sugar and keep whipping it till the sugar dissolves, then pipe them out and leave them to set and then sprinkle them with some icing sugar, you've got marshmallows. Got a marshmallow....
4
Yum. It's a marshmallow. It's good. And you can do that adding whatever sweetener and flavoring you want. In their video, they used the apple puree to provide the water and the sweetness and the flavor. The only difference here is apples also have fibre in them, which is not normally in marshmallows. So, that might affect the texture quite a bit.
5
If I put these side by side, you can see they're both bouncy like you'd expect a marshmallow to be, but the texture of the apple one is just not as fine. Wow. It's like eating a little bit of cloud.
6
That's weird. It's like citrus. Citrus flavor. Is that apple? It tastes way more sour than an apple normally would, but it is pretty delicious. Okay. It's almost got the texture of a really light, fluffy cake. This is not bad, though. It's just not a marshmallow. I think I like it. Next, Ethan wants some help. He is trying to figure out a homemade version of Please and Thank You's famous chocolate chip cookies. Apparently, they are America's best cookies. Whenever I hear things like that, I automatically think of the world's best coffee. Congratulations, you did it. World's best cup of coffee. Great job, everybody. But in this case, it appears like they actually did get voted best cookie on Yelp. The best cookie. That is Please & Thank You. In Louisville, according to Yelp and on USA Today, in 2023, they were number one. And in 2024, they were number two. And in 2025, they were not even on the top list at all. But apparently to get onto that list, you first have to be nominated by a team of travel writers and then it gets voted on. So either they just weren't nominated that year or America's completely changed the cookies that they liked in 2025. Either way, they still seem to be very liked on social media. There it is. America's best chocolate chip cookie. I love the ratio of chocolate chips. That ooey gooey goodness. This is nice. and Ethan likes them. So, back to trying to figure out the recipe for him. First thing I would usually do is taste the actual product to get an idea of the texture and the flavour, but I can't get those here in Australia. So, skipping right to the next step, which is to look at the ingredients lists. Now, by law, the ingredients have to be listed on the label in weight order from most through to least. So according to their label, the biggest ingredient in these cookies is flour, followed by brown sugar, sugar, butter, eggs, then baking soda, salt, vanilla, and finally the smallest ingredient by weight, chocolate chips. There is no way that that's in the correct order.
7
If there was more salt and baking soda by weight than there is chocolate chips in these cookies, they would be inedible. Given that that's incorrect, we don't know if anything on the list is in the right order, which makes it virtually impossible to figure it out from the box. But I don't give up that easily. And lucky for us, they also sell a cookie box mix, which has the same nutrition information panel on it. So, I'm assuming they're the same cookies.
8
And in that box, they have only put baking soda, salt, flour, and chocolate chips. They haven't even put the sugar in the box for you, which means if we look at the instructions, we now have the weights for the sugar. And we have the method. It says to melt the butter, then put it in a mixing bowl and put it in the fridge for 15 minutes. And then add the white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and your eggs. and whisk on high speed until it resembles whipped frosting. This looks a little too soft for frosting, so perhaps refrigerate it for longer than they said. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until nearly combined. And then add in the chocolate chips. I've used the nutrition information panel to calculate the amount of chocolate chips and flour that would be in these cookies. But given that the ingredients were in the wrong order, I'm not 100% confident that the nutrition information panel is correct. So, if you live locally, you could just buy a box mix and weigh how much flour and chocolate chips is in one of the box mixes. Next, it says to refrigerate for 1 hour. And if you watched our previous video when we did all sorts of experiments with chocolate chip cookies, you'll know that leaving the dough at room temperature or in the fridge, doesn't matter which, leaving it to sit before you're baking it does make a big difference to the texture. So, make sure you follow that step. Then they bake them in the oven and they only bake them for 11 minutes, which leaves them quite soft in the centre and also means it's easy if you want to reheat them later without overcooking them. It's great.
9
some uh crunchy, very crunchy on the outside actually and uh bit warm and gooey on the inside.
10
Pretty good. It's a good cookie, but it's not the best I've had. I wouldn't say that it's my favourite. Next, AG Cola wants to know if this would work. If you put a potato in the freezer overnight, then defrost it, squeeze all of the water out of it, peel the skin, and bake it. It's crispy on the outside and dense and chewy on the inside. Freezing foods is a great way to preserve them, but some foods are trickier to work with than others, and potato is one of those. If you freeze a potato and then defrost it, you lose a lot of liquid from the potato. And as you can see here, it's not just water that's coming out of the potato. If you leave the liquid to sit, it will turn black. And that's a sign that other compounds and enzymes are also being lost out of the potatoes. If you think of the cells inside the potato, just loads and loads of tiny cells as glass jars that are filled with liquid, when you put it in the freezer and that liquid turns to ice, the cells get damaged. And then as you leave it to defrost, some of the liquid from the cells can escape more if you then add physical pressure to it and squeeze it out. And that loss of fluid from the potato does completely change the texture.
11
Wow. Very hard to bite into.
12
Oh my gosh.
13
Oh, it's like potato leather. Strange for a like cooked potato to be like firm and leathery. That's a very bad potato. When you see that on your plate, you think, "Ooh, delicious." And then when you put it in your mouth, you think, "Regret. It's lost its essence. It's lost its soul. It's just kind of cardboardy." So, this is not seen as a positive texture change in the potato. So to avoid this problem, most people will par boil or partially cook or completely cook the potato before freezing it. What that does is it allows the starch in the potato to start to gelatinize and in that form it can hold on to a lot of that water so that it's not lost and you still have the nice fluffy texture inside the potato that you're expecting instead of the leathery hard. There are other things that manufacturers do as well, like trying to freeze them very quickly, which can help stop some of the other issues that cause the cell damage. But if you're at home, just par boil, partially cooked will solve the problem. Now, if you have a curious mind, you might be wondering, can this be used for good in any other foods? Is it a useful thing? In northern China, where the air temperature in winter is colder than my freezer, they sell persimmons and pears that are frozen solid just in the street market. And you're supposed to take those home, defrost them, and then bite into them and suck the juice out of them. So, I've frozen some pears so that we can check it out. And when they defrost, the skin oxidizes and turns brown. Wow.
14
It's pretty, pretty juicy. It's good. That's okay. It's almost a cooked flavor. It's like what I'd expect if you stewed a pear. Normally, I'm saying things are weird or wacky, but this is just nice pear juice. And because it worked for pears, I then wanted to try freezing apples.
15
Feel like the $6 million man. Freshly handsqueezed apple juice.
16
Tastes like apple juice. Next, Ronald wants to know if this will pass the 'Dave taste test'.
17
This recipe, one can of chickpeas, will change the way you think about cheesecake because it comes out just like cheesecake. This is a cheesecake. Yeah. I if I ordered this at a restaurant this I would not question at all. Like I'm ser I'm serious. I'm not even like okay I can tell it's a little chickpea. I can tell you I know it's not a cheesecake.
18
No. Like this to me tastes like an awesome delicious cheesecake. Like the best. There's no chickpea taste. There's no There's no nut taste. There's no like almond butter taste.
19
Those are all the ingredient cheesecake taste. So, let's make the chickpea baked cheesecake and a standard cheesecake so we can see if indeed they taste the same.
20
Can I trust you?
21
Cheesecake's always yummy.
22
Ooh, it's not baked cheesecake. It's got an interesting flavor that I just cannot place.
23
If I was served at a restaurant, I think it was an unusual texture and that it tasted a little bit like hummus.
24
That's pretty horrible. First um mouth feel of it and first flavor, I thought that it was definitely on, but then it started getting nutty. Just went downhill from there. Oh, the aftertaste is worse. A normal cheesecake for me is a 10. I think if you're going to say as a cheesecake replacement, I got to go like a three or a four. like it's not cheesecake, but if you wanted a tart and you couldn't have dairy and wanted it to be a bit creamy, I feel like you could come up with flavors to go with this that would that would work. Like if you put some cocoa powder in there, it just tastes like grass.
25
Yummy. That's good. I like it. I've now been reminded of how much I love cheesecake. Very good. You can send in videos that you want to be debunked using the email in the description below with thanks to my amazing patrons for all of your support. You guys are absolutely wonderful. Make it a great week by being kind to others and I'll see you on Friday.
Download App
AI scoring for every sentence you speak
TRENDING
Popular
Context & Background
In this engaging video, the speaker explores various viral recipes, testing their validity while providing detailed commentary on the cooking process. With an analytical approach, the speaker demonstrates a keen interest in food science, discussing the ingredients’ effects on texture and flavor. By breaking down these recipes, the speaker offers valuable insights that not only entertain but also educate the audience on the culinary possibilities and limitations of seemingly simple ideas. This context can serve as a fun and educational backdrop for English learners looking to enhance their speaking skills and pronunciation.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “Let’s see if this actually works.” - A phrase commonly used when testing a method or theory.
- “It tastes horrible.” - A straightforward way to express disapproval of a flavor.
- “I think I like it.” - A phrase indicating a positive but uncertain opinion.
- “That’s a very bad potato.” - A humorous expression to describe a failed dish.
- “You can send in videos that you want debunked.” - A call to action encouraging audience participation.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively utilize this video for english speaking practice, follow these structured steps using the shadowing technique:
- Watch the Video: Begin by viewing the video without sound. Focus on the visual elements to get an idea of the recipes being tested.
- Listen and Repeat: Play the video again, this time with sound. As you listen, pause frequently to repeat phrases or sentences aloud. This will help improve your English pronunciation.
- Focus on Tone and Emotion: Notice the speaker's tone and emotional expressions while delivering commentary. Try to mimic this in your shadow speech to gain a more natural speaking style.
- Practice with a Partner: If possible, engage a friend who is also learning English. Take turns repeating lines from the video, allowing for constructive feedback on each other's pronunciation and delivery.
- Record Yourself: As you shadow the speaker, record your voice. Listen back to identify areas for improvement, focusing specifically on intonation and clarity. This process can be incredibly beneficial for refining your speaking skills.
Using this shadowing site technique, you'll build confidence and fluency in your English speaking, making the learning experience both enjoyable and productive. Happy learning!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
☕ Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏