Chrissy Teigen tried her hand at making kimchi on Friday, but some people were reportedly bothered by the cookbook author's hands-on approach to mixing up the fermented dish.
The mother of two posted a story on Instagram — where she has over 21 million followers — showcasing the various steps of the kimchi-making process.
“This is 12 pounds of kimchi we’re doing,” the model said as she mixed large fistfuls of the classic Korean food with her bare hand. “It’s an exciting night!”
Although Teigen was delighted by her handsy method of mixing the fermented veggie dish, a few people may have gotten a bit freaked out by her grabbing fistfuls of the various pungent ingredients.
HOT 97, a New York City-based radio station, tweeted about Teigen's touchy technique citing unnamed critics disparaging her cooking method on social media: "Is #ChrissyTeigen still invited to the cookout ? Social media critics don’t really like the fact that she’s using her hands...what y’all think?"
However, hundreds of people responded directly to HOT 97's tweet, with a majority of home cooks and kimchi fans coming to the busy mom’s defense.
Many on Twitter agreed that Teigen was simply using the best kitchen tools out there — her hands — to mix up the massive portions of sliced cabbage with various spices.
Of course, using one's hands in the kitchen extends way beyond mixing kimchi. Many top chefs concur that there’s no better way to prepare meatballs, mix pizza dough, knead bread dough and more.
A few fellow kimchi makers did point out that though they use their hands as well, they opt for wearing a pair of disposable gloves because the seasoning can stain hands and the funky fermented smell can be difficult to wash out.
The classic Korean staple includes a variety of tasty spices, including chili powder, garlic and ginger, which may linger on hands for days after preparing the dish.
As usual, Teigen was quick to defend herself on social media by tweeting back to the ambiguous “critics.”
“I’m making kimchi for my family,” the star wrote. “I don’t care what ‘critics’ think of it. I do however worry that their loveless food really, really sucks.”
Regardless of the haters, Teigen plans to continue using her preferred cooking methods. In a follow-up tweet, she even threatened to use her feet next time.