"I Lost 1 kg": The Appetite That Beat Chef Yoon Nam-no's Diet Injection, and What's in His Fridge

Chef Yoon Nam-no's extraordinary appetite and the refrigerator ingredients that sustain it have been revealed. Episode 89 of JTBC's cooking program "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator" opened his refrigerator to viewers, offering a closer look at his everyday eating habits and the unconventional combinations that define his personal approach to food.

During the program, Yoon recalled that he had previously received a diet injection. He said the treatment had helped him lose 1 kg, but suggested that even its effect could not easily overcome his usual appetite. The small amount of weight loss stood in sharp contrast to the quantity and variety of food stored in his refrigerator.

Many of those ingredients had been sent to him from Jirisan. Yoon first introduced strawberry jam made by Madame Jang of Nonsan. He also named gan-mallaengi, gukgam and perilla oil among the items he had received from Madame Choi in Jirisan, showing how personally sourced foods occupied an important place in his kitchen.

Yoon explained that older residents in Jirisan find the sight of him eating endearing. They contact him personally and send him an assortment of foods, including side dishes and green onion kimchi. One older resident even expressed the hope that Yoon would not lose weight and would continue eating with the same hearty appetite he has now.

The refrigerator contained many other distinctive ingredients. Hapjajang, characterized by a rich umami flavor and described as appearing to be made through the fermentation of beans, was introduced as one of his treasured foods. Its presence reflected the range of strongly flavored ingredients Yoon keeps close at hand for his meals.

The vegetable drawer was packed with cabbage and napa cabbage, two of Yoon's representative favorites. He said he likes adding cabbage to jeyuk-bokkeum, a pork stir-fry, while he prefers putting napa cabbage into ramen. Another section of the refrigerator held ingredients brought by his older brother, who worked in Dubai for 10 years and purchased food for Yoon whenever he returned home.

Some of the most striking discoveries were food pairings that departed from conventional expectations. Yoon revealed that he likes to place preserved plums on top of ice cream. The plums are preserved only in sugar rather than being salted, creating a sweet-and-sour element that contrasts with the ice cream.

He serves that ice cream and preserved-plum combination with macadamia nuts. Yoon described the result as a blend of sweet-and-sour flavor and nuttiness, turning ingredients with very different qualities into one of his preferred desserts.

Another combination paired yukgaejang with macaroni mayonnaise. According to Yoon, the dish brings together three sensations at once: the sharp, spicy kick of the yukgaejang, the sweetness of the macaroni and a deep savory flavor. The pairing showed his willingness to combine foods that are rarely expected to appear in the same meal.

Yoon also shared several other personal eating methods. He toasts store-bought breadcrumbs in a pan before using them. For another dish, he finely chops squid jeotgal and places it on dumplings, then adds garlic, green onion, sesame seeds and chili powder. Each preparation relies on familiar ingredients but rearranges them according to his own tastes.

His experiments extended to ramen as well. Yoon mixes Jjapbaetwi, known for its salty taste, with the spicy Gan Jjamppong. In another variation, he adds pollock roe to anchovy broth to recreate the flavor of altang, a roe soup. These combinations added still more evidence of the unpredictable way he builds flavors from the foods available to him.

Yoon's ordinary morning routine drew particular attention from the other cast members. He named "one-bite hot dogs" as his regular breakfast and said he eats about 20 of them in the morning. The amount surprised those appearing with him on the program. A container of protein given to him by Jong-won was also visible in one corner of the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, fellow participant Chef Kwon Seong-jun made a request with social-media attention in mind. Asking for "a dish that could go viral," Kwon said he wanted Yoon to create something capable of attracting roughly 100,000 reactions.

Yoon responded that he would "take his appearance fee in cooking." He also indicated that he intended to prove his ability with a generously portioned dish rather than finger food. His answer brought the episode's focus back to the same qualities displayed throughout his refrigerator: a large appetite, bold combinations and a determination to express his skills through substantial food.