Kim Poong's Legendary 'Dark Cooking' Stuns Actor Lee Jong-hyuk Again

JTBC's long-running culinary variety show Please Take Care of My Refrigerator (냉장고를 부탁해) delivered another unforgettable episode on May 3, 2026, when veteran actor Lee Jong-hyuk opened his refrigerator to four competing chefs — and the show's resident culinary wildcard Kim Poong once again left everyone wondering whether his creation could actually be consumed.

The episode aired at 8:50 PM KST as part of the show's regular Saturday broadcast and quickly trended online, with viewers flooding social media with clips of Lee Jong-hyuk's now-iconic reaction: "Is this something you can actually eat?"

The Setup: A Drinker's Fridge and a Spring Cooking Challenge

Lee Jong-hyuk, one of Korea's most dependable character actors with a career spanning hit films and beloved dramas, arrived on set with a refrigerator that told its own story. Known among fans for his love of food and his appreciation for a good drink, the actor's fridge was reportedly packed with the provisions of a man who enjoys late-night meals and strong flavors — the ideal canvas for a competitive cooking challenge.

The episode was structured in two rounds. The first was a spring seasonal dish battle between longtime fan favorite Son Jong-won and the increasingly popular Park Eun-young, both of whom were tasked with winning over Lee Jong-hyuk's particular palate using the contents of his refrigerator and springtime ingredients. Both chefs brought their full competitive energy to the opening round, with Park Eun-young adding some personal flair by making a lighthearted confession on air — she's apparently growing a beard and is getting married this month, which made the studio erupt in laughter.

The first half of the cooking battle set a high bar, with Son Jong-won — known for his precise, technique-driven approach — and Park Eun-young — whose style blends precision with playful creativity — trading dishes that aimed squarely at Lee Jong-hyuk's preferences. The actor judged carefully, but the real anticipation was building for what came next.

The Kim Poong Effect: Chaos in the Kitchen

The second round pitted Jeong Ho-young against Kim Poong in a drinking snack and hangover cure showdown — a category that suited Lee Jong-hyuk's reputation perfectly. Jeong Ho-young, the show's resident expert in clean, satisfying comfort food, approached the challenge with his usual methodical precision, crafting something designed to genuinely please.

And then there was Kim Poong.

Kim Poong, who has earned the affectionate nickname "암흑 요리사" (dark cook) among Korean variety audiences, operates by a completely different logic. His culinary philosophy — equal parts instinct, experimentation, and a complete disregard for what a dish is supposed to look like — has produced some of the most talked-about moments in the show's twelve-year history. Dishes that look wrong. Combinations that sound impossible. Textures that alarm and then somehow satisfy.

According to pre-broadcast previews, Kim Poong's creation this episode was no exception. His dish featured what even the fellow chefs in the studio described as an unusually strange visual — prompting Lee Jong-hyuk to raise an eyebrow and ask, "Eat this? Is this really edible?" The response, a familiar refrain from those who encounter Kim Poong's creations, sent clips from the episode viral hours before the full broadcast.

Whether the "Kim Poong Magic" (김풍 매직) worked on Lee Jong-hyuk — whether the dish that looked alarming turned out to taste surprisingly good — was the episode's central dramatic question, one the show held back until its final moments.

More Than Cooking: A Personal Episode for Lee Jong-hyuk

Beyond the cooking competition, the episode offered a warm glimpse into Lee Jong-hyuk's personal life. The actor, who is well into a respected career that has taken him from supporting roles to leading man status, recently marked a milestone when his second son Joonsu entered university. The emotion of that moment gave the episode an unexpected layer of warmth beneath the competitive chaos.

Lee Jong-hyuk appeared opposite MC Kim Seong-ju and co-host Ahn Jung-hwan, both of whom have become fixtures of the show's ensemble dynamic. The two MCs helped guide the competition while drawing out the personal stories that have always been at the heart of the program's appeal — the idea that what's in someone's refrigerator tells you something true about who they are.

The full chef lineup for the episode also included veteran regulars Sam Kim, Yoon Nam-no, and Kwon Seong-jun, making it one of the more stacked installments of the season in terms of culinary firepower. Sam Kim, in particular, has built a reputation as a chef who bridges Korean tradition with contemporary techniques, while Yoon Nam-no brings a focused, research-driven approach to every ingredient he encounters.

Why Please Take Care of My Refrigerator Still Works After a Decade

Now broadcasting under its extended title Please Take Care of My Refrigerator Since 2014, the show has maintained a devoted following across twelve years — an extraordinary run in Korean variety television, where shows often cycle in and out within a few seasons. Its formula is simple but effective: a celebrity guest, their refrigerator as a window into their soul, and a timed cooking competition designed to produce both great food and great television.

Kim Poong's continued presence on the show is a large part of why it remains appointment viewing for a certain segment of Korean variety fans. Other chefs bring skill. Kim Poong brings unpredictability. His creations — whether triumphs or disasters — generate conversation in a way that perfectly executed technique often cannot. His dishes are, in a sense, performance art disguised as cooking.

The show has also benefited from a strong international following, with clips regularly circulating on YouTube and social media among viewers in Southeast Asia, Japan, and beyond who follow Korean entertainment content. Its accessible premise — watch famous people react to unusual food — translates across cultural contexts in a way that more dialogue-heavy variety formats do not.

The show airs every Saturday on JTBC at 8:50 PM KST, with full episodes available for replay on JTBC's official website at tv.jtbc.co.kr and affiliated OTT platforms. For viewers who tuned in wanting to know whether Lee Jong-hyuk ultimately said yes or no to Kim Poong's dish, the answer was waiting in Saturday night's broadcast — and judging by the reaction clips, it did not disappoint.