Jeremy Allen White Reveals How His Wife Feels About the Thirst for His Character on 'The Bear'

Jeremy Allen White and his actress wife Addison Timlin rarely use social media, and White says that's "a good thing."

The actor, who is best known as bad boy-turned-head of household Lip on Shameless, has the whole world lusting after him in his latest role on FX's The Bear (streaming on Hulu).

"It's been pretty wild the way it's connected with so many people," he tells PEOPLE in this week's issue, on stands Friday.

White, 31, plays Carmy, a classically trained chef struggling to take over his dead brother's sandwich shop. There are articles, memes, and even a New Yorker cartoon dedicated to his character's appeal. ("So ... what was all that 'Yes, Chef' stuff about?" reads the cartoon picturing a couple in bed.)

So what does his wife think of his new status as a heartthrob? "I don't know," laughs White. "I think we're both pretty good at not paying too much attention. I'm not on Twitter. I have an Instagram, but I mostly use it for work. I have a pretty healthy distance from it all. And my wife does as well. So I think that's a good thing."

It took a lot to get Carmy just right. "I had two months before we shot the pilot, and I was working really hard," he says. "I had a station set up in my hotel room, and every night I was trying to do 30 minutes to an hour of knife work before I'd go to bed." He also spent time working at Michelin-starred restaurants.

Once he had the skills, he was sure to practice them on his family, including daughters Ezer, 4, and Dolores, 1.

"Prior to the show, I really was useless in a kitchen. We went to shoot the series in January, February — so all December I was really cooking," he says. "I did Christmas Eve dinner, I did Christmas Day dinner for me and my family — all big meals. I love a Sunday roast. I love something really hearty, almost wintry comfort food. I'll do short ribs, roasted vegetables, some kind of potato. That's what I like to make and what I like to eat."

But since the success of the show, and the work that comes with that, "I've been so lazy," adds White. "I cook breakfast every morning for my daughters, nothing terribly fancy, but once we put them in bed, we're on Postmates or DoorDash."

For more on White and The Bear, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.