We Tried ALL The TikTok Hacks To See If They Were Worth The Hype
Chances are, if you're not a member of Gen Z, you've tried to avoid TikTok for as long as possible. But—BUT!—it's more than just a collection of bad dances and hard-to-understand memes. Turns out, the people of TikTok are chock-full of food- and kitchen-related knowledge. From dead-simple recipes (like 3-ingredient microwave PB cups) to mind-blowing shortcuts (like how to easily get the pit out of an avocado), there's really something there for everyone. Here are some of the best, most mesmerizing, and sometimes even a little gross TikTok food trends out there: Get ready for a wild ride.
Dalgona Coffee
When it comes to TikTok food trends, this one is the OG. Dalgona coffee broke the Internet back in March as a three-ingredient recipe to make the creamiest iced coffee of all time. All it takes is equal parts instant coffee, sugar, and hot water. Once you have all of that in a bowl, mix it all together until it reaches a thick, whipped cream-like consistency. This trend is what birthed tangential trends too, like whipped strawberry milk, whipped matcha, and even whipped peanut butter.
Pancake Cereal
Pancake cereal—who could have seen it coming? To hop on this trend, you just need to make teeny, tiny pancakes and add them to a bowl like cereal, topped with syrup, milk, and whatever other toppings you want. It's gotten so popular that people are remixing the original and making waffle cereal, donut cereal, and croissant cereal.
Milking Cucumbers
If milking cucumbers sounds gross to you, that's because, well, it kind of is. But I guarantee once you start doing it, you might not want to stop. To get rid of some of the bitter taste of a cucumber, cut off the end and rub that on the other slices. A white and milky (ew, we know) substance starts coming out, but it actually does seem to improve the taste of raw cucumber. Don't knock it 'til ya try it, really.
Juicing Lemons Without A Knife
You'll never take the time to cut a lemon in half with a knife just to juice it after seeing this one. With a skewer, chop stick, or other similarly-shaped object, poke a hole in the end of a lemon, trying your best to not puncture through to the other side. From there, you can squeeze the lemon and get all the juice with no seeds or pulp getting in your way.
Removing Chicken Tendons
When cooking chicken tenderloins, use this advice to remove the white tendons from the meat. Put a fork around the tendon and pull it from the other side, using a paper towel to help you get a better grip if needed. They come out so easily, making that cut of meat much easier to prepare.
Floss Cake Cutting
Cutting birthday cake into even slices is the hardest part of any party. Instead of worrying about keeping a steady hand with a knife, TikTok suggests using a string of unflavored floss to get your slices just right.
Frozen Bottled Frappuccinos
Those bottled Starbucks Frappuccinos you can get at the grocery store can be made more like the real thing if you throw them in the freezer for a couple hours. One user put her bottled Frapp in the freezer, then shook it after taking it out, and it reached the same slushie-like texture of the blended drink from Starbucks.
Soaking Strawberries
Apparently rinsing your berries under the faucet isn't enough to really get them clean. Videos have shown people soaking their strawberries in salt water, and the result shows little bugs and other critters seemingly coming out of the fruit. Some are skeptical, so do with this information what you will.
Three-Ingredient Crème Brulée
Crème brulée is way easier to make than you might think with these instructions. If you have vanilla ice cream on hand, all you need is eggs and sugar. You'll add egg yolks (one per serving) and caramelize sugar on your stove rather than with a blow torch. So simple yet so fancy.
White Claw Slushies
White Claws and slushies are two staples of summer, so putting them together into one food trend is a given. Blend ice, frozen berries (fresh ones work, too!), and whatever your favorite White Claw flavor is and you're set. Some people add sparkling water to help it all blend together, and others add even more vodka.
Vegan Carrot Bacon
Vegan food substitutes are so popular on TikTok, and this vegan bacon will blow your mind. Made from thinly sliced carrots, the veggies are soaked in liquid smoke, maple syrup, and onion and garlic powder, and then crisped up in the air fryer.
One-Pan Egg Sandwich
When you're making breakfast, it's better to not start your day with a ton of dirty dishes. This one-pan egg sandwich hack requires no toaster. With some good spatula skills, you'll make an omelet, then add your toast right in the middle. Use your spatula to flip it all over, add whatever toppings you want inside, and fold the bread into a sandwich right on the pan.
Toaster Quesadillas
Skip the stove and make your cheesy quesadillas right in the toaster. It's all about the folding technique to make sure the cheese doesn't spill out through the sides, so watch this TikTok carefully to perfect it.
Body Butter
A stick of butter needs to be soft and creamy so all of its fatty goodness can be well incorporated into your cookies, cakes, and loaves. But if you're like us, you often end up with a half melted, half ice-cold lump of butter deformed from panicked spins in the microwave. TikTok to the rescue! Simply take a stick of butter and put it in the waist band of your pants. Honestly, it works!
Puffed Tortilla Pockets
If your Taco Tuesdays include flour tortillas, then you're going to be as delighted as we were by this hack that puffs them up in your toaster. Then you can open them up and fill them with all of your various preferred fillings and toppings without them coming out of the bottom. Think of it like an Uncrustable, but for burritos.
Microwave Peanut Butter Cups
Among the top worst feelings to have is the craving for a peanut butter cup but not having immediate access to one. Thankfully, there’s a TikTok that shows how to whip up a makeshift one in the microwave to ensure you never have to go without the treat again. To make it, grab a mug and fill it with two spoonfuls of peanut butter. Microwave that for 15 seconds, then add 1 spoonful of powdered sugar. Once you have that all mixed up and flattened, add 2 spoonfuls of chocolate chips on top. Try to evenly coat the top of the peanut butter base with them. Microwave that for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Spread the melted chocolate. When it looks nice, place the mug in the freezer for 15 minutes, and you’ll have yourself one large, homemade peanut butter cup. 😍
Peanut Butter Jar Ice Cream
This TikTok hack is the best way to use an almost empty peanut butter jar. Simply fill your jar a little over halfway with heavy cream and your sweetener of choice and shake it (no really, SHAKE IT), then open up to find a super-creamy, lightly whipped dessert that can be enjoyed as is or frozen for 3 hours or overnight. Try adding chocolate chips, nuts, or sprinkles!
No Muffin Left Behind
Have a little extra muffin or cupcake batter you don't want to go to waste? Instead, use measuring spoons or small ovenproof bowls to catch that leftover batter and bake them alongside your muffin tray. This is especially perfect if you're baking for a special occasion (where you want to gift that full baker's dozen), but also want to enjoy one for yourself too.
Turn An Orange Into A Candle
Candles can be expensive. It's quite easy to find yourself paying upward of $20 for one that will last for about a month... that is, unless you make your own. All you need is an orange and a little olive oil.
Sticky Jars? No Thanks
If you love reusing jars but hate getting off the sticky labels, this is the hack for you. Make a paste of baking soda and any oil, then use it to coat the sticky residue. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then apply some elbow grease to scrub it off. Voila! A perfectly clean jar ready to be used again.
Ramen Hacks
You're not still making store-bought ramen with just the packet, are you? Keep all the convenience and flavor, but add a bit more interest to your meal with the myriad of TikTok ramen hacks out there.
Yogurt Toast
This TikTok number has taken breakfast tables by storm, and for good reason. It involves topping bread with a shortcut egg-yogurt “custard” to create a slightly sweet, fancy-ish dessert or breakfast with barely any effort. The options for flavors are endless (like our chocolate raspberry version).
Ooey, Gooey Cinnamon Rolls
Ever wonder how to make cinnamon rolls like the ones from Cinnabon? A viral hack has been circulating on TikTok that's supposed to transform store-bought cinnamon rolls into the extra-gooey treats you'd get at the mall. The secret ingredient? Heavy whipping cream. The result? Ooey, gooey, rich, and flavorful cinnamon rolls that totally beat the often dried-out ones that come from the can.
Mason Jar Ice Cream
We scream, you scream, we ALL scream for ice cream. What we’re not so into: some of the hoops you have jump through to make it at home. Luckily, TikTok's got lots of magic shortcuts for you, like this ice cream in a mason jar.
3 Halloween Treats in ONE Cookie
The only thing better than a cookie is... a cookie stuffed with another cookie. This may sound like a lot of work right off the bat, but Oreos are an easy (and delicious) way to level up any simple cookie recipe. You can always make dough from scratch, but one TikTok user had the genius idea to use Pillsbury Halloween sugar cookie dough wrapped around orange Oreos and topped with seasonal M&M's. We're just mad we didn't think of this first. 😂
Frozen Breakfast Cereal
Have you ever thought about putting your cereal in the freezer? Well, people on TikTok are doing just that, and they swear it makes it taste better. The concept takes barely any effort but a decent amount of patience: All you have to do is pour a bowl of cereal and place it in the freezer. Once you think it’s cold, take it out, pour milk in, and enjoy. The cold, crunchy cereal paired with the icy bowl will make for a super-cool—and supposedly better tasting—breakfast.
Two-Ingredient Salad Dressing
For those who want something simple on the go, this TikTok hack shows how to make a creamy dressing with just two ingredients. The muted flavor of plain hummus with the tangy kick of pickle brine definitely adds a little something to any salad, but you can also mix it up and use flavored hummus like garlic, pine nut, or roasted red pepper if you have those laying around in your fridge.
Peel A Head Of Garlic In Under A Minute
When it comes to kitchen hacks, we're looking for anything that makes our cooking process smoother, easier, or downright quicker, and this garlic hack does all three. Garlic is one of our MUST-HAVE ingredients, but it can be a pain to prepare. Enter the best garlic peeling hack we've ever seen (and we've seen a few), brought to us by the Internet’s favorite, Chrissy Teigen.
Make Your Nearly Empty Peanut Butter Jar Look Brand-New
Using a bit of physics, people on TikTok have found a way around having to carefully put your hand in a half-finished peanut butter jar to scrape out what’s left in it. Say goodbye to the struggle, because all you have to do is spin the container around a bunch of times and call it a day.
Frozen Plastic Wrap
You know when you're trying to pack away some leftovers in your fridge and you have to wrap it up with plastic wrap? Then, when you take out a piece of the plastic wrap, it all gets stuck together and you inevitably end up rolling it into a giant clump to throw out? Well, that may never happen again, because turns out if you store your wrap in the freezer, your problems will be solved.
Avoid Countertop Food Drips
The worst part about cooking is the mess you make in the process–especially when it involves the transfer of liquid in bowls. TikTok recently discovered an easy way to avoid dripping food on your counter, and it just requires... flipping the bowl in the opposite direction.
How To Clean Reusable Plastic Containers
Greasy food containers can be a hassle because there's just some grime a dish sponge can't get through. Even the dishwasher can have trouble getting all that grease out, but you want to make sure each container is totally clean before you use it to store something else. Turns out, all you have to do is add in a few pumps of dish soap, fill your container up about halfway with warm water, and then throw in a couple ripped up pieces of paper towel. Close the container then shake it with all of these contents inside for up to a minute, and when you rinse out all the suds, the grease and stains will be long gone.
Mason Jar Copycat McGriddles
A really good fast food breakfast is something that can be hard to replicate at home. Getting the flavors just right is difficult, but of course some genius TikTok user figured it out. One person shared a hack for making copycat McGriddles at home, and all it takes is a mason jar.
Taco Tortilla Hack
Another truly genius TikTok recipe! This one involves a simple trick of folding your tortilla to create a wrap that will give you a perfect bite all throughout. Each bite will be crispy, cheesy, and include all of the toppings. And it all stays inside the wrap.
Open A Bottle Of Wine... With A Shoe?
Like just about anything else, TikTok has the answer, even if you've found yourself in the dilemma of needing to open a bottle of wine with no corkscrew in sight. Basically, you can stick the bottle of wine in your shoe and find a solid wall, tree, or other strong surface to strike the shoe on. Steadily hit the shoe (with the bottle of wine inside!) on the surface and the cork will slowly begin to come out of the bottle. Keep hitting the shoe until the cork falls out entirely, then you're all set!
Wine Glass Cake Hack
This unique cake-cutting method has been positively blowing up the Internet, and for good reason. It's the perfect way to solve the cake-on-the-go conundrum of whether or not to bring a knife and plates. In the videos, instead of using a knife to cut the cake, everyone goes in with a wineglass and basically scoops a circle of cake for themselves. It ends up inside the glass ready to be eaten (and is great for parties without a lot of seating options!).
Beer ---> Cocktail
Why do we love this trend? First and foremost, we love Corona. We honestly struggle to think of a beer that's better to cool down with on hot day. Second, the Tequila Sunrise is going viral for a reason. It's genius, simple to make, and looks gorgeous. And finally, using the bottle means you don't need to dirty up any extra dishes because you're just making the drink right in the bottle. Win, win, win.
Coffee Creamer Tip
It's impossible to get basically anything done before you've had your coffee—right, friends? But something that's tough, caffeinated or not, is popping off the little aluminum seal on your fresh container of creamer. As always, TikTok is coming in clutch with a simple kitchen hack that will have you face-palming that you hadn't figured it out before.
What To Do With Frozen Food
Over the last month, a professional chef has gained an audience on TikTok for freezing foods and grating them onto dishes. He's frozen and grated garlic cloves, olives, plums, and peppers. Everything he grates tends to have the same consistency as feta's small, snow-like shreds, and it's giving the Internet lots of ideas. Get creative and try out your faves.
Freeze Olives In Ice Cube Tray
While a martini might not be everyone's drink of choice, think of all the garnishes you could add to other drinks. Of course, we've seen floral and fruit ice cubes, but what about bacon ice cubes for a Bloody Mary, pickle ice cubes for a pickleback, or hot sauce and lime juice ice cubes for a Michelada? Excuse us while we go eat our next drink. 😉
Removing An Avocado Pit
Forcing the knife into the pit is always a bit of a risk (we've heard one too many horror stories about trips to the ER!), but it turns out you don't even need a knife. This TikTok video shows you how to push the pit out with just your hands without damaging any of the avocado. Simply place your index and middle finger on each side of the pit and push the center with your thumb. The pit will pop right out without taking any of the flesh with it. Woah!
Keep Your Cake Fresh
At this point, TikTok is showing us something new practically every day. We're not complaining, though, because the latest viral TikTok hack shows you how to keep a loaf of banana bread fresh for as long as possible. We're definitely going to use this in our kitchens!
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