Before the pandemic and excruciating months (MONTHS!) spent in lockdown, I never thought I’d get so bored that I’d think testing TikTok food trends would be fun.
But when you spend days staring at the same crack in the wall, getting a root canal starts to sound like a good time.
Until now, I’ve stubbornly refused to have anything to do with the trendy social media platform. I know it makes me seem like a cranky curmudgeon, sitting in the corner muttering meandering stories that begin with “Back in my day…” but I’m terrified of losing myself in the mesmerizing vortex of digestible, short-form content found on TikTok. I just don’t have the time to spare!
Who am I kidding? With lockdown I have nothing BUT time. Bring on the whipped coffee, TikTok feta pasta, Nature’s Cereal, and more!
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From the infamous baked feta pasta to the luscious dalgona iced coffee, I tried 5 TikTok food trends to see which were overrated and which were worth the hype!
Nature’s Cereal
What Is Nature’s Cereal?
For the longest time I thought that Nature’s Cereal was just another granola brand, not one of the most viral TikTok food trends 🤷🏻♀️
Accidentally bought coconut water that had jelly in it..ops…
Self-proclaimed “student of nature,” Sherwayne Mears (a.k.a. @natures_food) uses his TikTok platform to share his love of plants and fruits, including how to make his favourite breakfast dubbed “Nature’s Cereal”.
In his TikTok video, he combines pomegranate seeds, blackberries and blueberries in a wooden bowl before topping it off with a hefty splash of liquid straight from a freshly cracked coconut.
Not only does this refreshing concoction skyrocket energy levels, but the berries are full of fibres that promote good gut health and digestion while the coconut water contains electrolytes for hydration and magnesium for muscle relaxation.
With all those benefits, it’s no wonder that content creators across TikTok are recreating this dish, including a ringing endorsement from Lizzo! Who couldn’t use an extra boost of energy especially nowadays #AmIRight?
Personal Experience
Being an avid Toronto brunch advocate, I was skeptical that Nature’s Cereal would be substantial enough to satisfy my hearty morning appetite. It just seemed like a bougie fruit salad.
Also, berries are expensive AF. All together the pomegranate, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries cost me like $20! I only realized after that the original recipe didn’t include raspberries UGH.
I rinsed the fruits, bashed the heck out of the pomegranate to collect the arils that went flying everywhere (very messy), filled the bowl with coconut water (I accidentally bought one with jelly) and added ice cubes as per Lizzo’s TikTok video.
My main observation of Nature’s Cereal is that it took something that’s supposed to be cheap, quick and unhealthy and turned it into a nutritious albeit expensive and time-consuming (at least to gather the pomegranate seeds) snack.
Would I Make Nature’s Cereal Again?
Sure.
Personally, I still prefer eggs for breakfast but I can’t deny how refreshing it was to start the day off with Nature’s Cereal. Expensive, but refreshing.
The pomegranates added a nice texture and crunch to the smooth berries, the coconut water made it easier to spoon them up, and the ice cubes made it all pleasantly cold. In terms of increased energy, I couldn’t tell if I was actually more energized or if it was just a placebo effect…
Rating: 7/10
TikTok Feta Pasta
What Is baked feta pasta?
You’d have to be living under a rock, far away from civilization and a wi-fi signal to not know about the TikTok feta pasta that has swept across social media platforms like wildfire.
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The dish first emerged in the blogosphere on the Finnish food blog, Liemessa, by Jenni Hayrinen in 2019 who dubbed it uunifetapasta. It immediately became a viral hit in Finland to the point that feta cheese sales went up 300% (!) and shops were running out of baked feta pasta ingredients.
While it was a hit in Finland, baked feta pasta got closer to world domination when American TikTok users came across it and exposed this delicious phenomenon with a broader audience.
Personal Experience
To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for this TikTok feta pasta. I suspected that it was one of those overrated TikTok food trends that was more convenient than delicious.
How could a dish that requires so few ingredients and steps possibly be as delicious that everyone and their nonna are singing its praises from the metaphorical rooftops?
Placing a brick of briny goat feta in a shallow saucer, I scattered grape tomatoes around it, drizzled olive oil, and sprinkled salt and pepper over the dish before popping it in the oven. Once it came out, I folded in a handful of red chilli flakes, minced garlic, plenty of basil, and anchovy (because anchovy makes everything taste better) as the tomatoes burst into a jammy mess.
The feta began to break apart and blend into the mixture with the addition of the pasta and splash of starchy water.
Would I Make TikTok Feta Pasta Again?
HELL YES!
I stand corrected. For such a simple recipe, it was oddly addictive but I guess anything with that much cheese would be. The question is not “Would I make the TikTok pasta again” but how am I going to stop myself from making and devouring it for every other meal.
Rating: 10/10
Tortilla Wrap Hack
What Is the tortilla wrap hack?
There’s something so soothing about folding — laundry, intricate origami, napkin swans — so it’s not surprising that the TikTok tortilla wrap hack has been trending big time.
Essentially, the tortilla trend is a simpler, more compact way of folding a tortilla. Instead of the traditional rolling like a burrito or layering the wraps flat, you make a cut halfway down the centre and place different ingredients in each quadrant before folding it into a triangle shape.
The origins of who coined this technique is murky (TikTok user @crystalscookingfun did it first but it started to gain traction after @ellcarter1 put her own twist on it with breakfast foods) but everyone can agree that this hack is making tortilla wraps fun again!
…having suffered through months of lockdown, it takes very little to amuse me these days.
Personal Experience
As serial killer organized as I am, the prospect of folding a neat yet delicious pocket of food was alluring. To attempt this tortilla trend, I used my favourite quesadilla combo — tuna, cheddar cheese, mushroom and diced tomato.
I assumed that it would be easy peasy but folding the tortilla without the ingredients spilling out was a strugglebus.
The process wasn’t as neat as the photos would mislead you to believe. As ingredients fell out, I’d shove it back in including when I grilled it on the stove in a nonstick pan over medium heat.
Would I Use The Tortilla Wrap Hack Again?
Maybe.
If I tried different fillings, I’d give this hack another shot because it was easier to eat and a better portion size. However, I didn’t like that the cheese was separated and therefore didn’t fuse the fillings together when melted.
Rating: 7/10
Dalgona iced Coffee
What Is dalgona iced coffee?
Dalgona coffee, also known as “whipped coffee,” was one of the first TikTok food trends to surface during the pandemic. A glass of milk with cubes of ice is topped with a mixture of instant coffee, sugar and hot water whisked into a frenzy till it’s a dense yet fluffy cloud.
The whipped coffee mania was borne from a TV clip of a South Korean actor trying the sweet drink that commentators compared to dalgona candy, a honeycomb toffee made with brown sugar, corn syrup and baking soda. It then became a TikTok food trend via @imhannahcho and coined as “dalgona coffee”.
Personal Experience
Despite being aesthetically-pleasing with its distinct layers of milk and golden brown frothy dollops, I hadn’t jumped on the dalgona iced coffee train until now for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve never been a big fan of coffee or coffee-flavoured things. Secondly, the whipping process looked like a pain in the ass, or more accurately, the arm.
And boy was it.
One recipe said the whisking process was a mere two minutes…which is a filthy lie.
Maybe that person had a mechanical arm but without access to a hand mixer, I was stuck whisking the old-fashioned way. It took longer and more rest breaks than I care to admit, but eventually I prevailed, marvelling at how the concoction lightened and thickened as I whisked.
Would I Make Dalgona Coffee Again?
Not the coffee version.
Great mouthfeel but it was too sweet and I just don’t like coffee. However, I would make the matcha or cocoa version of this whipped coffee…if only to give my arm a work out.
Rating: 6.5/10
Kewpie Mayo Ramen
What Is Kewpie Mayo ramen?
Other than my go-to stir-fried ramen, I generally make instant noodles according to the package — boil the dried noodles, drain, add seasoning packet and boiling water, DONE.
However, when I stumbled across this TikTok food trend that promised to upgrade this budget-friendly dish (generally favoured by poor college students) into a luxurious meal, I was intrigued.
Supporters declared that this widely popular ramen hack would transform a thin soup into a rich broth bursting with umami that would rival bowls you’d find in Tokyo. As the hack originated from Japanese YouTuber, Harapeko Grizzly, you know it’s legit.
The key ingredient? Kewpie mayo! Easily recognizable in a soft-squeeze bottle emblazoned with a logo of a baby, this Japanese mayonnaise is made with premium egg yolks, giving the spread a deeper yellow hue, and apple or rice vinegar for a more subtle, sweeter tang.
Personal Experience
Would this mayo ramen hack really elevate two-minute instant noodles to the same level of ramen masters in Japan? Doubtful. That said, the process wasn’t very intensive so I decided to give it a shot, if only in the name of research and my deep and profound love of ramen.
While the noodles were submerged in boiling water, I combined the seasoning packet with a raw egg, minced garlic, and a generous dollop of Kewpie mayo in a bowl. Using my chopsticks, I quickly whisked the ingredients until they were blended into a viscous, wholly unappetizing mixture 🤢
I wasn’t keen on eating a raw egg but was somewhat mollified after pouring in some of the piping hot, starchy ramen water in along with the noodles. To top it all off, I sprinkled the dish with sliced scallions, dried seaweed, furikake, chilli flakes and a jammy, soft-boiled egg because I’m fancy like that.
Would I Make kewpie Mayo Ramen Again?
Sure.
Like many TikTok food trends that emerged during the pandemic, this mayo ramen hack was more work than I generally put into a quick instant noodle meal BUT it was worth it.
The mayo and egg added a lush richness to the broth, allowing it to cling to the noodles, while the garlic gave it a bite and depth of flavour. It’s the Asian equivalent of pasta carbonara and I love me some carbonara!
Rating: 9/10
Usually I have to be pretty certain that I’m going to like a new dish before putting in the time, effort and money but this TikTok food trends experiment was a fun change of pace from parking in front of Netflix with obscene amounts of takeout eats.
Looking for ways (other than ordering takeout) to support local Toronto restaurants and bars? Check out this post.
Keep your stalking game strong and follow me @teriaki if you aren’t already!
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