15 TikTok Food Hacks That Are Actually Worth Trying
One of the best parts about TikTok is how people are willing to share some of their knowledge to help the rest of us become that much more informed. We've learned all kinds of new skills, heard history we somehow missed in high school, and even discovered a few tricks like tasty potato hacks to use in the kitchen.
These hacks make for an easier time in the kitchen and create new treats. From desserts made from unexpected ingredients to storing food in the best way possible, our favorite hacks are the ones we stumble across and become, and as the TikTok sound says, become "an unconscious standard practice." The mark of a good hack is one that you learn once and are eager to pass on to others. So, if after employing some of these hacks, you find that they've actually changed the way you do something, don't forget to share the love with those around you.
1. Air fryer pancakes
We love countertop small appliances that can change how we operate in the kitchen. These devices simplify our lives and allow us to make foods in ways we probably hadn't imagined. That's why we're such fans of The Food Guy's air fryer pancake TikTok hack. Typically, making pancakes involves a pan and spatula, but with the air fryer pancake TikTok hack, you can create a far simpler version with no flipping required.
For this one, you'll prepare your pancake batter like you would for making pancakes on the stove. Then, place a square of parchment paper at the bottom of the air fryer basket, add some pancake batter over the top, place another square, and repeat with the batter until you have a stack you're happy with. Cook at 300 F, and you'll have perfectly browned pancakes in a short time. You may notice that the pancakes toward the bottom of your pile aren't quite as done, but this way, you can give everyone the pancake doneness they prefer.
2. Rice bowls
We use rice as the base for all kinds of delicious meals. Though a bed of rice is good, creating a rice bowl is an even better option. Of course, making a rice bowl can be a little challenging if you don't go about it in a way intended to simplify the process. That's why we love Zuzu's rice bowl hack that uses actual bowls to create the perfect form for your lunch or dinner.
Start by taking a large bowl and placing another upside down inside it. Then, begin piling on the rice, placing it over the top of and around the smaller bowl inside the larger one. Pack down the rice to help it keep its form. From there, place your plate on top of the rice and flip over the bowl and plate so that your plate is sitting on the table. Pull off the larger bowl, followed by the smaller one, revealing a bowl made from rice. To this, add your intended stir-fry or stew and enjoy.
3. Oreo mug cake
When those late-evening cravings hit, it can be difficult to know exactly how to proceed. Even worse, if you want a fresh-baked option and none exists, that craving will do nothing but linger. Thankfully, delightful hacks like mug cakes exist, and with the Oreo mug cake hack in hand, you may be only a few pantry staples away from staving off that late-night, fresh-baked goodness craving.
For this one, get yourself a large, microwavable mug. In the bottom, drop four Oreos as The Food Guy does, and then top it with a fourth cup of milk. Use a fork to smash and mix those together until you have a thick texture. Add to that mix a tablespoon each of sugar and flour. Then, goes in ½ teaspoon of baking powder followed by a teaspoon of your favorite cocoa powder. Stir that well and drop in one more Oreo, pushing it into the mix so that it is covered. Pop it in the microwave for just one minute and dig in. If you're feeling extra, grab a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream for a real treat.
4. Avocado water storage
After returning home from the grocery store, there's a good chance that your next move is putting away groceries. Though this can be a daunting task if you make a rather large shopping trip, it's all the more difficult if you also need to decide how to store your items to avoid spoilage. However, Renee Reina has us covered here with a great hack for storing your avocados.
If you're anything like us, you spend a lot of time in the store searching for perfectly ripe avocados only to have them go too ripe a short time later. To avoid this quick spoilage, submerge these avocados in water, store them in the refrigerator, and watch them last much longer than they would have otherwise. Be sure you store them unopened and unpitted. When you're ready to use them, simply remove them from the refrigerator, dry them off, and prepare them in whatever method you'd like, all the while in awe of this long-term ripeness.
5. Ice cream fruit roll ups
Fruit roll-up treats are practically a rite of passage for kids, enjoying their gummy goodness and tasty, fruity combinations. So, we're quickly sold when we see a new way to enjoy such treats.
The hack here is simple: you'll only need fruit roll-ups, vanilla ice cream, and your freezer. Be sure you get the kind of fruit roll-up that unrolls in sheets, not the Fruit by the Foot variety. The Andy's Life TikTok account shows us how to prepare the snack by unfurling the fruit roll-ups and scooping the vanilla on top. Take the corners of the fruit roll-up and wrap them around the ice cream, pressing the corners in and sealing the edges. Then, place it back in the freezer and give it time to come together. Upon removal, take a bite and enjoy all that crunchy goodness from your now-frozen fruit roll-up mochi-like treat. Of course, you can try other varieties of ice cream, but you'll probably want to stick to vanilla or fruit options to avoid unappetizing flavor combinations.
6. Lemon squeeze
We use lemon in plenty of our recipes, and when it comes to making those dishes, we also know that fresh lemon tastes the absolute best. That's why we're such a fan of a simple trick jocelynnne shows that turns a whole lemon into a lemon squirter to add just the perfect amount of lemon to your favorite foods. It reminds us of the little squeezable lemon bottle you can purchase from the store, full of lemon juice that's ready for use.
Begin by taking your lemon and squishing it a small amount on the counter, rolling it with the heel of your hand to juice the most juice possible from the fruit. Then, insert a sturdy toothpick into one end, pushing into the lemon to make a path for the juice to escape from the fruit. Now, you can use that lemon as a squirter. This isn't necessarily the best hack for adding lemon as an ingredient, but it's perfect for adding lemon as something of a condiment.
7. Enhanced store bought cinnamon rolls
We love cinnamon rolls, but if you're making them from scratch, it can be quite the labor of love. That's why we're particularly fond of taking store-bought cinnamon rolls and making them extra special using instructions from Tammylouiseee. The best part is nearly all the hard work is done for you already; you just need to add a few extra ingredients.
Take your canned cinnamon rolls and place them in a rather deep dish casserole dish. Then, pour heavy whipping cream between the cinnamon rolls to fill that space. It should pool at the bottom a little bit. Then, melt some butter and add to it brown sugar, cinnamon, a dash of vanilla, and stir it until everything is combined. It'll look like a paste, and then you'll put it over each cinnamon roll in your casserole dish. You can dollop it on rather than being too meticulous, but you can also spread it over the top more evenly if you choose to. Cover it with foil and pop it in your oven, where the magic happens. Upon removal, you can slather them in the frosting that's already included or even make some of your own frosting and put it over the top.
8. Ritz cheese cutter
A true hack should make something in your life easier, and this Ritz crackers hack does just that. If you've ever enjoyed a sleeve of Ritz crackers and been slightly bothered by the need for an extra utensil to cut cheese for the crackers, you'll especially be fond of this one.
You may have noticed that the edges of Ritz crackers have something of a scalloped edge. It turns out, as The Real Nodbody shows us, this is useful for more than just decoration. Turn your cracker on its side and gently press it into a piece of cheese or meat, rolling the Ritz as you might a pizza cutter. You'll find that those scalloped edges will actually cut the toppings for your cracker, making the presence of an additional cheese knife unnecessary. This is especially helpful in situations where extra utensils might be difficult, like on road trips or even with small children. Simply teach this hack, and they'll have what they need.
9. Peeled strawberries
As we learn to cook, we also learn how to prepare fruits and veggies for recipes and snacking, along the way discovering that there are certain foods that need to be peeled while others do not require the same treatment. Strawberries, for example, are typically a fruit we enjoy without peeling them, but if you've ever had the chance to listen to Chef José Andrés talk about peeled strawberries, you may quickly change your mind.
To get the absolute most out of the fruit, Chef José Andrés recommends peeling them to remove the seedy texture and enjoy the actual texture of the inside of the strawberry. You can do this very carefully with a small paring knife, as Chef Andrés does on TikTok. It may not be a hack that makes your meal preparation shorter, but it will be a hack that takes your appreciation of strawberries to a different place.
10. Mayonaisse as binder
Chances are good that you've had chicken tenders from a restaurant either as an adult or most certainly in those picky, younger years before your tastes expanded much beyond chicken. No doubt, those tenders are quite tasty, but you can also make them even better at home. Roice Bethel explains that using mayonnaise as your breading binder leads to great chicken tenders.
This hack is simple because all it does is require you to replace whatever binder you may have used previously to attach breadcrumbs and seasonings to your chicken tenders with mayonnaise. It may seem unorthodox, but by doing so, the breadcrumbs will stick right to your chicken tenders and give you some of the juiciest chicken you can imagine. Plus, it's super simple to apply, and all you'll really need is a brush like one you might use to add barbecue sauce to chicken, for example.
11. Ramen popcorn
We absolutely love flavored popcorn, but the fact that it can be so much more expensive than typical, pop-right-in-bag popcorn is more than a little frustrating. That's why we're big fans of the ramen popcorn hack. For this one, you'll just need a package of ramen in addition to microwavable popcorn.
Pop the popcorn as you typically would, and while it's still warm, open the bag up and dump in the seasoning packet from your ramen package. Swervinervin uses chicken ramen, and we think this is a great flavor to start with, knowing you can experiment with flavor from there. With the leftover noodles this creates, you could throw them out, but we prefer keeping them in a plastic bag and using them the next time we want to get fancy with our ramen noodles and make a sauce at home rather than relying on the package. You could use a similar hack on your next trip to the movie theater and simply bring along a ramen packet for when you order your popcorn at the theater and mix it in as you see fit.
12. Cupcake trick
It is hard not to love cupcakes, but the cooking process can be a bit daunting, especially if your cupcake tin gives you some pretty inconsistent cupcakes. To help alleviate some of these frustrations, Kroger recommends grabbing some dry rice the next time that you are whipping up a batch of cupcakes.
To help ensure the bottoms of your cupcakes cook evenly and do not get stuck to the bottom of your tin, simply sprinkle some dry rice in the bottom of each cup before you place your paper liners. Fill those liners as you typically would, and cook as you would as well. You will find that not only do your cupcake liners slide right out of the pan, but those bottoms stay perfect with no annoying stickage. Not to mention, this hack goes beyond cupcakes, as it is also a very handy tip for making muffins.
13. Sandwich sliders
It's no secret that King's Hawaiian bread is a delicious option for potlucks and celebrations during the various holiday seasons. However, these rolls are handy for more than just these occasions, especially if you want to make some sandwiches in advance. On your next outdoor adventure, where you would want to bring some pre-made food, get yourself a package of King's Hawaiian rolls for easy sandwich sliders.
Brooke from mealsandmunchies demonstrates slicing them so that you have a large top and a large bottom, but all the rolls are still connected together. Then, add in all of your condiments, meats, and cheeses, and then put the sandwich top back on. From there, cut the sandwiches down so that each one is the size of a typical Hawaiian roll, with the filling on the inside, carefully maintaining the rectangular shape of all the rolls together. Then, use the white cardboard that comes along with the rolls to help reform it even better. Slide it right back into the bag it came in, use the closure to seal it, and you'll have sandwich sliders ready for your next outdoor adventure or picnic.
14. Cupcake sandwich
Some desserts are so delicious that it doesn't matter how messy you get eating them, you're going to enjoy them anyway. For us, cupcakes definitely fall into that category. But we were forever sold when we learned an awesome hack from Anne Hathaway via the Kelly Clarkson Show that reveals we've been eating cupcakes all wrong.
To eat a cupcake in a way that saves your face from frosting and makes for a much more enjoyable experience, twist off the bottom cupcake part as carefully as you can and then place it on top of the frosting, creating a whoopie pie sort of situation. Now, your cupcake has a topper, saving your face from embarrassing frosting nonsense. After you do this once, you're going to be hooked and never look at cupcake snacking the same way. You'll also probably impress the party guests around you, making it a perfect learning opportunity for your friends to learn this cupcake hack, too.
15. Wine glass for dip
Hosting parties is great fun, but if you're anything like us, you tend to go a little overboard on the finger foods. We often find, for example, that we simply run out of great chip and dip options. That's why we're absolutely thrilled we came across this excellent hack for making a chip-and-dip bowl out of items you already own.
Simply gather a large bowl and a wine glass. Place the wine glass in the middle of your bowl, surround it with your chips or crackers, and fill up the wine glass with your chosen dip or spread. In no time at all, you have the perfect chip and dip arrangement. If you're also a little low on large bowls or wine glasses, given the necessities for preparing a party spread, Helen G Bailey recommends heading on over to your nearest dollar store, and you're bound to find a large bowl and wine or margarita glass that will suit just fine and cost you only a few dollars.