After the year we've all had, where would we be without TikTok? It's made us laugh, and it's even made us cry (some of the videos are really sad, OK?) and it's even taught us how to cook. With all of these people with different backgrounds and levels of cooking knowledge together on one app, TikTok has become full of cooking hacks and tricks that we never would have thought of on our own — and so many of them are truly game changers.
Though many of us simply enjoy scrolling through our "For You" page when we open the app, it's definitely worth a journey over to #FoodTok — especially before your next grocery trip. These tricks will help streamline the cooking process and make dinnertime easier, faster, and yummier — all at the same time, and who couldn't use more hours in the day (or more yummy meals in their life)? Plus, a lot of these hacks are actually fun, even for those of us who don't love spending time in the kitchen.
Read on for some of the best #FoodTok hacks that have been posted on TikTok so far. Warning: These videos will almost certainly make you hungry.
Toaster Quesadillas
Looking for a quick snack? This way of making quesadillas couldn't possibly be easier — or more mess-free. Just fill your quesadilla with cheese, fold it over as instructed in the video, and pop it in the toaster. Just a couple of minutes later, you have a cheesy, crispy quesadilla, and zero dishes to wash.
How To Peel Ginger
It can be tempting to just avoid making any recipe that includes ginger because of how hard it is to peel, but fortunately, this hack means nobody has to miss out anymore. Instead of using a knife or a peeler, peel the ginger with a spoon for a much easier (and faster) experience — and you won't cut your finger in the process.
Kitchen Gadgets to Try
There are a lot of useful kitchen gadgets out there that TikTok will probably influence you to buy, but they're definitely worth it! This video shows off a banana slicer that works in seconds, a salad spinner that gets all the excess liquid out of chopped lettuce, and more.
Homemade Pasta Hack
Thinking of making homemade pasta instead of picking up a box of spaghetti at the store? This video addresses one of the easiest ways to ensure yummy pasta every time — kneading the dough for at least 10 minutes to make sure it's perfectly smooth. That's simple enough!
Roasting Garlic
Anytime you cook with garlic, it brings the level of the dish up a few notches, and roasted garlic is even better! This video shows how to easily roast it in a mess-free way, using some olive oil and aluminum foil. Anyone else wanna make that bread dip along with your homemade pasta?
Next-Level Ramen
Sure, you could just boil your ramen, add the seasoning packet, and eat it — or you could put in a little extra effort and eat something that looks like this. Until now, we didn't know that cloud eggs actually existed, but seeing how easy something so complicated looking can be to make is begging for us to try it.
Crispy Potatoes
These potatoes have been going viral on TikTok, and it's easy to see why — they look amazing! Just by cutting them a little differently, we can create a type of potato that might just be yummier than traditional fries (and yes, we're aware of how strong a statement that is, but just look at them!).
A Yummy, Healthy Dessert
Trying to eat healthier, but still have a sweet tooth? This quesadilla is made with ingredients like strawberries, yogurt, and even chocolate chips, and after using a mini waffle iron to put it all together, it actually looks amazing. Even our kids would eat this!
Green Onion Hack
Wasting food (and in turn, money) really sucks, but this will help you reduce the waste created when you use green onions for a recipe and don't need the rest quite yet. Chop them up, put them in an empty plastic water bottle, and store them in the freezer, and then just sprinkle them out when you need them next!
Bread Storage
Try as we might to hang onto that little twist tie when we open up our bread, inevitably, it gets lost — but this hack will take care of that! Twisting the plastic and then folding it over will keep the bread fresh, and no tiny twist tie is needed in the process!
Slicing Tomatoes
Some bad news: You've probably been cutting tomatoes wrong your entire life. But fortunately, with this little lesson, you'll learn the right way to do it. Instead of cutting it top to bottom, cut it on the side. That way, you end up with the beautiful slices you're used to seeing at restaurants and not the empty tomato circles most of us end up with at home.
Homemade Cheez-Its
It's so easy to eat an entire box of Cheez-Its in one sitting, but what do we do when they're all gone? Make our own, of course! Slicing up some colby jack cheese, sprinkling sea salt on top, and baking it results in giant, yummy Cheez-Its (and they're a bit healthier this way, too).
Pancake Cereal
Want to make a cute, yummy breakfast for your kids (and for you) that also happens to be perfectly Instagram worthy? Try making this pancake cereal by piping out small pancakes instead of big ones and filling a bowl up with all that delicious pancake-y goodness. With maple syrup on top, of course!
Bell Pepper Hack
Have that bell pepper cut in seconds without dealing with the seeds. As this video shows, just chop off the stem, and slice along the lines on the bottom of the pepper. This results in four equal, perfect pieces you can then chop further, leaving the core and seeds inside the pepper.
Mozzarella Goodness
Craving mozzarella sticks, but don't have the frozen kind on hand? It's possible to make round fried mozzarella by using white bread, cheese, egg, and breadcrumb and then frying it — all ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Doesn't get much easier than that!
A Little Variety
Family can't decide on what dessert they want, or want to surprise your kids with the best, most unique birthday treat ever? This is how to make eight different desserts on one sheet pan. It might be a little time-consuming, but as far as we can tell from the video, the end result is totally worth it.
Cereal Hack
This hack is perfect for anyone who likes milk in their cereal, but isn't a big fan of the stuff in general. As this dude shows us, just eat the cereal with a slotted spoon instead. That way, most of the milk drains out, but the cereal isn't dry. Watch out, though — it does get messy!
De-Stemming Strawberries
Cutting up strawberries can be a bit time-consuming, but this will definitely help! Instead of dealing with the stem with a knife, just use a plastic straw to pull that stem out, leaving more strawberry behind and making them super simple to slice or eat whole.
Jar Hack
Try as we might, opening jars is just impossible sometimes, and we can't cook what we're making without whatever's in the jar in question. Next time, try slipping a hair tie over the lid to open it up. It's worth a try — you probably already have one on your wrist already!
Frozen Food Storage
Sometimes, you don't have a clip handy for a bag we opened that needs to go back in the freezer, but good news: You don't need one! Cutting the bag as shown in this video leaves you with two pieces you can then tie, keeping the contents inside and ready for the next time you need them.
