If you’ve ever had a takeaway pizza, chances are you’ve encountered the little three-legged plastic stools placed at the centre of the your sliced pie.
They aren’t a universal feature, adding to their mystique, and it’s not entirely clear what they’re supposed to achieve.
You might imagine it’s there for structural integrity, preventing the lid from sagging down on your delicious toppings and mopping up some of the essential greases.
Wikipedia has it that the ‘pizza saver’, ‘pizza table’ or ‘pizza stool’ is indeed there to spare the pizza any unwelcome advances from its recepticle’s lid.
Another theory suggests the three-legged plastic thingies help the slices to stay together during delivery, although this seems like a stretch. Three slices might get pinned in place, but what about the other one to seven?
Tired of the collective ignorance we share over these pizza pals, TikToker Seb Web (@sebweb67) took to the platform to say they’re there for hygiene.
He captioned a video of him eating a margherita pizza with: "How old were you when you realised this little that comes with your pizza is actually there to stop you touching other slices?"
Demonstrating the point, the video shows him picking up the stool from the pizza’s centre before placing it on an adjacent slice.
He presses it down, then picks up the slice next to it with his other hand, tearing it off easily without having to touch the rest of the pizza.
Whether the stool’s originator had this function in mind is another matter, but commenters were quick to agree the mystery had finally been solved.
"I was today years old,” said one comment. “I thought it helped keep the pieces together when the mad bikers drive like they're fricking Formula 1 drivers."
"Age: Now," said another alongside some mind-blown emojis.
Others weren’t interested: "It's to stop the lid hitting the topping."
"That's not what it's for but ok," added another.
Where do you stand on the plastic stools' purpose?
Featured Image Credit: Anze Furlan / psgtproductions/Getty ImagesTopics: TikTok
Rachael Davis