TikTok is a font of useful information as well as a cesspit of nonsense – the trick is being able to figure out which is which.
Sadly, there are widespread deficiencies of that skill that give rise to the likes of 'sugarmaxxing' and other scientifically-averse claims and trends. Regardless of what’s being said, TikTok is no substitute for peer-reviewed studies, no matter how many abs your snake oil salesman happens to have.
However, when it comes to largely meaningless life hacks, the risks are low and the gains are typically marginal. Accrue enough life hacks into your routine and you could potentially reclaim whole minutes from your regular routine, rendering even more time to doom scroll.
This one sounds particularly barmy, but it might just make cooking a little easier for you: you’re pouring your oil incorrectly!
Well, perhaps. This one comes courtesy of MamaB, also know as @chaldomom on TikTok, who posted a video demonstrating how to pour oil ‘correctly’.
The video opens with MamaB opening a large bottle of the stuff, with the caption, “Like seriously TikTok is awesome for teaching me something I didn’t know."
Now for the ‘hack’: she pulls of the little plastic cover from the bottle’s pout, then turns it upside down and lays it over the top of the hole whilst taking care not to drop it inside. Dropping it into the bottle seems like a complete inevitability, but okay.
She then demonstrates how the little plastic piece helps to control the oil’s flow, reducing it to a trickle.
Now, if you aren’t familiar with using a bottle, you can typically control the flow of the liquid inside it by tilting the bottle at a shallow angle. Life hack!
Back to MamaB’s technique. It’s had over 11 million views on TikTok, and plenty of comments.
"Urgh!!! I should’ve known about this a long time ago, it would’ve been helpful,” said one viewer. “Why doesn’t it say that on the bottle?"
MamaB replied: "I thought the same! I agree."
While people’s minds were being blown, others in the comments were debating whether you should add oil to boiling water to prevent your pasta from sticking together.
"Frightening how many people in these comments don’t have a single idea how to cook pasta,” said one who believes adding oil is a mistake. “More upsetting is how convinced they are that they’re right.”
"That’s a nice way for your sauce to never stick to the pasta… that’s basic cooking to not put oil on pasta before the sauce is on," said another user who seems to have got lost on their way to Reddit.
MamaB returned to add her two cents: "Once it’s cooked and done, I usually use olive oil so it doesn’t stick together. Not too much.”
Featured Image Credit: Laura Reid/Getty ImagesTopics: Social Media, TikTok, Cooking
Rachael Davis