Throwback quarantine: cuisine straight from the TikTok screen

By Sophie Salem, Staff Writer

With one of the most unprecedented years to date, the world has been forced to be innovative and proactive in order to make the most of the days stuck indoors. From baking chocolate chip cookies to painting a field of flowers, members of society have expressed their imaginations and allowed their creative juices to flow far and wide. With the help of TikTok, a social media platform compiled of short videos which are shared across the world, many have been inspired to be a part of various food trends. With simple ingredients and short videos, TikTok has provided tons of recipes to whip up as an after-school snack.

Whipped Coffee

Iced coffee– the perfect beverage for the perfect mood. The cold, refreshing flavor is a great start to the day, or can even work as a reset after hours of online school. Though 22 percent of Americans drink iced coffee, this TikTok coffee trend is a drink like no other. Whipped coffee, also known as Dalgona coffee, originated in South Korea and recently spread all over TikTok. This fluffy and foamy treat has mesmerized the world and can be made with four common household ingredients. In just five minutes, one can whip instant coffee, sugar and boiling water to top their favorite milk. Just like traditional iced coffee, whipped coffee has the same revitalizing effect, but also is just like sipping a caffeinated cloud. This Mar. 2020 throwback will undoubtedly make one feel nostalgic about the beginning of quarantine.

The TikTok account @plantyou has a great step-by-step tutorial to perfect the whipped coffee trend! 

Baked Feta Pasta

Just recently in January, a delectable baked feta pasta dish took over TikTok. Coming from Finland, this pasta recipe gained an unusual amount of popularity after food blogger Jenni Hyranan released it in 2019. With simple ingredients such as cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, various spices and cooked pasta, this flavorful meal led to a feta shortage amongst the Finnish population. Now, two years later, TikTokers are bringing Jenni’s recipe back to life. By baking these ingredients and giving them a good mix, a creamy yet tangy pasta to enjoy with family is created.

Head over to @everything_delish for a simple baked feta pasta recipe!

Mini Pancake Cereal

Good old-fashioned pancakes have been a breakfast staple for thousands of years, but this past summer, TikTok star Melanie Locke invented an even better way to enjoy breakfast. By combining two breakfast favorites, cereal and pancakes, Locke took TikTok by storm with her mini pancake cereal! To make this creative treat, start by making miniature pancakes, about one centimeter in diameter each, and smother them with some milk and syrup. Though the process is time consuming, the crispiness and fluffiness is worth a try. This TikTok pancake cereal has inspired users to find other ways to make miniature foods. There have been experiments substituting the miniature pancakes with mini donuts and mini cinnamon rolls as well. This tiny food craze is bound to make one rethink breakfast.

To make these mini treats, @myhealthydish is the ideal place to go to for easy instructions that anyone can follow. 

Cloud Bread

There is nothing more dreamy than sitting on a cloud, but what about eating one? With just egg whites, sugar and cornstarch, the notorious cloud bread is baked to perfection. First introduced in the 1970s, cloud bread was made as a keto and low-carb bread alternative. Now, many years later, TikTok has been bombarded with videos pulling apart this soft and fluffy treat. Cloud bread, almost like an altered version of meringue, is luscious enough to melt in one’s mouth just like cotton candy. Though it tastes just like a sweet scrambled egg, the pretty and soft texture makes up for it. To make cloud bread even more captivating, many TikTok users have added some food coloring to color their cloud. Some even add their own special flavors like strawberry or vanilla to make their cloud bread more unique. This simple recipe is a great, one-of-a-kind snack to end the school day.

Learn how to make this fluffy cloud with @abimhn on TikTok!