How TikTok has changed the way we cook

It is the short-form style of the video that makes it easy for beginners to learn how to cook as well as those who already have experience in the kitchen. With comprehensive ingredient lists and easy steps, these videos allow users like college students to better their eating habits while living on their own.

David Hart, finance and accounting senior at Syracuse University, has used the app to help him in his transition from dorm living to off-campus housing.  

“I’ve never really had to cook before and I usually use TikTok just as a form of entertainment, but it has honestly really helped me with a few recipes,” Hart said. “The baked feta pasta was really easy, and it came out a lot better than I expected it to.” 

Due to their simplicity and quality, recipes like baked feta pasta have gone viral among all age groups and even found their way onto many popular cooking shows like the Rachael Ray Show. These emerging cooking ideas are being dubbed as “TikTok recipes” as they go viral through the app.

The TikTok account @foodies has almost 20 million followers and showcases a variety of meals to try through quick step-by-step tutorials. Pinterest even has its own section dedicated to the best TikTok recipes that currently has over one million followers.   

Aside from being a popular foodie trend, these recipes can have an impact from a business standpoint as well as a cultural one.  

According to The New York Times, the cheese industry is beginning to explode thanks to the popularity of TikTok’s baked feta pasta recipe. Anne Saxelby, the founder and co-owner of a cheese shop in New York City called Saxelby Cheesemongers, was unable to get a weekly shipment of cheese because of the demand for feta cheese due to the popularity of the recipe generated by the app, The Times said.

“(TikTok is) an easy way to go viral,” said Joe Puccio, broadcast and digital journalism freshman at SU. “There is a huge audience, and I think that it’s a great way for people to learn how to cook, which we all should.”  

Not only is TikTok becoming a useful tool for foodies sharing old recipes and learning new ones, but it’s also completely changing the way people are using social media. 

“I use TikTok every day,” Puccio said. “I’ve seen a lot of sports broadcasters putting their reels on there, but the way the videos are set up to go step by step and take the viewer through the design principles, it not only makes a magnificent product, but it makes TikTok a great place for that sort of content.”