The popular social media app TikTok has given us many things over the past few years during its rise to popularity. Between dances, popular memes and catchy songs, who would’ve thought that TikTok would provide a new guide to cooking? TikTok has stepped up its cooking content, with thousands of new recipes being posted to the app daily from a variety of users. From restaurant copycat recipes, to cooking hacks that make kitchen navigation easier, TikTok’s recent presence in the cooking space has led to a revolution in cooking—specifically for Generation Z. Let’s take a look at some of the most popularized recipe trends on TikTok.
1. Salmon rice
Of course, we have to begin with one of the most popularized recipes on TikTok. Brought to the attention of millions of users by TikToker Emily Mariko, this recipe is, essentially, “broken-down” sushi.
The ingredients:
This recipe features five critical ingredients:
- Salmon (pro tip: this is the perfect way to put your leftovers from the night before to use)
- Rice
- Mayonnaise (pro tip: Emily recommends Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise)
- Sriracha
- Roasted seaweed snacks
If your salmon isn’t already prepared, cook it, seasoned to your liking. For this recipe, I marinated the salmon in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, ginger, sesame oil, salt and pepper. I decided to cook the salmon in my air fryer, my go-to way to cook salmon recently. Once you’ve prepared the salmon, you can mash the salmon onto a plate. I then added in the rice. I prepared mine fresh, but Mariko uses leftover rice, steaming it in the microwave with an ice cube that *magically* doesn’t melt. Once you mash these two together, you add in the mayonnaise and the sriracha. Mix these all together and you’re almost done. My personal favorite addition to the recipe is sliced avocado. Pile on the mixture, the avocado and ta-da!
2. Air fryer cookie
This recipe has been a total game-changer for me. It combines two things I love: chocolate chip cookies and my air fryer! This recipe is pretty straightforward. You can either use store-bought cookie dough such as Nestle, or you can make your own dough (my personal favorite can be found here). After preparing your dough, place a sheet of parchment paper or sprayed aluminum foil in your air fryer. Place the dough on the parchment paper and pop the cookies in! I cooked mine at 350 degrees for six to eight minutes. Not only is this method delicious, but it also cuts the normal baking time of cookies almost in half.
3. Spicy pickled garlic
This recipe caught me by surprise. I love garlic (and pickled items for that matter); however, I didn’t expect to love this easy-to-make recipe as much as I did. The ingredients are simple. You can either start by buying a jar of pickled garlic from the store, or make your own at home. I made my own:
Recipe for pickled garlic:
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup garlic cloves
For best results, let this sit for five days before continuing on to the next steps.
To add the spiciness to the pickled garlic, you can really make it your own. My favorite add-ins are sriracha, chili flakes, thyme and oregano. You, of course, can use any add-ins you like. This is great by itself if you like a spicy snack, or you can incorporate this into other recipes.