The best (and worst) TikTok food trends of 2023: butter candles, tinned fish, and more

The tinned fish craze

This is not your typical tuna and sardines. Tinned fish has taken over TikTok well, leading many creators in search of premium, ethically sourced products—added points for cute branding, too.

Yes, familiar picks are part of the hype, albeit dressed up in funky flavours like wild mackerel with jalapeño, sardines with preserved lemons, and tuna belly in yuzu kosho, but the craze has led to a rise in a wealth of other tinned seafood. Open up a tin of rainbow trout, razor clams, lobster, smoked mussels, or even octopus, and enjoy.

This “tin to table” movement has grown so rampantly that even creators credited with starting the trend now have trouble getting their hands on their favourites. While some enjoy these delicacies on plain bread, perhaps with some butter, fresh tomatoes, or creamy hummus, others have let their imagination run wild with mussels, okonomiyaki, and lobster don nabe rice.

Related: Fish-tok: The tinned fish trend explored

Grated frozen fruit

This brilliant TikTok trend is the ultimate summer treat, and it only really requires two things: your frozen fruit of choice and a microplane or ultra-fine box grater. Not only is this shortcut far easier than making granita or sherbet from scratch, but grated frozen fruit also retains all the fibre and eliminates the added sugar.

The possibilities are endless, with a wealth of fruit bases at your disposal: strawberry, mango, pineapple, watermelon, peach, grape, orange, and even dragonfruit. Use whatever you’ve got lying around—it’s a creative way to reduce food waste.

Enjoy your frozen treat on its own, or top it with some milk (or condensed milk for a more indulgent treat), whipped cream, Greek yoghurt, or a drizzle of honey. Toppings like nata de coco, mochi, toasted coconut, lime zest, mint, basil, cereal, and even some fresh fruit would go great on this, too. Get wild with your flavour combinations, or recreate familiar flavours like orange creamsicle and piña colada.

See more: What does it take to be the world’s #23 bar? Step inside Melbourne’s cocktail pub Caretaker’s Cottage

Feta fried eggs

The verdict is in: feta fried eggs are the Internet’s new favourite way to enjoy this breakfast staple, with many creators vowing they will “never make fried eggs any other way again”. The fried egg hype is nothing new; there was chilli crisp, pesto, and even cream before this feta iteration. However, these crispy, cheesy feta-fried eggs became a fast favourite and ultimately dominated the trend.

The key to perfect feta fried eggs is using quality feta and patiently sautéeing your crumbled feta in a hot pan, keeping a watchful eye to prevent burning. Form your sautéed curds into a circle, and crack an egg into the centre. Once the whites have set and the edges of your feta have browned to a crisp, immediately transfer your egg to a plate or your vessel of choice— a slice of toast or a warm tortilla switch. Some smashed avocado would work beautifully here. Finish it with some EVOO, chilli flakes, fried herbs, salt and pepper (always, salt and pepper), or some salsa and hot sauce.

Related: The Eggs Factor: Asia’s top chefs share their favourite egg recipes

Butter candles

This viral food trend is exactly what it sounds like edible candles made of butter. Described as a fun and unique way to enjoy your bread and butter, the candle is fitted with a food-safe wick so you can dip your bread across the melted pool of butter. Some creators play with flavours like garlic, shallots, lemon, herbs, and red wine, while other iterations even go so far as using a bread bowl so the butter candle can sit at the centre of your loaf as it melts. While creative, we can’t help but grimace at the thought of excess waste, and the unavoidable mess it comes with. After all, softened, creamy, spreadable butter makes a far better companion for your loaf of choice.

In case you missed it: Are butter boards the new cheese platters? Here’s how to make your own

Girl dinner

I love a good grazing board as much as the next person— as someone who loves to feast upon a diversity of textures and flavours, a spread of cheese, charcuterie, crackers, crudites, mezze, and bread, is music to my ears. However, many contend that the term “girl dinner” is problematic. Online, the so-called “girl dinner” often consists of small, insubstantial meals lacking in nutrition, and critics are concerned that the trend can promote disordered eating (especially since the trend is gendered after a demographic that disproportionately suffers from eating disorders). Although this was not at all the original intention, and there are certainly “girl dinners” that comprise a hearty, nutritious spread, the trend may present a slippery slope.

Related: Grazing table 101: 8 expert tips from Karla Zulueta, founder of Apéritif

Hypersexualised cooking videos

The thirst trapping has gone too far. What started as a relatively innocent string of shirtless posts and ASMR has spiralled into a perverse trend of hypersexualised content, and viewers are not all too happy about it. Many even argue that such videos, disguised as recipe videos, fetishise the food, whether overtly or otherwise. 

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