Dumb and Dangerous: The Dark Side of Recipe Hacks Videos Revealed

This day and age are swarmed with recipe hacks anyone can find on different online platforms. However, are they as good as they may seem?

With the technological advancement we have at present, we learn many things just by going to the internet and watching a short video.

Often, no research is needed as these videos seemed reliable, especially the recipe hacks online. However, according to Food Tribe, a large proportion of these recipes simply don't work.

Chris Fox of BBC Clicks even tried some of these viral recipe hacks to check if following the process on the video can get you the same results.

Sadly, many of the said hacks will not get you the result you wanted, neither what was shown. Similarly, Ann Reardon, a Food Scientist, echoed this revelation and made a YouTube video to expose the dark side of these hacks.

She adds that the makers of these recipe videos are using editing to swap out ingredients secretly and to deceive viewers. She says that the use of editing shows that what these channels publish are just fantasy transformations. Additionally, recipe hack videos are said to be more of a clickbait content that works best on YouTube and Facebook.

Hacks That Are Useless and Pointless

One video hack shows how to make a quick breakfast using a paper bag with bacon and eggs inside.

According to the video, you can break your eggs into the bag, throw in the bacon and hold it over the flame. It showed an intact paper bag with a delicious breakfast inside. However, this will obviously not work, and it is pointless even to try.

Hacks That Spells Danger

There are also recipe hacks that are not only flawed but flat out dangerous. One of which is a video showing how to make a sugar nest using a spinning hand whisk with molten caramel poured over it.

Experts tested this recipe hack and showed that the whisk sprayed molten caramel in all directions around the room, making it extremely dangerous.

Another video hack showed how to make white strawberries. While this video seems to be entertaining, it is by far dangerous. In the video, the strawberries were submerged and in a bowl of bleach until it turned white. With the amount of bleach absorbed by the strawberries, anyone that would consume them will get poisoned.

A similar hack also showed how to sort dead ends in the hair by burning them off with a candle. This may not be a food recipe, but it is a sure recipe for disaster.

Watching the video hacks, you will notice that it is full of bright colors, youthful actors, and chirpy music. Obviously, the target audience for these hacks is not just would-be cooks but the younger generation.

Without much guidance, when watching these recipe hack videos, there could be a possibility that someone might consume something that should not be eaten in the first place. Moreover, using microwaves, stovetops, and other kitchen appliances appropriately may cause accidents and unwanted disasters.