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Social media has rapidly become one of the ways so many of us access information, and that includes what and how we eat. Whether you’ve prepared a viral dish like Marry-Me Chicken, asked your friend why everyone was trying to make ice cream out of cottage cheese, or inadvertently realized you’ve been buying a lot more cabbage at the grocery store, it’s likely that scrolling through food videos on Instagram and TikTok has affected you somehow.
We covered a lot of the delicious (and also less-than-tasty) moments on the internet this year, and there were a few themes that our audience loved the most. Readers were drawn to viral treats, memes, hacks, and — more than anything else — combatting misinformation. Being knowledgeable about food and cooking also includes being able to recognize what’s not true, and our discerning audience was eager to stay on top of it in 2024.
From insights you should incorporate into your usual routine, to those we recommend avoiding, these are the social media moments that our readers were the most curious about this year.
Are You Being Scammed by the Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar?
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A chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream and crispy knafeh — or kataifi — took over the internet this year. When you see the creamy, gooey filling with crispy pieces of phyllo dough oozing out of a bar that’s been cracked open, it’s not surprising that so many people wanted to taste it. Social media feeds were full of people reviewing renditions of the Dubai chocolate bar, and one website purported to be selling the original treat from Fix Dessert Chocolatier, but not everything is as it seems. It turns out any versions of the famous bar in the United States are likely not the real deal, and you’ll have to go directly to Dubai to try it — or rely on one of the many videos online that will teach you how to recreate it at home.
Josh Cellars Wine Was all Over the Internet — Here’s Why
JOSH CELLARS
There was a clear winner for the internet’s favorite wine this year, and it comes from Josh Cellars. What is somewhat less obvious is whether people love Josh wine for its taste or the seemingly endless possibilities for memes based on its name. Either way, Josh Cellars was quick to jump into the digital conversations surrounding its product, which only made the jokes more fun — and if you haven’t tried the brand’s wine before, it’s available at Target, Walmart, CVS, and some gas stations, for accessible prices ranging from $12 to $25.
Your Cutting Board May Have 200 Times More Fecal Bacteria Than a Toilet Seat
Food & Wine / Getty Images
If this headline shocks you, you’re certainly not alone. Perhaps that’s why this “fact” has been passed around the internet for several years, with new viral videos telling users that cutting boards harbor fecal bacteria popping up on an annual basis. We took one for the team and did research to find out if your cutting board is actually cleaner than a toilet seat or not, and the answer is…. complicated. But don’t worry, we’ve also provided some essential advice for how to keep your cutting board as clean as possible.
Please Don’t Try These Social Media Food Trends at Home
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Some cooking tips and recipes from social media are great (here’s looking at you, French Onion Pasta), but others not so much. Our readers were eager to learn which Instagram and TikTok trends weren’t worth their time, and why — like making “miniature” fried eggs, which relies on a dangerous technique that doesn’t follow food safety protocol, or one-pot pastas that call for you to bake raw noodles in the oven. Learn exactly what not to do, so that you can become a better home cook in 2025.
This Costco Hack Will Help You Buy Beef for Less
Food & Wine / Costco Wholesale Corporation / Getty Images
You might be familiar with content creators who recommend their favorite grocery products, but the insider tip that immediately caught our eye online is how to purchase premium cuts of meat for a lower price at Costco. Several influencers shared that by buying unsliced cuts of meat, like a rib roast or sirloin, you can simply slice them yourself and get high-quality steaks for a significantly lower price per pound. This tip is especially useful to stock up for summer if you’re going to be grilling regularly or when entertaining a crowd. Not planning to cook all the meat at once? We have some advice on how to properly freeze it for later use.
If You Love Beans, You Need to Try These 5 TikTok Cooking Hacks
Food & Wine / annick vanderschelden photography / Getty Images
Besides viral recipes, popular ingredients also abound in digital food content. Chili crisp, cottage cheese, and dill pickles have been all over our feeds this year in a myriad of formats. But one of the internet’s favorite ingredients I’m the most excited about is the budget-friendly canned beans. We’ve collected five tricks from social media for cooking with canned beans at home, whether that’s making them into a now-iconic dense bean salad, blitzing them into brownies, or something else entirely.
Social Media Users Love Chia Seed Water, but Is It Safe to Drink?
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Chia seeds are great, but you have to be careful about how you consume them. While many individuals have posted videos of themselves drinking chia seed water this year, there are a few issues with this practice: the seeds are often not fully bloomed, and you shouldn’t drink too much of them — most importantly, a glass of chia seed water cannot function as a meal replacement. We consulted experts to find out how to safely reap the benefits of chia seeds (spoiler alert, a small sprinkle makes a great salad topper), so you can head into 2025 with a fiber-rich diet.
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