This Is Why You Should Put Your Cereal In The Freezer
Covering everything from pancake cereal to easier lemon juice extraction, TikTok has become a veritable treasure trove of trendy recipe innovations and helpful food hacks that go viral. In recent weeks, just in time for summer, another clever idea has been sweeping the social media site: freezing cereal before eating.
One writer at BuzzFeed tried the trick with both Cheerios and Honey Bunches of Oats, and raved about the results. "I was skeptical going into this," she admitted. "I thought it had to be a joke because I couldn't figure out what could possibly make freezing cereal special. But ... it's really good! Like, WAY better than room temperature cereal?!"
According to MyRecipes, TikTok users have been taking up the challenge, reporting that the end result is "crunchy, cold, and delicious." While you could simply toss the full box in the fridge, TikTokers are going a step further to make the perfect frozen cereal. They're first pouring the cereal into a bowl, then chilling for a time — one user recommends 30 minutes (via Guilty Eats). After freezing in the bowl, simply pour milk over the cereal and start spooning.
Why frozen cereal tastes better
Guilty Eats notes that taste testers love the fact that the milk stays colder for longer, while the freezing process also seems to help maintain the cereal's crispness while eating. That's right — no more sogginess spoiling your go-to breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, or late-night) staple.
The #cerealhack experiment was widely performed by TikTokers on the old classic, Cheerios, but any cereal could work — except, of course, for those with sensitive teeth, who should probably avoid the strategy altogether (via Delish). The BuzzFeed tester even went so far as to say, "It's almost like you haven't properly had cereal until you've put a bowl in the freezer?!"
True, freezing cereal is not an entirely new suggestion. Back in 2010, Kitchn had recommended tossing cereal in a freezer-bound zip-top bag before eating for "the iciest way to start a morning," and an ideal way to cool down after an a.m. jog. But TikTok users have recently given this simple chill-out tactic an entirely new life online, and it's the kind of cold comfort most anyone can appreciate — no culinary expertise required.