This Tofu Knife TikTok Has Reddit Confused
Molecular gastronomy has gotten a bad name — literally. Heston Blumenthal, one of the culinary movement's more prominent players, says the process of transforming food through science should never have been called "molecular gastronomy" because the name makes it sound elitist and too complicated (via The Guardian). TikToker @asianmuminlaw, whose account is called "Dr. Ding's Molecular Cuisine," wants to bring this esoteric trend to the masses. They're succeeding: The 50-plus videos they've posted to the platform have received 67 million likes.
One of Dr. Ding's more popular TikTok videos, viewed 14.5 million times so far, upends our expectations about tofu. The video starts with text over the image that reads, "Your tofu is soft." Well, Dr. Ding has a solution for that. True to molecular gastronomy's reputation, it's complicated.
Dr. Ding mixes a block of tofu in a blender, separates out the liquid with a centrifuge, then bakes the pasty remnants in the oven. After the tofu comes out of the oven, Dr. Ding cuts a knife blade-shaped piece out of the tofu, sands the edge to sharpness, then demonstrates how their newly crafted tofu knife can cut through a grape, a tomato, and something that might be cabbage.
Why would you make a knife from tofu ... if you already have a knife?
Dr. Ding's Molecular Cuisine on TikTok showed just how versatile coagulated soy milk can be — if you have the right tools. The always keen observers on Reddit aren't sure whether to be impressed or just confused. A Redditor with the username "sepulchore" summed up both positions nicely: "Useless but very impressive."
Another Reddit commenter couldn't get past the fact that the TikToker had a knife the whole time. They used it to cut their baked tofu into a knife shape. "You need a knife to make a useless knife," blackBugattiVeyron said. Others noted that the video had little to no instructional value because it didn't involve ordinary kitchen equipment. "Yeah gimme a sec I'll just bring out my centrifuge I definitely have," Redditor Oli_VK said, with undeniable sarcasm.
What would motivate someone to make a knife from tofu, anyway? Animal-product eaters on Reddit started to get a little paranoid. "They just make a godd*** tofu knife?" Blocko_tritaco commented. "I think the vegans are planning something."
Or maybe there's no point at all. As another Reddit commenter said, "Just because you can do something does not mean you should." Then again, TikTok fame is its own reward.