As an avid amateur cook, Neil McMahon was keen on debunking some of the “cooking hacks” videos that have been going around online, to test if those recipes truly deliver the same amazing results that they show.

That’s probably why he has taken on the challenge of producing a table full of food made from various recipes he found online, particularly on TikTok.

Neil, who works as a reporter and writer for GoodFood Australia, aimed to be a bit practical for this little cooking challenge. Since most of the cooking hacks and recipes he finds are supposed to be “quick, easy, and convenient”, he only made use of two kitchen appliances that are widely considered available to anyone: the air fryer and microwave.

As for the recipes, these are the ones he made:

• Air fried hard-boiled eggs
• A wheel of baked camembert
• Parmesan chips
• Mini cheesecakes
• Air fried pavlova
• Chinese restaurant-style crispy chicken and veggies

Here’s how he fared.

One man attempted to make various TikTok recipes in a day. Credit: GoodFood Australia.​

The first thing he made was the snacks, which were the easiest.

For the air fried hard-boiled eggs, he simply popped a couple of eggs into an air fryer and cooked them for 16 minutes at 121 °C. Once done, he put them in an ice-water bath to stop further cooking. They were then peeled and served.

While the eggs were cooking, he threw in the wheel of camembert cheese in the microwave and cooked it for about 8 mins before he let it cool down on a plate.

As for the parmesan chips (which was his personal favourite), all he did was place a pile of parmesan cheese onto some parchment paper and microwave for a good minute. Once done, they came out perfectly crisp and crunchy. Yum!

The cheesecakes took him around 30 minutes to prepare. For the ingredients, he used:

• 4 tbsp cream cheese softened (or cream cheese spread)
• 2 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yoghurt
• 2 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 large egg whisked
• ¼ tsp vanilla

First, he greased the interior of a microwave-safe mug. Then, he added graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and mixed until the two were well-combined. Then he pressed down on the crumbs to make the cheesecake base less crumbly.

In a medium bowl, he added the egg, cream cheese, yoghurt, sugar, and vanilla together, and whisked until the batter was smooth. Then he poured it into the mug.

Then he covered the top of the mug with a paper towel and popped it into the microwave for 1 minute, taking it out every 20 seconds to check.

Since the mug was greased, taking the cheesecake out was easy.

For the air fried pavlova, which took him around an hour to make, he followed this recipe from Philips. It may be quite the time but Neil says it’s perfectly worth it.

Credit: Philips.​

And as for the main course, which was the crispy chicken and veggies, he followed this recipe from TikTok, which used an air fryer, which meant that there was no oil (and barely any mess). Winner!

​

According to Neil, these “cooking hacks” work and they taste amazing!

Are you looking to try them, too?

 

[Barbs helen]

One man makes a table full of food in one afternoon – here’s how he did it!​

As an avid amateur cook, Neil McMahon was keen on debunking some of the “cooking hacks” videos that have been going around online, to test if those recipes truly deliver the same amazing results that they show.

That’s probably why he has taken on the challenge of producing a table full of food made from various recipes he found online, particularly on TikTok.

Neil, who works as a reporter and writer for GoodFood Australia, aimed to be a bit practical for this little cooking challenge. Since most of the cooking hacks and recipes he finds are supposed to be “quick, easy, and convenient”, he only made use of two kitchen appliances that are widely considered available to anyone: the air fryer and microwave.

As for the recipes, these are the ones he made:

• Air fried hard-boiled eggs
• A wheel of baked camembert
• Parmesan chips
• Mini cheesecakes
• Air fried pavlova
• Chinese restaurant-style crispy chicken and veggies

Here’s how he fared.

One man attempted to make various TikTok recipes in a day. Credit: GoodFood Australia.​

The first thing he made was the snacks, which were the easiest.

For the air fried hard-boiled eggs, he simply popped a couple of eggs into an air fryer and cooked them for 16 minutes at 121 °C. Once done, he put them in an ice-water bath to stop further cooking. They were then peeled and served.

While the eggs were cooking, he threw in the wheel of camembert cheese in the microwave and cooked it for about 8 mins before he let it cool down on a plate.

As for the parmesan chips (which was his personal favourite), all he did was place a pile of parmesan cheese onto some parchment paper and microwave for a good minute. Once done, they came out perfectly crisp and crunchy. Yum!

The cheesecakes took him around 30 minutes to prepare. For the ingredients, he used:

• 4 tbsp cream cheese softened (or cream cheese spread)
• 2 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yoghurt
• 2 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 large egg whisked
• ¼ tsp vanilla

First, he greased the interior of a microwave-safe mug. Then, he added graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and mixed until the two were well-combined. Then he pressed down on the crumbs to make the cheesecake base less crumbly.

In a medium bowl, he added the egg, cream cheese, yoghurt, sugar, and vanilla together, and whisked until the batter was smooth. Then he poured it into the mug.

Then he covered the top of the mug with a paper towel and popped it into the microwave for 1 minute, taking it out every 20 seconds to check.

Since the mug was greased, taking the cheesecake out was easy.

For the air fried pavlova, which took him around an hour to make, he followed this recipe from Philips. It may be quite the time but Neil says it’s perfectly worth it.

Credit: Philips.​

And as for the main course, which was the crispy chicken and veggies, he followed this recipe from TikTok, which used an air fryer, which meant that there was no oil (and barely any mess). Winner!

​

According to Neil, these “cooking hacks” work and they taste amazing!

Are you looking to try them, too?

I do this all the time

 

[Ricci]

I don't do this stuff any more. Food to me is now a necessary evil and I try to take as little time as possible at it. I have just purchased an air fryer after reading so much of the hype so will have to see how I go.