Over the past year, we've seen many trends arise, from sourdough starters to gardening to puppy buying. One of the biggest TikTok trends was that of food hacks, where home cooks across the country went viral for brilliant (and often outlandish) cooking tricks. One of the more ridiculous was the trend of cooking steak in a toaster. As harmless as this sounds, the trend recently caused a household disaster when a man popped his steak in and went out for some hot chips.
A Disturbing TikTok Trend
@itsmeju1iette Cooking steak for my boyfriend ??? #foryou #cooking #chef
? It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Perry Como & The Fontane Sisters - ???
This trend went viral during 2020, when TikTok user @itsmeju1iette decided to make steak for her boyfriend. Lacking an oven and stove, she did the only sensible thing- popped her steaks into the toaster. After popping the cuts of steak into her toaster, the TikToker covered them in steak sauce and enjoyed her meal. The cooking method went viral on social media, causing a range of reactions, from confusion to horror, and masterchef Gordon Ramsay even made a reaction video mocking the toaster steak.
Juliette has many strange TikTok videos showing off her creative cooking skills, from spaghetti and meatballs in a coffee maker to bacon with her hair straightener. While most of these are relatively innocent, it seems that her idea of cooking steak in a toaster has had dire consequences for a man in New Zealand who recently made his own toaster steak.
The man reportedly wanted steak and chips for dinner, and decided to cook steak in the toaster rather than using a more traditional method. He put his steak in the toaster and then went down the street to the Fish and Chips shop to buy some fries- chips in New Zealand- as his side dish. When he returned home to enjoy his meal, the man's house was on fire.
"Toasters are for Toast"
Fortunately, the man and his partner have house insurance, so all is not lost. The insurer accepted their claim, paying them $418,000 for the unlucky incident. Although this is the maximum amount that they could receive under their policy, the couple was unsatisfied with the amount, saying that it wouldn't be enough to replace their home.
The couple asked for an additional $200,000, complaining to the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) that they should be paid more money. However, the IFSO rejected their complaint. Karen Stevens of IFSO says that the couples' lack of understanding surrounding their policy is adding to the stress of the house fire.
She also asserts that the fire was preventable, explaining "cooking steak in a toaster is literally a recipe for disaster. To have then left the house and toaster unattended for the sake of hot chips must be a constant source of regret. Never, never leave cooking unattended, even if you think you'll just be a minute - and please, use your appliances for the purpose for which they were designed. Toasters are for toast."
Although using the toaster in place of an oven, stove, air fryer or toaster oven would cut down on cooking time when making steak, placing raw meat in the toaster is a fire hazard. Since there's nowhere for the extra grease to go during cooking, following this TikTok trend can easily lead to a grease fire. No matter how tempting this quick, easy and goofy cooking method is, leave your filet mignon on the the stove.
