There's a new food trend taking over TikTok, and it's pretty explosive.
Or, should we way, eggs-plosive.
TikTokers have begun microwaving hard-boiled eggs, and they're racking up millions of views while filming the result.
@oppa_k18 Anyone challenge??😱 I'm scared #microwaveeggs #explode #funnyvideos #foryou #fyp #fypシ #tiktokmalaysia #oppak ♬ original sound - Oppa K
Clips show the TikTokers looking nervous as they prepare to slice the freshly-microwaved hard-boiled eggs, and they've got reason to be a little scared.
The minute they pierce the reheated egg, it almost always explodes.
In one clip posted on Tuesday by @rafaeluccman — which has more than 26 million views as of Friday — the explosion was so intense that they had to jump away as a huge cloud of steam rose from the egg.
@rafaeluccman cozinha por amor
♬ som original - Rafael Uccman
Another video posted on April 13 by @c.atsteixeira — which has received 14 million views as of Friday — shows two women wearing pots on their heads to protect themselves as they try the TikTok trend.
@c.atsteixeira Viver a vida no limite sempre
♬ som original - Cats
While the trend may be new on TikTok, the science behind why a hard-boiled egg explodes when you reheat it in the microwave has been known for years.
A report published by the Acoustical Society of America in 2017 explored what happens when you prod a hard-boiled egg that's just been microwaved.
The report was launched after a man sued a restaurant after he bit into a reheated, hard-boiled egg and claimed he had suffered burns as well as hearing damage, according to The New York Times.
After microwaving nearly 100 eggs, researchers discovered that the yolk of a reheated hard-boiled egg could reach temperatures as high as 212 degrees Fahrenheit — the boiling point of water.
When you cook an egg, tiny pockets of water form as the proteins inside the yolk clump together, according to the Times. These tiny pockets don't do anything if you eat an egg that's already cooled. But if the egg is reheated and the temperature of the yolk skyrockets, those tiny pockets of water can start to boil — leading to a potential explosion.
And those explosions aren't exactly quiet. The report also found that the explosion from a microwaved hard-boiled egg can hit up to 133 decibels, which is 30 decibels less than a shotgun blast.
But the trend is getting more and more popular among TikTokers, who are clearly egg-cited by the potential for millions of views.
