Ever bit into something so crispy it made you wonder, “What did they fry this in?”
A viral TikTok from Indonesia might just have the answer, and it’s not something you’d want near your plate.
In a now-viral TikTok video, Indonesian creator Edwin Kurniawan Agung shocked viewers with an experiment that claimed to reveal the real secret behind ultra-crispy fried food: melted plastic.
To test the theory, Edwin conducted a side-by-side comparison using tempeh, a popular soy-based dish in Indonesia.
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Screenshot via TikTok/edwinagungg
In the first round, he fried it using regular cooking oil. But in the second, he added melted plastic, including parts of a disposable plastic cup, into the hot oil before frying a new batch.
Screenshot via TikTok/edwinagungg
Screenshot via TikTok/edwinagungg
What came next took many by surprise. After tasting both versions, Edwin declared that the tempeh fried in the plastic-laced oil was noticeably crispier.
Screenshot via TikTok/edwinagungg
While the experiment grabbed attention for its boldness, Edwin made sure to include a warning.
He urged viewers not to try this at home, highlighting the serious health risks that come with consuming food cooked with plastic.
As the video gained traction, reactions in the comments section were swift and divided. Some netizens admitted they had long suspected that questionable cooking methods were being used by certain vendors, especially when the crunch seemed too good to be true.
Others, however, were more critical of Edwin himself, questioning why he would go as far as to eat food fried in plastic just to prove a point.