This story was produced as part of a collaboration with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). For our third collaboration with SCAD, we once again worked with students in Paige Gray’s spring semester writing class, this time focusing on the subject of food. With the help of Rough Draft editors Collin Kelley, Beth McKibben, and Sammie Purcell, the students produced stories ranging from the personal to hard-hitting issues like food insecurity.

TikTok has become a source for more than just stories, memes, and the occasional anime edit. It’s also become a new way for college students to learn how to create meals in their dorm room or apartment kitchen without breaking the bank.

TikTok, a social media platform where users upload short videos to the app, is popular with Gen Z and younger audiences. A recent study found that user-generated content shared on apps like TikTok is the most addictive form of content consumed by young people today, who binge on the lives of strangers through a curated algorithm.

Communities have formed with different niches on TikTok, like Booktok, Thrifting, Cosplaying, and FoodTok. These communities allow people to connect and learn different tips and tricks for a desired topic through algorithm curation.

Cosplayers are bringing tips to those starting. Book reviewers are sharing ways to get access to different genres and events. In FoodTok, chefs and home cooks are teaching people how to cook simple recipes using what they may already have in their pantry. 

“As someone who loves food, but doesn’t really like to cook, FoodTok definitely opens my eyes to what I could make and that things are way easier than it seems,” said Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) student Kayle Lewis, who doesn’t have a kitchen, but has access to one at home. “Sometimes, when looking up recipes, they make you feel like you have to have really specific tools and pans versus FoodTok uses basic supplies I could just grab from the cabinet.” 

Lewis said that microwave mug cakes, for example, are her current specialty when she wants something sweet that’s also quick and easy for a college student to make in their dorm room or dorm kitchen. The recipe comes from TikTokker, FitWaffle, who has a following of 5.9 million people.

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• Seeking alternatives to alcohol, Gen Z fueling functional beverage trend 

Here are a few other notable TikTokkers who make cooking on a budget fun. 

RappingChef creates different recipes by changing the lyrics and rapping all of the ingredients and steps of a recipe. Songs include “God’s Plan” by Drake, “Novacane” by Frank Ocean, and “Okay” by JT. One of his most popular videos uses the Eminem song “Stan” while recreating Gordon Ramsey’s Beef Wellington. Rapping recipes creates an engaging and memorable experience for his followers who want to learn to cook or want to see his next creation.

Some FoodTokkers are more lighthearted, like Lazy Pot Noodle, who creates outrageous recipes from their dorm bed. Beef Wellington on an Insta-stove, lobster mac and cheese with an Instapot, and even a full seafood boil, all from their bed. The creator lays a couple of towels down, which protects the bed while they recreate these recipes.

“I’ll use it for inspiration. I find out about different types of foods [from TikTokkers] to see how they make it, and then I try to change it to fit whatever I have in my kitchen,” said Josiah Kinslow, who is another SCAD student living in an on-campus apartment. He learned to cook during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to pass the time during quarantine. “FoodTok has a way of getting all the important information to me as fast as possible, so I don’t have to scour around for it.”

Long-form content social media like YouTube videos have taken a back seat with Gen Z. Short-form content social media platforms like Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, with videos that are less than a minute, are more digestible than the usual 30-minute recipe tutorials. According to Oxford University student newspaper The Oxford Blue, the algorithms of modern apps like TikTok are based on the principle of random reinforcement. Though the Reel you just watched wasn’t particularly funny, the promise that the next one could be is the reason you keep scrolling mindlessly. 

However, SCAD student Stephen Oliver has access to a kitchen but doesn’t see TikTok as a good resource for cooking ideas.

“I don’t like using TikTok because I already have ADD tendencies, so that will kill my attention span,” Oliver said. “I like using YouTube for cooking because it’s longer, and I get a lot more information than I would using TikTok.” 

Oliver shared some YouTubers he said help his cooking skills, including Nick Digiovanni, a Harvard graduate chef who has appeared on “Masterchef “on Food Network, placing third on Season 10, and Max the Meat Guy, who is a regular person who took their love of cooking to the next level. Digiovanni is known for his step-by-step guides and meat recipes. Max is known for taking a comedic turn with his grilling skills.

Both chefs also have TikTok accounts for short-form content that speeds followers through creating one of their recipes. 

In college, it’s always about fending for yourself and finding affordable ways to eat. TikTok isn’t the be-all and end-all for cooking tutorials, but it is a great tool for college students to use for access to easy recipes on a budget.

To make the recipes by most FoodTokkers, you’ll need a microwave and a space as big as a desk for cooking. If you’re looking for pantry staples to cook meals in your dorm, consider purchasing basic spices like salt and pepper and garlic powder to start. 

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