Like many other college students, I spend too much time on TikTok scrolling through the endless feed of cat videos, cooking recipes and whatever else my algorithm shows me. I am always looking for inspiration when it comes to finding new recipes to try, and TikTok has been a huge help.

The first TikTok I chose was user @meatlikemike’s crispy smashed, roasted potatoes recipe. This video boasts over 3 million likes and has over 36.4 million views. Mike Elender has over 1.5 million followers and has grown his following by sharing his recipes, which are often centered around a protein, though this particular one is not.

Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdmMYfy9/ 

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of small Yukon Gold potatoes.

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• Garlic powder

• Onion powder

• Crushed red pepper flakes

• Fresh basil and thyme

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, add your potatoes to heavily salted boiling water until they are fork tender.

2. Drain the water and add your potatoes to a large bowl.

3. Mix in a generous amount of olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, fresh basil and thyme, and mix together.

4. Dump your potatoes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and spread your potatoes out. Use the bottom of a glass to smash the potatoes about 1/2 an inch thick.

5. Cook your potatoes in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

6. Serve and enjoy!

After watching the TikTok numerous times, writing down the instructions and following the recipe, I was left with deliciously crispy potatoes. However, my potatoes were less than pretty. Unlike Elender’s beautifully smashed potatoes, mine were a bit resistant to the smashing and needed to be boiled for longer. This also seemed to be a common mistake for other users in the comments, who either didn’t boil the potatoes long enough or boiled them for too long. This recipe is absolutely delicious, and I will be following it again very soon.

The next recipe I followed was verified TikTok user @jakecohen’s garlic bread recipe. This recipe was not only satisfying to watch, but satisfying to eat as well. The TikTok has over 4.8 million likes and an impressive 45.3 million views. Jake Cohen has over 1.4 million followers and frequently posts recipes centered around Jewish dishes and different types of bread.

Garlic Bread https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdmMh2KE/ 

Ingredients:

• 4 full heads of garlic

• 1 baguette

• 1 stick of butter

• Crushed red pepper flake

• Basil

Instructions:

1. Cut the tops off of the 4 heads of garlic, exposing all the garlic cloves. Place the garlic in foil and drizzle olive oil on top, before wrapping tightly.

2. Place your garlic in the oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

3. In a bowl, mix a stick of softened butter, 1 tablespoon of basil, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.

4. Take your garlic out of the oven after 1 hour and let cool before squeezing out all the garlic into the bowl. Stir the contents of the bowl until smooth.

5. Cut your baguette in half like a sandwich and cover your bread with your mixture. Place your bread in the oven for 15 minutes.

6. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe was so much fun to follow, and the results were absolutely amazing. As a garlic girl, I was more than happy to make my entire apartment smell of garlic throughout the hour long cooking process. The bread had a wonderful crunch, and the garlic spread was perfectly seasoned. I thought this was an awesome recipe to follow and one I will definitely be following again.

The last TikTok I chose is user @victoriatschoppp’s glazed carrots recipe. This recipe has over 568 thousand likes and 6.7 million views. Victoria Tschopp gained her 845.1 thousand followers by posting culinary school tips, tricks and various recipes.

Glazed Carrots https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdmMDX84/ 

Ingredients:

• 2 large carrots

• Chicken stock

• Sugar

• Butter

Instructions:

1. Wash and peel your carrots before cutting them at an angle for oblique cuts.

2. In a saute pan, add about 1/4 cup of butter and let it melt before adding your chopped carrots.

3. Cover your pan for 3 minutes and let the carrots sweat in butter on medium heat.

4. Add 1 tbsp of sugar to your pan and pour chicken stock over your carrots.

5. Add salt and pepper and cover your pan for about 5 minutes to reduce the glaze.

6. Uncover your pan and mix your carrots around in the sauce.

7. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe was super quick and easy to follow, and I was genuinely impressed by how delicious these carrots were. I did have to eyeball some of the measurements that weren’t provided in the video, so some of my portions may have been off. The carrots were just as delicious as they looked in the video, and this is definitely a recipe I will be adding to my dinner rotation.