Warning over bizarre steak-in-toaster hack

A woman on TikTok has incited backlash after appearing to cook raw steak in a toaster.

This week, a user named Juliette, who refers to herself as a “masterchef champion” in her TikTok bio, uploaded a video with the title: “How to cook a steak,” explaining in the caption that she is “cooking steak for my boyfriend”.

In the video, which has been viewed more than 1.6m times, Juliette placed two raw steaks into her toaster and turned it on.

After an unspecified amount of time, during which the steaks can be seen getting crisped, Juliette took them out with a pair of tongs and placed them on a plate.

The short clip concluded with Juliette pouring a substantial amount of steak sauce on the meat before taking a bite.

While it is not clear whether the TikTok is a joke, the video has prompted outrage on the platform, where viewers are horrified by the cooking method.

“Her boyfriend is probably in the hospital right now,” one person hypothesised.

Another asked: “What did I just witness?”

Others were more harsh with their criticism, with one user comparing the meal to a “crime”.

TikTok users also worried about what Gordon Ramsay’s reaction to the video would be if he ever saw it, as the celebrity chef is known to react with his infamous criticism to various cooking videos on the social media platform.

“Gordon Ramsay isn’t gonna be happy about this one…” a concerned viewer wrote.

As for whether cooking steak in a toaster is actually a viable option, it doesn’t seem effective nor entirely safe. In addition to presenting the risk of a fire due to the drippings from the steak, it is also unlikely that the kitchen appliance is able to cook the meat all the way through.

According to an article about food safety from the US Department of Health & Human Services, the required cooking temperature for beef is a minimum of 325F.

However, from Juliette’s other videos, which include how to make hot dogs in the washing machine and a cheeseburger on an iron, it seems likely that the steak cooking method was mostly a prank.

[gunsmoke]

Putting that much steak sauce on a steak should be punishable by death.

[freddycheung]

Just why?! Those poor cows died for this?! Cook your meat like a normal person ffs

[nicholasduquette]

That's not how you cook steaks that's just straight up wrong 😱🤢

[angelarigido]

Moms!..this is what happens when you don't teach your kids how to cook. I hope this person has excellent fire insurance, plus health insurance.

[xperion]

my brain

it hurts from it dying from this

[justinsank]

the first one is fake in my opinion, but the burger and breakfast one made me mad

[benniehines]

Yep it's weird. But in a pinch even if I had only a toaster as a heat source I don't know if I would have thought of it. I might still be in the woods gathering sticks.

[thejimg]

Where's the warning?!? I have cooked a steak in the toaster, but I use a toaster bag to do it...