People are now attempting to make deep-fried water after it went viral on TikTok.
TikTok users started uploading videos of themselves cooking little globes of water, which is covered with bread crumbs and deep-fried in hot oil.
However, it is not that easy to make as it is not just a cup of water, bread crumbs, and oil. It is much more complicated than a lot of people think. Some who have tried deep frying the water are even warning against trying it at home.
At its core, the deep-fried water on TikTok actually involves calcium alginate. It is a substance made from chemicals like aqueous calcium chloride and aqueous sodium alginate. The two substances when combined, make a gelatinous material that bonds water together, Vice reported.
TikTok videos showed the entire process of making it. People mix water and calcium alginate to create an edible membrane, coating it in flour, breadcrumbs, and eggs until it is completely breaded on the outside. It will then be deep-fried in the oil of their choosing.
The 100% vegan deep-fried water does look like something that could be dipped into a sauce.
As tasty as it might look, there’s really no actual taste. And due to the fact that the main food component is breading, there is no substantial nutritional value in deep-fried water either.
Making the TikTok-famous deep-fried water is also highly dangerous. Mixing water and a pot of oil is never —and will never be— a good combination. Doing so can cause the hot oil to spit up out of the frying pan and potentially harm someone or worse, cause a fire on the stove.
In addition, water mixed with calcium alginate isn’t in a liquid form. There’s a chance that the water could leak, causing a harmful reaction in the oil.
If you thought it was as easy as dropping water into a pot of hot oil, then definitely do not try that at home. And if you are thinking of frying an ice cube just to join the trend, again, please do not try it unless you know exactly what you are doing.