Will This TikTok Hack Solve All Your Breakfast Problems?

A viral hack involving cereal boxes began circulating on TikTok back in early 2020. In the countless videos of the #CerealBoxChallenge (does TikTok use hashtags? I am old…) people have shown show how, instead of using the tabs built in to a cereal box, you can fold down the sides and top to make an adorable little “gift box” for the sugary goodness within.

Does the TikTok Breakfast Cereal Box hack work?

In our never-ending quest for knowledge, our team decided to test out this hack by procuring and manipulating a few boxes of our favourite breakfast foods. Armed with only the instructions from the videos, we set out to fold the box and determine whether it improved on…just closing the cereal boxes normally.

While testing out the process, we found that the quality of the box itself mattered. A brand-name box is more rigid than a flimsy store brand. We also had to consider the actual plastic bag inside the box — does this new method of closure make pouring the cereal easier?

And then, of course, we wondered if this can be considered a “hack” at all. A “hack” is a quick way to solve a common problem. Are people spending every morning befuddled by the complicated tab-and-slat system on top of their Special K?

Check out the video below to see how we went with the whole procedure.

If you’d like more TikTok food hacks, we’ve pulled together a collection of our favourite options for you, here. Alternatively, you can also check out Kevin Bacon’s delightful TikTok cooking hacks in this recent piece we pulled together over here. (Kevin Bacon has also shared videos of himself singing to goats and they’re an absolute joy to watch.)

This article on TikTok’s breakfast hack has been updated since its original publish date.