TikTok’s New Trend: Experts Warn Boiling Eggs in the Microwave So They ‘Explode’ Could Damage Your Eyesight and Cause Life-Changing Injuries
TikTok’s New Trend: Experts Warn Boiling Eggs in the Microwave So They ‘Explode’ Could Damage Your Eyesight and Cause Life-Changing Injuries
- Doctors warn that the hot steam and flying debris can damage your eyes and skin
- The dangerous TikTok exploding egg challenge is getting millions of views
Microwaved boiled eggs could cause life-changing injuries, experts warned today in response to TikTok’s latest trend.
Videos of people deliberately cutting into the eggs so they burst into a cloud of steam have been viewed millions of times.
But ophthalmologists claim the hot steam caused by the ‘egg explosion’ poses a huge danger.
Dr. Grace Wang, an ophthalmologist at the University of Michigan, said, “Don’t try, because it’s not worth it.
“You can get a lot of painful injuries that can change your face, your appearance and your vision.
Abbie Sloan’s TikTok, which has more than 300,000 views, shows a woman jumping back in shock as her boiled egg explodes on the plate. Just as the woman depicted is about to cut the egg with the knife, it erupts and steam billows into her face
“The hot steam and hot egg along with the force of the explosion can actually hit you in the face and cause burns, not just your skin. It can burn your eyes and cause injuries.”
She said the injuries can damage tissue and leave scars on the eyes, which can be painful. Scarring can also cause long-term vision problems.
Such injuries can also damage the cells that help repair tissue in the front of the eye, Dr. Wang said.
Thorrun Govind, ex-president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: ‘Burns and eye injuries are not things that are easy to repair.
“I find it extremely worrying that people are considering this.
“This can do some really serious damage, and you might even need surgery.”
TikTok video posted by chrlotteoram, has 24.6 million views. In the video, she is seen pushing a fork into a microwaved egg in a bowl of noodles, and the egg explodes
The TikTok posted by HGbros, which sees the couple hesitantly poking a knife into a boiled egg, has 7.5 million views. It shows the two men jumping back and protecting themselves from the flying bits of yolk
A video by TikTok user @chrlotteoram, which has 24.6 million views, sees her pressing a fork into a microwaved egg in a bowl of noodles, after which it explodes.
Another posted by @HGbros sees the pair hesitantly jabbing a knife into a boiled egg to show the yolk bursting through the kitchen. It has 7.5 million views.
TikTok user Abbie Sloan has more than 300,000 views on her video which shows a woman jumping back in shock as her boiled egg explodes on the plate.
The woman instructs people to “take the egg out of the bowl” with water and “cut the egg in half” before it explodes.
But this temporary TikTok fame could explain why people are trying the dangerous challenge in the first place, experts said.
“I think part of the reason for doing it is curiosity about the noise it makes, plus something you can challenge your friends to,” said Dr. Wang.
She added, “These videos can get a lot of views or clicks online because the explosion is something exciting.”
Doctors are urging those injured after trying the trend or accidentally microwaving an egg to seek medical attention.
Eggs can be cooked in the microwave, but never in the shell, according to British Lion Eggs. Yolks should also be pierced before cooking.
Pockets of superheated water in the yolk don’t cook immediately because surface tension prevents bubbles from forming.
But once this is broken, they suddenly boil and quickly release bubbles, which seems to cause an explosion.