TikTok's Colorful Oil Craze: The Hunt for Perfect Pink

27.08.2024 - 19:07 / bhg.com / Christianna Silva

Left: Marat Musabirov / Getty Images; Right: dianazh / Getty Images | Design: Better Homes & Gardens

We've seen all kinds of food trends come up through TikTok: dessert bowls, cottage cheese everything, girl dinner. The latest obsession has foodies fixated on vibrant oils to cook with—but it's more than that. They're not just entertained; they're invested.

«We all want a pink oil, but we have to distinguish between water-soluble and oil-soluble pigments,» Kimberly Zett said in a TikTok video that's amassed more than 2.8 million views. «Since most pink pigments in nature are only water-soluble, I am afraid it might be pretty hard to create a pink oil naturally.»

Since starting this series in April, Zett has made almost every kind of oil you could dream up, infusing different ingredients to create bright hues and innovative flavors. She's achieved orange with (you guessed it) oranges and carrots; green with jalapeño, scallion, chives, and cilantro; red with tomato and dried chilis; yellow with yellow pepper; black with vanilla; and has ended up with a colorless oil a number of times, using lavender, red onions, strawberry-coconut, garlic, and radishes.

But one color she can't seem to master is pink—and her audience is begging her for it.

The comments sections on many of her videos are flooded with followers suggesting various ingredients that could produce the color. It's sort of reminiscent of collectors making it their life's mission to check that final item off their list. In an attempt to satisfy them, Zett tried out a beetroot oil to no avail.

«Maybe try hibiscus flower,» a user wrote in a comment that's received over 12,000 likes. «I really want to see cherry oil,» another said. «maybe the pink dragonfruits?» You get