Once again, Tiktok is bringing the goods with a viral trend that’s been bubbling away and changing the way home cooks see the world. Chaos cooking.

No, it’s not manically throwing flour and noodles about the place like a toddler on a sugar high. Chaos cooking is more akin to taking fusion to the nth degree. Where fusion might bring together fried chicken and poke bowls, chaos cooking is about taking a look in your fridge and working with what you’ve got.

The concept isn’t new in the world of restaurants – many of us will recognise staff meals as an iteration of chaos cooking. Using up surplus and scraps and dodging the bottom line.

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But via TikTok creators training us through lockdowns and economic crises, and the mainstreamification of Franken-food, the technique has become very, very popular.

So popular in fact that it was even nodded at in season two of FX’s The Bear and #chaoscooking is sitting at 3.2 million views on TikTok. 

So what does chaos cooking actually look like? Well, it depends on what’s in your pantry.

Vermicelli noodles and some fried mortadella? Go for it. Potato wedges and kimchi? Sounds great. If you like the flavours and you’re absolutely not going to the supermarket, chaos cooking is where it’s at.

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Not only is it an economical way to use what’s on hand, chaos cooking is wildly liberating. 

Once you’ve got the basics of flavours and textures down – acid with fat; salt with sweet; crunch with creamy etc – the only limit is your imagination and your veggie crisper.

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