With the temps exterior dropping, I’m now not within the temper to meal-prep chilled choices like salads or sandwiches for lunch. So once I noticed mason jar soup trending on TikTok, it appeared like the proper approach to make my noon meal somewhat cozier—and simpler too.

The hack guarantees a tasty and portable soup with out having to spend hours laboring over a range to get it. It’s additionally a extremely handy approach to load up on the protein and fiber that I have to energy me by means of my workday. All it’s a must to do, in response to the movies, is collect your components, put them in a glass jar, pour boiling water in it, and wait 5 minutes for the whole lot to cook dinner. However, after digging into the clips, I had a great deal of questions: Is it too messy for work? Does it really style good? After which, possibly most significantly, is it filling sufficient to truly hold me happy till dinner?

When individuals round me began pulling out their Uggs, I knew it was the proper time to check out this stylish soup. I gathered the components listed within the TikTok recipe: hen bouillon seasoning, soy sauce, chili crisp (for added warmth), rice noodles, a protein—in my case, a boiled egg—and veggies (for me, carrots and frozen edamame). The prep got here simple; assembling the meal in my jar took below 10 minutes.

I used my workplace’s espresso machine to pour sizzling water into my glass container. That is the place my experiment turned south: TikTok does not inform you that the liquid simply isn’t sufficient to cook dinner heartier greens and starches completely. I ended up with actually laborious carrots and overly al dente noodles.

It wasn’t a full shit present, although. The broth was savory and scrumptious, so I knew if I might resolve the feel points, it actually could possibly be a stable hack. Earlier than writing the pattern off, I made a decision to talk with a culinary skilled on the way to repair it.

First, the add-ins you select matter if you happen to don’t wish to be left with crunchy bites, Brandon Lewis, EdD, professor of culinary sustainability at Johson and Wales College in Windfall, Rhode Island, tells SELF. Attempt tossing in quick-cook rice noodles ($5, Amazon) or 60-second pasta ($2, Walmart), microwavable rice packets, or spiralized root greens like butternut squash that soften shortly, he says.