We're Not So Sure About TikTok's Portable COVID Test Tube Sauce Hack
TikTok is a great place to discover the latest food hacks and trends, but not all of them are winners. One such puzzling TikTok video shows a way to repurpose unused COVID test tubes, which are reserved for storing swabs containing specimen samples. In the short clip, a person is seen squeezing a small portion of soy sauce onto sushi using one of the tubes.
The video is confusing for two distinct reasons. There's something inherently distasteful about using a test tube for food storage when said test tube is associated with a highly contagious viral illness. Also confusing are the two separate audio tracks playing over the clip, one of which seems in no way related to the hack presented in the video (which cuts off abruptly without explanation). The video is so inexplicable that it almost seems like a joke as opposed to a helpful tip. And commenters appear to be left in the dark when it comes to the usefulness of test tube sauce containers.
Why this sauce hack is not all it's cracked up to be
The first and most obvious problem has to do with the availability of COVID test tubes. According to a commenter on the TikTok post sharing this hack, at the time the video was posted, test tubes are readily available in the U.K. and provided for free (they've since been made available for as low as £1.89). In the U.S., a COVID test can cost $9.99 or more according to CVS. And while free tests were available from COVID.gov, the program was discontinued. Accordingly, acquiring test tubes to be used as portable sauce containers may be more hassle than necessary.
@aempottter Reduce, Reuse, Recycle #womeninstem
Another commenter questioned whether these tubes are food-grade quality. Food-grade and food-safe containers are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and can safely come into contact with food and drink without any risk of contamination. While COVID test tubes are sterile to prevent contamination of the sample, and Coca-Cola even manufactured test tubes during the pandemic, there's no way to tell whether they're food-grade or food-safe. Based on these concerns, it's probably best to find another portable container for easy transportation of sauce.
More convenient ways to take your favorite sauce wherever you go
If you're impressed with the concept of the COVID-themed sauce hack but aren't a huge fan of the execution, rest assured that there are other options at your disposal. There are fun food storage containers sold on Walmart that look like mini diner-style ketchup and mustard bottles. They each hold 25 milliliters of fluid and are adept at holding sauces since they're airtight and have screw tops. Walmart sells them in packs of four.
Fast fashion behemoth Shein also sells adorable squeeze bottles. They're hardly more than an inch high and their caps are designed to resemble cute cats and dogs.
Amazon, meanwhile, has portable soy sauce containers in fun fish and pig shapes. Each bag contains 15 individual containers measuing 5.3 x 3.8 x 1.5 inches, which means you can pack an array of sauces in your purse or backpack. Because they're designed specifically for food storage, these containers are your best bet when looking for a convenient way to always have your preferred condiments.