South Carolina woman orders chicken and mashed potatoes from Applebee’s. It arrives sizzling. Then a restaurant worker reveals a secret: ‘It’s an illusion’

A South Carolina woman was shocked when her chicken and mashed potatoes arrived at Applebee's still aggressively sizzling. Viewers are confounded as to how her meal is sizzling so much, and whether or not it's still cooking.

On Nov. 1, Myanmar Holmes (@mya_reall) shared a recording of her sizzling food in a TikTok that has amassed over 279,000 views as of Tuesday.

“When you get your food but it's still cooking,” she wrote in the video's text overlay.

What made this Applebee's sizzling entree stand out?

In the video, Holmes is hysterically laughing as her food continues to sizzle to a nearly comical extent. The food is sizzling so much that the base of mashed potatoes even appears to be browning.

“Y'all, this chicken and mashed potatoes was hands down the best thing I'd eaten all week, and when I tell y'all it was still cooking, it was,” Holmes wrote in the caption.

The comments were overwhelmingly shocked and curious about how much the skillet was still sizzling.

“Sizzled mash potatoes is nuts,” wrote one commenter.

“I would've been so mad about the mashed potatoes,” added another.

“None of y'all knowing how these skillets actually work is frying me,” added a third.

Another claimed to reveal the secret: “I worked in a restaurant and discovered they use ‘sizzle sauce' to give this illusion lol.”

Why is this food sizzling so aggressively?

Restaurants like Applebee's often make food sizzle because the presentation creates excitement and makes a meal seem fresher. However, not every sizzling dish actually cooks at the table. Restaurants use several techniques to create the effect, including heating cast-iron skillets and adding liquids just before serving.

Some restaurants deliberately add water or oil to hot cast-iron platters to intensify their signature sizzling presentation. The technique creates an artificial sizzle without requiring the food itself to continue cooking.

One common trick involves the previously mentioned “sizzle sauce.” Restaurant workers have described using mixtures of water, oil, and soy sauce to produce the effect. When workers drizzle the mixture onto a hot skillet, it creates an immediate burst of steam, noise, and aroma.

The technique became a talking point in 2023 after TikTok videos exposed workers adding liquids to sizzling fajita platters. Former employees of chains including Chili's also claimed they used similar mixtures. However, restaurants have not universally confirmed these practices.

That doesn't mean every sizzling dish relies on a trick. Some restaurants genuinely cook or serve food on extremely hot iron plates. Cast iron also retains heat exceptionally well. This means food can continue cooking after it leaves the kitchen. Even when restaurants add sizzle sauce, the underlying skillet may still be hot enough to keep the food warm.

@mya_reall

Subplot reached out to Holmes via email and TikTok direct message, and to Applebee's via email.

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