If you have struggled with splitting open English muffins your entire life, today is your day of liberation. No longer will you use a knife to cut it in half, inevitably cutting it lopsided and somehow destroying its beloved nooks and crannies. Never again will you haphazardly rip them apart with your hands or a fork.
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The Best Way to Open an English Muffin
Even though the English muffin has been around for about 150 years, we’re still a little uncertain as to the best way to split it in half. But thanks to Stephanie Reynolds’ TikTok video, which has over 1.2 million views, that uncertainty ends today. As she says, you will be “today years old” when you learn that you don’t actually need a knife to split an English muffin in half, nor should you just rip it apart with a fork.
Recently, when Reynolds made an English muffin for her sister and split it with a knife as usual, her sister complained that she ruined the nooks and crannies. After Reynolds’ sister showed her how to split the bread easily, Reynolds said she “felt so dumb because she did not know this.”
Apparently, all you need to do is squeeze the sides gently while rotating it in your hands. It should open easily, with all the precious nooks and crannies preserved.
Reynolds wasn’t the only one who didn’t know the trick to opening an English muffin. One commenter said, “My jaw is on the FLOOR. I did not knowwww,” and another exclaimed, “DID NOT KNOW! I went to culinary school even….robbed”
This isn’t the first time the hack has gone viral on social media. TikTok star Ashley also showed us this trick, racking up over 3 million views and almost 5,000 saves.
One of the most frequent comments on both videos came from people from England and were all variations on this comment: “I’m English, and I’m not even sure what this ‘English muffin’ is? Is it a tea cake/barn/bap? Help.”
Their confusion about the American breakfast staple is for good reason. The “English” muffin was actually invented right here in the United States by a British man named Samuel Bath Thomas, founder of the now-famous Thomas’ Breads. What started as a version of the crumpet is now an American breakfast staple—whether it’s slathered with butter and jam, or the foundation for a really great breakfast sandwich.
Many commenters also said something similar to this: “Well I’m going to be buying English muffins this weekend just to try this.” So are we. So are we.
