‘I just found out’: Woman says you’ve probably been making Old El Paso crunchy tacos wrong this whole time

Is there a way to stop Old El Paso crunchy tacos from breaking in the oven?

Closed-up crunchy hard shell tacos are certainly no bueno. Nothing more crushing than getting all hyped up for taco night just to find the tacos collapsed in the oven. Truly a devastating occurrence that happens far too often.

However, this TikToker believes she found a potential solution to broken Old El Paso crunchy tacos. And it's apparently been right in front of us the whole time.

This TikTok posted by @awiley0720 showcases how you can use the plastic insert to prevent taco shells from breaking in the oven. But not so fast.

What is the proposed solution to Old El Paso broken taco shells?

Broken taco shells lead to broken hearts. So how do we avoid this? 

In the video, the TikToker reveals that using the plastic sleeve in each taco can be used while baking in the oven. Old El Paso includes a plastic divider in each taco in the packaging. 

Typically, this divider has been known for assisting safe arrival of the crunchy taco shells. The divider's primary purpose is to protect the tacos from breaking during transportation and storage. 

So can these dividers be used in the oven as well?

Should you put the Old El Paso crunchy tacos plastic divider insert in the oven?

Simply put, no, these plastic dividers should not be used in the oven. These dividers were intended just to protect, separate, and stabilize the taco shells during transportation.

Generally speaking, heating up plastic together with food is not the best idea. When plastic gets heated up, toxic chemicals infuse into the food. The plastic dividers were designed to be used for transportation and not to withstand high oven temperatures. Another factor to consider is these plastic dividers can be a fire hazard. 

Heating up plastics in the oven is definitely not considered healthy.

What can you do instead to prevent Old El Paso crunchy tacos from breaking in the oven?

Instead of using the plastic dividers from the package, this is what you can do instead. 

You can simply flip the taco shells upside down when baking on an oven sheet. Baking the tacos upside down will help prevent the tacos from closing in. 

If you don’t have a baking sheet, the taco shells can be directly placed on the oven rack. If you go this route, monitor the shells while baking to avoid burning the shells.

How did the internet respond to the hack?

"I just found out you’re supposed to put them in the oven,” one replied.

“I thought it was to stop it from being crushed,” one shared.

"I’m 47 years old and I have never had my hard taco shells collapse in the oven,” one flexed.

“Ummm I just eat it right out of the box! Too much waiting for the oven!” one added.

“I just throw each one on the oven rack line” one shared.

This TikTok has more than 849,000 views with more than 11,100 likes.

The Daily Dot has contacted @awiley0720 over email and TikTok messenger. The Daily Dot has contacted Old El Paso, too, for further information.

@awiley0720 and i dont want to hear yall say “read the box” because no i never do ???????? #taconight #tacotuesday #dinnerideas #oldelpaso #tacoshells ♬ original sound - Amanda Rae ✨

Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.

The post ‘I just found out’: Woman says you’ve probably been making Old El Paso crunchy tacos wrong this whole time appeared first on The Daily Dot.