The Simple Hack For A Perfectly Split English Muffin

Whether you're looking for a base for your deliciously stacked eggs Benedict or seeking a crispier alternative to your typical brioche hamburger bun, a classic English muffin can be counted on to provide the ideal bite for a whole slew of dishes, from breakfast to dinner and every snack in between. The light and tender little loaves of griddle-fried bread are beloved for their crispy crusts and airy interiors, filled with those nooks and crannies perfect for cradling condiments and spreads — from melted butter and hollandaise sauce to fruit jams or cream cheese. Most folks that reach for English muffins over other types of bread do so for those spacious, fillable pockets of air. 

Unfortunately, those can sometimes prove difficult to preserve when slicing into an English muffin, but there's a simple hack for effortless splitting. All you need to do is squeeze your muffin while rotating it in your hands. Since the edges of store-bought English muffins are already perforated, simply applying gentle pressure to the sides of them will separate the two halves and leave those precious pockets intact.

Using a knife to cut into it is one of the biggest mistakes you can make with an English muffin. Slicing into it compromises the muffin's structure, crumbling the edge of where it's already been split. Stephanie Reynolds (aka @r_eginageorge) and her squeezing hack have gone viral on TikTok, where even she seems to be mugging to the camera, "How did I not already know this?" If you've heard the term "fork split," that's precisely what's intended for English muffins, whether you're baking your own or reaching for the ubiquitous Thomas' English brand. If we had ever bothered to look, instructions are detailed right on the package that (all along) advised us to "gently split the English muffin in half" using your hands or a fork. Either way, you should end up with two beautifully holey sides ready to soak up what you have set to smear across it. 

You're certainly not the only one who was "today years old" when you learned about the proper way to separate the snack, as countless TikTok comments can confirm. And if you think your mind is blown now, just wait until your taste buds find out.