The Clever Egg Carton Hack For Perfect Meatballs

Depending on your source, you can find both useful and wacky food hacks on TikTok or Instagram. Then there are the tricks offered up by experienced professionals, like Gordon Ramsay's techniques for better steak, or the extra step Bobby Flay takes for juicy turkey burgers. We tend to give these professional tips a bit more credence. Usually. But then Alton Brown comes along with a quirky, TikTok-worthy hack for making perfect baked meatballs, and eyebrows are raised: Will baking meatballs in a cardboard egg carton actually work?

It turns out it does work, and quite well. Of course, it generally doesn't pay to doubt Mr. Brown. He's got at least 13 cooking tips you should know by heart, like tossing Brussels sprouts in bacon fat before roasting them. So, when he posted his egg carton trick for crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside baked meatballs that keep their shape, people paid attention. Some folks tried this trick out just to make certain because it seems so out of the box (or carton), and we did as well. With a few practice runs, you may find that while you can cook crispy meatballs in an air fryer, this is the hack you return to again and again (as long as you have a spare cardboard egg carton lying about).

Alton Brown first posted his egg-carton-as-meatball-tray hack several years ago on Facebook and Instagram, with the hashtag #crispyallover. The biggest concern among commenters was whether or not the carton might catch fire (the recipe calls for a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven, while cardboard burns at somewhere above 425 degrees Fahrenheit). Media and cooking blogs picked up on the trick. So naturally, we had to try it.

You can use most any meatball recipe you prefer. We used a beef-and-pork mix, with onions, breadcrumbs, and an egg for binder and moisture (though it should be noted that Gordon Ramsay prefers milk instead of eggs in his meatballs). One very important detail: This hack uses a composite cardboard egg carton, not a foam one. You need to use the compostable sort that people use for plant seed starters, as the Styrofoam versions will melt in the oven. Brown said in his post that one function of the carton is to absorb some of the oil and fat coming off the meatballs. It does do that to some degree, though ours were still plenty moist and slightly greasy. It also means the carton is no longer compostable at home but should be fine for commercial composters.

The Instagram post is long gone, but the hack lives on at Brown's website as baked Thanksgiving meatballs, ideal for serving as appetizers. While this shortcut may make nonnas and abuelas around the globe cringe — since the best meatballs are slow-cooked in a sauce or stock) — it does work.

For the perfect meatball shape, Brown suggests rolling the raw mixture into rough balls, then chilling for 30 minutes or more. This firms up the mix and makes for easy rolling into perfect spheres. Spray the tops with oil before placing them (oiled side down) into the carton's pockets. Separate the lid and invert it, placing the bottom inside for an additional grease trap. Spray the tops of the meatballs, and bake.

While trying this hack out, we learned a few things. Definitely chill the mixture: A proper meatball mix is a bit gloopy, and achieving round meatballs is a challenge. Using the carton lid to support the cupped section works, but it doesn't hurt to set the whole thing on a baking sheet. We used a gas oven and the top rack, and there were no issues with burning, but it's wise to pay attention during baking.

As with other folks, we found the meatballs had to cook longer than recommended (it's possible the cardboard insulates them). Try to do this in five-minute increments, as overcooking meatballs is one common mistake that ruins them. And though Brown claims the hack cooks the balls "crispy all over," we found they required being rotated partway through the cooking process. Alternatively, you can brown meatballs in a frying pan first, though you risk losing some roundness. The end result makes the hack worth it: delicious, perfectly cooked meatballs ready for toothpicks, spaghetti, or your favorite gravy.