The latest TikTok “hack” that has made me question reality is the “marinated” Diet Coke trend. (Brace yourself for a lot of quotation marks in this post.) As a food writer I have a genuine interest in what a marinated Diet Coke could be, so I took a little jaunt down the rabbit hole to see what the hype was—and then desperately clawed my way out. While I can appreciate a super cold and fizzy bev, I’m sorry to report that no Diet Cokes have been marinated.
Describe this process: A canned Diet Coke goes in the refrigerator for three days or up to two weeks. The Diet Coke is then consumed. What would you name this activity? Maybe the word “storage” came to mind. Perhaps you would call that “drinking Diet Coke.” “Chilling” is also a worthy description (for this entire trend in more ways than one).
This video mentions the Diet Coke “marinating” process, where the TikToker, hauskris, says the canned beverage should sit in the fridge for at least a few days, but implies longer is even better. The rest of the "recipe" is how she likes to pour the soda, what type of glassware she uses, and adding lime flavors. All of that is really a matter of preference and how flat or bubbly you like your drink. My main concern is the marinating process. She describes the Diet Coke she’s using as “super cold” because of “marinating” it in the fridge. Let’s talk about that.
What is marinating, really?
I was trying to think of another term for this trend— cured, fermented, pickled—but just like “marinate” they all actually mean something real.
Marinating is a culinary term for soaking meats, fruits, or vegetables in a liquid. This liquid is called a marinade. The marinade is usually composed of an acid, fat, salt, and maybe sugar. The acid is for flavor and to tenderize tough fibers. The salt helps the flavors penetrate the meat. Oil adds richness, hydration, and encourages browning during cooking, and sugar adds flavor and promotes browning as well. The ingredient list hints at the purpose and benefit of marinating food—to add flavor and to tenderize.
Does this happen in the Diet Coke “hack?” No. You can’t marinate without a marinade. Furthermore, can you even marinate a liquid? This is when the walls of reality begin to bend if you think too hard. Marinating a liquid with a liquid is just mixing liquids. You can’t marinate Diet Coke, but you can marinate with Diet Coke. Regardless, a can of Diet Coke has no opportunity to mingle with anything, or absorb or lose any flavors from anywhere. The purpose of the can, and any packaging, is to prevent that.
But “marinating” is just to make the soda “super cold,” right?
Maybe “marinating” is just a cute way to describe something that sits for a while. Usually foods marinate for hours so the effects of the marinade can take root. This trend mostly focuses on getting a crispy, cold beverage, so the reasoning is that the longer a can sits in the fridge the colder it gets. While there is some truth in there, that’s just not how temperature works. Otherwise, why even have a freezer?
The soda, and anything you put in the fridge for that matter, will only get as cold as the temperature the refrigerator is set to. Depending on your Diet Coke’s starting temperature, it will only take up to a few hours (not days, and definitely not weeks) for the beverage to reach the same temperature as the fridge. After that happens, nothing will make the soda colder, besides a decrease in the ambient temperature.
How can you actually make your Diet Coke colder?
When you play with fire, as they say. You want crispy-cold Diet Coke? What are you doing putting it in a fridge set to a feeble 40°F ? According to NBC South Florida, which specifically mentions diet sodas freezing at a slightly higher temp than the regular variety (regular soda freezes at 30°F), Diet Coke will freeze at 32°F. Looks like you have 8 degrees you’ve been missing out on this whole time.
You could put your cans of Coke in the freezer, but you’re risking cans exploding and spewing soda sludge all over the place. It could be a worthy risk, just make sure you set a timer so you don’t forget about it.
For the truly dedicated, here’s another option: You can reduce your fridge's temperature to somewhere between 32°F and 39°F. However, that's just the main section temperature, and if you’re storing food in the fridge, some items could freeze in the far reaches. Instead, if you're committed enough, you should really buy a second Diet-Coke-only fridge. Set the temperature to 33°F and load it with Diet Coke. Now you’ll have the coldest beverage on TikTok.