Social media is full of food photos, but usually people are trying to put their best foot forward. A perfectly set table, a beautiful slice of cake, or a fall-inspired stew are common sights as we scroll through photos.
Then you have the food fails. The Pinterest recipe that went awry, the pan that broke while cooking and obliterated any chance you had of salvaging your meal, or the cake that was supposed to be in the shape ofโฆwhatever, but turned out looking a little perverse.
If you can never seem to snap the perfect food photo, take heart. These people have experienced the ultimate food fails โ and you couldnโt do much worse.
1. Expectation vs Reality
Okay, the cupcakes I can understand. But the face?! How did this happen? Were there every any legs or a tail, or was this always going to be a scary floating dragon dog? I hope the cake tastes good because this is sure to scare off a bunch of kids at a birthday party.


2. Caramel lava cake
โI forgot I was making caramel at work. Itโs a tad overcooked.โ
Wow. I didnโt know there was a DIY recipe for lava. But this absent-minded cook unintentionally found a way. I donโt know if I should be impressedโฆ or terrified.


3. Yumโฆ cold stock soup.
โThis sums up my day. Why isnโt my stock simmeringโฆitโs been over an hourโฆโ
A watched pot never boilsโฆ but it also wonโt boil if you leave it on the wrong burner and walk away.


4. โSugar and cinnamon pooptzelsโ
Iโm sure they taste delicious butโฆ yeah. Iโm not sure if I could bring myself to eat one of these. What do you think? Does the smell of cinnamon sugar nullify the visual here?


5. โItโs easier than boiling an eggโ
โForgot to set a timer boiling eggs. The sound of them exploding reminded me.โ
What a way to be reminded! Imagine hearing this and how quickly you would sprint to the kitchen to see the damage. Iโve never asked myself what would happen if I left eggs boiling on the stove, but Iโm happy that I now know the answer.


6. This could ruin a vacation
This is a classic case of Instagram being misleading. The expectation vs reality for this one is too strong. All you want is to make fun, bright summer cocktails for you and your friendsโฆ then BAM the banana doesnโt co-operate and suddenly your fun-loving dolphin idea turns sinister.
It looks more like an angry eel than a dolphin.


7. From lattice to splattice
All that hard work gone! This would be absolutely devastating after all the hard work in getting the decorations just so. I would never bake again due to grief.


8. Thereโs always a silver lining
โTonight was foreign culture night in my house so I decided to cook a traditional dish from Pompeii.โ
I like their gusto and ability to spin this horrific outcome as if it was intentional. I would genuinely love to know what this was originally supposed to beโฆ itโs burnt beyond recognition!


9. โFound the spoon, honeyโ
Someone must have been drunk-baking for this to happen. I meanโฆ how does an entire spoon get lost!? The only explanation is an empty bottle of wine.


10. Thereโs no coming back from this one
โWhen I wanted to make spaghetti. But all signs pointed to it not happening.โ
Geez, how do you even get rid of a disaster like this? This is the moment when you pull up the Uber Eats app, my friends. It definitely wasnโt meant to be.


11. This is going to give me nightmares
Imagine coming down to your kitchen and finding this haunted pie sitting out, cooling on the table. I would love to know exactly what the cook had in mind hereโฆ Teeth do not belong on a pie. Stick to simple, non-threatening lattice please people!


12. They triedโฆ
They really thought โhow hard can it be? Homer is a cartoon.โ And found out the hard way that it can be very hard.
This looks like the version of the cake that had to be made to avoid copyright issues.


13. Note to self โ never get an air fryer
โTried cooking a potato in my new air fryer today.โ
This looks like something out of The Lord of the Rings. This is Mount Doomโฆ in a potato. the presentation on a Christmas plate is what gets me through.


14. โWhat my brother was trying to make vs what he actually madeโ
I genuinely love that someone who clearly doesnโt have much cake-decorating experience thought they could pull this off. We should all aspire to have this much self-confidence.


15. Youโre telling me french fries did this?
The only explanation this Imgur user gave us is: โMy sister made some french fries.โ And that simply doesnโt answer enough of my questions. What. The. Heck. Happened here. Call the police and have them investigate, I must know.


16. This guy is just not having a good day
โCame home late from work, drop my open sandwich in the parking lot. Go to make pasta, the first pot slips, and I pour it all on the ground. Make a second pot and the handle straight up breaks and my pasta goes everywhere. Didnโt eat; had a lil cry.โ
I would cry too tbh.


17. DIY death apple
Home invasion? No problem. Just snap the handles off of your apple slicer and voila, homemade weapon. You will first require super-hero strength and a very flimsy apple slicer. But it looks pretty terrifying!


18. Weโve all been here
Well, maybe not exactly here. I canโt say Iโve ever been in this situation, but I can safely say I donโt wish this on anyone. Not even my worst enemies. Thereโs no way those slippers recovered from this debacle. R.I.P.


19. Itโs the thought that counts!
This woman tried to make her brother a birthday cake but it didnโt quite go as planned. But instead of feeling grumpy about it and throwing out a perfectly good cake (good tasting, not looking), they got creative. Nice save.


20. Oh my
Dear meโฆ how did this even happen?! Theyโre veryโฆ detailed. Send this to a friend who loves sausage rolls.
https://twitter.com/Fibutton/status/873437858215989248
21. โMy own invention. Eggplant with a side of melted knifeโ
Note to self: always always always check the tray before popping it in the oven. I can only imagine the intense plastic odor in the air after this one. And can we be honestโฆ that eggplant doesnโt look like it was going to be a smash hit in any case.


22. Food should just never ever be blue
โI was making Thai basil chicken then I turned around for a minute and my brother put blue food dye in it. Heโs 19.โ
This is like the modern-day Asian fusion version of Green Eggs and Ham. I respect the brother for his version of how to spice up the meal, but I really donโt think any food should ever be blue. Would you still eat this?


23. โGot drunk last night and wanted pizza and didnโt want to spend moneyโ
This looksโฆ ummโฆ not great. But I love the dedication to budgeting. Most peopleโs financial responsibility goes out the window when they drink. So, kudos, I guess?


24. This banana bread could not be tamed
The best part about this is that while it looks wild, itโs still totally edible. In fact, the bit that escaped looks perfectly cooked. Get a fork!
If you have to have a baking fail, this is the best-case scenario.


25. Donโt cry over spilled soup
This looks bad enough as it is. But the caption claims it was five minutes before close after a 12 hour day. I cannot imagine the floor of emotions going through this personโs head right now. Stay strong, you can do it!


26. Start with the easy animals
This person has clearly never seen a lamb before. โ thatโs the only explanation for this atrocity. If someone presented me with this cake on my birthday I would be both scared and elated that they tried.


27. Absolutely defeated
This is just like Episode 26, Season 5 of The Office. The tragic first 30 seconds of the episode when Kevin spills his chili. I canโt think of anything more upsetting, and I totally understand this girlโs reaction. At least the cat is there to help clean up!


28. I want to speak to the manager of this kitchen store, please
I donโt understand how this even happened. What kind of kitchen equipment canโt handle the stove? I donโt even think we can blame this one on the roommate.
In case you ever think your roommate is dumbโฆ let me one up you pic.twitter.com/INsZbAfnNv
โ anie (@_aniebananie9) December 18, 2019
29. Stick to buying commercial wine, I think
This just came with a Lithuanian caption that translated to: โDad tried to make wine.โ
I have sooo many questions. I donโt even know where to begin. Just throw the whole kitchen out and start again.


30. These pancakes are cursed
This is almost a little Nightmare Before Christmas. But if thatโs not the intentionโฆ I can fully understand why this was a terrifying experience. Canโt exactly serve this to your child without traumatizing them, can you?
https://twitter.com/miiiccczzz/status/1102873086603358209?lang=en
31. Definitely not what she was expecting
This person wanted to make a wholesome lobster-shaped cake and look where it got them. Nowhere good! I would love to know if the creators of this crustacean-themed baking pan have ever actually tested it orโฆ?


32. This monster mash
โApparently using a syringe to inject the filling of a jelly bun doesnโt work that well.โ
I mean, thatโs debatable. If they were trying to come up with a killer and creative Halloween snackโฆ theyโve succeeded.


33. Croissants for dinner?
โAsked my boyfriend to bake the croissants for our dinnerโฆโ
Okay, he didnโt do a very good job. But maybe this is fate telling you not to eat croissants for dinner.
Nah, who are we kidding? The universe wants you to have delicious carbs.


34. Thanksgiving can be tough
The art of roasting a holiday turkey should not be underestimated! Whoever did this did more than just forget to continuously baste it, or leave it in a little too long? It is literally scorched. Hopefully, they had a backup option! Better luck next year.


35. Ooh, thatโs gotta hurt
โMy submission for dumbest way to injure yourself: I burnt my hand taking tomato soup out of the microwave. The toast I was making popped up and it scared me.โ


36. Is this an art installation?
I have no idea how they managed to do this, but why does it look so beautiful? Appetizing, nah, not really. And maybe itโs just the colorful plate in the background, but this speaks to me.


37. Do not mess with the recipe
โBake bread they saidโฆ an overnight rise will taste so good they saidโฆ put in the fridge they saidโฆ itโs so a rewarding hobby they saidโฆโ
Wow, this did not go according to plan. It wouldnโt be so bad if it didnโt destroy the area around it in the fridge in the process. Donโt give up! But maybe go easy on the yeast next time, ok?


38. What kind of fish is this?
I truly canโt imagine what the pastry chef had in mind when they went to decorate this cakeโฆ but I can promise you this wasnโt what they envisioned. Apparently, it was supposed to be a hedgehog, but I donโt know a hedgehog who has a terrifying human-like mouth like this one. This is cursed.


39. I donโt care how much you love Ice Ageโฆ
โฆthis is simply not okay! The stuff of nightmares! Imagine going to check on your meal just to find it staring back at you? Instant loss of appetiteโฆ I may never be able to look at the chicken the same way again.


40. Expectation vs. Reality
They really had the best of intentions. But these dough demons had other plans. I would drive that thing to the edge of town and leave it there so it couldnโt crawl out of the garbage bin and terrorize my home in the middle of the night. It looks ominous.


41. So close
This charming daughter baked her mom a homemade cherry pie. It almost made it to the tableโฆ but not quite. Itโs the thought that counts though, right? I think the worst part about this is the clean-up.


42. This ainโt right
โBlack bean โburritoโ my roommate made with rice paper. He was out of tortillas and said, โI didnโt think it would look like that.โ
Rice paper as a substitute for tortillas?! I want to commend the creativity but weโll have to give this one a miss, thanks.


43. But mug cakes are so easyโฆ
This is an easy recipe that somehow went wrong. I can only imagine the state of that microwave, yikes! But donโt let this discourage you. You can still try to make your own DIY mug cake with Oreos and milk. If you only put it in the microwave for a minute at a time, this wonโt happen to you.


44. I like that he updated Twitter
He could have left it with the internet and pretended everything was okay with his delicious-looking cheesecake. But Iโm sooo happy he chose to update us all with the tragic demise. Not only did it go down, but it also had to splatter all over the fridge shelves, too. Very unfortunate indeed.


45. Hi, Charlie
โSomeone left a bread pudding in the back of the oven for 5 days. So here is my new pet rock, Charlie.โ
Charlie looks crispy. Itโs a miracle he didnโt crumble to bits โ science is crazy.


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