Why don’t Oreos burn? Video of their fire resistance goes viral

A viral video showing Oreo cookies resisting a blowtorch has sparked online discussion. The video shows rows of Oreos on a wooden frame being exposed to flames. The wood catches fire, but the cookies appear largely unaffected even after 30 seconds. Millions have viewed the videos posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Users questioned the cookies' composition and durability. "Is milk stronger than fire?," one user wrote. Another commented, "That Oreo was ON FIRE. The wood is still burning. And it still has structural integrity? WTF are they made out of? Should we be eating these? Should we be constructing houses out of Oreos…? Why are they so damn delicious. We probably should not be eating these." A third user simply asked, "Why are Oreos fire resistant?"



Another X user wondered how oreos can dissolve in milk so fast. "Oreo can withstand fire but crumble within 10 seconds in my milk.. make it make sense."

Another person wondered, "Why are Oreo cookies fire resistant in the first place? What happens to our bodies when we eat this stuff?"

According to the official Oreo website, the cookies contain: sugar, unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate {vitamin b1}, riboflavin {vitamin b2}, folic acid), palm oil, soybean and/or canola oil, cocoa (processed with alkali), high fructose corn syrup, baking soda, salt, soy lecithin, chocolate, artificial flavor. Some online users have attributed the cookies' apparent fire resistance to the combination of sugar, palm or canola oil, soy lecithin, and cocoa. Many people are now sharing their own experiences with burning Oreo cookies.