Photo: Claire Lower
Mayonnaise is made of eggs, and is often used in dishes that features them, especially hard-boiled eggs. From the Mayonegg to deviled eggs, the combination is loved (and hated) by many.
Both foods tend to generate a lot of discourse, which makes them a veritable never-ending source of content (for me). Egg content begets more egg content. Mayo content begets more mayo content. And, sometimes, egg content begets mayo content. Such was the case with this tweet, which was sent in response to this blog:
The tweet read:
I swear this isn’t a joke, given your history, but try frying and egg with mayo instead of oil or butter - it’s my fave.
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Chill out
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Having been promised I was not being trolled, I decided to give this mayo-fried egg a try. I melted a couple of teaspoons of mayo in a nonstick pan while muttering, “and yet a trace of the true self exists in the false self” over and over, like a mantra.
Once the mayo had melted completely and started to sizzle, I cracked an egg into the pan, then cooked it like I would any other fried egg. As you can see from the photo above, the mayo delicately browned the edges and bottom of the egg, creating a thin, crisp edge around the white.
By cooking an egg in an emulsion of oil, vinegar, sugar, and (yes) more egg, you get a little bit of browning, a little bit of sweetness, and a nice, tiny hit of acid. It is a pleasant egg—delicate, restrained, and delicious. It’s not greasy or gloppy, just a lightly browned, lacy-edged fried egg. Unlike cooking one in butter, a mayo-fried eggs steps back a bit and says “Here, egg, you take center stage.”
If nothing else, it’s good to know that you can use mayonnaise to cook your breakfast. I may run out of butter, and I may run out of mayo, but I am never out of both at the same time.
