When scrolling through my social media feed, I usually come across many interesting, yet seemingly ridiculous food hacks. One particular hack that caught my attention was freezing eggs before cutting them into thin slices to make miniature fried eggs.
Since I love eggs, this seemed like the perfect cooking experience. Before attempting the hack, I did a bit of research to find out if freezing eggs is a common practice. According to Healthline, only certain types of eggs should be frozen: raw egg whites and egg yolks, raw whole eggs that have been shelled and whisked and cooked egg dishes.
Freezing raw eggs in their shells can be dangerous, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When eggs freeze, the liquid inside expands, occasionally causing a crack in their shells, which risks bacteria getting into the egg. However, testing out this food hack was worth the risk of bacterial contamination if one of the eggshells cracked.
To start, I placed two whole eggs with shells into my freezer overnight. The next day, only one of the eggs had a crack, so I was able to use the other without risk.
First, I peeled the egg. I had a little trouble at first, but after soaking it in warm water for a few seconds, this became easier.
The egg inside was a strange whitish cloudy color, with the same yellow yolk one would expect from a regular raw egg. When the egg began to melt, it gained a glue-like texture. On one egg, the membrane was very visible when I peeled it, and it was separating from the shell in a way that looked quite cool.
After peeling both eggs, it was time to move on to cutting. In the video, they made it seem so easy, but I found this much harder in real life. The egg was tough and frozen, but after a bit of struggling, I managed to get the tiny slices of egg. Next, I put these small egg slices – which contained varying ratios of yolk to egg white – into a greased pan on medium-high.
The slices cooked surprisingly fast, only taking about four minutes total. I flipped my first batch to make sure the yolk was cooked, which turned them into over-easy eggs. For my second batch, I didn’t flip the eggs. To serve, I made some toast and popped the eggs on top. Then it was time to give it a try.
As I was cutting the egg, I began to doubt whether the dish would turn out tasty or not. During my research, I’d found that freezing the eggs can result in a change of texture and make the yolks thick and gel-like, according to the USDA.
I was so relieved when I tried the toast and the egg texture was normal, similar to a regular cooked egg. The egg slices were delicious and salty, and the ratio of egg to yolk worked well. The yolks in the second batch – which I had not flipped over – were a bit runny, which I enjoyed.
In terms of visual presentation, I loved how cute the miniature eggs looked. They were exactly bite-size and looked like what I’d expect if a fried egg had been shrunk. One recommendation I have for trying this hack would be not to flip the eggs so that they look nicer and have a better texture.
Ultimately, there were some negative aspects of this hack. The egg-yolk ratios were all different, so some slices did not have any yolk. Also, the health dangers are scary and not something you want to have on your mind while eating a meal.
The risk of cracking the eggs is common and can result in food waste or even health concerns if eaten. Finally, the amount of effort and time it took to achieve the final product is much more complex than cooking a regular fried egg, with the only difference being its physical appearance.
For these reasons, this hack failed to meet my standards and I will not be taking another “crack” at it. However, if the preparation time and effort do not bother you and you are looking for a new way to try cooking your eggs, it could be worth a try.
