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Recipe Review
published Jun 14, 2021
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A couple of weeks ago, I did what everyone else on TikTok was doing (peer pressure is real) and made pesto eggs. If you missed the trend ( … boomer), these eggs are made by adding a spoonful of pesto to a frying pan, spreading it around, and then cracking an egg into the pesto nest. Cook the egg to your liking and huzzah, you have yourself a pesto egg.
Before I even tried making pesto eggs, I knew that it would not only work, but that it’d be delicious. Think about it: pesto is an oil-based sauce that’s fortified with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan. So, if you can fry an egg in oil, then why wouldn’t you be able to fry an egg in pesto, given that it’s mostly oil? This line of thinking had me wondering, what else could I fry an egg in?
The other morning, I was poking around in my fridge trying to find some inspiration for my daily egg breakfast. I was fresh out of pesto (because my pesto egg habit got a little out of control lately), so I needed another oil-based condiment that I could cook my eggs in. I could have just fried my eggs in oil, but what fun is that? My eyes landed on the bottle of Frank’s Buffalo sauce in the fridge and the rest was history. Behold, Buffalo sauce eggs.
A Couple Warnings About Buffalo Sauce
Now, I’d like to preface this with a few disclaimers. It should go without saying, but if spicy food isn’t your thing, then this probably isn’t the breakfast for you. This is a meal for the person who, in the spirit of Frank himself, wants to put that stuff on everything. Anyone less than a fervent Buffalo sauce enthusiast should probably avoid this at all costs.
The second disclaimer is less obvious, so listen up. Have you ever been chopping or cooking something spicy, like jalapeños or chile flakes, and were suddenly overtaken by an epic coughing fit? What’s happening there is that these fiery ingredients are releasing capsaicin molecules into the air and, if you inhale them, they can slightly irritate your lungs, hence the coughing.
I cannot guarantee that this won’t happen to you while you’re making Buffalo sauce eggs. If you’re nervous, you can always use half oil and half hot sauce to lessen the chances of a rogue capsaicin molecule finding its way to the back of your throat. Generally speaking, avoid deep, yogi breaths over your skillet, okay? And crack a window or two. Worst case scenario, you might cough a little while you make this. In my opinion, it’s worth it.
How to Make Buffalo Sauce Eggs
To make these Buffalo sauce eggs, you should have all of your ingredients (Buffalo sauce, eggs, cheddar cheese, and maybe some oil) within reach because it all happens pretty quickly. Start by preheating a nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, drizzle a tablespoon or two of Buffalo sauce to make a circular nest (it doesn’t have to be perfect). If you’re worried about the eggs sticking to your pan, I can assure you that I’ve made these in a nonstick pan with just Buffalo sauce, and I had no issues. If you have trust issues with your pan or you’d prefer to use a little less Buffalo sauce, then you can definitely drizzle some oil in the Buffalo sauce nests as well.
Immediately crack your eggs into the Buffalo sauce, sprinkling shreds of cheddar cheese around the whites. I prefer a sunny side up egg, so I cook these until the cheese is slightly crispy and the whites are set. Once the eggs are nearly done, I tilt my pan slightly away from me and use a spoon to scoop up some of the extra sauce/oil in the pan in order to baste and set the whites. If you want to flip the egg, you definitely can. You could also opt to whisk the raw egg and make scrambled Buffalo eggs — I’m not going to stop you. Keep in mind that the Buffalo sauce is salty and tangy enough that there’s no need to further salt the eggs. Once the eggs are cooked to your liking, use a spatula to slide them out of the pan and serve them over a warmed tortilla or atop a piece of toast.
The Verdict
Are they better than pesto eggs? Well, I’d probably say this is more of an apples to oranges situation because the only thing that these two dishes have in common is that you’re cooking an egg in a fat that is not pure oil. However, if I’m going to a deserted island and can only bring one condiment (this would be an iconic hook for the next season of Survivor, just saying), you can bet I’m grabbing a bottle of Frank’s Buffalo sauce before I grab pesto.
I am grateful to the pesto egg trend for opening my eyes to the fact that you can get creative with what you’re cooking your eggs in because it led me to this blazing hot discovery. What will I cook my eggs in next after I run this bottle of Buffalo sauce dry?
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