Frying an egg with cucumber sounds odd, but wait until you see this

A simple kitchen experiment has ignited a surprising debate online, challenging traditional cooking methods and sparking strong opinions from food lovers everywhere.

What seemed like an everyday cooking tip quickly turned into a viral sensation, drawing both curiosity and scepticism.

The story behind this unconventional technique reveals more than just a new way to fry an egg.


A video showing a woman using cucumber water to fry an egg stirred up quite a storm online, dividing opinion among viewers. The Germany-based social media creator, known as @jana.dvll, shared her unusual cooking tip, claiming she learnt the technique from an ‘Italian grandmother’.

But while the clip quickly gained millions of views and thousands of likes, not everyone was convinced by the method.

In the video, Jana cut a whole cucumber and rubbed the freshly sliced end across the base of her frying pan before cracking an egg into it. The pan was free of oil, yet the egg cooked and lifted off the surface cleanly.


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Woman fries egg using cucumber water, sparking debate. Image source: TikTok/jana.dvll


Jana looked genuinely surprised as she scraped the egg onto a piece of toast, highlighting the success of this ‘hack’ with the caption: ‘Learned this from an Italian grandmother and will NEVER do it with oil again.’

Despite nearly two million likes and numerous comments praising the hack, scepticism flooded the response. Many pointed out that Jana used a non-stick frying pan, casting doubt on whether the cucumber was really the secret to the egg not sticking.

One user wrote: ‘You’re using a non-stick pan, hope this helps.’

Another added: ‘It’s a non-stick pan, of course you could’ve literally used nothing and it wouldn’t stick.’

A third challenged Jana to try the method on a stainless steel pan, insisting that would be more convincing.


The claim that the tip came from an Italian grandmother also sparked backlash. Several Italian social media users reacted strongly, with one commenting: ‘My nonna would slap my a** if I don't use the olive oil from our garden in Sicilia.’

Others echoed this sentiment, saying: ‘As an Italian, absolutely not. No Italian grandma would replace oil.’

One person even claimed their own Italian grandmother ‘yelled this was insulting’. Another joked that their Italian grandparents were ‘turning in their graves while I watch this’.

Concerns were also raised about the growing trend of avoiding cooking oils altogether amid health fears. This movement gained traction in the US after the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, labelled vegetable-based seed oils as ‘poisoning’ people, although his recommendation leaned towards using animal fats like beef tallow instead.

‘Oil is healthy. I don't get why people are so scared of it,’ commented a social media user on Jana’s video.


Source: TikTok/jana.dvll​


The discussion extended beyond just the cooking hack. On social media, people noted that oil contributes much more than just preventing sticking during cooking.

One wrote: ‘Oil does a lot more for both flavour and the cooking process than simply preventing things from sticking. I implore [someone] to do this with a pork chop or mushrooms and let me know how it tastes.’

Another added: ‘I really wish people would understand that some dose of oil is perfectly fine and healthy.’

Despite the controversy, Jana clarified she wasn’t against using oil. She explained: ‘I love oil. But it’s a fun hack. Don’t worry.’ When asked about calories, she said: ‘It was actually just a hack I wanted to try. I am still using oil, because it’s healthy and we need it.’


Nutrition research supports the benefits of cooking with plant-based oils such as olive, avocado, sunflower, canola, corn, and grapeseed oils.

A Harvard University study spanning 30 years and involving over 200,000 adults found that people who used these oils instead of butter were less likely to die from any cause, including cancer and heart disease.

The researchers were ‘surprised’ to see that replacing less than a tablespoon of butter with oil lowered overall mortality risk by 17 per cent—a significant health effect. They suggested this might be because seed oils contain less saturated fat, which is linked to higher risks of heart attack, stroke and certain cancers.

While it’s doubtful there would be any health benefit from cooking with cucumber rather than oil, the vegetable itself gained unexpected popularity thanks to viral recipes shared by Canadian content creator Logan Moffitt.

His ideas for sliced cucumbers, combining flavours like soy sauce, chilli oil, garlic, sugar and MSG, as well as salmon, cream cheese and everything bagel seasoning, took social media by storm last year.

This unusual cooking tip may have divided viewers, but it certainly sparked curiosity—and a lively conversation about what really makes a difference in the kitchen.


If you’re curious about more unusual cooking tricks from across the globe, there’s plenty to discover beyond the kitchen classics we know and love.

Have a look at these surprising food hacks and see if any inspire your next meal—because who doesn’t want to impress the family with something that’s part magic, part kitchen chaos!


Source: Youtube/Blossom​


Key Takeaways
  • A social media user demonstrated frying an egg using cucumber instead of oil, sparking viral attention and mixed reactions.
  • Many viewers doubted the hack, noting Jana used a non-stick pan and questioned the Italian grandmother claim.
  • The video ignited debate about cooking oils, with some defending their health benefits against growing fears.
  • Research supports plant-based oils for health, while cucumber recipes gained popularity for flavour on social media.

After all these years of cooking the traditional way, do you think you would give this cucumber trick a go in your own kitchen? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
 

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I don’t eat fried eggs very often but I will certainly give it a try BUT in a non stick pan as I am sure my stainless steel pan will not come out with the same results..
 
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