With every week comes a new viral food photo fad. For everyone who’s seen pictures of some weird, puffy eggs on social media lately – meet cloud eggs, the new trendy food.
What are cloud eggs?
Cloud eggs are eggs prepared with a technique that makes
the whites puff up. Like clouds. But also kind of like roasted cauliflower, which would not be as catchy a name.
Why is this a thing?
Because they look good on Instagram. People make them, photograph them, and post them using the hashtag #cloudeggs.
Also because they are “fun”,
I guess?
Why do we live in a society that has an “it” Instagram food?
Because social media delivers constant positive feedback in the form of likes, which trigger the brain’s pleasure centres and cause people to spend more time seeking out that affirmation, which makes them seek even more likes in behaviour that can be compared with an addiction.
What do they taste like?
They taste like egg-flavoured marshmallows.
Do you really want to eat egg-flavoured marshmallows?
Sigh, okay.
How do you make them?
You separate the eggs and the yolks, and then you whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, according to a popular recipe.
Then stir in some Parmesan cheese (and chives and ham, if you desire), and scoop out the fluffy eggs onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
Make a little indentation for the yolk, but don’t put it in yet – first, bake the clouds for two minutes, then take them out and add the yolk, and bake for another three.
But watch them carefully, because if they get too brown, you’ll have the aforementioned cauliflower problem.
How long will they hold our collective attention span?
I give it a week.