Can you really fry an egg using a cucumber as oil or butter?

Today, there are several types of oils that can be used to fry any type of food, including eggs, each with distinct characteristics in flavor, smoke point, and nutritional value.

Common vegetable oil (such as soybean or canola) is popular for its neutral flavor and low cost, while sunflower oil is another light option that performs well at high temperatures.

Olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil, adds a stronger, healthier flavor, although it has a lower smoke point. Other oils used include avocado oil, which is heat-resistant and rich in healthy fats, or coconut oil, which provides a slightly sweet flavor. The choice depends on the type of preparation, personal taste, and dietary considerations.

However, the idea has circulated that it's possible to fry an egg with other ingredients, such as a cucumber, for example. However, the idea of frying an egg using a cucumber instead of oil or butter is a myth with no scientific or culinary basis.

Although videos purporting to demonstrate this technique have circulated on social media, they are actually misleading or manipulated. Cucumber, due to its composition, cannot generate the necessary conditions for frying food, as it lacks the essential fat content for this process. Frying requires a source of fat that reaches high temperatures—generally between 160°C and 190°C—to cook the food quickly and produce the typical golden texture. Cucumber, on the other hand, is composed of 95% water and has virtually no fat content. When heated, it simply releases water and decomposes, preventing browning or proper cooking of the egg.

Furthermore, from a nutritional and culinary perspective, cucumber has no properties that allow it to replace fats in cooking techniques such as frying. Although it can be a healthy and refreshing ingredient in salads, it does not perform any thermal function similar to that of oils or butters. Therefore, this claim is false and should be considered viral content without any real backing.