I am a bonafide breakfast sandwich connoisseur. In fact, a list of my favorites would be as long as your arm. Raining supreme at the top of that list however, is the classic Egg McMuffin! Many vivid and pleasant memories from my youth are definitely contributing factors as to why I love it so much. Apart from that however, I'm a firm believer that this truly is the perfect breakfast sandwich.
The Egg McMuffin was born in 1971 just one year after me, so I've never known a world without them. The sandwich which was loosely based upon the ever popular Eggs Benedict, helped solidify McDonald's standing as the top fast food breakfast destination in the U.S.
Nutrition
There are 310 calories in an Egg McMuffin. The calorie breakdown is about 38% fat, 38% carbs, and 24% protein. This is probably the healthiest option for a fast food breakfast sandwich, which is a win-win for me. I really don't eat fast food anymore these days, but the Egg McMuffin works its way into my breakfast plans once or twice a month.
There are 310 calories in an Egg McMuffin. The calorie breakdown is about 38% fat, 38% carbs, and 24% protein. This is probably the healthiest option for a fast food breakfast sandwich, which is a win-win for me. I really don't eat fast food anymore these days, but the Egg McMuffin works its way into my breakfast plans once or twice a month.
On occasion I order it without cheese, which further drops the calories, fat and sodium content. I do love a Sausage Egg McMuffin, but actively avoid them as they don't align with my health goals these days. The same can be said for Mc Griddles (and McDonald's Chicken Biscuits).
For awhile, McDonald's offered an 'Egg White Delight McMuffin' which quietly disappeared from their menu last year. The sandwich had better nutrition numbers than the classic Egg McMuffin, ringing in at about 260 calories.
RIP 'Egg White Delight'
2013 - 2022
2013 - 2022
I consumed many an Egg White Delight over the years, but they never resonated with me. I was happy I could eat a healthier breakfast on the go, but the taste simply was not there. As I learned how to correctly eat during my weight loss journey a couple of years back, I realized egg whites had nothing to do with getting my health under control. I switched back to regular Egg McMuffins, and simply limited how often I ate them.
The masses must have had similar feelings, as this new sandwich did not stand the test of time. I haven't seen or heard of any public outcry or petitions to bring them back. In fact, a year had passed before I even noticed they were no longer on the menu.
The mechanics of an Egg McMuffin
Everything about this sandwich works, with every ingredient playing off the other perfectly. The fresh cracked Grade A egg, the toasted and buttered English Muffin, a thin slice of Canadian Bacon, and of course the slice of cheese sitting atop the bottom muffin.
I'm not so sure there would be a better way to stack the ingredients within the sandwich, as they all hit your palate perfectly. In fact, at times when eating one on the way to work in the dark, I could tell simply by taste, that I was eating the sandwich upside down.
McMuffin Memories
I can credit my earliest memories of the Egg Mc Muffin to my Old Man. On the rare occasion, while getting ready for school as a young boy, my Dad would tell me to hurry up and get ready because he was driving me to school. We would leave the house early and he would surprise me by stopping in at McDonald's for breakfast. I would always get an Egg McMuffin with a chocolate milk or orange juice. The whole experience was heavenly, which I will expound on in greater detail on an upcoming McDonald's post next week.
I remember the Egg McMuffin commercials flooding the television in the mornings. I was hypnotized by the music, happy folks cracking fresh eggs, carefully crafting the sandwich and ever so delicately placing said sandwich into its beautiful Styrofoam clamshell container.
Old 1983 Egg McMuffin Commercial
w/John Goodman and Megan Mullally
w/John Goodman and Megan Mullally
While my 1st choice would be to sit down and relish a couple of Egg McMuffins and a large coffee for breakfast, It's something I don't often do anymore. For one, it seems like I'm always pressed for time in the mornings. Secondly, there aren't too many McDonald's these days that I care to spend much time inside of. The corporate whitewashing and sterilization of the décor just isn't very welcoming or calming to me.
I hate it, but these days most of my Egg McMuffins are consumed on the way to work in the car. I love the sandwich so much however, it does bring me some level of peace and serenity wherever I consume them. Now, if I could find a nice retro McDonald's that hasn't been a victim of the corporate remodel unification, I very well would make it a frequent haunt of mine for breakfast. Again, I will touch more on this subject in my next McDonald's article I post, so stay tuned.
Do you have fond memories of the Egg McMuffin and the marketing that surrounded it? If so, share it in the comments below. I know I can't be the only one obsessed with this amazing breakfast sandwich.