I am a well-documented maker and eater of grits, and have run the gamut of preparations, from the lowest of low-brow to truly homemade. I’ve made silly grits from Smartfood popcorn, and I’ve gone as DIY as you can without growing the corn myself, including transforming corn into hominy through a process known as “nixtamalization.” You can trust my opinion on the hot, corn-based porridge, and it is my opinion that you would stir a whole, raw egg into your next bowl.

Similar to tamago kake gohan, a Japanese breakfast dish consisting of hot rice, a raw egg, and some soy sauce and other seasonings, the hot grits gently “cook” the egg, turning the slippery white and runny yolk into a creamy, emulsifying sauce. It doesn’t taste like egg, not really, but it makes the grits taste richer, with a more cohesive, rib-sticking texture. It’s also an easy way to sneak a little more protein in there—six grams per egg—and I’ve found it amplifies the cheesiness of cheese grits, without adding any extra dairy.

There’s no need to temper the egg

Eggs are sometimes used to thicken soups like avgolemono, a chicken and rice soup flavored with lemon and dill. It’s thick and silky, but the egg has to be introduced gently, to keep it from scrambling when it hits the hot liquid. But just as with tamago kake gohan, you don’t need to worry about all that. Remove the grits from the burner, and the temp will drop just enough. The egg will lose its raw, gooey qualities, without seizing up into curds. Just prepare your grits according to the package instructions (or according to my elaborate recipe), pull them off the burner, and crack an egg right in the pot, stirring rapidly until it is completely mixed in, and no goopy white remains. Season with salt and pepper, and finish with an extra egg yolk, because you deserve a little mundane decadence.