Make a Fried Egg

Fried eggs have been a favorite breakfast for generations. Are you tired of burning yourself on the skillet? And overcooking them too? Here is a simple way to make delicious eggs in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients

• Oil or Butter
• One Egg
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional garnishes (chives, bacon, olives, etc.)

Steps

Making a Fried Egg

1. Use fresh eggs. Although older eggs that have been sitting in the fridge for a few weeks are better for boiling, you want your eggs to be as fresh as possible when frying. Purchase large or jumbo-sized eggs for a more satisfying portion size.
2. Choose a good pan. There’s no “proper” or “correct” pan for frying an egg, but you want to make sure you use a pan that heats through evenly, and which won’t cause the egg to stick to it. A non-stick pan or a well-seasoned cast-iron pan are your best bets.
   • If the only pan you have tends to make food stick to it, use a little extra butter or nonstick cooking spray when frying the egg.
3. Bring the pan up to medium heat. Wait at least a minute before adding anything to the pan to make sure that it’s at the appropriate heat.
   • Once the pan is hot, add half a teaspoon of butter or oil.
   • Once the butter has melted or the oil has begun to shimmer, tilt the pan to spread the fat all over its surface, coating the pan evenly.
   • Make sure the fat doesn’t begin to smoke, as this suggests your pan is too hot. Cooking an egg over too hot a temperature will result in uneven textures, where the bottom cooks quickly and the top is still runny.
4. Crack your egg into a separate bowl. Whenever using eggs, you should always crack them into a separate bowl before adding them to the dish or other ingredients. This way, if the egg turns out to have gone bad, or if you get shell in the whites, you can either discard the egg or fish the shell pieces out without having to start over.
   • Tap the broad center of the egg gently against the counter to create a small dent in the shell.
   • Holding the egg firmly in both hands, poke your thumbs into the dent to create a hole, then crack the shell open, allowing the egg to fall into the bowl.
   • If you do get any shell in the bowl, you can use a larger piece of shell to coax it out of the egg. They attract like magnets!
5. Pour the egg into the preheated, oiled or buttered pan. If you didn’t have fresh eggs, and used old ones instead, the whites will likely spread out more than you’d like. Use your spatula to pull the edges of the egg whites closer to the yolk, creating a pleasant, rounded shape around it.
6. Season or garnish the egg while it’s still cooking. It’s normal for the whites to seem like they’re simmering over medium heat, but eventually, they will transition from their original clear runny texture to a whiter, firmer texture. When it does, season your fried egg with salt and pepper.
   • Add whatever garnishes you’d like at this point as well. You might top it with chopped chives, bacon bits, or a sprinkling of cheese.
7. Lower the heat and cover the pan when the whites lose their translucence (for sunny-side up). This will likely take 2-3 minutes, though it may vary depending on your pan temperature. After you’ve seasoned and/or garnished your egg, turn the heat down to low and cover the pan with an appropriately sized lid. This helps distribute the heat evenly across the top of the egg, not just the bottom. This should take one to two additional minutes.
8. Flip the egg if you want it over easy, medium, or hard (optional). If you don’t want your egg sunny-side up, don’t cover the pan to steam-cook the top of the egg. Instead, you’ll want to flip the egg and expose the uncooked side to the heat of the pan. This can be a very tricky process, and if you’re sloppy, you could break the yolk and have to start over.
   • Insert the spatula under the egg and slide it over to the edge of the pan.
   • Tilt the pan as though you were trying to slide the egg off the edge.
   • Keeping the spatula under the egg, slide the egg up and over the side of the pan, then allow the egg to tilt back over the pan and land yolk-side down.
   • Cook for an additional minute after flipping for an over easy egg.
   • Cook for an additional minute and half after flipping for an over medium egg.
   • Cook for an additional two minutes after flipping for an over hard egg. The yolk should be firm when poked.
9. Remove from heat when ready to serve. Personal preference on the texture of eggs varies wildly, so it’s up to you when you think your egg is ready to eat. As a general rule, you want the whites to be completely cooked through, without a runny texture. You can poke the whites with your spatula to see how liquid it still is. Once cooked to your satisfaction, remove from the pan and serve.
   • To protect against salmonella, cook the egg until the yolks are fairly firm. A little bit runny is fine, but don’t eat undercooked eggs.

Serving Your Fried Egg

1. Serve it over toast. This is the classic fried egg meal, and can be eaten as breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can spice the classic dish up a little by adding chopped chives, cheese, or a slice of tomato or avocado.
2. Lay it over a fresh green salad. When you cut into the yolk, it runs throughout the salad like a velvety, rich salad dressing. Plus, the striking contrast of green, white, and yellow is aesthetically gorgeous, and everyone knows we eat with our eyes before our mouths!
3. Eat it with ramen noodles. Whether you’re at a restaurant or just eating 50-cent packaged ramen, the runny yolk from a cracked fried egg can take your meal to the next level. The rich yolk adds to the savory flavors at play in a ramen dish.
4. Layer it in a sandwich or burger. You might make a simple fried egg sandwich, with toast, cheese, and a fried egg. You might get a little fancier, and add bacon and tomato to the mix. Or you might go all out and top a hamburger with caramelized onions, blue cheese, and a fried egg. No matter what you do, a fried egg is a welcome addition to most any sandwich.

Tips

• Instead of salt and pepper try adding Portuguese spice and a pinch of garlic spice.
• Serve with bacon or sausage, and your favorite juice or a glass of milk. Fruit goes good with it, too.

Warnings

• Remember to turn off the stove.
• Don't pick up the eggs with your hand when done cooking it.
• Don't burn yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Frying pan
• Spatula
• Bowl

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Halve an Egg
• Use Leftover Hard Boiled Eggs
• Hard Boil an Egg
• Fry an Egg
• Blow Out Eggs
• Poach an Egg
• Make a Naked Egg
• Make a Soft Boiled Egg
• Make Sunny Side up Eggs
• Tell When an Egg Is Boiled

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