How To Fry Eggs - Easily!

Keltin

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I’ve seen a few posts here lately talking about frying an egg.

It can be tricky, but with the right equipment and approach, it’s actually easy. By no means are my fried eggs perfect, and I hope others will share their tips here. But I’ll start with the tips I have to make very nice fried eggs - easily!

First, you need a good and small non-stick pan. And even though it is non-stick, you will be using oil. But do NOT use non-stick sprays like Pam on non-stick pans as this will cause a gummy residue to form.

I’ve got two approaches. One for sunny-side up, and one for over-easy.

First, crack your egg into a small bowl, and then add salt and pepper.

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Heat your pan to Medium-High heat and add your oil. Swirl the pan to distribute.

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Pour your egg into the pan. It will fan out in all directions. Immediately grab a spatula and push the egg back into shape….a round shape. You may have to hold the thicker runs in place with your spatula for a few seconds, but it will set.

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Now, cover the pan tightly with foil or a tight fitting lid and leave undisturbed for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Give the pan a shake (you may have to use your spatula around the edges of the egg to break it free) and slide it into your pan. And there you go, sunny side up with little fuss.

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For over-easy, this one is a bit more tricky. You’ll need hand coordination and wrist skills, so you may want to practice “dry” first with your pan using a bar of soap or some other item. Naturally, the pan will be cold as you practice. The goal is to get used to the “flip”.

For the flip, what you want to do is tilt the pan away from you. As the egg slides to the back lip of the pan, let it get close, then give it a quick (but fairly gentle) jerk and pop back towards you. The idea is the egg is sliding away from you, down the pan, to the lip. Once it hits, you pop the pan back TOWARDS you to have the egg fly up and off the lip and towards you and thus back into the pan for a perfect flip. Trust me, with a little practice, it is a LOT easier than it sounds.

One tricky bit is that if you flip too soon, you can burst the yoke, so you must make sure it is semi-set first.

As before, start by adding your egg to a bowl, and then add salt and pepper.

Add oil to a medium-high heat non-stick pan, then pour your egg in. Use a spatula to form your egg into a round. Now as before, cover it, but only for 30 seconds. This will help the thicker center and yolk to set.

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Now do the wrist flip to flip the egg, and let it cook another 45 seconds to 1 minutes uncovered.

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Now do the wrist flip once more and then slide the egg onto the plate. And there you go, easy over-easy eggs!

This last flip is to get the lighter side of the egg exposed for presentation. But if you don’t mind the darker side of the first flip being exposed for presentation, then skip the second flip and simply slide the egg to your plate.

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And that is how I do it! If you have other tips for perfect fried eggs, please post! :clap:
 
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SilverSage

Resident Crone
Nice job, Keltin!

If you don't mind, I'd like to add one tip, which I'm sure you already know.

This works best on very fresh eggs. The yolks sit up nice and high, and the white stays thick and tender. As an egg gets older, the white gets looser and spreads out more. Then even your spatula push doesn't help much. You can end up with an egg white "crepe" with a ball of yolk in the middle.
 

QSis

Grill Master
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Wowwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! Beautiful, Keltin!!!

I love the tip about covering the egg, for sunny side up! I never knew that!

As for the pan flip .... yeah, right. I'd have yolk all over the front of my shirt!

I use a wide spatula for over-easy. Works SOME of the time, LOL!

Lee
 

Keltin

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Nice job, Keltin!

If you don't mind, I'd like to add one tip, which I'm sure you already know.

This works best on very fresh eggs. The yolks sit up nice and high, and the white stays thick and tender. As an egg gets older, the white gets looser and spreads out more. Then even your spatula push doesn't help much. You can end up with an egg white "crepe" with a ball of yolk in the middle.

Awesome tip SS! And very good to know! It definitely explains alot! Thanks!


Wowwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! Beautiful, Keltin!!!

I love the tip about covering the egg, for sunny side up! I never knew that!

As for the pan flip .... yeah, right. I'd have yolk all over the front of my shirt!

I use a wide spatula for over-easy. Works SOME of the time, LOL!

Lee

You can do it Lee!!! Practice the flip in a greased pan with a thick slice of bologna or a raw steak (that you'll cook soon on the grill!). It's really not hard at all to get used to that technique!
 

lilbopeep

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I like as little color on my eggs as possible. I hate the flavor of brown eggs. I usually do the flip in the air no spatula (I also hate broken yolks before their time and sometimes a spatula flip will break the yolk!! Those are the hubs eggs. :whistle: My mom would give the cat the broken yolks, some days that cat ate really good. :lol: LOL Egg yolks should be broken on the plate with toast!)

8310_eggs_bacon_potatoes_2.jpg
 

lilbopeep

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Nice job, Keltin!

If you don't mind, I'd like to add one tip, which I'm sure you already know.

This works best on very fresh eggs. The yolks sit up nice and high, and the white stays thick and tender. As an egg gets older, the white gets looser and spreads out more. Then even your spatula push doesn't help much. You can end up with an egg white "crepe" with a ball of yolk in the middle.
Good tip SS. I actually crack my egg into the pan and as it sets I break the the whites membrane and pull the whites as thin as I can then flip. I love runny yolks and LOATH runny whites. If I leave the whites alone till they are set then the yolks are to cooked for me.
 

Keltin

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Your eggs looks good Peeps, almost steamed. What was your technique?

For me, I love my crunchies!!! I've got to have some browned egg, or crunchy crust, or crispy toast.....I'm rather addicted to the crunchies! :lol:
 

Keltin

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Good tipp SS. I actually crack my egg into the pan and as it sets I break the the whites membrane and pull the whites as thin as I can then flip. I love runny yolks and LOATH runny whites. If I leave the whites alone till they are set then the yolks are to cooked for me.


You bring up a good point. There is an inner and outer white to an egg. When you crack into the pan, what runs first is the outer white. If you break the surface tension of the inner white, you can get it to run as well.

You risk breaking the yolk that way, but it’s a good technique if you want to avoid browning of any kind.

In both my pan pics, you can see the outer white has set, and the inner white is still liquid. I could have broken that inner white, but.....I like my crunchies!
 

Keltin

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Sunny side up eggs are uncooked/raw on the top side right?

They are eggs that are not flipped and only come into contact with the cooking end of the pan on one side. Covering the pan with a lid allows heat and steam to cook the top. Sometimes you simply splash hot grease from the pan onto the egg to cook it (bacon grease is the best). If you prefer raw, you could skip that, but it's not for me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_egg
 

Mama

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Very good tutorial Keltin! A lot of good advice here.

SS is right about the best eggs for frying are the newer eggs.

In my younger days, I used to be the manager of a Waffle House. I learned a lot about eggs. Shh...don't tell anyone but I have one of their egg pans that I still use to this day for nothing but eggs.

For instance, did you know:

The type of egg that has that crispy crust is know as an egg with "lace". You get the lace by cooking the egg in a pan that has been preheated to a pretty high heat.

Sunny-side up: Eggs that are not flipped. A lot of people like their sunny side up eggs with lace.

Over-lite or Over-easy: Eggs that have been flipped but the whites are not done.

Over-medium: Eggs that have been flipped and the whites are done but the yolk is not. The best way to do this is to remove the pan from the heat after you flip the eggs and just let the eggs sit in the pan and finish cooking. (These are my personal preference).

Over-medium-well: Eggs that have been flipped and the whites are done and the yolks are just barely runny.

Over-well: After you put the eggs in the pan, break the yolk and when the eggs are halfway done, flip and continue to cook until both the white and the yolk are completely done.

The way I was taught to flip eggs was to use a plain piece of white bread. You move the pan in a circular motion. When you catch the egg, be sure to come down with the pan so that the egg eases into the pan and you don't break the yolk. Oh...and swirl the eggs around so that the yolks will be the first part of the egg that comes out of the pan when you flip them.

To get fluffy scrambled eggs, add a tablespoon of milk to the eggs and mix well before putting in the pan.

I prefer butter to cook my eggs.
 
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Keltin

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Wow Mama! Great info! That bread technique sounds very cool! And you were a manager of a Waffle House??? How cool is that! I bet you saw lots of interesting things if you ever did the night shift! :lol:

Oh, and the "lace". I LOVE the lace!!! :thumb:
 

lilbopeep

🌹🐰 Still trying to get it right.
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Very good tutorial Keltin! A lot of good advice here.

SS is right about the best eggs for frying are the newer eggs.

In my younger days, I used to be the manager of a Waffle House. I learned a lot about eggs. Shh...don't tell anyone but I have one of their egg pans that I still use to this day for nothing but eggs.

For instance, did you know:

The type of egg that has that crispy crust is know as an egg with "lace". You get the lace by cooking the egg in a pan that has been preheated to a pretty high heat.

Sunny-side up: Eggs that are not flipped. A lot of people like their sunny side up eggs with lace.

Over-lite: Eggs that have been flipped but the whites are not done.

Over-medium: Eggs that have been flipped and the whites are done but the yolk is not. The best way to do this is to remove the pan from the heat after you flip the eggs and just let the eggs sit in the pan and finish cooking. (These are my personal preference).

Over-medium-well: Eggs that have been flipped and the whites are done and the yolks are just barely runny.

Over-well: After you put the eggs in the pan, break the yolk and when the eggs are halfway done, flip and continue to cook until both the white and the yolk are completely done.

The way I was taught to flip eggs was to use a plain piece of white bread. You move the pan in a circular motion. When you catch the egg, be sure to come down with the pan so that the egg eases into the pan and you don't break the yolk.

To get fluffy scrambled eggs, add a tablespoon of milk to the eggs and mix well before putting in the pan.

I prefer butter to cook my eggs.
Over medium are my favs also.
 

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
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I learned a lot in my time there. I started out working second shift (2PM-10PM), became assistant manager and had to work 3rd shift(10PM-6AM) and then when I became manager I worked first shift (6AM-2PM).

I could really tell you some really funny stories.....I learned a lot about people.
 

Keltin

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I learned a lot in my time there. I started out working second shift (2PM-10PM), became assistant manager and had to work 3rd shift(10PM-6AM) and then when I became manager I worked first shift (6AM-2PM).

I could really tell you some really funny stories.....I learned a lot about people.


I bet! We need to sit down over some cornbread oneday and talk about them stories!

And what I called over-easy = your over-medium. My favorite way for eggs! Where is the toast already! :clap:
 

Mama

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When I was a kid, we called them dippy eggs. We would break a hole in the yolk with a fork and then dip toast or biscuits in them :lol:
 

lilbopeep

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When I was a kid, we called them dippy eggs. We would break a hole in the yolk with a fork and then dip toast or biscuits in them :lol:
We stil call them dipping eggs in my house!! LOL I wish we would have been to your waffle house when you worked there because we ate at 3 of them over the years/vacations and NONE were good. We don't even call waffle house an option when we are on the road.
 

Mama

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I've always been a bit of a perfectionist. If it wasn't right, I wouldn't let it be served. I had customers who came in every day but wouldn't come in on my day off. The main office for Waffle House is in Tucker (a suburb of Atlanta) so there used to be Waffle Houses on just about every corner. Each time I got promoted and moved to a higher volume store, customers would follow me to the new store.
 

lilbopeep

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I've always been a bit of a perfectionist. If it wasn't right, I wouldn't let it be served. I had customers who came in every day but wouldn't come in on my day off. The main office for Waffle House is in Tucker (a suburb of Atlanta) so there used to be Waffle Houses on just about every corner. Each time I got promoted and moved to a higher volume store, customers would follow me to the new store.
Well the standards have dropped Mama. What a shame that we found the bad food, poor service and sloppy/dirty ones.
 

Keltin

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I've always been a bit of a perfectionist. If it wasn't right, I wouldn't let it be served. I had customers who came in every day but wouldn't come in on my day off. The main office for Waffle House is in Tucker (a suburb of Atlanta) so there used to be Waffle Houses on just about every corner. Each time I got promoted and moved to a higher volume store, customers would follow me to the new store.

I'd follow you anywhere as well to get at your food!!! Heck, I'm thinking road trip right now!! :yum:

This is more of a question for Sass or Miniman, but don't the folks in the UK cut toast into strips and call them dipping "soldiers" for egg yolk and breakfast?
 

lilbopeep

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I'd follow you anywhere as well to get at your food!!! Heck, I'm thinking road trip right now!! :yum:

This is more of a question for Sass or Miniman, but don't the folks in the UK cut toast into strips and call them dipping "soldiers" for egg yolk and breakfast?

Syrie's Australian / New Zealand Food Blog


By Syrie Wongkaew, Australian / New Zealand Food Guide
See More About:

Dippy Eggs & Soldiers

Sunday June 29, 2008
Dippy-Eggs.jpg


Dippy eggs (otherwise known as soft-boiled eggs) with soldiers has to be one of my all-time favorite breakfasts. I've been eating it since I was a child and firmly believe that I will never tire of it. "Soldiers" are just strips of buttered toast and the Vegemite is optional.
Soft boiled eggs are commonly called "dippy eggs" in Australia. They are so-called because they are cooked until the egg white is firm but the yolk remains runny. Thus, they are perfect for dipping "soldiers" into. I don't know how soldiers got their name. Perhaps when "all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again" the King's soldiers decided that it would be a terrible shame to put Humpty to waste, so they just dipped in. Perhaps, though, soldiers' origins are more prosaic -- it's just that they line up on your plate like soldiers standing to attention. Whatever their origin, soldiers have a cherished place in Australian and New Zealand breakfast culture.

More
 

Mama

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Well the standards have dropped Mama. What a shame that we found the bad food, poor service and sloppy/dirty ones.

It's been almost 30 years since I worked there. Things were a lot different back then.
 

lilbopeep

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It's been almost 30 years since I worked there. Things were a lot different back then.
People took pride in what they did back then and how they treated the customers. Now they take pride in how much money they rake in!!
 

Mama

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I'd follow you anywhere as well to get at your food!!! Heck, I'm thinking road trip right now!! :yum:

If you leave now, you should be here just in time for breakfast. :lol: (I also used to work for Cracker Barrel....I learned a lot there too :w00t:!)
 

Keltin

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If you leave now, you should be here just in time for breakfast. :lol: (I also used to work for Cracker Barrel....I learned a lot there too :w00t:!)

On my way! Be ready with coffee and cornbread and ready to tell me all about both places!!! :bounce:
 

lilbopeep

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If you leave now, you should be here just in time for breakfast. :lol: (I also used to work for Cracker Barrel....I learned a lot there too :w00t:!)
Now cracker barrel we visit almost everyone we see!! I love the country ham and biscuits!! I have spent a fortune in the gift shops!! OH OH I bought 2 HUGE mugs from cracker barrel with the logo on them this vacation!! I love them!! You will be seeing them as soup/chili mugs sooner or later. Some of my favorite cast iron pieces have come from cracker barrel!! Before there were any in new jersey we would do day trips to conneticut which had the closest cracker barrel!!
 
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