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.
Heat your pan to Medium-High heat and add your oil. Swirl the pan to distribute.
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.
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.
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.
Now do the wrist flip to flip the egg, and let it cook another 45 seconds to 1 minutes uncovered.
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.
And that is how I do it! If you have other tips for perfect fried eggs, please post!
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.
Heat your pan to Medium-High heat and add your oil. Swirl the pan to distribute.
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.
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.
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.
Now do the wrist flip to flip the egg, and let it cook another 45 seconds to 1 minutes uncovered.
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.
And that is how I do it! If you have other tips for perfect fried eggs, please post!
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