How to Fry an Egg
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Frying an egg is an essential cooking skill that will open doors to a delicious breakfast. How to fry an egg is actually quite easy, these step-by-step instructions will show you the best way to fry eggs.
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13 Comments
KGWagner said:
Great stuff! Frying eggs is a fundamental skill you must have, or you’re doomed
But, if I’ve broken one egg yolk, I’ve broken a thousand of them trying to flip them with a spatula. Not that it’s not doable, obviously it is, but flipping them in the air is a lot more reliable, and nowhere near as difficult as many people think.
The trick is to practice with something that isn’t messy, is about the same size and weight, and won’t break. Toast is perfect. Of course, you also need the proper pan – that is, a slope-sided unit as shown in the video.
Make a single piece of dry toast and lay it in a cold pan. Pick up the pan and shuffle it around a bit to get a feel for how much force it takes to get the toast to slide. Once you’ve got that, in a single scooping motion, slide the toast to the back (farthest away from you) of the pan while at the same time scooping up. Stop in mid-scoop, and the toast will keep going. While the toast is sorta in mid-air, lower the pan a bit. The toast should continue to turn, then fall back into the pan upside down.
Now, when I say “mid-air”, I don’t mean to throw the thing at the ceiling like some kinda show-off pizza chef. The toast should barely leave the pan at all. It’ll sorta rotate on edge and fall back in.
Do that until you’re comfortable that you can predict what’s going to happen. It won’t take long – it really is easy.
Leave that laying on the stove or counter, and come back to it later to try again. Do it several times over the course of a day. Next day, do it with eggs. Works like a charm! No more broken yolks, and you can make over easy/medium/well eggs like a pro!
steve said:
Some good tips, but I’d personally appreciate slowing it down a bit, it was like watching on fast-forward!
ovidiov said:
Oh I really like all your videos!!! and I love the way you do it, fast and clear.
Anyway, I am from Spain, and we never use butter to fry the egg, we use reall hot Olive Oil, i think it is healthier and it taste better, but my family in law comes from Germany, where they use butter, so I will give them the tips.
Congratulations for your blog, I love it
Deborah Dowd said:
I am an experienced cook but I have the most trouble making soft-boiled eggs with the yolk still liquid but the white set. I always end up with either hard boiled or slimy. Any suggestions?
Jonathan Bauer said:
Great! I happen to love my eggs scrambled, but there’s nothing like a good fried egg for huevos rancheros. Or poached.
Kathy Maister said:
KGW, that one made me laugh! I have visions of “yolk-SPLAT” everywhere!
Steve, I know the videos are really fast – thank goodness for the pause button.
Ovididiov, Thanks!
Deborah, I know what you mean, while waiting for the toast to pop the egg can get over cooked in just 1 minute. Try to always buy the same size egg as cooking time will be different for a large vs. extra-large egg. Practice with one or two eggs, using the same pot and the same burner. Eventually, you should be able to figure out the timing. Good Luck!
Jonathan, Thanks!
Kathy Maister said:
FYI
There is a superb slideshow over at Gourmet called “A Dozen Eggs”. The photo-tutorial includes the following eggs:
Ostrich, emu, quail, dove, fish, duck, chocolate, hen, turkey, seagull, turtle, and iguana.
Trevor said:
I’ve also learned a neat little trick. about halfway through cooking add a teaspoon of water to the pan and cover it for the duration of cooking. the steam that is trapped in the pan will slightly cook the top of the egg and make the whole egg white for a different touch.
Kathy Maister said:
Thanks Trevor, that is a great tip! Plus you don’t have to flip the egg over-the trapped steam is doing all the work for you!
HH&F said:
I like to add about a tablespoon of water right before covering the pan. The steam will help cook the egg, and, if you’re like me and hate a crunchy egg, will keep the white nice and smooth.
MiltonBx said:
Thanks for the video. How about making scramble eggs?
startcooking said:
Here you go!
Cindy said:
I hate to admit it but I never really learned how to fry an egg. I did not know you needed to cover it! Thank you for the video!!!