The Perfect Fried Egg
Slicing into a perfectly fried egg and releasing nature’s most delectable sauce feels a bit like a magic trick.
But here's how to achieve this culinary feat - tender whites with golden, molten yolks - on your very first try.
Ingredients
- Butter for the pan, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 large egg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Spice it up!
- Red pepper flakes (a little goes a long way)
- Worcestershire sauce
- Paprika
- Chili powder or cayenne
- Chopped fresh herbs
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Bacon bits
Fried eggs go great on:
- Toast
- Fried rice
- Burgers
- BLT's
- Salads
- Sautéed asparagus
- Gammon
- Steak
Method
- Prep the pan - Place an nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add butter and swirl to coat surface evenly. Heat until butter starts bubbling.
- Prep the egg—Crack egg into a ramekin.
- Fry the egg—Gently pour egg into hot pan. Cook until whites are completely set, about 3 minutes.
- Finish and serve—Slide egg from pan to plate and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Cook's notes
Fresh Idea
A cracked yolk turns sunny-side-up into a sad situation. When frying eggs, use the freshest you can find. They’ll have firmer yolks that aren’t likely to break and whites that won’t spread as much.
Pro tip: Save more elderly eggs for hard boiling—they’ll be way easier to peel.
Don’t Overdo It
Eggs continue cooking even off the heat, so remove them from the pan as soon as the whites are set. Excess time on the stove will evaporate moisture and cause proteins to contract, leading to a rubbery, chewy, totally unappetizing waste of the chicken’s time. Respect the chicken, please!
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