Fried Eggs

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Eggs > Egg Cooking Guide > Fried Eggs

Method One: Traditional Methods

Frying is another popular method of cooking eggs and it is easy to do. Begin by heating butter or cooking fat in a skillet or sauté pan.
Whole eggs are cracked and opened over the pan. The eggs should be opened as close to the bottom of the pan as possible so that they maintain a pleasing shape and do not spread out too much.
The eggs are cooked until the whites are firm and the yolk is runny or firm, depending on how they are desired.
There are several methods used to finish cooking the eggs. They can be left unturned and can be basted with the hot fat. A few drops of water can be added and the pan can be covered to steam cook the eggs. The eggs can also be finished by carefully turning them over using a spatula once they have firmed up on the bottom.
The eggs are then cooked until the yolks are at a desired doneness, such as over easy (runny yolk), over medium (soft yolk), or over hard (firm yolk).

Method Two: Egg Ring Method

Sunny Side Up

An egg ring is about three inches in diameter and is used to contain the egg into a perfectly round shape while it cooks. The rings also keep the egg from spreading around the pan so more eggs can be cooked at the same time. Most egg rings are constructed from stainless steel and some have attached handles that allow the rings to be lifted easily from the pan.
Lightly grease the inside of the rings with butter or oil.
Heat one tablespoon butter in a skillet and place the greased rings into the pan.
For eggs cooked sunny side up, crack an egg into a small bowl. If more than one egg will be fried at a time, it is helpful to use a separate small bowl for each egg so that the eggs can be placed into the individual rings at approximately the same time. Omit using a bowl if you are confident of your egg cracking ability and are able to work quickly.
Pour or crack an egg into each ring in the pan.
Cook the eggs to the desired doneness, usually three to five minutes. This is a longer time than is usually required for eggs cooked sunny side up, but since the egg ring does not allow the egg to spread out in the pan, the extra thickness requires a longer cooking time. Keep in mind that the longer the egg is cooked, the browner the bottom will become. Also, the first egg placed into the pan will be done first.

When the eggs have cooked to the desired doneness, remove the rings with an oven mitt or tongs, and serve.

Scrambled

Scrambled eggs also work well using this method. Simply pour the lightly beaten egg into the ring and cook until set.
Remove the egg ring with an oven mitt.
Flip the egg and cook to the desired doneness.