How to fry perfect eggs every time
For one of the simplest and most nutritious meals, fried eggs can also be one of the trickiest to get just right.
The trick to getting a nice soft and runny yolk, with the surrounding white albumen properly set, and a cooked-but-not-burnt base can be quite difficult for the novice.
The following technique will guarantee perfectly set sunny side up fried eggs in under two minutes.
Equipment
- A smallish frying pan (non-stick coated if available)
- A saucepan lid large enough to cover the frying pan
- A spatula
Ingredients
Method
- Pour one gram of olive oil into the frying pan. This is a tiny amount: only enough to cover a small coin.
- Put the pan onto the stove top and heat to a high temperature (say 30 to 45 seconds).
- With the spatula, smear the hot oil over the surface of the frying pan. It should spread readily and leave the pan glistening.
- Crack your eggs into the centre of the frying pan, and immediately pour in the water (the equivalent of four soup spoonsful of water is adequate).
- Put the saucepan lid on the pan, sealing in the steam produced by the water, and immediately turn the heat down to the lowest setting.
- In approximately 30 to 45 seconds, remove the lid and take the pan off the heat.
Your eggs will be perfectly cooked top to bottom, with a slightly set yolk. They will slip immediately from the pan, as the steam vapour will have worked its way under the eggs, slightly raising the eggs from the oiled pan while they were cooking. Also, the steam will have properly set the egg whites. The frying pan will be easy to clean, with no burnt-on egg.
Slip your eggies onto buttered toast and enjoy!