How I fry my eggs
A reader left a comment the other day, asking how I fry my eggs.
I don't think my method is anything particularly special, but I'm happy to oblige.
The pan
You can use a nonstick pan, of course, but my method lately has been to use my stainless steel skillet.
I heat it up until water beads up on the surface; this has an interesting effect on the nonstick levels of the pan, partly because the metal expands, sort of "filling in" the tiny nooks and crannies in the metal.
There's also a Leidenfrost effect, which I am not going to type out; click here for a thorough article about the stainless steel skillet heating method and the why behind it all.
At any rate, you can actually fry eggs in a stainless steel skillet this way! And that makes me happy because stainless steel skillets last way longer than nonstick skillets do.
The method
Once the pan is hot, I usually add a little bit of oil for flavoring; my favorite lately has been to use some of the oil from my jar of chili crisp.
I crack the eggs into the skillet, lower the heat a few notches, sprinkle salt and fresh-ground pepper over top of them, and then cook them, without flipping them, until the egg white is cooked through.
At this point, the yolk is still nice and soft, which is how I like it!
But if you prefer yours cooked more thoroughly, you could just gently flip the egg and cook it on the other side for a bit.
How I use my fried eggs
Of course, I eat them just as-is.
But also, I eat them:
- on avocado toast
- on mashed potatoes
- on sweet potatoes
- on leftover rice
- as a sandwich, on a toasted bun with some jarred hot red peppers
Honestly, you can add an egg on top of lots of different things and call it a meal. 😉
How do you cook your fried eggs?
P.S. I realize this post makes it look like I only ever eat eggs for breakfast, but I do actually mix it up sometimes with smoothies and oatmeal!
Good morning, Sometimes as a special treat, I fry my eggs in pesto.
I would eat eggs for breakfast every morning if I could! My kids go in phases with eggs. At one point we were up to needing to cook 11 at a time, now we're down to 5. We will see what next year brings.
Eggs! Such a nutritional gift in a small package. Can confirm that learning to use stainless steel properly has been life-changing. So simple and no more ingesting bits of the nonstick material as the pan wears (omg). Simple, quality tools are so valuable, kind of like an egg is a simple, quality food.
I love eggs for breakfast, with toast and tea. I do a quick scramble over high heat. The moist, runny style of scrambled eggs is not to my taste. We have a (declining) ceramic pan that's not really non-stick anymore, but I'm not sure that stainless steel will cut it for pancakes. Would be happy to hear otherwise, though!