Fried eggs make a delicious addition to full English breakfasts, light lunches or evening meals. They’re a crucial part of numerous dishes, from salads and burgers to crowning a croque Madame and even finishing off noodle stir-fries. The eggs can be prepared with a softly set, just-cooked yolk, crisped around the edges or flipped over-easy. Yet, occasionally, fried eggs don’t quite meet our expectations. They’re amongst the simplest foods to prepare in the kitchen, but various factors can influence your outcome. Hens’ eggs are somewhat
easier to cook than ducks’ eggs, making them the preferred option. To avoid a thin fried egg, choose the freshest available. BBC Good Food said: “The fresher an egg, the stronger the proteins are in the white, which means the egg will form into a neater shape in the frying pan. “Old eggs will spread out very thinly.” Before preparing your fried egg, it’s worth checking you’re using the freshest batch, as an older one can lead to disappointing results. Eggs can be fried in
any fat, though it’s advisable to choose one that’ll deliver the flavour you desire. When preparing a full English, utilise the bacon fat remaining in the pan or a knob of butter. For rich dishes, opt for olive or rapeseed oil. When frying eggs for a nasi goreng or dhal, consider using coconut oil for an additional hint of flavour. How to make a fried egg Ingredients One fresh egg at room temperature One small knob of butter or one tbsp oil If using butter,
warm it in your frying pan until it is liquid but hasn’t reached browning. For oil, simply heat it in the frying pan. Crack the egg onto a small plate or saucer. Avoid cracking it directly into the pan, as parts of shell could fall in. Gently slide your egg from the plate or saucer into the pan. Place a lid over the pan and leave it for three minutes on a low heat. Check that the white has set. If it hasn’t, allow it
to cook for a further 30 seconds before checking once more. The whites should be fully set while the yolk remains runny. Season the egg and serve.
fried eggs, egg freshness, thick fried eggs, runny yolk, set white, hens eggs, butter, olive oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil
Okay but how do you even tell if an egg is “old” without cracking it??
So is this saying fresher eggs make the yolk thicker like… automatically? Because I’ve used eggs that are a week old and mine still looks fine. Maybe I’m doing something else wrong with the butter?
I swear the only time my fried eggs spread is when I use olive oil, like it messes with the whites or something. Also why do they keep talking about ducks eggs like I’m out here buying duck eggs lol. I just crack and pray, 3 minutes my butt.
This feels backwards to me. If eggs are “old” they spread thinner, but wouldn’t fresher ones be more likely to stay runny? And then they say yolk runny but whites set… like which part matters most. I tried using coconut oil once and it tasted like ramen, not nasi goreng.