Well, you probably know how to do this,
but you do not understand how many fried-egg-fails have occurred, with me at the stove.
What usually happens:
-I melt some butter in the pan, and crack in the egg
-I let it cook, waiting for the white to get all golden underneath (because lets face it, I’m not frying this to just end up with a non-crispy edged egg. If I wanted it soft, I’d have boiled it)
-Because I’m still waiting for the white to brown, the yolk cooks through, leaving my toast soldiers (heck yes, I have soldiers of toast.) without a purpose (p.s. I don’t know if referring to the strips of toast used for dipping in egg yolks as ‘soldiers’ is an incredibly English/me thing to do, so if you got mega confused there, I’m sorry :/ )
- The egg sticks to the pan meaning that by the time I’ve actually managed to get it onto my plate, it doesn’t even look like an egg any more.
…Right now you’re probably thinking “What the heck, that never happens to me. Why can’t you just fry an egg normally like everyone else?” (man, I hope I’m not the only person who struggles with cooking eggs)
But, but, buuuuut, this is way better! I accidentally broke an egg and only the white fell out, and the yolk stayed in the shell used science and my brain… to come up with my own frying method, yielding what we ( well, more like what I ) want
Crispy, browned egg white, with a still utterly runny yolk.
What’s the secret? (you may have gathered part of it already)
a) coconut oil which gets it crisp, and stops it sticking.
b) Holding the yolk back for a little bit whilst the white cooks first, then adding it back into the pan atop the white and cooking until crisp and amazing.
Eggcellent (ha, sorry, puns.)
(p.s sorry for the short post today, I have a potentially hilarious post coming up soon)
How to Fry an Egg
- 1/2 to 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 egg
- a metal spatula
- a small skillet (preferably with low sides so you can get your spatula in)
Melt the coconut oil in the skillet (I push the blob of oil around the skillet while it’s melting so the pan is evenly coated)
Separate the egg, letting the white fall into the pan (I put the yolk back into the shell while the white is cooking). Let the white cook over a medium heat for about a minute, until almost all of it has become opaque.
Place the yolk onto the white (this is pretty fun, you get to choose where the yolk will be – bonus for when you fry multiple eggs at a time, you can arrange the yolks in patterns 
). If you find that the yolk is attempting to slide off the white, just hold it in place with your fingers for about 10 seconds, until the heat has bound the yolk onto the white.
(p.s this is a good time to start toasting your bread, if you’re having toast with your egg, that is)
Let the egg cook for a further few minutes (mine took 2 minutes), until you can see that the edges and base are nicely browned and crisp.
Gently run the spatula around the edges of the white to loosen it, then use it to lift the egg out of the pan, onto your plate. Season with salt and pepper. GO EAT IT.
(if you don’t like sunny-side up eggs, flip it and cook for about 10-20 seconds, then remove gently with the spatula)
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG this is an UHmazzing idea! I too have biiiiiig problems when it comes to eggs.
This is a truly Einstein idea – Thanks so much Izy
x x x
hah, thank you!
Trust me, you’re not alone with this, I can’t seem to get frying an egg right either (I usually let the boyfriend do it instead!). This sounds like a great way to do it, I’ll be trying this out and hopefully mastering it too!
Good! (yeah, I usually have to ask my dad haha) Thanks
Just the other day I was thinking “I wish someone would teach me how to fry an egg” after delivering four eggs to the dog bowls. Definitely trying this.
Psychic connectionnnn!
Awesome advice! I can’t fry a decent egg to save my life…I’ll be trying this method for sure.
thank you
awesommee
I’ll have to try this!!! By the way the soldier thing is very English, but since I’m half English (mother’s side) I too call them soldier’s. I love them with soft boiled eggs (which I must admit I hardly ever eat these days).
ahaha, thanks for letting me know! Yeah, I hardly ever eat boiled eggs either :/ my soldiers get dunked in fried eggs nowadays!
Now that I know how to fry eggs, I cannot eat eggs D: But this is so amazing, my brother would love to know this as he’s the king of eggs! (probably it didnt sound so good.)
aww no! But, thank you! (hahaha)
I have such a similar problem when frying eggs and this looks like a delicious solution. Every time I try to fry an egg, I absolutely freak out about overcooking/undercooking it and, inevitably, end up doing the opposite.
thanks Emilia! ahh, yes, that sounds like what happens to me normally!
Haha, Izy, this is a genius post! My nan always says she’s the best at frying eggs but she cooks them non-crispy edges style. This is awesome! But, I must ask, does the coconut oil give a distinct coconut taste? I’ve not wanted to try it because I don’t want all my food to taste of coconut, haha.
Thanks Natasja! If you regular, then it literally has no flavour or scent! It’s only the stuff which actually smells like coconut that will give any flavour, and I think it’s called virgin coconut oil (which is normally more pricey too!)
Oh man, awesome egg hack!! My mom managed to traumatize me by serving me sunny side–up eggs for breakfast one day when I was pretty young (I can actually remember staring out the window behind the table and refusing to even turn around and look at them), and it took me a long time to get over that and embrace the glory of the runny egg. I’ve been an over-easy egg girl for the past few years, but I was actually experimenting with trying to perfectly cook sunny side–up eggs last weekend! I tried letting the oil get pretty hot, then adding the whole egg so the ends started to crisp a little, then covering it so it would cook more evenly. Then I freaked out about the hot oil sputtering up at the glass lid. And then I used them for some photos and then had to warm everything back up so I could actually eat it, and I’m not really sure how well my technique worked. In short, this sounds way better! Also, super-awesome shots of the various stages in the skillet. That’s serious dedication to the craft of egg frying. (:
Thanks Carey! Hahaha, god I know, I used to HATE them! :O There must be breakfast vibes around the blogosphere at the mo! oooh, that’s so clever. I am constantly being sprayed by oil when I’m making popcorn- I know how you feel, it makes me flinch like crazy. I just sat at my set and ate that egg while I still could haha (also, you can see that the two eggs are different in the steps and the final shots because I got too hungry and ate the ‘instructional’ egg….). Thank you! I had to keep taking the pan off the heat and trying not to burn myself because it’s freakin cast iron with a metal handle..jeez, I think I’m mad.
I have that problem. It does always got screwed up, cause I can’t turn the egg to the other side, which I want to. I can’t eat Sunny-side-up. Ugh, it’s runny and squeesy or what to say. You better show how to turn it cause that’s my biggest problem.
haha I know exactly what you mean, I’m terrible at flipping eggs though, I wouldn’t be much help :/
Oh my DAYS, why has nobody thought of this sooner? You’ve revolutionised my life. I feel like from now on, my life will be split into two distinct eras: before and after I read this post.
Yeah I really like fried eggs haha. Sweet photography by the way!
THAT’S what I like to hear! haha, thank you
You are a genius!! I avoid making fried eggs because they just never turned out right. Thank you so much for the perfect solution!!
thanks! I was the same, until I found this method :’)
How funny,I learned to do it this way with my grandma!The yolk always comes out perfect..and in the center.
No way! That’s awesome, grandmas always have the best random tips
I love the crispy white part of the egg with a runny yolk. My technique is to make sure the pan and butter/oil are super hot when I drop the egg in. I then tilt the pan and baste the top with the butter/oil so it cooks evenly. It takes less than a minute to cook and has great results. A tip to keep the egg from sticking to the pan is to salt the pan before putting the egg in to fry.
ooh thanks for the tips!
I’m an “over hard” egg girl myself, but I have a deep appreciation for the thermodynamics of your brilliant eggsperiment.
ahahaha, thank you
Love this idea! I should try frying with coconut oil sometime. I usually just spray some canola oil on there.
It’s really good for frying eggs! It gets nice and hot
You make something that would be so simple so absolutely elegant. This is such a great idea and I’m so happy I found your blog. Amazing photos as well. Impressed!
aww thanks Justine!
Brilliant! Just pure brilliance! I get the heebie-jeebies when I look down at my egg and it looks like something I coughed up during a cold because I didn’t cook it long enough. I, too, love a good runny egg to dip my toast in, but forget about the egg snots surrounding the yolk. Yuck! I’m running to my kitchen immediately to give this a go!
eugh, yes. No slimy eggs puh-leasseeeee.
This is probably one of the most brilliant things I have seen all week. I cannot fry an egg if my life depended on it. I will have to try this tomorrow morning!
-Emily
Thanks so much Emily!
I’ve seen this method with baked eggs but never in a frying pan! Gorgeous photos – so impressed that you managed to snap the egg at every stage of cooking
ooh, interesttingggg (I’ve never actually tried baked eggs before!). Thank you! It meant that it took x10 longer to actually make my breakfast, but at least it’s appreciated hah
I am such an egg snob. In all my years, I’ve never seen such a thing. Separating them, really? Who knew? I’ve never said – that’s one elegant egg before. You heard it here. First time for everything. You’re my first. Love the tutorial. Thanks for sharing.
Me too, I literally can’t deal with uncooked egg white…
Thank you!
There is a true stroke of genius in this technique. It’s so simple yet I would have never thought of it and I don’t think very many people have. Incredibly well done Izy, by the way fried eggs all the way.
Love the idea!
Yes. Yes. Yes. I’m a huge fan of the whites being nice and crisp, but that means with yolk usually takes more heat than I’d like and I end up with this bizarre semi-solid yellow…
Umm, I LOVE how excited you are about eggs. Seriously! And making yolk patterns with multiple eggs?? Ohhh the possibilities. Definitely trying out this method. Sounds like a winner! I also love using ghee for cooking eggs. It lends such an amazing richness. mmm
Love this!
found this post via thekitchn blog. verrry tricksy and clever!
Yep, this is the greatest egg tip EVER. Made the perfect cheddar, egg, and pesto sandwich this afternoon that was smothered in runny yolk and filled with crispy whites. It has revolutionized my egg consumption :]
This is actually really awesome. Although I can scramble eggs like nobody’s business, I usually leave the frying to my hubby. Trying your method next time
Is the cast-iron or non-stick or some other kind of pan the best option? Thanks.
I use a cast iron frying pan, and. I think that steel would work, but I’d avoid non-stick because you can’t get the pan.
i just tried this – all went well at first. separated the eggs. put in the whites, let them opaquify. plopped on the yolks. took a picture. feeling excited.
alas. i like my fried eggs with one brief scoop and flip. disaster happened. the yolks made a break for it, sliding off the white and into the pan. i managed to catch them and scoop them back under the whites, but only one of them stuck back on.
ultimately no harm done b/c i managed to get everything out while the yolks were still runny. i’m convinced this has to do with my scoop and flip skills and not the method, because the idea is genius. i think next time i have to put my yolks on a few seconds earlier so they’ll attached to the white….and scoop more carefully.
Have you seen this book? http://www.amazon.com/The-Perfect-Egg-Aldo-Buzzi/dp/1582346046 Sounds like you might get a kick out of it! The one in this book is sans coconut oil but worth checking out nonetheless. Very cool! Cheers, Zoe.
LOVE this.
thanks
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