Sticky, runny eggs got you fried? Join us in saying NAY-vos to bad
huevos as we break down eight super useful fried egg hacks.
Looking for a tried and true way to prevent eggs from spreading? Do it like
the professionals and use an egg ring. Egg rings are pretty ubiquitous in restaurants
where fried eggs are an everyday part of the menu. They are pretty simple,
typically consisting of a stainless steel or silicone ring that acts as a mold for an egg.
You drop the raw egg into the mold, and it quickly fills out the dimensions of the ring as it cooks,
ensuring an even circle that is easy to flip without making things messy or breaking the yolk.
Egg rings are typically inexpensive, and because they're so small, are easy to clean.
You can even find fun shapes. While they don't necessarily guarantee a perfect egg every time,
they can go a long way toward making any fried eggs neat and nicely contained.
"What a way to start my new life — with the perfect egg sandwich."
Sure, you can buy a stainless steel egg ring. They're pretty affordable.
But doing so might not even be necessary,
because you may have all the tools you need to make your own egg ring — an onion.
"We have onions."
"We have onions?"
"Yes."
"You have onions in this house?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"Yes!"
You can also use bell peppers, or really anything that can be cut into a ring to hold an egg. Onions
are more likely to offer a perfectly round mold, while a bell pepper will give you a slightly
irregular, but definitely usable, shape. Also, bear in mind that both may impart a little flavor,
so if you don't like onions, well… probably don't do this. But if you're looking to keep your egg
well-contained and want to use something you already have on hand — and something edible,
no less — a roughly half-inch-thick slice of either vegetable should get the job done.
And if you want to take your edible ring to the next level, you can always go for
the classic eggs in a basket using a slice of bread with a hole cut out of the center.
It might seem obvious, but it's easy to overlook: A larger pan means that an egg has more
opportunity to get messy. Much like feral cats, eggs can't spread if they have nowhere to go.
Accordingly, a pretty simple way to keep your fried eggs from spreading is just to use a small
pan. A one-egg pan is designed for just that, and inherently limits how far an egg can spread.
A small pan also allows room for experimentation:
You might find that a pan of a certain size is great for frying two eggs and keeping them
neatly contained next to each other. Or you could try wee little single-serve omelets.
Whatever your personal preference, a mini pan can be a great investment if you regularly fry eggs.
An egg is an egg, right? Why should its temperature matter?
"What's it matter?"
Actually, you might be surprised. The best temperature to store eggs is, in some ways,
a matter of debate. While egg refrigeration is the norm in the United States, it's actually
not in Europe. That's mainly because of how the eggs are processed: To combat salmonella,
American egg producers wash the eggs and in the process remove a coating called a cuticle. With
that protective coating gone, they have to be refrigerated to keep out bacteria.
Chickens are vaccinated against salmonella in many European countries, so that protective
coating isn't washed off, and eggs can safely sit out on the counter for a couple weeks.
So let's say you've got refrigerated eggs. When it comes to frying them, room-temperature eggs are
more apt to cook more evenly when it comes to both yolk and whites. If your eggs are too cold, your
breakfast might still turn out okay, but you may have to flip the egg more often or spend more time
waiting — increasing the chances that it sticks, the yolk breaks, or the egg otherwise spreads
more than you want. If you want to avoid all that, set your eggs out on the counter for a bit before
you fry. If you're in a rush, hold them under warm tap water to bring them up to temperature.
Technically, you can fry eggs in almost any type of pan,
or on any surface for that matter. As long as it gets hot enough, that egg's gonna fry.
In practice, though, choosing your pan wisely is a good approach.
When it comes to frying eggs, a nonstick pan is your standard choice. These pans are simple to
use, and as the name implies, are much less likely to have foods stick. If you're trying to stay away
from Teflon-coated pans, there are other options. Stainless steel, cast iron, and ceramic pans are
always good options for eggs. You'll probably have to use a little more oil or butter with those
materials, and sometimes a cast iron can slightly discolor eggs due to a reaction between the iron
of the pan and the sulfur in the eggs, but even that shouldn't happen in a well-seasoned pan.
Speaking of using enough oil, this step is always important when frying eggs, especially if you're
not using a nonstick pan. It does take some time to get the hang of exactly how much to use. After
all, you don't want an overly buttery or oily egg — that can quickly become unappetizing. But
a sufficient coating of fatty liquid will make all the difference when you go to fry your eggs.
An egg can stick to a pan quickly, and once that process starts,
spreading will be the least of your concerns. "Freeing" the egg will
almost invariably pop the yolk, forcing you to make impromptu scrambled eggs.
"Oh, s---."
"I said over easy!"
One often overlooked frying medium is lard. It has a higher smoke point than butter and
lends a savory hint of flavor to the eggs that you won't get with butter or oil.
Some days you're just in a rush and you want your
food cooked as quickly as possible. So just turn up the heat, right?
Don't do it. Don't even be tempted. Eggs are finicky little beasts,
and frying at too high a temperature will make them much more prone to sticking.
"You can scrub and scrape, but you can't escape the NIGHTMARE OF YOUR STICKY PANS."
Butter also starts to smoke at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit,
and it's all too easy to smoke up a kitchen when you crank up the heat under a pan of butter.
Even if you avoid sticking and smoking, eggs simply won't cook as evenly on high
heat. The egg yolk doesn't cook as fast as the egg white, and if the heat's too high,
you're liable to end up with rubbery whites by the time the yolk gets done.
Medium heat — even a bit on the low side — is your best bet to perfectly fry your egg.
Let's say you get everything just right, your egg looks like a golden canary roosting in
a patch of virgin snow, and you go to flip it… and break the whole thing apart! Noooo!
"Ooooohhhhh"
Truth be told, it takes some practice and experience to perfectly flip an egg,
and ultimately there's no way around that. But one tool that can smooth the process
is a fish spatula. If you've never heard of it, a fish spatula is a type of long,
slightly-angled spatula with slots in it, which can help more easily get into and under foods.
And it's not just good for fish. Anything that requires deftly flipping something
delicate will benefit — like eggs! Give it a try and you might just flip your luck around.