Answer to life long mystery sought...

B

brianluce

Carbonite Member
For the life of me, I can't figure out how to make an nice, perfect fried egg. I like them sunny side up, but the yolk always breaks apart and it never stays in a nice tight circle the way it does at Denny's.

What's the secret?
 
Hot cast iron skillet (or griddle if you want, I find the skillet more versatile). I prefer to melt a large amount of butter and let it just about burn then toss the egg in. My theory is that going into a piping hot skillet that heats evenly the white cooks faster and forms a "barrier" against the yolk. Cheap aluminum skillets have never done me well. I personally am an over medium kinda guy though. MMMMMM. That and some toast and bacon.... mmmmmm.... damn....
 
jdajda said:
Hot cast iron skillet (or griddle if you want, I find the skillet more versatile). I prefer to melt a large amount of butter and let it just about burn then toss the egg in. My theory is that going into a piping hot skillet that heats evenly the white cooks faster and forms a "barrier" against the yolk. Cheap aluminum skillets have never done me well. I personally am an over medium kinda guy though. MMMMMM. That and some toast and bacon.... mmmmmm.... damn....
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Okay but what about temperature? I've tried low heat and high heat, neither works.
 
I go with about 75% on a gas stove. Egg instantly sizzles when it goes in. Have you tried expensive eggs? I do always use those natural brown ones in the funny plastic 6-pack. My grocery store only has the cheap eggs in large packs and I dont eat that many eggs at a time, so I just go for expensive. Periodically I do still lose a yolk, but probably 70% of the time it doesnt break.
 
Ahem. Excuse me, but scrambled eggs are more like 1953. We're taklin' Eisenhower and Brando.
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I heard that Eisenhower would only eat soft boiled eggs, he was a big fan of the dunk.

:smile:
 
It's funny. When ever I am making scrambled, the yolks don't break when I crack the egg. But if I am making fried or sunny side up....
 
There are two consistencies in an egg white, a very runny part and a sort of thicker part around the yolk. Cook the egg on one side until the thicker part starts getting opaque. When it is about halfway cooked start slipping the spatula under the edges to loosen it up. Once it is fully separated form the cooking surface you can flip it. The other side only takes 20 or 30 seconds to cook, just enough to really set the other side.
 
Jockomo said:
There are two consistencies in an egg white, a very runny part and a sort of thicker part around the yolk. Cook the egg on one side until the thicker part starts getting opaque. When it is about halfway cooked start slipping the spatula under the edges to loosen it up. Once it is fully separated form the cooking surface you can flip it. The other side only takes 20 or 30 seconds to cook, just enough to really set the other side.
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Great advice!

That flipping part is tricky though...
 
I have always managed it, do you coat your pan with butter first?

see:

the Guardian said:
Fried egg


This simple but clever way of obtaining a perfectly cooked yolk and white comes from Bernard Loiseau, whose eponymous restaurant in Burgundy has three Michelin stars. Ideally, you need a stainless-steel egg ring and a small, non-stick frying pan. The egg ring is not essential - it just helps to hold the shape of the white.

I should also mention that it is vital to use only the freshest of eggs, because their whites will remain compact and not run everywhere.

1 best-quality free-range egg

1 knob butter

Salt and pepper

A few drops balsamic vinegar.....
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Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2002/jun/22/weekend7.weekend10 (Scroll Down)
 
This is kind of a fried egg but not so fried.

Add less that a table spoon oil to a non-stick fry pan.
Crack the egg into a bowl first so if it breaks the yoke you can toss it out or make scrambled eggs. When you have good eggs dump them in the pan.

Now here's the scecret. Add a couple tablespoons of water and put a lid over the pan. The steam will cook the top of the egg while the bottom frys.
 
brianluce said:
and it never stays in a nice tight circle the way it does at Denny's.

What's the secret?
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You know of course that at Denny's they have the little metal ring-band that they set on the grill and break the egg (or two) into it until the white cooks. That's why it's such a perfect circle.

Cheaters!
 
The reason that eggs look perfect at Denny's is that they use an egg pan.
Its a teflon coated pan that is called an egg pan for its size. This keeps the eggs in a nice round form and the thick bottom of the pan distributes the heat evenly across the pan. Its designed to cook two eggs even though you can cook 3 or 4 if you want. An omelet pan is designed for three eggs. These pans are designed for flipping an egg without the use of any other tools. You start with a piece of bread and practice tilting the pan down at a 30% angle and make a circle coming up and back toward yourself and then work your way into the eggs once you can flip the bread.

My favorite is the basted egg - It is a sunny side up egg that once cooked to the right consistency you ad a pinch of water and cover just until the top turns white and it will wash away the grease coating but leave the butter flavor. Now I'm hungry!
 
Terry, maybe it’s my imagination, but those things look a lot like those devices that help maintain dysfunctional erections, and BEFORE you ask how I know of such devices, spam email, I was curious ok, :-()
 
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