what is a dry fried egg

Most of the fried eggs we eat are not really fried. I mean, theyre fried, but theyre not fried.

The first time I tasted eggs that were truly fried was in the streets of Thailand, where a lady with a mobile wok burner served me a plate of rice topped with phat ka-phrao (pork with holy basil). She handed the plate over, but held her hand up, indicating I should wait. As I held the plate, she added more oil to the empty wok, heating it up until it looked like it was just about to start smoking, before slipping an egg into it. The egg immediately started sputtering and spitting as she used her spatula to help the hot oil flow in waves over the top of the egg. Thirty seconds later, it was deposited on my plate with crisp, lacy edges, a tender center, and a runny yolk to mix in with my rice.

Fried eggs are one of the first foods people learn how to cook. They are easily the dish Ive cooked most often in my life, and Ive used many methods to do it, from the simple throw-em-on-a-griddle-until-theyre-done to the cover-with-a-lid-and-add-a-little-water technique my late grandmother favored. Nearly all of them are gentler than the high-heat technique that has easily become my favorite.

A few years after I had that egg in Thailand, I remember reading a passage in badass British chef Marco Pierre Whites excellent voyeurs-paradise of an autobiography, The Devil in the Kitchen, in which he suggests taking this gentle egg-cooking to the extreme.

He then goes on to suggest that eggs should be fried in butter over extraordinarily low heat—if there is any sizzling, any sound at all, the pan is too hot. As the whites slowly set, he suggests you spoon some of that melted butter over the top to encourage more even cooking.

Eggs cooked this way are gorgeous. Picture-perfect. Golden-yolked and whiter than a polar bear blinking in a blizzard. And dont get me wrong; visual appeal is important, and there are some rare circumstances in which these eggs are useful (think: on a croque madame), but for me, thats about the extent of the allure of slow-fried eggs. Even using the word “fried” to describe them is being generous.

In the words of my six-year-old self, theyre pretty…pretty boring. Sure, theres plenty of good buttery flavor if youve been spooning butter over them as they cook, but do buttery, tender, pure-white eggs sound familiar? I believe that folks who like their eggs this way cant admit that they just want poached eggs with Hollandaise. A noble, delicious food, to be sure, but if you want poached eggs and Hollandaise, why not just eat it?

Pro tip: If you happen to like eggs like this and want those eggs to have an even nicer, cleaner, neater, more sterile appearance, first drain the excess watery whites in a strainer, like I do for poached eggs, or cut off the excess whites with a knife or a biscuit cutter before serving.

For me, a fried egg should taste fried, with cratered, bubbly whites, crispy brown edges, and all. Its the built-in texture and flavor contrasts that really make it. Heres how I cook mine.

I start with a carbon steel, cast iron, or nonstick skillet, set over medium-high heat with a few tablespoons of oil. I typically use canola, but heres a case where you can use fancy extra-virgin and that flavor will come through in the finished dish. If you want to get even fancier, try sprinkling a touch of smoked paprika into the oil, the way Canal House recommends, as reported on Food52. Some chorizo or bacon fat is also a good idea.

Once the oil is shimmering-hot—just shy of smoking—I add my eggs, making sure to break them into the pan gently from just above the surface of the oil. You dont want that oil splashing up onto you! The eggs should immediately start sputtering and spitting when they reach the pan. Hit them with salt and pepper at this stage.

When the eggs are in the pan, I tilt it upwards, using a dish towel to protect my hand from any oil splatter. This causes the hot oil to pool in the edge of the pan. I use a spoon to lift that oil and baste the egg with it, aiming it wherever the egg whites seem loosest and making sure to avoid the yolk.

Heres where youll actually find an advantage in using cast iron or carbon steel. Because both of these are slightly less nonstick than a true nonstick skillet, the eggs should stay attached to the pan at the top, allowing you easy access to the oil. With a nonstick skillet, the eggs have a tendency to slide down with the oil, making it a little more difficult to get a nice pool of it.

Once the eggs are puffy and crisp around the edges—about 45 seconds or so—I use a thin wooden or metal spatula to release them from the bottom of the pan, then transfer them to a serving platter.

They sure arent the prettiest eggs around. These are the kinds of eggs you might describe to your friends as having a really great personality or being soooooo funny. Except you really, really mean it. They do have a great personality!

Just tell me that you wouldnt want to take that egg home with you and have it stick around for a nice one-on-one breakfast the next morning.

I was in two minds whether to write this post. I mean, how difficult is it to fry an egg – heat some oil in a pan, crack an egg into it and fry until cooked – simple.

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My guide to cooking the perfect, healthy, fried egg – a properly cooked white and lovely runny yolk, without drowning it in oil.

Quite simply, because it was the first thing I remember learning to cook (I did win first prize for my rock cakes at our village show when I was about seven, but I can’t remember how to make those now so I decided that they don’t count – my mum probably gave me quite a bit of help too).

I know with a lot of food bloggers their passion for cooking started when they were little, cooking at home with family. But I honestly can’t remember learning to cook anything before I was about twenty. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely remember cooking at home with my mum, but I just don’t think anything sank in. I suspect I’ve just got a terrible memory for recipes. One of the reasons I started this blog was to write down any recipes I’ve come up with myself, otherwise I forget them and end up missing out key ingredients when I try and cook them again.

Crispy Fried Eggs Recipe

• 3 tablespoons (45ml) vegetable or olive oil
• 2 eggs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Heat oil in a 10-inch cast iron, carbon steel, or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. (A small drop of water dropped into it should immediately sizzle.) Carefully break eggs into hot oil, dropping them from right above the surface to prevent hot oil from splashing. Season with salt and pepper. Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
• Tilt the skillet toward you so oil pools against the side of the pan. Using a spoon, baste eggs with hot oil, aiming at the uncooked portions of the egg whites and avoiding the yolk. Continue basting until eggs are puffy and cooked, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and serve.

Master the Art of Deep-Frying an Egg: A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfection

FAQ

What are the 3 types of fried eggs?

Can you dry fry eggs?

What is it called when you fry an egg in bread?

What is half fried egg called?

What kind of egg do you fry a fried egg with?

For a fried egg, you want the freshest eggs. A fresh egg has a round, firm yolk and a tight surrounding membrane, which prevents it from spreading. Butter or Oil: You can fry an egg with either butter or oil, it’s entirely a personal preference. Olive oil is a great choice and healthier, but you can’t deny the deliciousness of butter!

How many carbs are in a fried egg?

A chicken egg that weighs on average 50g has in its composition 0. 6g of carbohydrates, 6. 85g of proteins and 8g of lipids. The amount of carbohydrates does not change, but the amount of lipids can change depending on the amount of oil used in the frying.

How to make a fried egg?

Not much is needed to prepare a fried egg. Really just a pan, a rubber spatula, a small bowl, butter (or oil), and a couple minutes. The perfection is in the details and execution. Let’s do it! Use fresh eggs: While using week-old eggs is recommended for making hard boiled eggs, the opposite is true when making fried eggs.

What are the different types of fried eggs?

Plus great new recipes every week! There are 4 basic ways of frying eggs and you have probably heard of most of them: Sunny side up, over easy, over medium, and over hard. We will go through each method in detail so you will get the perfect types of fried eggs, your favorite way, every time.