You may have been cooking fried eggs wrong – and one TV chef claims you can perfect the art with a few simple changes to your technique.
Regardless of how you enjoy your eggs in the morning – sunny side up, over easy or even with a broken yolk – it can be hard to get them right every time. However, American chef and restaurateur Michael Symon, who regularly features on the Food Network, has shared some easy methods you can use to get perfect results.
“So the first thing is, I have a non-stick pan. I’m gonna turn that over medium heat,” he in a clip posted to TikTok.
Symon added it is best to wait until the pan starts to warm up “a touch” before adding some unsalted butter. “Just let that gently melt.”
Next, Symon shared an easy way to make sure you don’t get any shells in the pan. “If you are a confident egg-cracker, you could crack your egg straight in the pan. If you are not a confident egg-cracker, it’s okay.”
He explained you should instead crack your egg into a bowl slowly and carefully, giving you the opportunity to remove any shells before you begin the cooking process. Cracking the egg slowly makes it easier not to damage the yolk.
Symon said while there are a lot of ways you can cook the eggs, he would demonstrate by making a simple sunny side up egg – and there’s a reason he’s a fan. “We don’t have to worry about the flip if we don’t want to,” he said. “You could just top it with a lid if you want your yolk cooked a little more.
When the butter was slightly bubbling but “not frothing”, Symon said it was the perfect time to gently drop your egg into the pan. “Then we’re going to top it with some salt and pepper,” he continued. “We are then going to turn our heat down just a touch and we’re going to let that egg continue to set on the outside and the yolk is going to continue to cook.”
Symon recommended cooking the egg like this for 30 to 45 seconds. Once that is done, for sunny side up eggs he recommends basting the egg with the remaining butter in the pan so the top of the egg and yolk cooks through, or placing a lid on top for 20 to 30 seconds if you want your egg cooked more thoroughly. “We are over low to medium heat,” he said.
Now, your egg is ready to slide onto your plate. “There you go, the perfect fried egg,” Symon concluded.
People were quick to comment on the video, but not everyone agreed with Symon’s method. “Do people really not know how to fry an egg???” One wrote.
Another added: “Lost me at non stick pan.”
But others were not so disparaging. A third chimed in: “The past few weeks I’ve been so frustrated about my eggs. I’ve kept this to myself completely. My FYP freaks me out.”
“I don’t have time for that,” said another. “I’m flipping that egg over to cook the other side.”
