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I've seen people mention how eggs shouldn't become white after they are dropped in the pan. This keeps happening to me even though I use the "water test" and my eggs keep sticking to the pan (I add oil after the pan heats enough). The eggs are already brown around the edges while the top is still liquid. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Divi
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user3711671
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    As a filthy heathen, I'd like to say nothing. Seriously though. Use a good amount of butter, brown it, fry your egg so the white has lots of crispy bits and the yolk is still molten, then use a piece of toast to soak up all the brown stuff. Magic. And if you've got a piece of cheddar? Fry that too. Then you can soak up the cheese juice too! XD – kitukwfyer Aug 05 '19 at 13:32
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    A funny moment in the UK Hell’s Kitchen (series 3 ep 1) has Marco Pierre White criticizing model Abbey Clancy on a similar problem with her eggs, space under the yolk was crunchy on the bottom. He looked at her very intensely and in all this intimidating demeanor said “Your pan is too hot. The secret to frying an egg is basically to poach it in butter. Never forget that!” I remember laughing hysterically because that is ultimately really lighthearted advice in a really tense context. – CR Drost Aug 06 '19 at 15:41
  • A few comments, not sure I want to post an "answer" yet ... 1. Yes the conventional wisdom is that perfect fired egg has NO crunchy or brown bits (type A); but IMNSHO giving the egg a "frilly brown petticoat" (I think it was Denis Norden coined that phrase) can every good indeed, its a matter of taste not rules (type B); 2. depending on answer to that, the techniques etc will differ. In you specific case pan is too hot. 3. Olive oil, at a low-medium temperature gives excellent type A results. 4. "proper" bacon fat at medium+ heat for type B eggs. – RFlack Aug 08 '19 at 17:00

5 Answers5

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  1. Your pan is too hot. To perfectly fry an egg--without browning--you want medium to medium-low heat; what you want is the heat at which butter will juuuust sizzle. And don't use oil.
  2. The easiest way to ensure that the residual white is cooked on top (assuming you want sunny side up) is to put a lid over the egg when it's almost cooked. Optionally splash a tablespoon of water into the pan (but not on the egg) immediately before putting the lid on.
Sebastien
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  • What about the water test (water should move around like mercury)?If that test passes then how is the pan too hot?What are the advantages of using butter over oil? – user3711671 Aug 03 '19 at 19:02
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    @user3711671 What do you mean by "how is the pan too hot"? The pan is so hot that it's making your fried eggs start browning very fast. That's how the pan is too hot. – Tanner Swett Aug 04 '19 at 02:50
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    @user3711671 A droplet of water will roll around the pan on a layer of vapour once the pan is at or above a certain temperature, according to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leidenfrost_effect - so your "water test" will pass on a 200°C pan (reasonable) just the same as it does on a 400°C pan (way too hot). – RJHunter Aug 04 '19 at 06:02
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    Butter versus oil is a matter of preference. In the USA butter is much more common, but using oil is perfectly acceptable and common in many places. – Martin Epsz Aug 04 '19 at 07:52
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    Eggs tend to acquire some of the flavours of the oil they're cooked in too; I find eggs cooked in olive oil are something of an acquired taste.. – Caius Jard Aug 04 '19 at 08:13
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    @MartinEpsz one advantage of using butter is that it is really obvious when the pan is too hot as the butter burns. As expensive as butter is, that’s something you quickly learn to avoid. – Spagirl Aug 04 '19 at 15:01
  • @MartinEpsz: I was about to comment on that. In Spain for instance they often uses the oil to cook the upper side of the egg (by pouring it on the white) – WoJ Aug 04 '19 at 15:06
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    @Martin I don't think anyone was suggesting using olive oil, things shouldn't be fried in olive oil because it has a low smoke point compared to rapeseed/veg oil. In the UK it's most common to fry eggs in veg oil. I tend to spoon the oil over the egg at the end just to ensure the whites are cooked through – Gamora Aug 05 '19 at 10:37
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    @Bee There’s nothing wrong with frying in olive oil. You (generally) don’t want to deep fry in it (or stir frying, i.e. at extremely hot temperatures). Normal pan-frying in olive oil is fine, and often desirable; Mediterranean cooking is defined around it. On the topic of eggs, frying in (any) oil, and especially spooning it over the eggs, while common, gives eggs a greasy, oily, and generally unappealing texture. I urge you to try butter instead, it might just change your life (or it might not, if you’ve gotten used to the oily texture). – Konrad Rudolph Aug 05 '19 at 11:11
  • @Konrad in general though it's not worth it because you can't fry at higher temperatures. I was only suggesting that eggs in olive oil are an aquired taste, but generally it's not what's done due to the flavour it imparts on the eggs. Plus it's a waste of the more expensive oil – Gamora Aug 05 '19 at 11:13
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    @Bee “in general though it's not worth it” — On the contrary: the vastly superior flavour definitely makes it worth it (but, again, for eggs specifically somebody already commented that it’s an acquired taste; just use butter). And high temperatures are relative: a steak is only proper when fried in a mix of olive oil and butter (the latter being added later as to not burn it). Accept no substitutes. – Konrad Rudolph Aug 05 '19 at 11:14
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    @Konrad Also, I don't actually eat fried eggs. I make them for my boyfriend and he likes the way I do them. I used to chef in France and made full english every morning and the way I did them was enjoyed. I put them from the pan onto a paper towel which stops them being greasy. In general though it's not worth it... to fry with. Absolutely cooking with it in general is better, but you need to want that very specific flavour it has in the dish – Gamora Aug 05 '19 at 11:16
  • @Bee The lower smoke point is exactly the reason some who are having trouble with too high of a temp choose to move to olive oil for frying eggs. It forces you to stay below the smoke point and to a lower temp that still does a for them their preferred cooking temp. – dlb Aug 05 '19 at 15:08
  • @dlb I think the point of my post has been missed! Martin said that he doesn't fry in oil becasue of the taste, I was just pointing out that most people I know would fry in veg oil which doesn't make the egg taste funny – Gamora Aug 05 '19 at 15:10
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    @TannerSwett I thought that water test is a sign that the pan is hot enough.Looks like I was wrong.I have tried with lower heat, while there were were no brown edges, sticking is still a problem. – user3711671 Aug 05 '19 at 17:03
  • I fry eggs in olive oil all the time and really like the flavor. I usually add a bunch of seasonings to the oil while it's heating up (steak seasoning, curry powder, garlic powder etc) and it turns out great every time – reggaeguitar Aug 05 '19 at 19:32
  • @user3711671 Where did you get an idea that "the water test" is appropriate for eggs? Sautee, sure. Pancakes, maybe. Fried eggs? Sizzling/dancing water means the pan's too hot. Heck - drop the egg into a COLD oiled pan and turn the heat on after. When the bottom of the egg starts turning white, that's when the pan is hot enough to fry an egg. While the egg is cooking, if you can hear it at all, the pan is too hot. – Beanluc Aug 06 '19 at 20:58
  • Egg in a cold pan is a recipe for both sticking and overcooking. Bad idea. – Sebastien Aug 07 '19 at 21:30
  • It depends on the pan, @Sebastien. I wouldn't do it on stainless, but any nonstick pan including well seasoned cast-iron will be fine. Also, I should say that by "cold" I didn't really mean completely unheated, I should spell out that what I mean is a warmed pan which might not necessarily be hot "enough" yet. I've done many thousands of eggs this way with no sticking. – Beanluc Aug 09 '19 at 18:54
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As @Sebastien has pointed out, your pan is too hot. His advice is spot on. While you can achieve the results you are looking for this way, you would increase your chances quite a bit by using a non-stick pan.

Cooking is about controlling heat. The "water test" you describe might be good for some applications, but it is not always necessary, and it isn't what creates a non-stick surface. In this case, especially, it is causing you to brown your eggs before they are cooked to your liking.

You might be interested in the very low heat method for cooking what the authors describe as an "emoji" egg.

moscafj
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    The pan was definitely too hot.Lower heat worked better but sticking is still unavoidable. – user3711671 Aug 05 '19 at 17:05
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    @user3711671 get a non-stick pan...even an inexpensive one can be useful. Check discount stores. You will not be sorry. – moscafj Aug 05 '19 at 17:12
  • Just to add: if you're squeamish about Teflon pans, try carbon steel. A well-seasoned carbon steel pan is nearly as non-stick as Teflon with just a little fat, and I find it easier to maintain than cast iron. – Bloodgain Aug 05 '19 at 20:23
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The honest answer to this is what you are lacking is experience.

Cooking fried eggs, especially on a stainless pan, takes a lot of experience to get right. You need to try different combinations of things on your cooktop in order to figure out the right combination. "Medium low" means a lot of different things depending on the pan and the cooktop, and it takes a lot of eggs to get to where you can get it right.

So my suggestion: make a lot of eggs. Make a dozen, one or two at a time, and adjust things each time. Then make another dozen. Get to where you know what a little more or less heat will do, or a little more or less oil/butter.

I can make great fried eggs on my pans at home on my own burner, but if I go on vacation, I'll probably make six eggs before I have one yolk stay together. Especially when they have an electric burner, it's nearly inevitable I'll get it wrong for a few times, because I'm not used to the kind of heat they put out versus my (nearly professional quality) gas burner.

Pay attention to which egg you usually make "best" also - if your first egg is best, then you're probably overheating. If your second or third egg is better, then you might not be preheating enough. Ideally all of your eggs will come out the same consistently, but in my experience that takes a long time to get to the point that all of the eggs are consistent.

Joe M
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The water test isn't appropriate for eggs.

To be on the safe side, crack the egg into the oiled pan when you know that it's not hot enough. Then let the heat rise under the egg until it starts cooking. And then turn it down so that it doesn't just keep getting hotter and hotter.

If you can hear the egg frying, the pan is too hot.

Beanluc
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I too had problems with the egg sticking - I found that I had to wait longer before flipping the egg. It seems like when more egg gets cooked, it prefers to stick to itself instead of the pan.

This will require a cooler cooing temperature. So you can almost judge what the temperature by how quickly it cooks. Pay attention by looking carefully.

When I flip the egg, it should be almost done. After flipping, I let the top cook for maybe 10 or 20 seconds to have a well done egg for my son.

Astor Florida
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