How do I fry an egg?
Frying an egg with a set white and a runny yolk, plus how to get crisp edges or a soft, tender white depending on what you want.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 5 min
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Medium-low heat and a little fat for a tender white and runny yolk, taking three to four minutes. High heat and more fat for crisp lacy edges. Cover the pan for the last minute if you want the top of the white set without flipping.
The two versions of a fried egg need opposite heat. A gentle egg with a soft white needs low heat and patience; a crisp-edged egg needs the fat genuinely hot. Choosing which you want before you start is most of it.
What you'll need
- Non-stick or well-seasoned pan
- Oil or butter
- Fish slice
- Lid (optional)
Step by step
- Crack the egg into a small bowl first if you are not confident.It lets you remove shell and check the egg before it hits the pan.
- Heat the pan over medium-low with a knob of butter or a slick of oil.Butter for flavour but it browns; oil tolerates more heat. A mix gives both.
- Slide the egg in gently from close to the surface.Dropping it from height breaks the yolk and spreads the white thin.
- Cook for three to four minutes until the white is set and opaque.The white nearest the yolk sets last. That is the part to watch.
- For a set top without flipping, cover the pan for the last minute.The trapped steam sets the surface. A splash of water under the lid speeds it up.
- For crisp edges instead, use a hotter pan and more fat, spooning it over the whites.The edges bubble and go lacy. This needs enough fat to move around.
- Season after cooking, not before.Salt on the raw white draws water out and can make it slightly rubbery.
- Lift it out with a thin fish slice, letting excess fat drain in the pan.A thin flexible slice slides under without tearing the white.
Tips
- Fresher eggs hold a tighter shape in the pan. Older eggs spread out thin, which suits crisp-edged frying better.
- If the white spreads too far, a metal ring or a well-fitting small pan keeps it compact.
- Basting with hot fat from the pan sets the top without flipping and without steam, keeping the edges crisp.
Common mistakes
- Pan too hot for a soft-white egg — The bottom goes rubbery and browns before the top of the white has set.
- Salting before cooking — Salt draws water out of the raw white and can pit the surface.
- Dropping the egg in from height — It breaks the yolk and spreads the white too thin.
Questions people ask
How do I stop the yolk breaking?
Crack into a bowl first and slide it in from just above the pan. Most broken yolks happen at the cracking stage or from dropping the egg in.
How do I set the top without flipping?
Cover the pan for the last minute, optionally with a splash of water for steam. Or spoon hot fat over the top, which sets it without softening the edges.