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FABULOUS
FRIED
Sunny-Side Up, Over Easy or "In the Shade"
- Choose
the right size pan: Select a heavy pan, preferable nonstick, with sloping
sides, which make it easier to reach in with a wide spatula. For 1 egg,
use a 6-inch pan; for 2 eggs, use an 8-inch pan; for 3 or 4 eggs, use
a 10-inch pan. For more than 4 eggs, fry in batches.
- Use
a small amount of cooking fat: 1 teaspoon of butter or oil for each
egg is usually enough. I prefer to fry eggs in butter, but when I am
serving them with an olive oil-based garnish, I use olive oil as the
frying medium, to match the flavors. To reduce the saturated fat, you
can fry with nonstick cooking spray, vegetable oil or a mixture of half
vegetable oil and half butter.
- Heat
the pan slowly: Typically, I heat the pan over medium-low heat just
enough so that I can feel the warmth (not searing heat!) of the pan
when I hold my hand about 1 inch from its surface. Then I add the butter
or oil and reduce the heat to low. (If using cooking spray, coat the
cold pan and then begin to heat.) Butter is hot enough when it begins
to sizzle; oil is hot enough when a drop of egg or a bread crumb sizzles
gently when added.
- Add
the eggs carefully: Breaking an egg on the side of the pan and flopping
it into a hot skillet can risk broken yolks, shell fragments and burned
fingers. I like to crack each egg into a small bowl or cup so I can
remove any bits of eggshell or blood spots. (Use the tip of a knife
or a teaspoon-sized piece of the broken shell.) Also, if the yolk breaks
when placed in the cup, the egg can be saved for another purpose. Pour
each egg from the cup into a clear spot in the hot pan.
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Fry the eggs over low to medium-low heat.
Sunny-Side
Up
Cook
the eggs until the white begins to set, about 1 minute. For a very delicate
white and a thick, creamy yolk, cover the pan and cook the eggs over low
heat for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, cook the eggs entirely uncovered,
adjusting the heat between medium and medium-low, for 4 to 5 minutes total
time. This method produces a creamy yolk that is gently set on the bottom
and a white that is lightly browned on the bottom.
Over
Easy or Over Light
In
this method of frying, the film of white that covers the yolk is set with
direct heat. Cook the eggs as for sunny-side up, but flip each egg over
during the last 15 to 20 seconds of cooking. The challenge here is to
turn the egg over and then out of the pan without breaking the yolk in
the process. It's easiest to use a wide spatula. As in everything, practice
makes perfect.
Basted
This is the name for a method that lightly cooks the thin layer of white
covering the yolk but doesn't involve flipping. Fry the eggs following
the procedure for sunny-side up, covering the pan after the whites are
set. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, lift the lid and quickly sprinkle
the eggs with 2 to 3 teaspoons of water. Immediately cover the pan and
continue cooking. The steam will "baste" the eggs and set the film of
white around the yolk.
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