Erika Wassall, the Jersey Farm Scribe here with how to make the perfect fried egg sunny side up (without flipping). I am talking about how to cook a “fried” egg with out frying it in a bunch of oil or butter. Yeah… sounds crazy, I know. But, it is the breakfast favorite for myself and my husband. Two eggs and two pieces of toast for him, one egg and a piece of toast for me. This method for how to fry an egg is simple, quick, and perfect every time, no matter how you like your eggs done- hard, over medium or over easy.
How To Cook The Perfect “Fried” Egg without Frying OR Flipping
You’ll use one of those small non-stick pans (a big one will work fine too, but it’ll cook faster the more full the pan is). A small non-stick pan can easily be used for one, three or even four eggs at once. What’s more important than size, is that the pan has a COVER.
Spray some extra Pam on the pan (especially if your non-stick cookware is old like mine!!) If you prefer a healthier cooking spray, use olive oil in a Misto spray bottle.
Break the eggs right into the non-stick pan. Nope, you don’t even have to heat the pan up first. Put the heat on medium-low (this will vary depending on your stove) and cover the pan with a fitted lid.
How long should you cook a fried egg?
Cook for anywhere from 3-7 minutes (or more depending on how you like your eggs. Three minutes for over easy, around 5 minutes for over medium, and about 7 minutes for over hard. The exact times will depend on your stove heat but go ahead and remove the lid allowing any steam to escape away from you when the desired suggested time is up. Then touch the yolk with your finger to determine how soft it is.
Basically that’s it. Fried eggs with no flipping and no sticking!
The idea is, the cover keeps the heat in so you never have to flip the egg to get the top cooked as well. BUT the yolk itself and the top will still cook slower, so your eggs can be perfectly medium, or over easy or however you like it!
And the non-stick pan means you don’t have to add a bunch of butter, which is what makes for the “fried” part of the egg without frying.
The white cooks faster than the yolk, so it’s easy to get even over-easy like we like them!!
YUM! All warm and yummy.
To test for how done then are, just shake the pan a little. This gives you a good idea of how much the yolk has cooked so far. You may have to do this a few times to get the timing just right, because everyone’s idea of the “perfectly cooked” egg is different, and things from the thickness of the pan, the number of eggs, the size of pan and the stove heating unit itself will come into play.
But it’s easy to test along the way when you’re cooking. Don’t be afraid to take the lid off every minute or so. Obviously the heat does escape when you take the top off, but it’s not a big deal. Especially in a small pan, the heat will build up pretty quick once you put it back on.
Fried eggs go great with homemade biscuits, Southern style! Or serve them with buttered toast. Or in a fried egg sandwich with ketchup (my grandma used to make me those)!
So umm… why is the egg yolk orange??
In case you’re wondering what causes the egg yolks to be different colors, it has to do with nutrition of the hens. Notice how those egg yolks are such a DEEP orange color, it’s because our chickens have constant access to grass, which has much richer nutrients than any chicken feed (INCLUDING “organic” chicken feeds!).
You can see the difference extra well here:
The yellow yolk is a store-bought (organic!) egg. The bright orange color yolks are from our free range chickens.
I highly suggest keeping an eye out for those signs you see that say “Farm Fresh Eggs for Sale” and then asking them if their chickens have access to grass (not all farm fresh chickens do!). Not only will you probably pay less than you’d expect (we sell ours for $3.50 a dozen – $3 if you bring back an empty carton!) but you’ll also be helping out a local farmer.
So what do you think? Will you be trying out my cooking tips for how to cook the perfect fried egg?
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Danielle Isom says
I’m going to have to try this. I love my eggs over easy and hate the occasional broken yolk when flipping the eggs. This sounds so easy and worry free!
Tonya says
I’ll definitely have to give this a try the next time I make eggs! Also, great info about the egg color. Good to know!
susan says
I have never master frying an egg… These are some great things to try they just may work for me?
Dawn McAlexander says
I really like over-medium eggs. This seems like an easy way to get them that way without breaking the yoke.