How to fry eggs well
You've probably heard the expression: "S/he can't even cook an egg," suggesting that the person referred is a hopeless cook. In reality, frying eggs well isn't as easy as it might appear. The two most frequent errors: the white develops a brown crust around the outside which is unpleasant in the mouth, or the yolk is surrounded by white that is still raw and runny. Here is a foolproof and easy method that will help you avoid both.
20 min.
Easy
4 eggs
5 IngredientsLast modified on: March 11th 2018
4 
2 knobs 
2 teaspoons 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 15 min.
Cooking: 6 min.
All in all: 20 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Take care not to break yolks from the whites.
Stage 3 - 1 min.
Stage 4 - 1 min.
Tip the egg whites all at once into the pan...
Stage 5 - 5 min.
...and cook until they are just set.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Stage 6 - 3 min.
Turn down the heat and very gently place the yolks on top of the cooked whites, spacing them evenly.
Leave like this on low heat for about 3 minutes to heat the yolks through.
Leave like this on low heat for about 3 minutes to heat the yolks through.
Stage 7
Transfer to a hot plate. Your fried eggs are ready and perfectly cooked: the whites are set, the yolks runny. Serve immediately as they spoil quickly.
Stage 8
The video on the right will show you the method in more detail.
You will have to excuse the brown edge on my egg white - I didn't clean the pan after the first two...
You will have to excuse the brown edge on my egg white - I didn't clean the pan after the first two...
Remarks
These fried eggs have nothing in common with those served up in a typical "greasy spoon" café. Do not salt the yolk, as this will mark it with unsightly white spots.
You can season eggs many different ways: simple salt and pepper, a pinch of paprika or a few drops of vinegar (which I adore!).
You can season eggs many different ways: simple salt and pepper, a pinch of paprika or a few drops of vinegar (which I adore!).
And to drink?
Follow my dad's sound advice: "With fried eggs, there's nothing like a drop of white!" And he was right. I would just add that my preference is for a Bourgogne aligoté, or any other fresh dry white wine.
Keeping: Fried eggs don't keep. .
Source: Learned from Bernard Loiseau who showed to Joel Robuchon, explaining that he'd learned it from Pierre Troigros. You decide if it's worth a .
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 30 RDI=10 % | 0 | 40 RDI=6 % | 440 RDI=20 % | 1,860 RDI: 20 % |
| Per 100 g | 10 RDI=4 % | 0 | 20 RDI=2 % | 190 RDI=10 % | 810 RDI: 10 % |
| Per eggs | 6 RDI=2 % | 0 | 9 RDI=1 % | 110 RDI=6 % | 470 RDI: 6 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 4 eggs : 0.75 €
- Per eggs : 0.20 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Egg
Like these other recipes: Cornmeal baps for Anne, Buckwheat almond biscuits, Fish Mousselines, Chestnut Fudge Cupcakes, Savoury mini-madeleines with 2 cheeses, ... See them all 236
Butter
Like these other recipes: Oat financiers for Louise, Koulibiak in pie dish, Sorrel soup, Norwegian tartines, Crisp apricot and pistachio tart, ... See them all 472
Water
Like these other recipes: Hazelnut and orange cake, Quince and apple compote, How to seal a terrine or casserole dish, Sorrel soup, Red mixed pickle, ... See them all 136
Salt
Like these other recipes: Eggs en Cocotte à la Française, New peas with pesto, Sautéed Pork with Peanuts, Mackerel Fillets in White Wine, Pork medallions with "full" turnips, ... See them all 653
Other recipes you may also like
Fruit coulis (fruit purée)
Contrary to what people usually think, coulis is not just a simple fruit purée with sugar. Of course, this is the general principle, but it's possible to make something much better and more refined. This recipe is for a strawberry coulis (see below for other fruits): how to make it, but also how...October 20th 2012782 K 43 25 min.
Noisette butter
"Noisette" means hazelnut in French. Noisette butter is made by melting butter, then boiling and raising it to a high temperature until it takes on both a light brown hazelnut colour and also a characteristic nutty smell. Compared with simple clarified butter, this noisette butter has a delicate...December 30th 2019132 K4.5 15 min.
Italian hot chocolate
This delicious, custardy chocolate treat is made in minutes. A treat for kids (and big kids) to enjoy at teatime, or any other time.April 26th 2020169 K 10 min.
Exotic fruit tart
An exotic fruit tart (bananas, kiwi and pineapple), with crisp pastry and almond cream which are cooked beforehand. It's a rather simple recipe, but the final result will impress your guests.May 27th 2020325 K5 2 hours 25 min.
Pear tart with almond cream
This is a very quick and easy tart to make, as everything (or almost) can be done in advance. A piece of sweetcrust pastry, some almond cream and pears? You have "everything you need".March 17th 2011369 K4.3 1 hour 15 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-13)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 15 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 1 comment already posted on this recipe