Fried Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Heat lard or oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Carefully crack the eggs into the pan, leaving space for the lard to boil around each egg.
Using a long-handled spoon, baste the tops of the eggs with the hot lard until the whites are fully cooked.
If you prefer brown eggs, cook them longer until the underside is browned.
Lift the eggs from the pan with a skimmer and let them drain briefly before serving.
Serve immediately to avoid toughening.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Whites set into a structure around the yolk, forming the body of the dish.
- Lard or cooking oil
- Hot fat cooks the eggs evenly and sets the whites from the top while basting.
The step that matters
Basting the eggs with hot fat until the whites are fully cooked. Egg whites set through protein coagulation, which needs sustained heat. Spooning hot fat over the tops cooks the whites without flipping, but stopping too early leaves runny whites, while overcooking makes the eggs tough and rubbery.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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