- Recipes
- What To Make With
- Eggs
Christine Gallary
Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large
Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.
updated Oct 2, 2023
Be the first to leave a review!
With their perfectly set whites and runny yolks, these over-easy eggs are begging for lots of buttered toast.
Serves1Cook3 minutes to 4 minutesJump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
A breakfast of over-easy eggs sounds simple enough, right? Just crack some eggs into a pan and flip ’em over when they’re ready. But how do you achieve perfectly set whites that surround runny, intact yolks?
Perfect over-easy eggs aren’t hard to fry up (even if you haven’t had your first cup of coffee yet) — as long as you keep a few key things in mind. Here’s how to do it.
What Is an Over-Easy Egg?
The Difference Between Eggs Over Easy and Sunny-Side-Up
Read More
Unlike sunny-side-up eggs, which are only cooked on one side and never flipped, over-easy eggs are flipped so that they’re cooked on both sides. The “easy” refers to the doneness of the yolk and means that it’s still runny, although you can always cook the eggs longer to “over medium” or “over hard.”
Pick the Perfect Pan
Eggs are notoriously fickle and like to stick to cooking surfaces, so start with the right pan. For two eggs, an eight- or 10-inch frying pan is the right size so that the eggs have plenty of room to spread out, but you don’t need a lot of butter to make sure the bottom is well-coated.
Use any kind of pan that’s nonstick, either with an added nonstick coating, or one that’s naturally nonstick like a seasoned cast iron or carbon steel skillet. These will all guarantee that your over-easy eggs slide onto the plate like a dream.
Buy Now
Cooking Fats and Seasoning
While you can definitely fry over-easy eggs in oil, butter adds a nice nutty flavor and richness, and 1 tablespoon is what you need for two eggs. Melt the butter in the pan, crack in two large eggs, and season with some kosher salt.
If you like pepper, wait until you flip the eggs over before peppering, as this makes sure that the pepper doesn’t burn and stays nice and potent.
When to Flip?
Probably the most nerve-wracking part of frying over-easy eggs is knowing when to flip the eggs. Here’s how to do it:
- Wait until almost all the whites are cooked and set (meaning they go from clear to opaque). You want to cook the eggs undisturbed until there’s just about a half-inch of unset whites surrounding the yolks.
- Grab a wide, flat spatula and use the edge to cut and separate the eggs if the whites have run into each other so that you’re only flipping one egg at a time.
- Gently slide the spatula under the first egg and make sure it’s centered under the yolk, then take a deep breath and gently flip the egg over. Ta-da! Easy-peasy and now you have the confidence to flip that second egg.
- Cook the eggs on the other side for just about 30 seconds more so that the whites are now fully set, and then slide onto the plate and enjoy while hot.
We recommend lots of buttered toast to sop up all the delicious runny egg yolk (and maybe a side of bacon, too). For those who like their eggs cooked more medium, just cook on the second side a little longer. If cooking for more than one, scale the recipe up accordingly and use a larger pan.
Buy Now
Over-Easy Eggs Recipe
With their perfectly set whites and runny yolks, these over-easy eggs are begging for lots of buttered toast.
Cook time 3 minutes to 4 minutes
Serves 1
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon
unsalted butter
- 2
large eggs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Equipment
Small nonstick frying pan
Flat spatula
Instructions
Show Images
Melt the butter. Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Tilt the pan so the butter films the bottom.
Add 2 eggs and season with salt. Add 2 large eggs and season with kosher salt.
Cook until the whites are almost set. Let the eggs cook undisturbed until the whites are almost completely set and opaque except for the 1/2-inch area around the yolks, about 2 minutes.
Carefully flip the eggs. Use the edge of a flat spatula to cut and separate the eggs if needed. Gently slide the spatula under one of the eggs, making sure it is centered under the yolk, and carefully flip the egg. Flip the second egg.
Season the eggs with pepper and cook until the whites are set. Season the eggs with black pepper and cook until the whites are completely set, about 30 seconds more. Gently slide the eggs onto a plate.
At Kitchn, we know how important it is to find recipes that are worth your time. That’s why every tutorial — like this one — features recipes that have been tried and tested by our team of developers and at-home cooks from across the country. Questions or feedback for us? Say hello: recipes@thekitchn.com.
Filed in:
Breakfast
easy
Eggs
Gluten-Free
How To
Ingredient
