Chef Αkis Petretzikis Cooking Crash Test: Which is the best way to fry an egg?
Easy, nutritious, inexpensive, ready in no time. Ideal for breakfast, snack, dinner… It can be served plain, accompanied by bread, French fries, or any other of our favorite ingredients, placed in or on top of another food. Words are not enough to describe fried eggs. So, let's get straight to the point: Which is the best way to fry an egg? We get in the kitchen to try them all, list the pros and cons of each way, and decide our favorite one. Ready? Let’s go!
#1 WITH OLIVE OIL
The process: Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and let it heat up. Crack the egg, add it to a bowl and then carefully transfer it from the bowl into the pan and lower the heat. What we want is for the egg white to turn white right away and not spread into the pan. Tilt the pan towards you, so that the olive oil is gathered on one side, and use a spoon to pour the olive oil over the egg, until the egg white is firm and loses its transparent texture. Be careful, though! Pour the olive oil only on the egg white as we want the yolk to remain yellow and runny. Using a slotted spatula, remove the egg from the pan and transfer it to a plate. If you want, you can first transfer it onto paper towels (to absorb the excess oil) for a few seconds, and then to the plate. Season with salt and pepper (if you want) and serve it hot.
Why we like it: This is the most classic way to fry an egg, and much healthier compared to heavy cream for example, or beurre noisette and bacon fat.
Why we would reconsider: Because we may not like the taste of olive oil (there are such cases), or we may want a simpler, more low-cost fat to fry our egg. In addition, we may not even want to use fat and look for the healthiest option, such as… water. You should keep in mind, however, that the egg is not fried in water, but boiled (yes, even if we use a pan).
#2 WITH COCONUT OIL
The process: Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and let it heat up. Crack the egg, add it to a bowl and then carefully transfer it from the bowl into the pan and lower the heat. What we want is for the egg white to turn white right away and not spread into the pan.
#3 WITH BACON FAT
The process: Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with 3 bacon slices, and allow 2-3 minutes for the bacon to be cooked, until it releases its fat and turns nicely golden. Once it is ready, remove the bacon from the pan, transfer it to a plate, and set it aside. Crack the egg, add it to a bowl and then carefully transfer it from the bowl into the pan and lower the heat. What we want is for the egg white to turn white right away and not spread into the pan.
#4 WITH BEURRE NOISETTE
The process: Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Once it starts to froth and turn golden, crack the egg, add it to a bowl, and then carefully transfer it from the bowl into the pan and lower the heat. What we want is for the egg white to turn white right away and not spread into the pan. Tilt the pan towards you, so that the butter is gathered on one side, and use a spoon to pour it over the egg, until the egg white is firm and loses its transparent texture.
#5 WITH BUTTER
The process: Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it heat up. Crack the egg, add it to a bowl and then carefully transfer it from the bowl into the pan and lower the heat. What we want is for the egg white to turn white right away and not spread into the pan.
#6 WITH HEAVY CREAM
The process: Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 100 g heavy cream and let it heat up. Crack the egg, add it to a bowl and then carefully transfer it from the bowl into the pan and lower the heat. What we want is for the egg white to turn white right away and not spread into the pan.
THE CONCLUSION
Each of the ways we mentioned hides its own taste and has its pros and cons. But if we had to choose one of them as the most ideal to prepare a fried egg in the kitchen of our house, this would be none other than frying in olive oil. Why? Because olive oil is found in every home. It is an easy and nutritious ingredient (although in this case it is fried, which removes much of its nutrients) that gives us a very tasty result. Finally, olive oil - and especially extra virgin olive oil - has a relatively lower burning point compared to other oils, so it is suitable for both cooking and frying.
See the whole article here https://akispetretzikis.com/en/diary/cooking-crash-test-poios-einai-o-kalyteros-tropos-gia-na-thganiseis-ena-avgo?fbclid=IwAR273TTPMjTQs-7c1aJWgXifQ-gxrEOxI4HuKrEWrRMJ8TI-FygqebctT6I&utm_campaign=cooking-crash-test-poios-einai-o-kalyteros-tropos-gia-na-thganiseis-ena-avgo&utm_content=photo-cooking-crash-test-poios-einai-o-kalyteros-tropos-gia-na-thganiseis-ena-avgo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram