Fried eggs are a quick and easy meal to cook, but there’s a simple ingredient swap that will make them taste even better – and it’s something you’ll probably already have in your kitchen
Frying might not be the healthiest method to prepare eggs, but let’s face it, it’s certainly the most delicious, particularly when accompanied by bacon or sausage. But it’s not just the flavour that makes fried eggs a winning dish; it’s the fact that they’re so quick and easy to whip up.
Simply crack open the shell, toss the egg into a frying pan and heat it up, and within roughly five minutes you’ve got yourself a scrumptious meal. However, there is a way to enhance this most basic of recipes and it simply involves swapping the cooking oil for another much tastier alternative.
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Most fried egg recipes suggest using oil in the pan to prevent the egg from sticking and it’s generally considered a healthy option. But the issue is that most oils, like vegetable or sunflower, have a relatively neutral taste, so they don’t bring anything extra to the dish other than making it easier to get the egg out of the pan.
That’s where butter steps in instead. According to culinary experts, butter is a far superior ingredient to fry eggs as it adds a richness to the overall taste and will create a much crispier texture, reports the Express.
Butter has a higher fat content than oil which gives eggs a much richer and creamier flavour, and it allows for more browning and caramelisation of the whites.
The Happy Egg Co. has shared some cracking advice, stating: “The best thing about frying eggs in butter is the taste. Because butter is higher in fat than oil, your eggs will naturally take on that rich butter flavour as they crisp in the pan. It’s similar to the way some chefs add a pad of butter to their scrambled eggs as they cook.
“There aren’t many health benefits to frying eggs in butter, but you’re not adding butter to the pan for the health benefits, you’re adding it for the extra flavour!”
Chef Billy Parisis added: “There are some small nuances when cooking with oil or butter when frying eggs. Butter will heat more quickly and can have a tendency to burn, but it will enhance the flavour of the eggs. Oil has a higher smoke point and can cook your eggs at low temperatures giving them that perfect white colour.”
Cooking experts also suggest basting your fried egg with melted butter while it’s sizzling away in the pan, as this helps distribute heat evenly and creates those deliciously crispy edges on the egg whites.
The Kitchn adds: “Sizzle a generous curl of butter – about a tablespoon per egg – in the pan until it goes foamy, then crack in the eggs. The whites will quickly start to set, and when they do, tilt the pan just far enough so that butter puddles at the edge.
“Use your spoon to dribble butter over the eggs continuously, until the whites are just set. By this time, the butter will have browned and started to give off that toasty, nutty smell, also known as the best smell in the world.”