Soft Fried Eggs aka “Dip In Eggs”

How you like your eggs is a very personal thing. I like mine barely runny, kinda jammy. Some people can’t handle a runny yolk, some only like their eggs scrambled. Omelets, poached, quiche…the egg is a versatile ingredient. And eggs —like a Caesar salad or roast chicken — can be a good litmus test of a cook. I suppose that is mainly for omelets and well, I don’t love omelets. Ask my mom. Ever since I was a little kid, I have never liked my food “all mixed together.” So, no casseroles, shepherd’s pie…omelets, etc. My dad didn’t love casseroles, so my mom never really made them. But with six kids, I think we probably could have benefitted from a casserole or two!

Anyway, I do love eggs. And for the ten years I kept backyard chickens, I took full advantage of those amazing fresh eggs. There is truly nothing better to me. Go out to the nesting box, pull a fresh (still warm) egg, rinse it off, crack it into the skillet and a minute later, done. (Not only are fresh eggs hard to peel for deviled eggs, they cook extremely quickly.)

I get comments and DMs whenever I post a fried egg pic, so I thought I’d write up my technique.
Right now, I think we could all use as many distractions (and kid projects for you parents!) so get some eggs and practice your frying. When we were kids, my mom called these “dip in eggs,” so you should have some bread to toast, too. Top the toast with soft butter and dip into these eggs.

SOFT FRIED EGGS

INGREDIENTS
2 fresh eggs
Olive oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons of water
Maldon salt
Freshly ground pepper

TOOLS
Non-stick frying pan
Silicone spatula
Small pitcher or liquid measuring cup with spout

INSTRUCTIONS
1 – Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and spray the pan with cooking spray. Just before the pan begins to smoke, drop your eggs into the warm pan. As the eggs begin to cook and set, pick up the pan and angle it to slowly move the eggs around pan, to ensure they are not sticking. If needed, use a silicone spatula to gently nudge the eggs around in the pan.  (You will see how cooking spray is great for this method.)

As the whites begin to set, using your small pitcher or liquid measuring cup, gently pour a little bit of the water into the pan, around the edges. Make sure the water gets under the eggs. Add just enough water to get the eggs to move around, not a lot. Lower the heat to medium. Continue to move the pan around gently to help the eggs to not stick. Cover the pan with a clear lid (so you can see the eggs cook) and turn heat down to low. You don’t want to hear the eggs sizzling – they should cook very gradually, for approximately 3 minutes. (Cooking time depends on how “done” you want your eggs.) Watch the yolks and remove the lid when the yolks just begin to set. Remove from heat.

Transfer eggs to a plate and add sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Add fresh herbs if you wanna be fancy, like thyme, parsley or tarragon. I like these because their flavors go well with eggs and their leaves are soft.