The ridiculously impossible task of the perfectly cooked sunny-side up egg

C

carianna-in-wa

Well-known member
A year. Literally I've spent a year trying to perfect a sunny-side up egg. I've googled. I've tried varying heats. I've covered. I've uncovered. Seriously... what IS the secret?

Either my yolk is cooked on the bottom, or I have that viscous gross clear white around the edge of the yolk. I cannot cook it so that the white is cooked through and the yolk is still 100% runny all the way through.

Have any of you mastered this?

 
Hmmm, sunny side up. . .

Sorry, but the yolk is always going to be cooked on the bottom (or at least it is for me.

You can try frying, low heat, with 1/4 inch oil, then use the heated oil to baste the eggs whites so that they set up faster than the yolk cooks. This way your yolk will not be cooked so much on the bottom.

I find over easy much easier ( and I usually do over mediums, so that the white is cooked and the yolk is runny).

 
I use these methods as well. Maybe not so much butter. And teflon is essential for me & yes, lid.

 
Here's what I do

And it may seem silly, but it works for me.

All I do is break the egg into a bowl, gently separate the yolk from the white and then use the tips of my fingers to pinch through the whites once or twice just to break them up slightly.

This allows the whites to cook quickly, keeping the yolk warm and fluid. I cover it for the first minute or two, then take the cover off to finish.

No sticky ring-of-goo and no cloudy film on top of the golden yolk.

 
Here's my technique for a perfect sunny side up egg w/out runny whites

Heat the pan at medium-high.
Crack the egg into the pan.
Wait a minute. While you're waiting, grab a lid for the pan.
Add about 2 tablespoons of water, then cover the pan immediately.
Wait another minute.
Take the lid off...and voila! No runny whites, super yolky egg.
(This method, steam cooks from the top.)

 
I use a cover for a brief few seconds- to just set the white. Makes a perfect sunny side up for me.

I use a heavy pan lined with teflon. I use butter- heat the pan sort of med high. Crack the egg directly in the pan. Turn the heat up a bit, cook seconds then put the lid on for seconds. Take the lid off, finish. Perfect.

 
Hmm, I steam, too, but I always figured that was heretical.

I feel vindicated now. smileys/smile.gif

 
Carianna, Cooks Illustrated did that analysis for you

teflon pan
butter, don't put in eggs until it has stopped foaming
have 2 eggs in a cup so they start cooking together.
Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes, depending on how much you want the yolk cooked.

That's off the top of my head. Don't know if I still have the issue with the full article.

I've linked one CI article, but this isn't the one I'm thinking of.

(I'm back)
It's January - February, 2000 issue

I can mail you a copy since I can't post it here. Are PMs working yet to trade emails??

I've did find another article referencing the author of the CI article where she gives the same synopsis without all the detailed analysis. See the IMAGE link.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/MA03_Eggs101.pdf

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091024/life/life1.html

 
I like my eggs sunny side up, but not runny white around the yolk, I like them cooked in butter

and a nice crisp edge. So, I use a non-stick pan, medium heat,melt butter. When butter is hot, I drop in the egg and get the white crispy around the edges. Turn heat lower, put on lid, and cook until the whites are no longer runny. You have to watch constantly, because it happens quick.

 
C, I found using a glass lid worked the best because I could "see" how much

the yolk was visually changing. It has to develop a membrane (scowl?).

 
We always cooked them in bacon grease. Get the grease hot, slide the egg in, then

With a spoon, keep scooping up the hot grease and basting the egg until the white is done. Happens pretty fast.

 
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