Is there a better way to make fried eggs than a frying pan?

[Jennifer Murphy]

I like fried eggs -- over easy. The frying pan works, but the whites spread out too much. I'd like a way to make more compact fried eggs.

I see several "egg rings" for sale, but the reviews aren't great. I also see egg cookers that have small round compartments. I assume these are for poached eggs.

This is not a big deal, so I am looking for a simple solution. Otherwise, I'll keep making them in the frying pan.

Thanks for any tips.

 

[Aunt Bea]

This isn’t a problem for me.

I enjoy crispy sunny side up fried eggs that have been basted with hot bacon fat or butter.

A smaller pan that limits the spread would be one possible solution. I use a six inch cast iron frying pan for two eggs.

You could also experiment with a natural egg ring. A raw onion ring, slice of bell pepper, a slice of bread, etc…

Probably the easiest thing to do is accept and embrace the spread.

Good luck!

 

[taxlady]

Jacques Pépin's method is pretty much how I do sunny side up eggs, but I don't bother with the water. The yolks get steamed enough anyways. I really don't like when the yolks are covered in slimy, raw, egg white, but I prefer runny egg yolks. So, this method works well for me. It's easier to get right than flipping the eggs for easy over eggs.

Fresher eggs will spread less on a frying pan than older ones do.

I have egg rings. We only use them when we want the whole egg to fit on an English muffin.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

You can buy a non-stick mini frying pan, 5- to 6-inches in diameter from Amazon for as little as 10 bucks American. I have 4 of them. You can cook as many as two eggs in one without making a big mess.

 

[dragnlaw]

I believe those mini-type pans are available in the grocery stores too. Usually hanging from a long hook holding several in the aisles in front of the other goods. And they are certainly less than 10.00$

I have several small pans from cast-iron to non-stick and in between. I also have silicone rings which I use when on the griddle and I think they great.
Remember that there are two parts of the albumen (egg white). The thick albumen and the thin. It is this thin where there might be a little leakage from the ring, but the thick part of the albumen stays inside. Don't remember the cost of them but it was a set of 4, all different colours.

I like the water trick, which works but I never seem to have a lid the right size handy, so I usually just flip them.

 

[Katie H]

If I want compact fried eggs, I usually use one of my smallest non-stick saucepans. Works every time and I don't have to purchase any new piece of cookware. Who says you have to use a skillet?! LOL

 

[Andy M.]

I cook my eggs in an 8" teflon lined pan, discard most of the whites and eat the remaining whites with those delicious, sensuous, unctuous yolks.

 

[thymeless]

Once the egg is in the pan and the white issetting up you can just scrape the white into a more of this round shape you want. It'll hold its shape and finish cooking and you can even flip it over for over easy.

No special pan needed.

Or you might try a fully round bottomed wok that will form that tighter circle.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Smaller pan. Fresher eggs. Fresh eggs "puddle" up and not run all over creation.

 

[GinnyPNW]

I like my egg Froachers - link - as I can use them on a griddle, along side sausage, etc.

 

[fmw]

Once the egg is in the pan and the white issetting up you can just scrape the white into a more of this round shape you want. It'll hold its shape and finish cooking and you can even flip it over for over easy.

No special pan needed.

Or you might try a fully round bottomed wok that will form that tighter circle.

It is as easy as that

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

This isn’t a problem for me.

I enjoy crispy sunny side up fried eggs that have been basted with hot bacon fat or butter.

A smaller pan that limits the spread would be one possible solution. I use a six inch cast iron frying pan for two eggs.

You could also experiment with a natural egg ring. A raw onion ring, slice of bell pepper, a slice of bread, etc…

View attachment 64804

Probably the easiest thing to do is accept and embrace the spread.

Good luck!

Thanks for that video. I will definitely use some of those techniques the next time.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Jacques Pépin's method is pretty much how I do sunny side up eggs, but I don't bother with the water. The yolks get steamed enough anyways. I really don't like when the yolks are covered in slimy, raw, egg white, but I prefer runny egg yolks. So, this method works well for me. It's easier to get right than flipping the eggs for easy over eggs.

Fresher eggs will spread less on a frying pan than older ones do.

I have egg rings. We only use them when we want the whole egg to fit on an English muffin.

I agree that not having to flip the eggs over is a plus. I often break them. Good point about fresher vs older. I do a lot of hard boiled eggs. The info I got here was tyhat older ones peel more easily. So I tend to have older eggs in the frig. I'll try it with fresher ones. Thanks

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

You can buy a non-stick mini frying pan, 5- to 6-inches in diameter from Amazon for as little as 10 bucks American. I have 4 of them. You can cook as many as two eggs in one without making a big mess.

I have pans of many sizes. My problem is solved by the Pepin video. I had been cracking the eggs into the hot pan. By the time I cracked the second one, the first one jad spread out. Cracking them into a bowl should make that better.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

I also have silicone rings which I use when on the griddle and I think they great.
Remember that there are two parts of the albumen (egg white). The thick albumen and the thin. It is this thin where there might be a little leakage from the ring, but the thick part of the albumen stays inside. Don't remember the cost of them but it was a set of 4, all different colours.

I see several solicon egg rings on Amazon, some, like these, are multi-colored.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V3YR5SL/

Most of my frying pans are not perfectly flat. I would think that would contribute to the leaking.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

If I want compact fried eggs, I usually use one of my smallest non-stick saucepans. Works every time and I don't have to purchase any new piece of cookware. Who says you have to use a skillet?! LOL

Are you cooking a single egg? Or are you saying that in a pan of the right size, 2, or maybe 3, eggs will arrange themselves to fill the available space?

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Once the egg is in the pan and the white issetting up you can just scrape the white into a more of this round shape you want. It'll hold its shape and finish cooking and you can even flip it over for over easy.

No special pan needed.

Or you might try a fully round bottomed wok that will form that tighter circle.

I am afraid I would screw up any attempt to "scrape" the egg whites into a better shape.

I don't have a wok, but I do have smaller pans, which should have the same effect, no?

Thanks

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

I like my egg Froachers - link - as I can use them on a griddle, along side sausage, etc.

When I first clicked on that link, I was so excited that I almost ordered them right then. But then I noticed that they only get a 3.8 rating with only 47% giving it 5 stars. Most decent products on Amazon get at least a 4.5 rating.

So I read a lot of the reviews. As usual on Amazon, many are junk. But a lot of people complained about leaking. Many of my frying pans may not be perfectly flat, which I think would exacerbate the problem.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Another thought is to make a coddled or poached egg using any small container you may have in your kitchen. You could use a teacup, stainless steel measuring cup, etc… just remember to grease it so the egg will release. You can make them plain or fancy as shown in the video.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

This morning I decided to try poaching. We have a poaching pan with cups for 6 eggs. As usual, I did several things wrong. The lid on this pan is metal. I can't see the eggs cooking, so I left it off at first. That meant that the eggs had to cook from the bottom up, which is not poaching. When I realized that, I added the lid, but then left it on too long, so the eggs came out a bit overcooked. But even so, they were pretty good.

Tomorrow, I'll try again. If this works out, I'll buy a better pan or maybe one of the dedicated egg cookers such as this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WZDFW31/

Does anyone have any experience with any of these gadgets?