Frying Eggs

When Americans talk about frying eggs, they mean panfrying. Some people, primarily the French, occasionally deep-fry eggs, but the result isn’t worth the effort and danger—they spatter. Panfrying an egg is straightforward. Heat a thin film of butter or bacon fat in a skillet, preferably either a nonstick pan or a well-seasoned cast-iron one. If you like your fried eggs crispy, an effect that some find revolting and others adore, heat the butter until it is frothy and the froth subsides, or until the fat ripples on the surface. If you don’t like your eggs crispy, heat the butter or fat less and cook your eggs more gently. If the white is setting and the yolk is more runny than you like, cover the pan for a minute or two to steam the yolk. Serve the eggs as soon as the white has set, or sunny-side up, or turn the eggs over, yolk down, cook for 30 seconds, and serve them over easy.