Fried Eggs Sunny Side Up
White and yolk are done at different temperatures: white sets at 62 °C, yolk thickens above 68 °C. That is why the heat stays moderate — turn it up and the white goes rubbery and brown underneath long before the yolk has warmed through at all.
- Prep
- 3 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 8 min
- Servings
- 1
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 245 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Butter tastes better, but refined oil is more forgiving — if the pan has overheated, reach for oil instead.
Makes: 2 eggs, serves 1
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Crack into a cup
Crack each egg into its own cup rather than straight into the pan. You will spot a bad egg before it ruins breakfast, and the yolk is far likelier to survive intact.
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Step 2: Heat the pan
Set the pan over medium-low heat and give it two minutes. A cold pan sticks; a screaming hot one cooks the white unevenly.
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Step 3: Melt the butter
Add the butter and swirl it over the base. It should sizzle quietly without colouring: browned butter tastes bitter here and leaves dark flecks on the white.
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Step 4: Slide the eggs in
Hold the cup close to the pan and let the egg slip out. Dropped from a height the yolk is more likely to break and the white spreads into a thin overcooked film.
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Step 5: Cook gently
Give them 3 to 4 minutes. The white should be completely opaque with no clear patches around the yolk, while the yolk stays domed and shiny.
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Step 6: Salt the white only
Season the white, and only at the end. Salt on the yolk leaves white speckles and pulls moisture out of it.
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Step 7: Serve on a warm plate
Lift them out with a spatula onto a warmed plate: on a cold one they lose their heat in half a minute and the yolk thickens.
Tips & variations
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Tip
For a veiled yolk, add a teaspoon of water to the pan and cover it for 30 seconds.
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Variation
For crisp lacy edges, fry in olive oil over medium heat and spoon the hot oil over the whites as they set.
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Swap
Butter tastes better, but refined oil is more forgiving — if the pan has overheated, reach for oil instead.
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Storage
None. A sunny-side-up egg lasts exactly as long as the yolk stays runny.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 1 serving | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 245 kcal | 245 kcal |
| Protein | 14 g | 14 g |
| Fat | 20 g | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g | 1 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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