11 Hacks For The Best Fried Eggs Of Your Life

There are two basic schools of thought when it comes to the perfect texture for the whites of fried eggs. First, there are the purists who won't settle for anything other than a pristine, bright white that is cooked but tender all the way through. On the other side are those who like their fried eggs with a bit more personality, with lacy, browned, and above all, wonderfully crispy edges — think of it as a bit like having your eggs and toast all in a single bite.

If you're on team crispy edges, an easy hack to get the fried egg you desire every time is to fry your eggs in olive oil. According to Olive Oils from Spain, olive oil helps fried foods form a crusty layer that adds crunch and color while keeping the rest of the food from absorbing more oil.  Furthermore, Olive Oils from Spain notes that olive oil's high smoke point means its flavor won't degrade when it's heated to frying temperature,

Butter has long been the go-to frying medium for many fried egg lovers. Almost everyone have some in their refrigerator, and its richness makes it a perfect flavor match for fried eggs. Not to mention, who doesn't love the sound and smell of sizzling butter in a hot pan? But no matter how much you love your butter-fried eggs, it's good to mix things up from time to time. There's another, under-the-radar fried egg variation that is sure to please any butter lover – eggs fried in cream.

It's not as strange an idea as you might think. Butter, after all, is essentially cream with most of its liquid, proteins, and sugars removed. Thus, frying eggs in cream will give you all the buttery goodness and richness you love along with some extra flavor and caramelization. And it's just as easy to do as frying eggs in butter or other oils. According to blogger and cookbook author Lisa Steele at Fresh Eggs Daily, to fry eggs in cream, simply pour a thin layer of cream into the bottom of a cold pan and heat at medium-high until the cream starts to bubble around the edges. Slip in your eggs and continue cooking. The cream will separate and brown as the eggs cook, so watch the heat to prevent it from burning.

Ask ten people what the perfect fried egg looks like, and it's possible you'll get ten different answers. But there are a few non-negotiable points all fried egg lovers can agree on: The whites and yolk must be distinct, and the egg must come out of the pan in one piece. Still, achieving even these modest goals isn't always as easy as it sounds, especially for novice cooks. Even a simple mistake such as under heating your pan can cause your eggs to become irretrievably stuck. This is because a typical stainless steel pan forms chemical bonds with the food it comes into contact with (per Science of Cooking). Oil, if sufficiently heated, prevents these bonds from forming by searing the food and releasing steam, which lifts the food off the metal surface.

A surefire way to prevent sticking  — and make cleanup easier — is to fry your eggs in a nonstick pan. And to ensure your nonstick pan maintains its slippery surface, treat it gently. Better Homes and Gardens advises using only soft sponges and cloths with mild soap for cleaning (for stubbornly stuck-on food, soak the pan for a few hours). Furthermore, Better Homes and Gardens advises against using metal utensils or any utensils with sharp points or edges when cooking with these pans.

Fried eggs are a go-to dish for many home cooks because they're quick to make and almost everyone loves them. And like a classic little black dress, they're appropriate almost everywhere, from inside sandwiches, atop burgers or bowls of bibimbap, to simply on a plate with bacon and toast. But for many home cooks, the idea of making fried eggs for a large group makes us balk. Even the largest frying pan will only hold about half a dozen eggs at most, and trying to get a dozen or more eggs to cook consistently in different pans on different burners at the same time can be tricky and stressful.

Luckily, there's an easy way to make a large quantity of evenly fried eggs, and it doesn't even involve your stovetop. Bake up a batch of sheet pan fried eggs by thoroughly greasing a sheet pan with cooking spray, preheating it for ten minutes in a 475 F oven, then carefully pouring on your cracked eggs (a bowl with a pouring spout is useful for this step). Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper, then carefully transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake for five minutes, or until the eggs are done to your preference. Once the eggs are cooked to your liking, immediately remove them from the sheet pan (otherwise they'll continue cooking) and serve them to your hungry friends.

While fried eggs taste great on their own, one of the things that make them so appealing is how well they go with other foods and flavors. Not only do they pair well with other dishes, but they lend themselves to a multitude of different seasonings, from salt and pepper to hot sauce, and for some, even ketchup (yes, we see you!).

But another way to spice up the flavor of your fried egg is to change out your frying medium. It's no secret that butter, olive oil, and bacon fat — all popular choices for fried eggs — each contribute their own flavor and character to the finished dish, and all have their defenders for good reason. But creative cooks have been exploring less-expected options as well. An economical and fun option is to fry your eggs in the leftover oil from jarred marinated foods, such as artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, red peppers, or even sardines, suggests a food writer from Bon Appétit. These oils are super flavorful and will not only add a distinct flavor to your eggs, but will serve as a built-in sauce, perfect for soaking up with a piece of toast. Not to mention, it's a great way to use up these oils, which typically get tossed once the jar is empty.

Tasty as fried eggs are, some cooks and eaters find they look kind of plain. This is why many restaurant kitchens and home cooks like to garnish their fried eggs with something that will add a bit of color, such as a sprinkle of chopped parsley or paprika.

But don't think of these add-ons as merely cosmetic. Deployed differently, spices such as paprika can also transform your fried eggs into a completely different and more intriguing dish. Instead of just topping your finished fried eggs with a sprinkle of paprika, lean into its rich red color and distinctive flavor by making paprika fried eggs. To prepare them, heat olive oil in your frying pan and add a generous hit of paprika directly to the oil before adding your eggs. The paprika toasts in the oil, enhancing its flavor while creating a deep red sauce to spoon over the eggs. And you can spice up this recipe even more by varying the type of paprika you use (smoked, hot, or sweet) and adding additional garnishes — green herbs such as scallions or cilantro will make the paprika's red really pop.