Fried egg - Definition and Overview

Fried egg is one of the ways of cooking eggs. They are typically fried in butter or margarine and can be cooked in a variety of manners.

Types of fried egg:

• Over hard, also called Hard - cooked on both sides until yolk is hard
• Over easy, also called Runny - cooked on both sides but yolk is still liquid. This is occasionally called "Sunny side down", especially by children.
• Sunny side up - cooked only on one side, yolk is liquid
• Scrambled eggs - eggs are beaten and mixed with milk, then fried

When dining in the United States and ordering fried eggs, one is invariably asked "how would you like your eggs?" to which one of the above responses is expected. However, a person from across the Atlantic may be expected to reply, in a puzzled fashion, "cooked, please". This is because in Britain or Ireland, the terms "over easy" and "over hard" are virtually unknown and such a question is almost never posed. Unless you specifically ask for scrambled eggs, fried eggs are almost always served sunny side up. In Britain and Ireland, scrambled eggs are not usually fried, being slowly cooked in a pot. Fried eggs are an essential part of an English or Irish breakfast.

The 1918 Fannie Farmer cookbook describes fried eggs as cooked on one side and then molten fat spooned over the tops.

Egg alternatives made mostly from pasteurized egg white to lower the food energy, fat and cholesterol are commercially available products for making scrambled eggs.

Omelettes are fried eggs mixed with various fillings and spices.

Some restaurants have added legal disclaimers to their menus, including one warning against eating undercooked eggs.