Sunny Side Up
- One to three eggs
- 1/2 tablespoon butter, give or take (optional)
- A couple tablespoons of heavy cream (optional)
- A small skillet with a tight-fitting transparent lid
- Salt and cracked pepper to taste
- Optional toppings: shredded cheese, diced scallions, chopped chives, hot sauce
- Heat the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the butter and wait until almost completely melted, then crack the eggs in carefully so as not to break the yolks. If any eggshell gets in, fish it out with a spoon. Pour cream over the eggs if desired.
- Fill the lid with water, then upturn it over the sink so most of the water drains out but the lid remains moist. Cover the skillet and cook over medium-low heat (if you watch closely, you can turn it up as high as medium). The lid should fog up quickly. Do not lift the lid while the eggs are cooking.
- The moment the yolks develop a translucent white sheath over them, they are cooked easy. If you like a runny yolk, immediately take off the lid and remove the skillet from the stove.
- For eggs cooked medium, turn off the heat but leave the lid on and wait another minute or so.
- For eggs cooked hard, turn off the heat but leave the lid on for a few minutes until the pan starts to cool. Alternately, leave the heat on for another minute or two.
- Add salt, pepper, and toppings.
Note: Using butter will give the eggs a slightly crispy, browned bottom and allow them to slide off the pan more easily. Using cream will give the eggs a richer, smoother flavor. If using shredded cheese, top the eggs slightly before they reach the desired state of doneness, then put the lid back on.
Soft Scrambled (small curd)
- One to three eggs
- 1/2 tablespoon of butter, give or take
- A small skillet
- Salt and cracked pepper to taste
- Optional toppings (see first recipe)
- Heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat or slightly less. Crack in the eggs.
- Using a spatula (ideally a stiff silicone spatula with a flexible tip), stir the eggs constantly and thoroughly, scraping the bottom so it never sticks to the pan, and fast enough that large curds do not form. As the eggs start to solidify, you can add a spreading action to your stirring to keep the curds very fine.
- When finished, the eggs will still be glossy but not runny and will have the texture of fine porridge or stone-ground mustard. Serve immediately, or turn off the heat, top with cheese, and cover for 30 seconds.
Note: A soft scramble may give the impression of undercooked eggs, though they are in fact cooked through.
Hard- or Soft-Boiled
- As many eggs as you want to boil, plus two eggs (no matter how many eggs you boil, there are always two that end up cracking in the pot and getting ruined)
- A pot
- A bowl of ice water
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
- Lower the eggs in carefully with a spoon or small strainer.
- Boil for 8.5 minutes for soft-boiled, 10 minutes for hard-boiled.
- Immediately transfer the eggs to ice water. Throw away the two eggs that cracked for no reason and ended up looking like octopus ghosts.
- To open: crack the butt (the wide, round end) of the egg, then up one side and down the other vertically. Peel a strip from butt to tip, and if you’re lucky, the rest of the peel will slide right off. If you’re unlucky, the egg will cling to the shell and the peeled egg will look craggy. Oh well. Use it in a salad.
Poached
Adapted from seriouseats.com.
- Two to four fresh eggs
- A pot
- A very small mesh strainer, maybe twice the size of a single egg
- Fill the pot with water and bring to an almost-simmer.
- Over a bowl or garbage can, crack one egg into the strainer and roll around gently to get rid of the loosest, most watery part of the white.
- Gently lower the strainer into the water and roll the egg in. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
- Use a slotted spoon to slowly and gently roll the eggs around the bottom of the pot while they cook so they don’t stick.
- When the eggs turn opaque throughout, they’re done. They should be solid but still jiggly. Remove them from the pot and serve.
Breakfast Muffin
- One egg, cooked however you like (I usually do sunny side up, cooked hard, no butter)
- One English muffin, split
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 to 2 teaspoons French-style dijon mustard (e.g. Grey Poupon) or hot sauce
- 2 slices thin-sliced lunch meat; or 2 strips of crispy bacon; or 1/2 slice baked ham; or 1 breakfast sausage round; or 2 tablespoons of diced onions, sauteed with olive oil and mustard or caramelized
- Salt and cracked pepper to taste
- Toast the English muffin and allow to cool slightly.
- Spread one side of the muffin with mayonnaise and dijon mustard (or hot sauce).
- Top with meat, folded as necessary to fit on the muffin, or onions.
- Top with the egg and the other side of the muffin. (Ideally, you’ve timed the process so the egg is finished just as the rest of the sandwich is ready.) Serve.
Note: Homemade breakfast muffins are delicious and super easy. McMuffins can suck it.