Fried eggs will turn out much crispier and more flavourful if they are cooked with butter instead of oil, according to cooking experts.
While most recipes recommend using cooking oil to prevent the egg from sticking to the pan, it is not necessarily the best choice when it comes to taste. Most oils, like sunflower, olive or vegetable, have a fairly neutral flavour, so they do not add anything extra to the overall taste of the eggs.
Why butter beats oil for fried eggs
Opting to use butter in the pan instead of oil will lend eggs a much richer flavour and will also result in a satisfyingly crispier texture around the edges. Butter has a higher fat content than oil, which gives fried eggs a more flavourful and creamier taste, and it allows for more browning and caramelisation of the whites to create a tasty crispy edge.
The Happy Egg Co. explains: “The best thing about frying eggs in butter is the taste. Because butter is higher in fat than oil, your eggs will naturally take on that rich butter flavour as they crisp in the pan. It’s similar to the way some chefs add a pat of butter to their scrambled eggs as they cook.
“There aren’t many health benefits to frying eggs in butter, but you’re not adding butter to the pan for the health benefits, you’re adding it for the extra flavour!”
How to baste eggs in butter for crispy edges
Cooking experts also recommend basting fried eggs with melted butter while they are in the pan, as this helps to distribute heat for a more even cook, while also helping to create the deliciously crispy edges on the egg whites.
Food recipe website The Kitchn said: “Sizzle a generous curl of butter - about a tablespoon per egg - in the pan until it goes foamy, then crack in the eggs. The whites will quickly start to set, and when they do, tilt the pan just far enough so that butter puddles at the edge.
“Use your spoon to dribble butter over the eggs continuously, until the whites are just set. By this time, the butter will have browned and started to give off that toasty, nutty smell, also known as the best smell in the world.”
