the perfect skillet steamed egg

Types of Fried Eggs

The perfect skillet steamed egg just takes the right skillet and some practice. If you want to fry or steam the best eggs ever then watch me fry up an egg!

OK, there are all types of fried eggs. Each to his or her own, right? And, there are so many ways to prepare an egg. Fry, steam, scramble, hard boil, soft boil, medium boil, poach. According to Jones Dairy Farm there are six ways to basically prepare an egg: hard boil, soft boil, poach, sunnyside, over easy, scramble. But, and it’s a big ‘but’ what about other types of fried eggs like runny yolk, hard yolk, medium yolk, lace fried, cooked with and without lids. OMG, it’s endless! And, then you can go into types of scrambled eggs, fluffy scrambles, hard scrambles, soft scrambles, pancake flat and folded ‘scrambled’. Everyone defintely likes their eggs a certain way. I’m on the over easy and sunny side up eggs team, so let’s see what Ally’s tips are on preparing the percet skillet steamed egg. 

Steam Egg

First of all, when I ‘fry’ an egg, I actually may really steam the egg, especially the white part to complete doneness. The trick is to do this without breaking the egg yolk and with out flipping the egg, which you’d do in the easy over eggs. This technique entails spending some time, maybe a few seconds only, distributing the egg white in the hot skillet. This egg white is then thinned and cooks more quickly. You can then cover the skillet for just about 30 to 60 seconds, heat on low, and let the egg ‘steam’. If you want a white-like film over the yolk, ‘steam’ it a little longer. Otherwise, you’ll have your yellow yolk, which I love 

How Eggs are Cooked

How eggs are cooked depends entirely upon how you like your eggs cooked! Makes sense right? And, we’re all different. Some can’t stand runny yolks. I love runny yolks because it means I can dip my buttered toasted bread in these pools of rich yolkiness. Others might find it absolutely yucky. This post then is not as much a ‘recipe’ per se but a technique. 

My way of getting the perfectly steamed sunny side up egg in a cast iron skillet. Yes, you can use a non-stick skillet, too. Of course, you can do soft boiled eggs, which I love, and which I finally mastered after much trial and error, but this skillet fried/steamed egg lends itself to a whole new dimension.

Steamed or sunny side up eggs are kind of like lace eggs. Let me show you that technique:

 

Easy Over Eggs

Now, easy over eggs are different than the technique you see here. With easy over eggs, you’re going to actually flip that egg to cook the ‘face up’ side with the yolk. The technique again is flipping without breaking the yolk. For me that calls for a more flexible egg flipper or metal spatula. And, undoubtedly the best that I’ve found has been in junk stores. Yes, junk stores selling odds and ends, antiques and tossed out old kitchen utensils.

The metal part of this spatula with the wooden handle is super flexible, a thinner metal and it means I can shimmy it under the egg and flip it without risking the dreaded, oh no, broken yolk. What happens then is that you end up with some degree of a flattened egg with a yolk that’s cooked. And, the yolk doneness depends upon how long you’re going to let it cook on the flipped side. OMG, all of this is sounding kind of crazy right? I mean it’s just an egg! 

OK, if you like sunny side up eggs, then read on. 

Sunny Side Up Eggs

Some of the happy things about the perfect sunny side up eggs technique

1.  It’s a glorious egg or eggs if you want more than one that you can do in a non-stick skillet. Just make sure your cast iron skillet, if that’s what you’re using is slick as a baby’s butt. Just follow my easy directions.
2.  You can do any size skillet. I’ve done skillet steamed eggs for one or six. All I do is swap out my skillet size.. I recommend using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a seasoned steel cast iron. Use the latter for 8-10 eggs.
3. Eggs are naturally healthy and low calorie. Using cooking spray (canola, olive oil, coconut) keeps them from sticking, plus you don’t add more big calories.
4. Set you blaze on low. Cover with a lid. And, in a few minutes (about 7-9), you have your delicious eggs. Just leave them there to steam in the low slow heat.
5. It’s a great way to make eggs for a crowd. Got people coming over for the Saturday morning brunch. Then this is your answer.
6. It’s communal eating at its best. Take the big skillet of steamed eggs to the table and dish out.

 

Fry an Egg

Start with a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Coat with cooking spray.

Crack the egg into the skillet. I can put 4 eggs in this 6-7″ skillet.

Add salt and pepper.

Move the whites of the eggs out and around the hot skillet and let the whites cook. Sometimes these thinner whites can actually get ‘crispy’. Yum! Careful when moving the whites from around the tender yolk. Cover with a lid. Put on low heat until your yolk is at the desired doneness. As you can see from this picture, the yolk is just starting to have a ‘film’ form around the yolk part. More time if you want your yolk more done.

With this one egg, I trimmed off the thin crispy white, but it’s really good, so if you want leave it. For this photo, I wanted to feature the yolk. See? Nice and sunny side runny. Perfect! Every time. No fail!

A 12″ seasoned steel cast iron skillet. That I LOVE by the way for soooooooooo many things. Here I’ve done 6 eggs for a crowd. Now check the next picture. Perfect execution with scooping out each and every egg!

Gently scoot the flipper under the egg(s) and bingo it’s like they slide right onto the spatula!

Really? Does it get any better than this for a dish of heavenly Boho love! Perfect skillet steamed eggs, thick cut bacon, a crispy cuke, onion, tomato, lime, cilantro salad and chips!