How many ways can you eat an egg?

Eggs belong in the top three list of my most favourite things to eat...and that's why I need to 'dedicate' a blog post just for it! ;)  I eat (and cook) them in any way possible....as long as there's an egg, I'm happy.


So, how many ways can you eat an egg?  Well, indulge me...and let me count the ways...hehe! ^.^

1.0  Sunny Side Up

This is probably the most common way we eat eggs here.  Sunny side up means set white, runny yolk, not turned over.  The yolk must remain oozy for it to be successful...and most think it's one of the easiest to nail but it's not.  We all know just how many restaurants can mess this up.


Most of the time we get them like this...where the yolk has almost solidified. *failed*


Worst still, sometimes the yolk is completely solidified and overcooked with rubbery whites. *failed...big time*

1.1  Sunny Side Up with Frizzy Sides


This is my favourite version of sunny side up eggs if I were to make it at home myself.  Sometimes you'd be able to get this in chap fan stalls or tai chow places though it's probably unheard of in western cafes.  Besides this, there are many variants to the sunny side up egg.  

2.0  Sunny Side Up Over Easy


This is a perfect sunny side up over easy egg with nice browning and a set white but still maintaining a runny yolk.  Not the easiest egg to execute as the flipping over may cause the egg to break or the yolk being overcooked.  I've never gotten perfectly cooked sunny side up egg over easy when eating out, so if I want that I have to cook it myself.  You need a hot non-stick pan for this to work and you need to work quickly (although our western counterparts will cook this low and slow but I don't like it that way as it won't have the desired browning I seek).

2.1  Sunny Side Up Over Medium


If you have sunny side up over-easy, you (of course) also have sunny side up over-medium where the yolk is only partially runny.  This is very easy to do...it's what you get when you take your sunny side up over easy eggs a bit too far (like I did in quite a few cases when the pan wasn't hot enough)...haha! :D

2.2  Sunny Side Up Over Hard


This would be the easiest to nail (with the yolk fully cooked) as you won't need to bother about the egg being overcooked.


Or when you end up breaking the yolks when you flip the eggs over, then they become sunny side up over hard...easy peasy! ^_*

2.3  Sunny Side Up Over Hard with Frizzy-Sides


And just when you thought you've seen all versions of sunny side up, here comes my version which I shall name sunny side up over hard with frizzy-sides.  This is my son's favourite way of having his eggs done where I need to fry it in more oil than usual to get crispy frizzy edges, flip it over and then cook the yolk through.

2.4  Sunny Side Up Meets Omelette


There is no such thing...I just made the name up.  It's what I'd make for fried rice.  I cook it like a sunny side up egg in the beginning, then break them up into pieces with my spatula and fry till the pieces are crisp on the edges.

3.0  Soft-Boiled (or Half-Boiled)


Soft-boiled eggs, together with toast, is a favourite Malaysian breakfast.  This is also not that easy to perfect as a few seconds more or less is all that separates between perfectly soft-boiled (where the yolk is completely oozy and the whites just set) and overdone soft-boiled eggs (which I detest).


The Japanese onsen tamago can also be considered a version of soft-boiled eggs.

4.0  Hard-Boiled


This may be the most forgiving egg to cook where overcooking it will not alter the taste nor result in what is deemed failed eggs.  If it's overcooked, there'll just be this unappealing green ring around the yolk.

5.0  Scrambled


It's one of the most difficult to perfect, so I won't even try to make it at home.   I leave it in the hands of professionals and order it with my big breakfasts.  And the secret to creamy, fluffy scrambled eggs (according to Chef Gordon Ramsay)...stir in a spoonful of creme fraiche right at the end! ^_*


Wrong ratio of milk to eggs and under cooking it will result in watery eggs.

Overcook it and it'll be rubbery and stiff.

6.0  Poached


Certainly one of the most difficult egg to execute to perfection.  I leave this also in the able hands of chefs and that's why it's one of my most favoured ways to have my eggs done when dining out.  I've even seen the cooking of this one handled differently in different cafes.

6.1  Free-Style


This is by far the most difficult to get right as it involves a free-hand swirling in a whirlpool of simmering water...but it also results in the best tasting poached eggs IMHO with egg whites just soft and enveloping a perfectly runny yolk.

6.2  In a Mould


Some cafes will poach eggs using a mould coz making them the traditional way (and getting consistent results) is difficult due to the sheer volume.  The egg whites tend to be a lot stiffer done this way.

6.3  In Cling Film


This is probably a failproof method of making poached eggs that result in the prettiest looking eggs because of the folds of the cling film.  The egg whites of this one tends to be a little bit more set than the free-style ones but not as set as those made in a mould.

7.0  Baked


This is my least favourite way of having eggs as the eggs tend to become overcooked (as we eat) whilst sitting in a hot tomato-based sauce.

8.0  Steamed


This one is definitely a Chinese thing.  Usually found in chap fan stalls, the tray of steamed eggs is soft and silky smooth.  For this, you have to get the ratio of water to eggs spot-on, too much water and the egg will be too watery and won't hold its shape when steamed, too little and the texture will be firmer than you would have wanted.  This is one version I don't attempt at home...coz I can never get it to look like the ones from the chap fan stalls.


The Japanese chawanmushi is also a version of steamed eggs too.

9.0  Omelette


This is the easiest to execute of all the egg types with great success.  No-one should can foul up cooking an omelette as there's no such thing as it being overcooked.


The omelette is probably one of the most cooked items in any Chinese household.  There are so many versions (with different fillings)...it's insane! ;)

10.0  Raw


Finally, how about eating it raw?  This way it'll always be perfect...haha! ;D  There are many ways to eat raw eggs...westerners like to eat it with steak tartare, the Japanese use it as a dipping sauce, but I eat it with what we call "Moonlight Kway Teow" (where a raw egg is cracked on top of a plate of fried kway teow and you mix in the egg while the noodles are still hot).


If you think the humble egg is one of the easiest things to cook....well, it is, but getting it perfectly right isn't! :P  By the way, do you like my 'el cheapo' Faberge eggs?  Kekeke! :D
So, how do you like your eggs done? ^_~
P/S: You know what?  I've thoroughly enjoyed myself writing this post! ^o^