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Basting eggs is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare an over-easy egg. The eggs are perfectly cooked every single time.
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Once I discovered basting eggs, I haven’t turned back! I love the ease of preparing eggs this way. Why do I love basting eggs? No flipping, no guessing if the egg is cooked through, and no crusty bottoms. This is a fool-proof method that makes cooking eggs a breeze.
What is a Basted Egg?
A basted egg is a cross between a sunny side up egg and a poached egg. The appearance of a basted egg looks like a sunny side up egg but, the yolk is slightly more set.
Ingredients Needed
In addition to a stovetop and a saucepan, you will need the following ingredients to make basted eggs:
- Butter – Greasing the pan with melted butter before cooking helps the basted eggs not to stick and adds a buttery flavor. You can also use cooking spray or olive oil or even bacon fat. A small amount of oil goes a long way.
- Eggs – I use large eggs for this recipe. Simple crack one at a time in a bowl and then slowly pour in the uncovered pan or crack them above the heated pan directly.
- Water – When added to the hot pan, the water creates steam that evenly cooks the tops of the eggs. Just a small amount of water is added to achieve this reaction.
- Salt and black pepper – Keep it simple with a pinch of sea salt and some ground pepper or add your favorite spices like paprika or, a personal favorite, Everything But the Bagel seasoning.
How to Cook Basted Eggs
Basted eggs are steamed by adding water to the cooking eggs, then covering the pan with a lid. This cooking technique ensures the egg is cooked through. How long the egg is steamed will determine if the yolk is runny or cooked. It is super easy! The whites are creamy and soft and yolk is cooked perfectly.
- Heat skillet – Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add butter to the skillet or spray it with a non-stick cooking spray. When the butter is melted and bubbly, gently crack the eggs into the pan.
- Cook – When the bottom of each egg is opaque white, add the water to the pan and cover with the lid.
- Season – Cook covered for two minutes, or until the egg whites are cooked through, but the yolk is still runny. Top with salt and pepper to taste.
Three Types of Cooked Eggs for Basted Eggs
There are three basic ways of basting eggs: Over easy, over medium, and over hard. We will go through each method in detail so you can cook them to your taste. They are all prepared the same way, they just cook for different amounts of time.
- Over easy eggs are the first cooking level you can achieve with basted eggs. They have a runny yolk, much like a sunny-side-up egg, however, the yolk isn’t as visible. Basting the egg causes the white on top of the yolk to become opaque. Over-easy eggs hold up better when served in breakfast sandwiches because the yolk doesn’t break as easily.
- Over medium eggs can have yolks that are still quite runny to only slightly runny. The spectrum here can be quite wide. Most of the time, over medium eggs, have yolks that are only about halfway cooked through. When you cut the basted egg open, you can see the runny yolk surrounded by hardened yolk. You should be able to tell the doneness by pressing on the outside of the yolk. It should still be somewhat soft and bounce back.
- Over hard eggs‘ yolks cook completely through. You can either break the yolk to hurry the process or you can allow the yolk to harden without breaking it. One advantage to breaking the yolk is that it can be more evenly distributed throughout the cooked egg. Those who want to still experience the taste of the yolk can keep it intact.
Recipe Tip
Make sure your pan is nice and hot before cracking the eggs. If the pan is not hot, then the egg whites will not cook fast enough.
How to Use Basted Eggs
There are so many ways to enjoy basted eggs. Simply serve them on their own with a side of fruit or make them into a meal for breakfast. These choices are all great ideas when eating basted eggs!
- In place of fried eggs – You can use basted eggs in any recipe where you would use fried eggs. Serve with bacon, sausage, and hash browns for a hearty breakfast.
- Toast – Eat them on toast or avocado toast. Lay the basted egg overtop the toast and enjoy it handheld or cut up on a plate.
- Sandwich or burger – Add a basted egg to a burger or sandwich for added protein and flavor. This is always our dad’s favorite way to order a burger at a restaurant.
- Pizza – Throw a basted egg on a pizza or over a sweet potato hash. Sounds crazy but this is a MUST try meal!
- Fried rice – Top a bowl of fried rice with a basted egg.
“Amazing! These were so easy to make, all of the kids loved them!”
-Paula
Frequently Asked Questions
A basted egg is cooked in a frying pan with a few tablespoons of water. A poached egg is an egg dropped into boiling water and a little vinegar. They both produce a soft egg white with a runny egg yolk.
In cooking, basted means adding liquid during the cooking process. When you baste a turkey, for example, you take the juices from the bottom of the pan and redistribute them onto the turkey. These are called basted eggs because you add water to the eggs during the cooking process.
It isn’t necessary for the lid to be clear, but it makes it easier to see when the eggs are done. If you don’t have a clear glass lid, then just cook the eggs for two minutes and lift the lid to check the doneness.
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More Egg-cellent Recipes
Eggs can be prepared in so many ways! Add some variety to breakfast by giving some of these delicious egg recipes a try:
Basted Eggs
Video
Equipment
- large nonstick skillet with a lid
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons water
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter to the skillet. When the butter is melted and bubbly, gently crack the eggs into the pan.
- When the bottom of each egg is opaque white, add the water to the pan and cover with the lid.
- Cook covered for two minutes, or until the egg whites are cooked through, but the yolk is still runny. Top with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the eggs on their own or on toast.
This is so handy for breakfast! Thank you for explaining this!
Amazing! These were so easy to make, all of the kids loved them!
Perfect!!! What an easy & great way!! Love egg on toast & this recipe makes a delicious egg!