Types of Cooked Eggs: Amazing Types of Egg Styles and Dishes

Eggs are such a versatile food that you can cook in many ways. Even the classic fried egg can be cooked sunny-side up, over easy, over medium, or over hard. Other types of cooked eggs include poached eggs, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and baked eggs. You can also cook eggs with other ingredients to create a simple, yet tasty and nutritious meal.

Starting your day off with any type of cooked egg for breakfast is a great choice. However, you can enjoy eggs at any time of the day. You can mix boiled eggs with other ingredients to make a scrumptious sandwich filling. You can add eggs to bakes, make a quiche, or frittata muffins. Other methods of cooking with eggs can involve just using the egg white or egg yolk.

In this article, you will learn about the many different types of cooked eggs. You may even be tempted to try a different type of egg the next time someone asks you: “how would you like your eggs?”

Types of Eggs

One of the great things about eating eggs is that almost anyone can prepare a delicious egg snack.

All you need to do is crack an egg into a frying pan or put a whole egg in boiling water. With a slice or 2 of whole-grain toast, you can prepare breakfast in no time at all. You can also easily scramble eggs to make lunch or dinner by whipping up a couple of eggs and putting in a frying pan with some vegetables.

For the more adventurous cooks, separating the whites from the yolks opens up many more egg-based dishes. For example, whipped up egg whites form the basis to cook soufflés or meringues. Cooking or baking egg yolks form the basis for desserts such as custard or to enrich pie crusts.

As you can see, the ways of using eggs to cook with are almost endless.

Types of Cooked Eggs: Delicious Egg Styles

Let’s look in more detail at different ways to prepare the perfect type of egg.

Hard Scrambled Egg

Eggs scrambled in a pan is one of the most popular ways to cook eggs for breakfast or lunch. Cooking scrambled eggs requires the minimum amount of attention and it is easy to add other ingredients. The term “hard scrambled egg” refers to the level of cooking to create firm eggs.

To prepare hard scrambled egg, you just need to crack eggs into a bowl and gently whisk or mix them to combine the yolks and whites. You can add salt and pepper to taste.

The only equipment you need to cook the perfect scrambled egg is a pan and a heat resistant silicone spatula.

To cook shard scrambled eggs, heat the pan to medium-high heat and add some oil. (Top tip: why not try some olive oil or coconut oil for a delicious taste?) Pour the egg mixture in your pan. To get the perfect scrambled egg, keep the eggs moving by stirring and folding to break up the eggs. When your eggs are “hard-scrambled” (i.e., cooked all the way through) and there is no liquid left, remove from the pan.

Cooking this way gives you firm eggs that are cooked through. If you order scrambled eggs in a restaurant or diner, you usually get hard scrambled eggs.

Soft Scrambled Egg

Many people prefer to cook soft scrambled eggs at home because they taste creamier. The only difference between hard scrambled and soft scrambled eggs is the cooking time.

To cook scrambled eggs so they are soft, you mix the eggs together in a bowl. (Adding a little milk or cream is optional). Season to taste.

To make sure and get a soft scramble, start with some oil or butter in a medium-low heat pan. When the curds start forming, turn and fold continually until they are no longer runny and have a shine on them. As soon as the eggs have softly scrambled, remove from the pan to prevent them from cooking more.

Serve immediately with some toast or a toasted bagel and butter. For extra taste, why not grate some mature cheese over the top?

Super Creamy Soft Scrambled Eggs

If you want to cook scrambled eggs that have a super creamy texture, then you should continually mix the eggs in the pan while cooking.

To get your eggs ready for an amazing soft creamy scramble, break them in a bowl and whisk the eggs together. For soft and creamy scrambled eggs, you should cook over a low heat and stir continually with the spatula. As soon as the eggs have softly set, remove from the heat and serve immediately.

When cooking the perfect scrambled eggs, it’s good to remember that eggs continue to cook even after they are off the heat.

To make your super soft creamy eggs even more delicious, add grated cheese, feta cheese, chorizo, or shredded cooked bacon just before they finish cooking.

French Scrambled Egg vs. American Scrambled Egg

The traditional cooking methods for hard or soft scrambled eggs are also referred to as American or English scrambled eggs. Another type of scrambled egg is French scrambled eggs. The difference between the two is the cooking method.

The French method for scrambling eggs produces an extra smooth decadent-tasting cooked type of egg.

For this, you need to use a double boiler (bain-marie). Put 1” (2.5 cm) of water in a pan and bring to the boil and then simmer. Place a large heatproof bowl over the water. Add ½ tablespoon of butter. While the butter is melting, whisk 4 eggs in a separate bowl. Pour into the double boiler and stir continuously with a soft spatula. It will take about 10 – 15 minutes for the eggs to cook.

Many people rate this type of cooked egg as the tastiest and creamiest scrambled egg you can make in the kitchen.

Hard-Boiled Egg

Cooking hard-boiled eggs in boiling water is a simple way to prepare them. The egg white and egg yolk are cooked right through and are fully set in their shell. This is why they are called “hard” boiled eggs.

All you need to do is put your eggs in plenty of boiling water and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. As soon as the time is up, transfer the eggs to ice water to stop them cooking and prevent a gray color from forming around the yolk.

The great thing about preparing hard-boiled eggs is that you can batch cook them and enjoy them as a snack. The shell acts as a protective layer and all you have to do is peel them before you eat one.

Soft Boiled Egg

As you can guess, soft boiled eggs have a soft runny center where the yolk hasn’t set. The only difference between soft boiled eggs and hard ones is the cooking time.

For the perfect soft-boiled egg, gently put eggs in boiling water and cook for between 4 and 6 minutes. As soon as time is up, transfer the cooked eggs to iced water to stop the cooking process.

Four minutes will give you a thick and runny yolk and 6 minutes will cook the eggs so that the yolk is slightly set but still runny.

To eat soft-boiled eggs, put them in an egg cup, cut the top off and use a teaspoon to consume the rich runny yellow yolk and cooked egg white. Or, you can gently peel the egg, put on a slice of buttered toast and eat with a knife and fork. The scrumptious runny yolk will ooze out and soak into your bread when you cut it open.

Remember that the temperature of your eggs before cooking and their size will affect cooking times. It is best to cook eggs from room temperature to accurately calculate when the yolks have set.

Poached Egg

Poaching eggs is another method of cooking eggs in hot water. Some people describe poached eggs as a cross between scrambled eggs and soft-boiled eggs. The difference between poached eggs and boiled eggs is that the egg is cracked directly into hot water.

It is very easy to poach eggs at home in hot water. This is how to poach the perfect egg:

• Crack an egg into a small bowl and set aside.
• Bring a pan of water to the boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer.
• Add a dash of vinegar to the water as this helps bring the egg white together.
• With a spoon, stir the water around the pan to create a whirlpool in the middle.
• Carefully drop the egg into the whirlpool. You will notice that the whites pull around the egg yolk to create an oval form.
• When cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Cook for 3 minutes if you want a runny yolk or for 5 minutes if you want a hard yolk.

As with cooking all types of eggs, it is best to poach eggs that are at room temperature, not straight from the fridge.

To keep poached eggs warm while you are cooking more, put in a pan of tepid or slightly warm water. This will ensure you can enjoy warm poached eggs without them cooking more.

To enjoy your tasty poached egg, place one on a buttered English muffin. Cutting into the egg will allow the warm runny yolk to soak into the muffin and create a tasty breakfast dish or snack. You could also put a poached egg on top of a salad or noodle dish to create a rich sauce when you break into the cooked egg.

Poached eggs are also the main part of egg dishes such as egg Benedict.

Types of Fried Egg

Fried eggs are popular at breakfast time where they are eaten on toast or alongside bacon or cooked sausages. It is also easy to fry a number of eggs together in one frying pan if you are cooking for a few people.

There are a few basic guidelines for frying eggs to perfection. These are:

• Always fry eggs that are at room temperature
• Use enough oil to coat the pan
• Start cooking from a low to medium heat to prevent the fried eggs from becoming rubbery
• Make sure the whites are always cooked to kill off any bacteria

There are a number of different names for fried eggs depending on the degree the eggs are cooked.

Sunny side up

Fried eggs sunny side up are only cooked on one side and are never turned over. The round yellow yolk in the middle looks just like the sun on a sunny day. You know when fried eggs prepared “sunny side up” are ready because the whites are set and the yolk is still runny.

This is one of the easiest methods of frying eggs.

Over easy

As the name suggests, fried eggs that are prepared over-easy are flipped over and cooked on both sides. The “easy” part of the name refers to the fact that the egg yolks should still be runny.

When preparing over-easy fried eggs, flip the eggs when the whites are slightly cooked. Cook on the other side until the egg whites are cooked through and the yolk is soft and runny.

Over-medium

Frying eggs that are over-medium results in a cooked egg where the egg yolk is just set and no more. The yolk may be slightly runny, but it will have a rich creamy texture to it.

To fry eggs to an over-medium consistency, cook for a longer time than over-easy eggs. Test the yolk to make sure it is soft yet has some firmness to it.

Over-well

Over-well fried eggs are also called over-hard eggs. This cooking method takes the longest time and results in a fried egg with a fully cooked white and solid yolk. This type of fried egg is flipped and cooked on both sides. Because of the longer cooking times, both sides of the egg should have a golden-brown color.

Types of Omelets

Omelets are a type of fried egg that is prepared similar to scrambled eggs. However, rather than cooking the eggs in a pan and stirring, the egg mixture is left to cook in a frying pan until fluffy and solid.

To make the perfect delicious omelet, crack a few eggs into a bowl and mix with a fork until the egg whites and yolks are combined. Pour your egg mixture into a frying pan that is at a medium to high heat. When the curds start to form, lift the pan and tilt it around to evenly spread the egg mixture. When cooked on one side, you can flip the omelet over and cook on the other side.

If you are making a filled omelet, add your cooked ingredients and grated cheese down the middle of the omelet. Using a spatula, fold the 2 edges across and over the middle. Leave it to gently cook for 30 seconds more.

Spanish Omelet

Also called a Spanish tortilla, a Spanish omelet is a traditional dish made with cut sautéed potatoes and eggs. This is cooked in a similar way to a regular omelet.

Baked Eggs or Shirred Eggs

Cooking eggs using the baked method usually incorporates other ingredients into a flat-bottomed dish called a shirrer. However, you can also use a gratin dish to bake eggs.

The other ingredients such as mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, and herbs are put in the bottom of the dish. The eggs are then cracked over these ingredients and they are baked together in the oven. When done perfectly, the egg whites should be cooked and the yolks still runny.

Basted Eggs

Popular in some restaurants, basted eggs are a type of fried egg where butter is spooned over the frying egg to cook the top and the yolk. This prevents having to flip the egg over and the result is a cooked egg that is a cross between a poached egg and fried egg.

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