There are many ways to fry an egg, ranging from sunny side up, over easy, over medium, or over hard. Today, we're going to learn how to make over hard eggs!
Convenient and quick, the over hard eggs can easily become anyone's favorite. If you prefer your eggs completely cooked through as I do, you'll certainly love the taste and texture found in over hard eggs.
In This Guide
What Is an Over Hard Egg?
"How do you want your eggs?" is a question you've surely heard at least once in your life.
At the time of writing, there are over 10 basic ways to prepare an egg. One of my personal favorites is preparing them over hard.
When cooked the right way, over hard eggs have just about the same consistency as a hard-boiled egg. To achieve this, you'll have to leave your egg in the pan for a few extra minutes until the yolk is completely cooked through.
With over easy and over medium eggs, the yolk needs to stay intact. It’s the complete opposite for over hard eggs, though. Depending on your preference, you can choose to break the yolk with a spatula or wait for it to set before flipping.
Over Hard Eggs vs. Fried Eggs
Over hard eggs are a type of fried eggs. However, in a dinner, when people order a “fried egg”, many mean sunny-side up.
So if we’re to compare over hard eggs to sunny-side up, we’ll be left with two main differences. Sunny-side up is prepared just like over easy eggs, except that it isn’t flipped or cooked with its yolk upside down.
An over hard egg initially starts off as a fried/sunny-side up, but once the egg white and yolk start to harden, it's flipped to make the other side equally firm.
Over Hard Eggs vs. Over Easy Eggs
Over easy eggs, when compared to over hard eggs, have a runny interior. When the yolk is split or broken, the yolk gushes right out and onto the plate.
Some people prepare over easy eggs with slightly runny egg whites. Over easy eggs are about the same as sunny-side ups; however, over easy eggs are flipped to create a fried film on top of the yolk.
Over hard eggs, when split open, have the yolk fully hard and intact.
Over easy eggs take about 1-2 minutes to prepare, while over hard eggs take around 5.
How to Make the Ultimate Over Hard Eggs: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ready to make the perfect over-hard eggs? Awesome! There are only 5 easy steps to follow as shown below:
Step 1: Get the Pan Ready
Set a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet over medium-low heat until it gets hot enough. Melt about 1-2 tablespoons of butter until bubbling.
If you don't have butter to hand, you can substitute with non-stick cooking spray or oil.
Step 2: Crack the Egg
Once the pan is ready, gently slide your egg into the pan/skillet.
Remember not to crack the egg on the corner of the pan as the egg white might spill and fry on the pan’s side.
If you're making just one egg, place it in the middle of the pan. If you're cooking two or more, make sure you don't take too long to crack the other one into the pan so the egg whites will cook evenly. Once on the pan, season the eggs with fresh pepper and salt to taste.
Depending on your aesthetic preference, you can spit the yolk or leave it intact. Some people would rather break the yolk because they don't like to eat egg whites on their own.
If you’re the same, simply poke the egg yolk with the edge of your spatula or fork before flipping it over.
Step 3: Flip the Egg
Once the egg whites are cooked through, and the yolk is firm but not hard, it's time to flip the egg. Don't wait longer than 3–5 minutes, or else the eggs may burn.
There are two ways to flip an egg: with a spatula, or by flipping the pan.
If you’re using a spatula, carefully slide it under the egg before flipping it over.
If you’d rather not use a spatula, flip your eggs by tossing them in the air with the flick of your wrist: Toss the pan upward, and use it to catch the eggs!
To be honest, tossing the pan might seem intimidating at first. It takes a bit of practice, but once you manage to land the egg perfectly on the pan, you'll feel like a real pro! But if you can’t, that’s OK too. Remember to do what you find most comfortable and easy for you.
Pro tip: If you're cooking more than 1 egg, flip the eggs over in the order you added them to the pan.
Step 4: Allow the Egg to Cook
Once you've flipped the egg, cook it for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until it reaches your desired level of doneness.
Step 5: Serve the Egg and Enjoy!
Once your eggs have cooked, slide it onto a plate and serve!
With over hard eggs, you'll find the yolk fully cooked and not runny when split. It’ll have a soft, velvety, melt-in-your-mouth kind of chewy texture.
Are Over Hard Eggs Good for You?
Eggs are an “eggcellent” source of nutrition — packed with proteins, vitamins, and healthy fats. But is cooking an egg over hard good for you?
The short answer is yes; it's healthy! As it's cooked through, there's less chance of bacteria and salmonella.
Despite that, over hard eggs might lose a few of its nutrients because of the long preparation time.
But the truth is, eggs are healthy no matter how you prepare them. So don’t worry about how you prepare your eggs; enjoy them however you want.
How to Make Over Hard Eggs, Everything You Need!
Over hard eggs are delicious! Plus, they make for an ideal high-protein breakfast.
Now that you've learned how to make over hard eggs, you'll be able to experiment with all other types of fried eggs, too! Whether it be over easy, over medium, or over hard, the primary difference between these three is just the preparation time.
Happy cooking!
Last update on 2022-08-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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