I know how, it just seems like I've lost my touch. They come out brown, busted, lacy on the edges, broken up, and general unappealing. Also, they're too hard when I want them a little runny.

I've tried non-stick pans and Lodge cast iron like God intended for us to use. No bacon grease and lots of bacon grease. Putting a lid on them. Starting off cold. Starting off hot. The white doesn't firm up right. The yolk busts open when I flip them. They scorch in a heartbeat.

Some of the problem may be my glass-top stove. It's hard to regulate the temperature on it.

I gave up and just scrambled them for years, but now I realized I like the taste of fried eggs better, but they just don't come out like I want them to - pretty with about 1/3 of the yolk runny.

Yep.. it's the glass top stove. I have the same problem, although I'm not brave enough to put cast iron on it. replaced the glass top once already.

I got a microwave egg poacher. Works OK for me.

May be best for your health if you never regain that ability.

I don't have any problem with cast iron on the glass top as far as damage goes. Just don't slide it or drop it. I just can't cook on it. I never know how hot it's going to end up, and there's no rhyme or reason to the numbers when turning it up or down.

I don't want poached eggs. I want classic fried eggs.

You could try purchasing an item similar to this:
[www.amazon.com]
— perfect for your cast iron pan.

Here's a tip if you can't execute the flip: shortly after the whites have begun to firm from the bottom, add an ounce or two of water and cover. The steam will cook the tops of the eggs.

Learn to flip it; no spatula. Just a nice easy movement where you "shovel" the pan away from you and then lift. The eggs should do a 180 and let the pan drop to catch them but not hold it rigid-the yolks will break then. Let the pan fall as you catch them. I also lower the heat so that they won't brown before whites cook. HTH.

I have one of those infernal glass-topped stoves, too.

I put the pan on and turn the burner medium-low on and wait 15-20 minutes. By then the temp has stabilized.

I also have a nice All-Clad griddle, but pulling it out for a few fried eggs is too much trouble.

It sounds like you have the pan too hot when you put the egg(s) in. I would use the setting between low and medium to preheat the pan. I use bacon grease, like a tablespoon of it, in an 8" non-stick skillet. I can flip mine by hand but if you are having trouble with the yolk breaking then use a large spatula to gently roll it over in the pan.

Patience, grasshopper . . .

---

Bill
Flagler Beach, FL 32136

Carpe Vino!

Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire.
— David Rains Wallace

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DP
Learn to flip it; no spatula. Just a nice easy movement where you "shovel" the pan away from you and then lift. The eggs should do a 180 and let the pan drop to catch them but not hold it rigid-the yolks will break then. Let the pan fall as you catch them. I also lower the heat so that they won't brown before whites cook. HTH.

Oil splash all over the kitchen

Definitely sounds like the pan is too hot. You can roughly figure out the temp by dripping some drops of water on it as it's cooking and see how quickly they pop. I feel your pain regarding your stove (and any electric stove). I ripped an infernal electric stove out of our house shortly after we moved in. Gas is the only way to go if you're a cook.

---

"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Quote
A-Polly
You could try purchasing an item similar to this:
[www.amazon.com]
— perfect for your cast iron pan.

Wouldn't that be like going from the frying pan into the fire? Or is induction cooking different than glass top cooking?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 09:32PM by Dennis S.

Pick up one of those inexpensive butane stoves.

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Dennis S

Quote
A-Polly
You could try purchasing an item similar to this:
[www.amazon.com]
— perfect for your cast iron pan.

Wouldn't that be like going from the frying pan into the fire? Or is induction cooking different than glass top cooking?

Induction is very different than radiant glass cooktops. Traditional glass tops use radiant heat. The induction uses magnetism to excite the atoms in steel or iron pans to create the heat. It is very fast to heat up but gives fine control of the temperature of the pan. when you turn the level down the heat in the pan drops almost instantly. On ours we can boil water in about 3 munutes but if I turn it down it will almost stop boiling instantly

I use a nonstick pan and a couple silicone rings. I put a bit of unsalted butter in each ring and when it's melted I add the eggs. I try to finish pouring the egg so the yolk is near an edge. I lower the heat a little. When the white is mostly solid I remove the rings and use a nylon spatula to turn them -- it has a thin, clean edge which I get under the yolk first. Then I grab a plate and it's time to take them out of the pan.

The rings keeps the whites a uniform thickness so they cook evenly, and prevents them from spreading out which could otherwise make them hard to turn. Fresh eggs will naturally hold together better -- a really fresh egg won't even fill a ring to the edges.

Add a Bays whole wheat English muffin, and some Hempler's uncured applewood-smoked pepper-crusted bacon, and that's a mighty fine breakfast.

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Dennis S
Wouldn't that be like going from the frying pan into the fire? Or is induction cooking different than glass top cooking?

Not the same as a regular glass top stove at all. Induction cooking is a completely different technology — very quick and responsive to setting changes, like gas, but more efficient (although your cast iron retains heat and won't cool down instantly).
[en.wikipedia.org]
I have a portable one (~ $70-$80 or so) that I enjoy using, and my son put one on his wish list when he and his wife moved into a house with an electric stove. I imagine this kind of thing would be perfect in an RV, since it doesn't heat up the surroundings nearly so much as a gas or regular electric cooktop.

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The rings keeps the whites a uniform thickness so they cook evenly, and prevents them from spreading out which could otherwise make them hard to turn.

That's one of my major problems.

Oil splash all over the kitchen

Then you're using too much oil, butter, or grease. The only reason to use a lot is to bast the egg instead of flipping it.


but gives fine control of the temperature of the pan.

This.

Your biggest problem, Dennis, is getting not only the right temperature, but a stable one. You can't hope to get decent results for a fried egg unless you can get the desired temperature repeatedly. I've never cooked on a glass top stove and didn't know about waiting to get the temperature stable.

I've always preferred scrambled eggs until in my more adult life I had to eat fried eggs. Then I realized I like them over easy/medium as much as I like them scrambled.

Every now and then I get a McDonald's sausage McMuffin with egg, and the yolk is very soft though not quite runny. Very tasty. My favorite sandwich is the one Adam Sandler made in Spanglish.

I'm going to give that Amazon induction cooker a look-see.

---

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by believing all possible evil of evil men.

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An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

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cooking eggs slowly completely transforms the taste. if you have never tried it, just turn the heat down lower than you would normally, add sufficient (but not too much) fat, and leave it be. an egg ring helps in this regard, because the egg white will run at a low heat.

---

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Sounds like the pan is too hot.
If your frying pan has a decent heat retention mass on the bottom try sliding the pan over to the other burner and using the pan's residual heat to cook the egg.
I have the same problem using my mom's glass top sauteeing onions and peppers, garlic. I bring my own saute pan as it has a real thick bottom mass and mom has these thin but nice looking pans. It's not surprising she hates to cook ....

I use a cast iron pan on a electric stove and it took me a while to figure out just when to shut the heat off and just when to put the egg in the pan to come anywhere close to cooking with a gas burner. Timing seems to be everythjng. I miss natural gas for stove top cooking.

---

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hmm, I never had a problem with a regular glass to stove. I use non stick pans and very little butter in the pan. Also works with no oil or butter at all.

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freeradical

I have the Surrealist version of that:





Might explain later in the week when things are calmer here!

Paul

Oil splash all over the kitchen

Then you're using too much oil, butter, or grease.

Correct.

hmm, I never had a problem with a regular glass to stove. I use non stick pans and very little butter in the pan. Also works with no oil or butter at all.

Also correct although a little fat is needed for flavor. I have a cast iron egg skillet (along with a 10" pan; both from my grandmother after she passed)
and they are well seasoned but any non-stick pan should work just fine. If the heat is too high just move the pan off of the heat! Boy, there is a lot of overthinking about this subject!

but and can you....bring home the bacon........then fry it up in a pan.....???

---

_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Quote
voodoopenguin

Obviously you were camping in northeastern Spain, in the vicinity of Cadaqués

---

"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Dennis,

And this is why I make scrambled eggs in a cup in the microwave. 'course, I use Egg Beaters and add some bacon bits and shredded cheese when I make'im. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Robert

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Robert M
Dennis,

And this is why I make scrambled eggs in a cup in the microwave. 'course, I use Egg Beaters and add some bacon bits and shredded cheese when I make'im. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Robert

That's a trick I use for a fast breakfast. A small 3-4" diameter tupperware/rubbermaid. Crack an egg or two into it. A little salt, maybe a little bacon if it's easy enough, microwave. Toast an english muffin at the same time. When the egg is done put it on the muffin with a slice of cheese. Easy, to-go breakfast sandwich in about 2 minutes.

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DRR
A small 3-4" diameter tupperware/rubbermaid.

I've always heard that you shouldn't microwave food in plastic containers, unless it's specifically marked as microwave safe. Use glass or ceramic containers instead.

[www.health.harvard.edu]

I do eggs the same way - in the microwave, covered with a microwave safe plastic lid, with some cooking spray applied to the inside of the ceramic bowl. Works great every time. And slides right out onto the english muffin or toast.

Jeff

The problem is cheap knockoff eggs.
You're lucky none of them have electrocuted you or whatnot.

I heard that the Egg Council recently started asking people who bought cheap knockoff eggs to turn them in for disposal and receive real eggs for a discounted price of $10.