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    Different Ways To Cook Eggs: 5 Basics

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my affiliate disclosure.

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    Pinterest collage graphic showing different types of cooked eggs with text overlay "5 Simple Ways To Cook Eggs".
    Pinterest graphic showing how to cook eggs five basic ways.

    Learn how to cook eggs: 5 basic methods + lots of delicious ways to serve them!

    Labelled graphic showing five basic ways to cook an egg.

    How To Cook Eggs: 5 Essentials!

    From scrambled to poached, there are so many different ways to cook eggs! If you have an egg, you have a meal! They truly are “egg-cellent” for so many reasons…

    • Super Versatile: Eggs can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
    • Affordable: Eggs are relatively inexpensive as far as proteins go.
    • Good Source of Protein: Speaking of protein, eggs are a source of high quality protein and super nutritious as well! (source)
    • Easy To Make: Eggs are quick and simple to cook.

    Let’s get cracking! Here are 5 basic ways to cook an egg that I think everyone should know. They can be used in so many delicious ways! Some great ideas on how to serve them can be found below each method. Make sure to check them out!

    Poached Eggs

    A poached egg is an egg cooked in barely simmering water, without its shell. It has firm whites on the outside and a soft and oozy yolk on the inside. Poached eggs might seem fancy or intimidating but they are actually quite simple to make at home.

    A poached egg that has been broken into with a fork to reveal the runny yolk.

    How To Make Them

    Bring a pot of water to a bare simmer. Crack the egg into a small fine mesh sieve set over a bowl to strain out any watery bits of egg white (this prevents those wispy pieces when cooking). Transfer the egg to a ramekin or small bowl and gently slide the egg into the water. Cook for 3-4 minutes, scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

    Poached Eggs Tutorial: Check out this post for more details and tips to achieve perfect poached eggs.

    Ways To Serve Them

    • Make Eggs Benedict: Try this Rosti Eggs Benny recipe for a delicious twist on the classic.
    • On Toast: Top them onto a nice piece of toast or avocado toast.
    • Top A Salad: Slip one on top of a hearty salad like this Roasted Asparagus Salad.
    • Rice or Grain Bowl Topping: The runny yolk acts as a sauce – so good!

    Hard Boiled Eggs

    A hard boiled egg is a whole egg (in its shell) that has been boiled until both the yolk and whites are fully cooked and firm. They are super easy to make and can be used in so many ways!

    Hard boiled eggs that have been sliced in half arranged on a plate.

    How To Make Them

    Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Gently lower in eggs and set a timer for 12 minutes. Remove eggs to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and to cool completely before peeling.

    Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs: Check out this post for a detailed tutorial and step-by-step instructions for both stovetop and the Instant Pot.

    Ways To Serve Them

    • Eat As Is: Makes a great snack with a sprinkle of salt or even popped into a lunch box.
    • Make Deviled Eggs: Make a classic version or get creative with toppings!
    • Add To A Salad: A delicious way to add some protein to a salad or a nourish bowl. Or chop it up and mix into a pasta salad (like this Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad or Chicken Macaroni Salad) or a potato salad (like this Tuna Potato Salad).
    • Use In A Sandwich: Make an egg salad filling or simply place slices of hard boiled egg on your sandwich (delicious on tuna, roast, beef, BLT, veggie sandwiches, etc.).

    Soft Boiled Eggs

    A soft boiled egg is a whole egg (in its shell) that has been boiled until the whites are set but the yolk still has a runny or jammy consistency.

    Collage showing two pictures of a soft boiled egg side by side - one in an egg cup and one sliced in half to show the middle.

    How To Make Them

    Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Gently lower in eggs and set a timer for 6-7 minutes. Remove eggs and run under cold water for a few seconds until cool enough to handle. Serve while still warm.

    Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs: Check out this post for a more detailed step-by-step tutorial.

    Ways To Serve Them

    • Dip Into It: Place your soft boiled egg into an egg cup and remove the top to expose the runny yolk. Dip in toast soldiers (strips of toast), bacon or roasted/steamed asparagus spears.
    • On Toast: Peel and slice in half to top toast or avocado toast.
    • Top A Salad: Place on top of hearty salads like a Nourish Bowl or this Roasted Asparagus Salad.
    • Ramen or Rice Bowl Topping: Delicious addition to ramen or any type of rice or grain bowl.

    Scrambled Eggs

    Scrambled eggs are one of the most popular methods of cooking eggs for breakfast. The eggs are first whisked together and then gently cooked in a pan while being pushed into soft folds or stirred.

    A plate full of scrambled eggs with a fork.

    How To Make Them

    Whisk eggs together in a bowl. Melt a bit of butter in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in the eggs. As they begin to set, use a silicone spatula to gently push and fold the eggs to create soft curds.

    Check out this Soft Scrambled Eggs post for detailed step-by-step directions.

    Ways To Serve Them

    • On Toast or In A Sandwich: Simply serve with some buttered toast or make a breakfast sandwich.
    • As Part Of A Classic Breakfast: Serve with bacon or breakfast sausages, hash browns, toast and a side of fruit. Or include it on a fun breakfast board.
    • Make A Breakfast Scramble: Basically scrambled eggs and anything else you like cooked together in a skillet.
    • Use In Breakfast Burritos: Or breakfast tacos or quesadillas!

    Fried Eggs

    Fried eggs are cooked in a skillet on one or both sides. There are four basic styles of fried eggs: sunny side up, over easy, over medium and over well.

    • Sunny Side Up: The egg is fried on one side with the yolk facing up. The whites are firm and the yolk is still runny.
    • Over Easy: The egg is flipped and cooked briefly on the other side so that the yolk is still runny.
    • Over Medium: The egg is flipped and cooked until the yolk is just slightly runny.
    • Over Well (or Over Hard): The egg is flipped and cooked until the yolk is hard.
    Photo collage showing two types of fried eggs side by side - a sunny side up egg in a small frying pan and an over-easy egg in a small frying pan.

    How To Make Them

    Sunny Side Up: Heat some butter or oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Crack the egg and carefully place it in the pan. Let the egg cook until the whites are firm but the yolk is still runny (about 3-4 minutes).

    Over Easy, Medium and Well: Flip the sunny side up egg over and cook for an additional 10-30 seconds on the other side for over easy, 30-60 seconds for over medium, or 1-2 minutes for over well eggs.

    Check out this How To Make Fried Eggs tutorial for detailed step-by-step instructions.

    Ways To Serve Them

    • Make A Sandwich: Add to a breakfast sandwich or simply serve with some toast.
    • Top A Burger: Makes a delicious burger topping!
    • Rice or Noodle Bowl Topping: Delicious on top of your favorite rice or noodle bowl.
    • A Classic Breakfast: Fried eggs pair really well with bacon, hash browns and all your other classic breakfast staples. For special occasions, add them to a fun breakfast board. Or even turn them into these cute Fried Egg Bunnies for Easter!

    More Egg Recipes

    Here are some recipes that feature a number of eggs in them. Perfect for when you have eggs to use up!

    • Zucchini Slice: This classic Australian dish is somewhere between a savory zucchini bread and a crustless quiche – soft and fluffy yet firm enough to hold by hand. (Uses 5 whole eggs)
    • Hollandaise Sauce: Learn how to make this delicious sauce using 3 different methods. (Uses 3 egg yolks)
    • Maple Custard: This recipe also features a strawberry compote to serve on top of the creamy maple custard. (Uses 4 egg yolks)
    • Kokosmakronen: These German Coconut Macaroons are a fantastic way to use up leftover egg whites. (Uses 4 egg whites)
    • German Waffles: A delicious sweet waffle recipe – cross between a waffle and a sugar cookie! (Uses 3 whole eggs)

    What’s your favorite way to cook eggs? Let me know in the comments below!

    Print
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    Photo collage of different types of cooked eggs: scrambled, boiled, fried and poached.

    Different Ways To Cook Eggs: 5 Basics

    ★★★★★ 5 from 10 reviews
    • Author: Vanessa | Maple + Mango
    • Prep Time: 1 min
    • Cook Time: 3 min (up to 12 min depending on method)
    • Total Time: 4 min (and up – varies by method)
    • Yield: varies
    • Category: Cooking Basics
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    From scrambled to poached, there are so many different ways to cook eggs!  Learn 5 basic methods below.


    Ingredients

    • eggs

    Instructions

    Poached Eggs

    • Bring a pot of water to a bare simmer.  Crack the egg into a small fine mesh strainer over a bowl to strain out any super watery bits of egg white.  Gently slide the egg into the water.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

    Soft Boiled Eggs

    • Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil.  Gently lower in eggs and set a timer for 6-7 minutes.  Remove eggs and run under cold water for a few seconds until cool enough to handle and to stop the cooking process.  Serve while still warm.

    Hard Boiled Eggs

    • Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil.  Gently lower in eggs and set a timer for 12 minutes.  Remove eggs to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and to cool completely before peeling.

    Scrambled Eggs

    • Whisk eggs together in a bowl (usually 2 eggs per person).  Melt a bit of butter in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium-low heat.  Pour in the eggs.  As they begin to set, use a silicone spatula to gently push and fold the eggs to create soft curds.

    Fried Eggs

    • Sunny Side Up: Heat some butter or oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Crack the egg and carefully place it in the pan.  Let the egg cook until the whites are firm but the yolk is still runny (about 3-4 minutes).
    • Over Easy / Over Medium / Over Well: Flip the sunny side up egg over and cook for an additional 10-30 seconds on the other side for over easy (yolk still runny), 30-60 seconds for over medium (yolk just slightly runny), or 1-2 minutes for over well eggs (yolk is hard).

    Notes

    • Find some great ideas on ways to serve each type of egg in the post above!  You can also find links to detailed step-by-step tutorials for each method.

    Keywords: different ways to cook eggs, how to cook eggs

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @maple_and_mango on Instagram and hashtag it #mapleandmango

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    Pinterest graphic showing a variety of different types of cooked eggs with text overlay "Different Ways To Cook Eggs".
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Fouzia

      April 20, 2022 at 6:31 am

      This recipe will be so useful and handy to everyone to try different ways of making delicious eggs. Good tip on using a strainer for making poached eggs. Will try that. Thanks.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 20, 2022 at 8:54 am

        Glad you found it useful! The strainer really helps to give the poached egg a nice shape by getting rid of the wispy white bits.

        Reply
    2. Terri

      April 17, 2022 at 4:30 pm

      Great post! I am egg crazy- I eat at least one egg daily and we have egg night once a week (very economical). I can’t wait to try that Zucchini slice -yum!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 18, 2022 at 10:04 am

        I love the idea of “egg night”. Hope you enjoy the zucchini slice!

        Reply
    3. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      April 13, 2022 at 12:53 am

      I am always nervous of making poached eggs so I love your tips on getting them right.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 13, 2022 at 9:30 am

        I used to always be so intimidated by them after a few fails lol. Now that I have the technique down, I love making them and then slicing in to see that beautiful yolk ooze out (yum!).

        Reply
    4. Sara

      April 12, 2022 at 8:08 pm

      So useful, love eggs and trying to get the kids to eat them more too!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 13, 2022 at 9:28 am

        I have one kid who loves eggs in any form and another who is more selective shall we say:)

        Reply
    5. Asha

      April 12, 2022 at 8:07 pm

      This tutorial should be included in off-to-school packages for college students. Some great tips and useful information for anyone wanting to learn more about how to cook eggs. Thanks for sharing 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 13, 2022 at 9:27 am

        That’s a great idea! Eggs are such an easy, healthy and cost effective meal (perfect for students!).

        Reply
    6. Mirlene

      April 12, 2022 at 7:31 pm

      I’ve tried all the methods of making eggs. My all time favorite way to have eggs is medium well since i’m not a runny yolk fan!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 13, 2022 at 9:26 am

        My family ranges from runny yolk lovers like me and my husband to well done (one of my kids). Since they are so quick to cook, it is easy to make eggs to suit everyone’s tastes!

        Reply
    7. Andrea

      April 12, 2022 at 5:53 pm

      I appreciate all the information in this post. I’ve never made poached or soft eggs but have always wanted to try. I will be trying those out ASAP!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 13, 2022 at 9:24 am

        Enjoy! Those are two of my faves since I love a runny yolk!

        Reply
    8. Bernice

      April 12, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      We love eggs in every way and I will often just have simple scrambled eggs for dinner when it’s just me at home. I could eat them breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 13, 2022 at 9:24 am

        I love how versatile they are – perfect for any meal of the day!

        Reply
    9. Andrea

      April 12, 2022 at 5:11 pm

      Yes! This is such a useful resource. We just got chickens, eggs are our jam. Always looking for ways to remember different ways to cook eggs.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 13, 2022 at 9:23 am

        Now those are some fresh eggs! Enjoy all those beautiful eggs! Glad you found this post helpful!

        Reply
    10. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady

      April 12, 2022 at 4:35 pm

      Eggs are such a staple in our household. We enjoy them almost every weekend and I love ordering eggs benedict when we eat out. I can not poach eggs to save my life, unfortunately 🙁

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        April 12, 2022 at 4:47 pm

        Eggs Benny are my go-to brunch order as well! Hopefully the tips in the post help with your poached eggs. I used to be intimidated by them too!

        Reply

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