Fisher's piece on eggs is a wonderful piece of writing, with all sorts of historical fact (and fiction) and useful information - such as the method for 'frying' an egg that I'll detail below. But above all I love it because it begins with this line:
Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg until it is broken.Fried Eggs a la MFK Fisher
Fisher says that a biochemist once told her that every minute an egg is cooked makes it take three hours longer to digest. Whether this is true or not, it makes sense to me for eggs to be as lightly cooked as possible. Don't make me tell you about the powdery, sulphur-laden boiled eggs of boarding school lunches, I couldn't stand to relive them.
Fisher calls this method "a compromise" - I call it quick and foolproof.
The freshest, most free-range eggs you can get, at room temperature
Butter
Olive oil
Heat a shallow, heavy pan and drop in a knob of butter and a drop of oil. Heat until it is sizzling, then break in an egg or two. Clamp a lid on tightly, turn off the heat and leave for three minutes. When the time is up, slip the egg(s) onto a slice of freshly made toast. The eggs will be "tender and firm and very good".
How do you fry eggs?
- Follow RecipesDream
- Follow @us
