Learning how to cook an egg is one of the first rites of passage for a chef. There are many ways this versatile ingredient can be transformed into a culinary delicacy, but a whole lot of them require one key step: flipping the luscious, runny-yolked egg before it's served. While this task may seem simple enough, it actually takes some know-how, finesse, and timing to execute without either cracking the yolk or ejecting the egg onto the kitchen floor.
You might already know this from brutal experience; plenty of home cooks have attempted to flip an egg with grace and skill, only to end up with a half-scrambled mess in the pan. While I've experienced my fair share of egg-related culinary mishaps in my nearly 18 years as chef and owner of a bed and breakfast, I have had plenty of experience and practice flipping them to have learned a thing or two about what not to do. From using the right pan to waiting for just the right moment to go in for the flip, the must-dos are many — and the mistakes to avoid are just as numerous.
Allow me to share my expertise with you and transform breakfast from tribulation to triumph. 1. Mistake: Using the wrong kind of pan Nonstick cookware is the gold standard for cooking eggs.
Though this type of cookware has gotten a lot of scrutiny regarding the potential toxicity of PFOAs (perfluorooctanoic acid) sometimes used in their manufacture, when used at temperatures below 500 degrees Fahrenheit, they can be perfectly safe, as testing by Good Houseke.