They’re easier than over easy but taste better than sunny side up. Basted eggs are the best eggs to make at home.
When we originally decided to do this whole series on eggs, I had a bunch of different diner-style eggs on my list to make (think over easy, sunny side up, over medium, etc.). However, I then remembered that my favorite way to cook eggs beats those all, hands down.
Ahhh basted eggs, how I love thee.
Here’s A Video Showing How To Baste Eggs:
Why Should I Make Basted Eggs?
Why make basted eggs? Well…
Have you ever made over easy eggs at home? It’s a pain. Trying to get that egg flipped without breaking the yolk. Yikes!
If you want a dippable yolk but you don’t want to have to flip the egg, then you’re going with sunny side up. Much easier. The downside to that is that there is often this slimy goop over the egg yolk that doesn’t cook. It’s exactly that stuff that you’re trying to cook when you do over easy eggs.
Conclusion so far? Over easy eggs are annoying. Sunny side up have slime.
So then, what if I told you that you could cook that slime without having to flip the eggs? You’d be pretty excited, right?
That’s where basted eggs come in. You start by making a sunny side up egg. When the whites are almost set, you add some hot tap water and a lid. What happens? The steam created from the water surrounds the yolk and cooks the goopy layer.
I told you basted eggs are where it’s at!
How to Make Basted Eggs:
Melt some butter in a non-stick skillet.
Crack in an egg.
When the whites are nearly set, add a drizzle of hot tap water or recently boiled water from a kettle.
Put a lid on the skillet. If you don’t have a lid for your skillet, a big sheet of aluminum foil will work. Note that the lid you use does not have to be a lid that came with the skillet. Any sauce pan lid that is bigger than your skillet will work here.
Let it cook until the steam has cooked the layer of egg whites that is over the yolk. About 30 seconds. If you like your yolks more cooked, you can let the egg steam for longer.
Trim off any uneven whites if desired and serve.
Enjoy!
Print Basted Egg
They’re easier than over-easy but taste better than sunny side up. Basted eggs are the best eggs to make at home.
Listen to our editor, Christine Pittman, explain briefly how to make these eggs, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 4-5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tsp. butter or margarine
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp. boiling (or very hot) water
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Crack in the egg.
- Cook until whites are nearly fully set and then add the hot water to the skillet. Cover the skillet.
- Cook the egg in the covered skillet until the whites are set and the thin layer of whites that tops the yolk has turned white as well.
- Remove egg from skillet. Serve.
This post originally appeared in April 2018 and was revised and republished in April 2021.
What’s new about that.? Been doing it for years
Norman, I’ve been doing it for years too. I actually say above that it’s been my favorite way to cook eggs for a long time. But, as much as I love it, I know that many people don’t know about it and don’t know that it’s easier than over-easy, with a similar result. It has also been common in the past few years for breakfast restaurants to list basted eggs on their menu, so people are finding them and want to know how to make them at home. This post and recipe is there for those who want to learn this technique that is new to them.
I would laugh, but I realize you’re of a considerably younger generation than am I. I learned to cook 62 years ago, when I was 8 years old, and one of the first things Dad taught me was to make a proper basted egg—he loved two of them on top of toast for his breakfast, along with a big bowl of hot oatmeal, a properly cooked hamburger (not the bun, just the meat), and a big mug of black coffee. We weren’t pork eaters, for the most part, but we all loved ground beef (still my favorite “cut” to this day), so we had it often.
Anyhow, I’ve made basted eggs for over six decades, and still find them to be my favorite way to cook and eat eggs.
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That’s wonderful, Joyce! I love eggs this way too, that’s why I had to make sure everyone else was aware too. 🙂
Very easy compared to soft boiled or over medium because you can see the egg cooking and it doesn’t need to be flipped! Thanks! MY NEW FAVORITE TYPE OF EGG!❤️
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You’re welcome, Patricia! I love cooking eggs this way too.
I have these every day. However if you want to save some time just start out with a nice hot skillet and when you put the eggs in cover them with a top then turn the heat off and they will turn pink in a few minutes while they cook.
Love this info. No more breaking my yolks when I flip them! Thank you
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You’re welcome, Arlene! Enjoy!
I wanted to copy a meal from a breakfast place but had no idea how they got their eggs looking so perfect. I followed these instructions and was not disappointed! First time making basted eggs and it definitely won’t be the last. I think they’re my new favorite!
One not that I would add though – make sure your pan isn’t too hot when you crack the egg. It got a little crispy underneath at medium temp. I would so medium low is the sweet spot!
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Thanks for the feedback, Sarah! So happy it’s your new fav.
I love over easy eggs, but like you said they are a pain!
I would love sunny side up, except for that slime indeed covering the yolk!
THIS IS THE ANSWER!!
Thank you sooooo much.
I love all things 🥚 egg💙👍
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You’re welcome, Denise! Glad you found the answer. 🙂
Confused…
When do you actually bast the egg
(like the name implies)?
For these basted eggs, adding the water and covering the pan creates the steam which bastes the egg. When basting meats, you brush on liquids to add moisture. Here, the steam adds the moisture and gives it a perfect cook. You can also butter baste eggs, where you add the moisture by spooning melted butter over the eggs, but I like the ease and less fat of this method. Enjoy, Jimbo!
But why water when it’s EVEn better to simply splash the fat/oil over the yolks in the pan. 1 min is enough
This is exactly how I get that over easy fried egg without the breakage. It needs to be with water, broth, milk, etc., anything that will produce steam. In fact, cream is a decadent treat on occasion. Oil or butter that you ‘spoon’ over it, well, you’re just hoping the oil will stay hot enough while it’s on top of the egg. But it will fail to get the pans interior air space hot enough.
Use a glass lid to keep an eye on the progress. Added bonus; You’re eggs will slide right out of the pan even easier.
To the commenter about just making scrambled because they are the best method… this article wasn’t about scrambled eggs was it? And to those who say, “just make it poached”, same reply.
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I love basted, poached, over easy or over medium.
Yummy!
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Delicious!
it was alright
FYI – you don’t need to add water or ice. Just cover pan for last minute of cooking & the effect is the same.
John, there is a version of fried eggs that are basted with oil. I believe it’s a Spanish method. However, in North American restaurants when basted eggs are ordered, you are typically served this kind of steamed version. It’s incredibly simple to make. Just drizzle a bit of boiling water in the pan once the eggs are partly set, cover and cook until desired firmness.
I regularly cook basted eggs I have often when I request basted eggs at a restaurant , I get this odd look from the waitress and the cook and am asked what is a basted egg? Many times I describe how to cook a basted eggs , my way is what I learned from my mom , goes like this heat a small skillet then throw in a little butter add Two eggs add a half of an ice cube , cover the pan with a lid , I usually use a glass lid so I can watch the process as the ice melts it forms a bit of steam the tops of the egg yolks glaze over white wala your ready to serve two very beautiful basted eggs
Thanks for sharing how your mom taught you! Sounds great, Randy.
Been doing this for years for my wife. Didn;t know the process really had a name but it works great.Picked it up in the 60’s from a military cook buddy. Wow that makes me real old,
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Now you have a name for it! Thanks for sharing, Doug.
It’s the first time I made basted eggs and they turned out perfectly. Just ask my husband as he’s had a lot over the years. Served with corned beef hash and he’s in heaven. Thank you!!!
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Great job, Dianne! That sounds delicious!
basted is my preferred egg preparation for breakfast but I have run into problems with restaurants not knowing what they are so I end up with poached or scrambled eggs (neither is close). not the end of the world, I like eggs but annoying nonetheless. when I order basted eggs and get the head tilt of a dog hearing its name from my server I switch to over easy. I need some yolk to soak up with my toast.
Sorry that you can’t seem to get them at restaurants, Charlie. But now you can make them at home!
Nothing beats scrambled! If they’re done correctly. 🙂
Can I cook /baste 2 eggs on the same pan?
Karen, yes you can baste 2 eggs on the same pan. You can do as many as your pan will fit, actually! Just make sure that you have a lid big enough for your pan and you’d need a touch more water for a larger pan. You shouldn’t need more for 2 eggs in a small pan though. You’re just trying to generate a bit of steam to cook the tops of the eggs. Thanks for your question!
I love basted eggs in restaurants. They’re my favorite! I have watched my dad order them for years. Now, thank you to this, I am going to make them at home. Easy!
Fantastic, Kim! I hope they turned out how you like them.