Over Medium Eggs

Here’s how to make over medium eggs, where the yolk is jammy and just barely runny! Cook up this tasty breakfast in a flash.

Want the perfect eggs to start your morning, without a runny yolk? Enter the perfect Over Medium Eggs. Honestly, there’s some confusion and misinformation around this breakfast technique. Let us clear that up: over medium eggs are eggs with a jammy center that’s just barely runny. If you’ve got yolk running all over your plate, that’s no over medium egg. Here’s how to cook over medium eggs and get the perfect jammy consistency…every time!

Before you start: the right pan and ingredients

Ready to get started on your over medium eggs? Great! Let’s make sure you have the right raw materials and equipment first.

• Fresh eggs are best. This one’s not a deal breaker, but it’s great to start with fresh eggs that you’ve recently purchased from the store. Eggs that are over 1 week old tend to spread when they hit the pan. It’s fine flavor-wise, and you can use your spatula to push them back to the center. But the best looking over medium eggs are with fresh eggs. Bonus points for organic, cage free or local (they just taste better).
• Use a non-stick or cast iron skillet. The surface of the pan is important for sliding out after cooking. Pick a non-stick pan or seasoned cast iron skillet for easiest cooking.

How to make over medium eggs

Got your skillet and ready to go? Let’s get cooking. One thing to remember is to go low and slow! Eggs are delicate and easy to over-cook. This is especially important with over medium, since you’re trying to get such a specific condition of the yolk. Here’s how to cook over medium eggs:

• Heat the butter: Heat ½ tablespoon butter over medium low heat.
• Add the eggs: Crack 1 or 2 eggs into the pan, then sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds black pepper. 
• Cook: Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are firm but the yolk is still runny.
• Flip: Flip and cook 1 more minute. The yolk should be jammy and just a little runny, but shouldn’t run out over the plate.

The best spatula to use? Try a fish spatula for a cast iron pan, or a nylon spatula for a non-stick pan.

How to tell when they’re done?

Here’s the hard part: how to tell when over medium eggs are done? You can’t cut into your egg while it’s cooking. So you’ll have to use your best guess! You can use your finger to gently touch the top of the yolk. If it feels very liquid, keep cooking! It should have a little give, but not feel hard.

You’ll have to practice this one a few times to get it perfect. There’s no exact way to describe it and it varies based on your pan and exact heat level.

Butter vs olive oil: what’s better for cooking eggs?

There are lots of people who have passionate opinions about the best cooking fat for eggs. Here’s what we think:

• Butter is best. Sorry to be basic, but eggs cooked in butter have the best flavor (in our taste testing!). Butter lends an ultra savory, almost nutty flavor that’s irresistible.
• Olive oil: Olive oil works, but it can lend a bitter flavor to the eggs. It is one of the healthiest cooking oils, so you can use it if you’d like! Or you can try…
• Neutral oil: Neutral oil like an organic canola oil or vegetable oil works well and doesn’t have a bitter flavor. This is a good option for dairy-free diets.

Ways to serve over medium eggs

Once you’ve cooked them to perfection…let’s eat! Here are some ways we like to serve over medium eggs:

• Toast: Quick and simple…breakfast is served!
• In a sandwich: Over medium eggs work well in a Fried Egg Sandwich.
• With potatoes: Try them with skillet hash browns, oven hash browns, or pan fried potatoes.
• On oatmeal: Add to savory oatmeal for a healthy way to start the day.
• With pancakes: Make a standard breakfast by adding oatmeal pancakes.
• Add bacon: Go standard or opt for plant-based subs like tempeh bacon or shiitake bacon.

More egg basics

There are so many great ways to cook eggs…why stop here? Here are a few tutorials on perfecting your egg game:

• Hard boiled (or Instant Pot)
• Soft boiled (or Instant Pot)
• Poached
• Scrambled
• How to fry an egg
• Sunny side up
• Over easy
• Over hard
• Try all our top 10 egg recipes for breakfast

PS Did you know you can freeze eggs and scramble them later? Here’s a weird yet wonderful kitchen tip.

This over medium eggs recipe is…

Vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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