# "Eggs Over Medium" - what do you expect to get? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 5, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038 "2026-04-05T14:02:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/62 "2026-04-07T00:42:58Z")
Every time i visit Germany or Denmark i find boiled eggs in the buffet. They are usually medium, with solid white and soft, jammy yolks. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/63 "2026-04-07T01:02:49Z")
I’m curious: what’s the term for fried eggs where you do break the yolk? Not scrambled, as there is no mixture. Just you break the yolks. I usually eat said yolk hard, but a bit jammy can be okay, where they’re almost hard. For everyone else in the house, I always cooked something between over easy and over medium. But mine I figured out early on cooked more easily if I broke the yolk intentionally. Trying to keep it jammy while also breaking was also something I was able to do, if the yolk broke on its own. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/64 "2026-04-07T03:53:41Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Anyone who’s squicked out by eggs under or overdone is certainly welcome to their preferences. But IMO they ought to stick to scrambled unless they’re cooking them themselves. In a diner, I totally agree. If you order fried eggs, you should probably expect runny yolks. So, I usually order them scrambled in a place like that. Fried eggs with jammy yolks are for when I’m making them myself at home (even then, I often miss the timing and end up having hard fried eggs), or in the really rare instance I’m in a nice restaurant for breakfast. > [@BigT](#): > > I’m curious: what’s the term for fried eggs where you do break the yolk? Not scrambled, as there is no mixture. Just you break the yolks. I usually eat said yolk hard, but a bit jammy can be okay, where they’re almost hard. I call them “50% of the eggs I try to turn over.” ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/65 "2026-04-07T11:50:05Z")
aww gweez… I love me some grits… ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/66 "2026-04-07T11:53:13Z")
![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ry3XzJfzILo/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ry3XzJfzILo?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDRy3XzJfzILo ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/67 "2026-04-07T12:00:55Z")
Martin freaking Mull? That was excellent on so many levels, thanks for sharing. My Mom was an Alabama hillbilly and 99% of what she could cook/bake was sublime. Grits was the outlier. Nothing personal. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/68 "2026-04-07T12:53:22Z")
sunny side up is mostly defined as a runny yolk with egg whites set served hot, otherwise it sounds like a watery glob better suited to a bowl. However carry on with your eggspectations and don’t forget the pale toast and pink sausages. Lol. Ikik ![](https://media1.tenor.com/m/jF9sJLB8cgAAAAAC/eggs-breakfast.gif "Eggs Breakfast GIF - Eggs Breakfast Cooking - Discover & Share GIFs") ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/69 "2026-04-07T13:08:36Z")
Ohhh, man, the egg is, like, _talkin’_ to me, man. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/70 "2026-04-07T13:23:40Z")
I grew up frying eggs in bacon fat. We let the whites cook and then used a spoon to splash hot grease over the yolk. Flipping the egg risked breaking the yolk. It was enough to set any white on top of the egg. The yolks weren’t bright yellow on top. We called it clouding the yolk. The yolk was always runny. I’m not sure what they would call that in a restaurant. But, I ate them that way for my entire childhood. I would NEVER eat eggs like that image @chela posted. That’s much too raw for me. I can’t tolerate any uncooked egg white. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/71 "2026-04-07T13:46:33Z")
maybe it’s not done cooking ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/72 "2026-04-07T13:47:42Z")
My favorite trick I learned from my grandmother was to cover the pan for a few minutes at the end to fully cook the albumen. I’ve never heard of that being an option in any restaurant. (She called it “covered over”) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/73 "2026-04-07T13:48:16Z")
A psychic that has been attacked with eggs in a protest against his fraudulent ways? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/74 "2026-04-07T16:16:28Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Firm egg whites with a thick skin over the yolk maybe a small squirt of yolk still liquid. This, for me. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/75 "2026-04-07T16:33:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m curious: what’s the term for fried eggs where you do break the yolk? Over-hard, yolk & whites set. Here, hard refers to the force used when they’re turned over and the broken yolk is a given, see also over-easy. Of course, over-easy is harder to perform. Over-medium does, I think, refer to the texture or doneness in a way that easy and hard do not. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/76 "2026-04-07T16:46:33Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I grew up frying eggs in bacon fat. We let the whites cook and then used a spoon to splash hot grease over the yolk. Flipping the egg risked breaking the yolk. > > It was enough to set any white on top of the egg. The yolks weren’t bright yellow on top. We called it clouding the yolk. > > The yolk was always runny. > > I’m not sure what they would call that in a restaurant. But, I ate them that way for my entire childhood. That’s called “basted”. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/77 "2026-04-07T17:02:51Z")
White bit is hard, outside yellow bit is also. If you break it open you better get some yellow liquid. ---
**Author:** ![Varl\_Hobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/91b2a8/32.png) [@Varl\_Hobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Varl_Hobe)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/78 "2026-04-07T17:22:33Z")
Frambled eggs are an interesting mix. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/79 "2026-04-07T21:58:43Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Over-hard, yolk & whites set. Here, hard refers to the force used when they’re turned over and the broken yolk is a given, see also over-easy. Interesting, as I always just split the yolk intentionally. It’s only when I would fail at over easy or over medium that I didn’t. The exception was trying this slower method with a lid. In that case, I just let it cook until done. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/80 "2026-04-07T22:37:33Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’d far rather have wet whites than thickened to solidified yolks. I’m just the opposite. I like solid whites and will accept whatever kind of yolk the cook comes up with to achieve that. If I don’t order scrambled it’s “over medium” and I take whatever lands in front of me. If the yolk is pretty soft I’ll lift the eggs (usually two) over to the hash browns and poke the center so I don’t get hard-to-eat yolk on the plate itself. It’s the same with when I order a steak. It’s always medium rare (warm, red center) but I find anything between raw and crunchy (exclusive) acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038/81 "2026-04-08T01:19:34Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Interesting, as I always just split the yolk intentionally. Yea, me too. I give it a poke with the shell or corner of the spatula to puncture when I first crack it in. The yolk doesn’t really burst so much as oozes and a little might pool in the hot pan before the flip. I do it like that if it’s going in a sandwich or if it won’t get eaten till it’s chilled, I don’t want wet yolks then. But I like eggs every way, anyway, wet or dry, boiled, shirred, foo yong, deviled, pudding-style in a hotel pan in a motel buffet. I tried pickled eggs for the first time around Christmas, delicious! The only eggs I can think of that I really couldn’t handle are the preserved ‘century’ or thousand year duck eggs, they’re like ammonia jello. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eggs-over-medium-what-do-you-expect-to-get/1029038.md?page=5)