# Fried egg question: keeping yolks from breaking **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259 "2016-06-13T16:09:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/21 "2016-06-14T16:20:49Z")
I usually use fresh eggs from a friend’s chickens. I always crack into something else before using one, just in case there’s an embryo. The habit had just led me to do it any time I use eggs even if store bought. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/22 "2016-06-14T17:22:56Z")
I use a saucer (well, usually I use a little appetizer plate, but whatever) to better control the position and shape of the egg while pouring it into the pan. I also find it faster when I’m doing several eggs, which I almost always am (so the first egg isn’t half done when I’m finally getting the fourth egg in the pan). Crack 'em into the plate, then pour: 1, 2, 3, 4. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/23 "2016-06-14T18:01:16Z")
I always break the shell on a flat surface, not the edge of the pan. Then stick my thumbs in a bit, and gently pull and slide it into the pan. That I just cooked bacon in. If I break one, it’s in the flipping. I have a great non-stick pan for this, and when it goes sticky, I get another. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/24 "2016-06-14T20:28:04Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Pour a teaspoon or two of the luscious meat grease into your SPECIAL EGG PAN, saved SPECIALLY FOR EGGS, and fry the eggs in that. Whenever I break out my special egg (actually omelet) pan, I start singing “I am the egg pan, they are the egg pan, I am the walrus…” ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/25 "2016-06-14T20:37:32Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Whenever I break out my special egg (actually omelet) pan, I start singing “I am the egg pan, they are the egg pan, I am the walrus…” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/26 "2016-06-14T20:58:33Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Don’t crack the egg on the side of the pan. A little white always runs out and you have to scrub the SHIT out of that pan after it fries on good and hard. Yeah, I guess. Comes off my cast iron pretty easily though. The teflon one my wife uses, because she can’t figure out the cast iron _or_ the stainless skillets for some reason, does have a spot or two on the side of stone-hard egg-dribble. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/27 "2016-06-14T21:39:12Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Pour a teaspoon or two of the luscious meat grease into your SPECIAL EGG PAN, saved SPECIALLY FOR EGGS, and fry the eggs in that. Yeah, yeah, you have two pans to wash, but your fried eggs are clean and pristine and no broken yolks. This is a must! I have a small 6 inch cast iron pan perfect for making up to 3 fried eggs. Nothing else gets cooked in. No one else touches it. You want a fried egg in my house? I will make it for you. No one touches my egg pan. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/28 "2016-06-15T04:58:45Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Whenever I break out my special egg (actually omelet) pan, I start singing “I am the egg pan, they are the egg pan, I am the walrus…” Goo-goo-g’joob… ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/29 "2016-06-15T06:26:23Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Hmmm…do brown eggs make a difference? Not even a little bit. Shell color is due solely to the chicken’s diet. Has no effect on the egg itself. Although I still find myself getting eggcited (yeah that’s right, I went there) when I find a carton of brown eggs because there’s still a part of me that assumes brown eggs are somehow better; like preferring the green m&ms over the other colors, even though they all objectively taste the same. FTR, I crack my eggs right into the pan and never had a broken yolk. They only break when I try flipping them over easy, which I don’t even try anymore because I’ve never been able to do it right. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/30 "2016-06-15T06:39:42Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Another vote here for cracking them straight into the pan, and I rarely have any problems. > > My preferred way to fry eggs nowadays is to put a lid over the pan so that the top surface steams and I don’t have to flip the egg. Even when I do flip, I only break about 10-20% of them. I am attracted to this method, as I want that kind of “over easy” doneness, and don’t want to risk breaking the yolk with flipping it. But _every frickin’ time_ I try it, I end up with hard yolks! Obviously I should be able to train myself to do it not quite as long, but it seems to make them hard really fast. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/31 "2016-06-15T08:53:39Z")
> [@Barking\_Dog](#): > > FTR, I crack my eggs right into the pan and never had a broken yolk. They only break when I try flipping them over easy, which I don’t even try anymore because I’ve never been able to do it right. I refer you to my own method, after much experimentation I now use tongs to grab the properly set white (ideally crispy!) and gently pick it up and lay it down yolk-side. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/32 "2016-06-15T12:19:45Z")
After awhile you (should) develop the right touch cracking the shell on the side of the pan so that the yolks are not ruptured. That seems to be the critical step, not pouring the contents into the pan. Short order cooks are probably masters of this. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/33 "2016-06-15T13:27:21Z")
Avoiding giving little flecks of shell in the pan is also tricky for me. ETA: To think, this was my 5,000th post. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/34 "2016-06-15T13:35:41Z")
I vaguely remember seeing some sort of life hack. If you don’t want to flip the egg, you can take a saucer dish and set it upside down over the egg while it cooks. This apparently has the same effect if you were to actually flip it. Never actually tried it myself though. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/35 "2016-06-15T13:51:45Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Avoiding giving little flecks of shell in the pan is also tricky for me. Cracking on a flat surface, as opposed to the lip of a pan or edge of a cup, helps immensely with this, in my experience. I just crack eggs on the countertop or side of the sink and haven’t had any issues with the occasional shell getting into the pan. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/36 "2016-06-15T14:08:31Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Don’t crack the egg on the side of the pan. A little white always runs out and you have to scrub the SHIT out of that pan after it fries on good and hard. > > Listen up. You’re using a butter knife or something to put some butter in the pan, right? So when the butter is hot, use the edge of the knife to gently perforate the shell at least half way round. Then you can thumb open the shell and slip the egg into the butter. > > Teacups and saucers are for poo-says. Chefs will aways tell you to crack eggs on a flat surface, like a countertop, and not on the edge of something. It takes a little practice, but I’m now won over to that method. The best way that works for me is to hold the egg no more than an inch above the countertop and smack it pretty quickly onto the surface. I buy brown eggs, and I swear to Og that you can judge the thickness of the shells by the color of the egg-- darker brown = thicker shell; light brown = thinner. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/37 "2016-06-15T14:27:01Z")
I’m also confused as to the need for a cup or saucer. I usually crack my eggs on the pan, but not the edge rather the flat inside of the side (if that makes sense). I can’t remember the last time I yolk broke or had shell fragments in my eggs. Also seconding Eggland eggs. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/38 "2016-06-15T14:31:28Z")
Question to those cooking one at a time… Is the difference in cooking times (breaking them into the pan one at a time) really better than having to eat one cold? I’m confused by this logic. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/39 "2016-06-15T14:39:53Z")
Uh, how else do you fit them into the Holy Frying Eggs Pan? It’s only got room for one egg. I’ll use a dish when I’m tired or sleepy, having noticed that most of my broken yolks aren’t from dropping the egg but from sticking my thumb into it. In general, it’s crack it on the counter, open, drop from a short distance. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259/40 "2016-06-15T16:44:58Z")
I almost never have problems with the yolk breaking. My problem is getting splattered by the grease when I add the egg. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-egg-question-keeping-yolks-from-breaking/757259.md?page=3)