I saw a commercial for a gadget that makes fried eggs (well not fried but they’re not scrambled and I don’t know what they’re called in that case) in the microwave. I have tried to make eggs this way before but they always cook unevenly or the yellow gets overdone. This gadget sounds neat but I wonder how it works. Does anybody know either how to make eggs this way in the microwave or how the gadget works?
Debbie
I haven’t even seen the commercials, but my guess is that it is a plate made of a slightly conductive material. (Conducts electricity, that is.) It would absorb the heat from the microwave and get hot, thus the egg gets heated by the hot plate instead of directly by microwaves.
My question is, why bother with such a device if you have a frying pan?
Because I always break them when trying to use the frying pan.
Deb
Well, no matter where you cook them, you have to break the egg open in the first place, and that’s where I usually make my mistakes. If you’re having trouble flipping them, the solution is easy: Don’t flip. Cover the pan, and cook for three minutes on medium heat, and the tops’ll come out perfect.
I learned this from my cookbook, Let’s Start to Cook, by the Farm Journal, and I’ve tried it many times sucessfully.
A few things about fried eggs. First of all, the fresher the eggs, the less likely it is the yolk will break. Second, although Chronos’ method to cover is a good one, I find it results in a yolk that is too done. HEre’s my recipe:
Put a frying pan on very high heat. When you see smoke coming out, put in some oil, and then put in an egg. Turn the heat down to medium or even medium, low. Simmer for about 30 seconds. After thirty seconds, move it around to ensure it can slide… if it sticks gently unstick it with a fork. Flip with your wrist, fry for about 10 more seconds, and then serve. This is a fairly hard method - I only have about 50% success rate (that is, I break the yolk about half the time), but it makes the best fried eggs, I’ve found if it works (if you like a crispy outside and a runny yolk).
My old roomate from Hong Kong got me addicted to eating fried eggs over rice, with dark, mushroom flavored soy sauce on top. It’s incredible…
I saw those commercials, too. More like a little cup to hold the egg conveniently. Eggs done in a microwave are essentially poached. You can find several utensils intended to serve this purpose by searching for “microwave egg poacher” in google.
I use a variant of Chronos’ method - cover 'em, and put a bit of water in to steam the tops. Take out just when the white solidifies. The yolk should be warm and runny. Myself, I hardly ever break yolks, but I’ll break them into a bowl first rather than the pan so I can add multiple eggs all at once because they cook so fast. Also, though I rarely break yolks, I’ll often manage to get little bits of shell in with the egg, and putting them in the bowl lets you fish the eggshell out first.
I won’t order eggs sunny-side-up in a resturaunt, though. Over easy is harder to screw up.
An egg from the refrigerator will cool the pan no matter what. Try using an egg at room temperature and it will fry much better. I guess you could put the whole egg in the microwave for just a few seconds to get it to room temperature (without cooking it).
I haven’t seen the commercials. I don’t remember what the name of the gizmo is, but I have a friend that bought two sets of them, if it is what your talking about. He says that it is the best thing since sliced bread for cooking eggs in the microwave.
Tis called the Egg Wave. No experience with them, just annoyed at the commercial.
Flip it? What the?
You put a drop of water into the pan before you cover it. The steam cooks the tops, making flipping unnecessary.
I usually put my hand under the kitchen tap and flick the droplets into the pan.
If you’re worried about breaking the yolks, you can always crack the eggs into a bowl and then pour them into the hot fat.
Sliced bread can help you cook eggs in the microwave? How? 
Hey, I tried the “lid-on” method this morning and it worked! Eggs came out close to perfect. Thanks for the tip.
Debbie