# What does "fried egg" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306 "2011-10-11T15:20:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/41 "2011-10-11T21:42:35Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > But folks admonishing him for not asking specifically what he wanted, read the story again. He specifically states that today, because of past experience, he specifically explained what he wanted to the waitress when he ordered. Then when it came out wrong, he tried again with the cook. So he can’t be faulted for assuming they’d come the way he wanted, he _tried_ to be clear. Service in that place wasn’t very good. You’re right. I apologize for misreading and for my comment. The cook shouldn’t be allowed to wield a spatula if he doesn’t know what ‘over easy’ means. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/42 "2011-10-11T21:52:06Z")
My understanding is “cook” defines an occupation, “chef” defines a position of employment. Thus all restaurants have cooks, some (fancy) restaurants label (some of) their cooks as chefs. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/43 "2011-10-11T22:04:14Z")
> [@Saltire](#): > > You’re right. I apologize for misreading and for my comment. > > The cook shouldn’t be allowed to wield a spatula if he doesn’t know what ‘over easy’ means. He says this is a Mexican lunch stand, so maybe the problem is linguistic and cultural? Anyone know how Mexicans typically order eggs and their technical terminology for over easy, over hard, sunnyside up, etc. Maybe there are only two ways to get eggs in Mexico? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/44 "2011-10-11T22:14:30Z")
Obviously, when you order a “fried egg,” you should be asked how you want it. But if I had to describe a generic fried egg, I’d say “sunny side up.” ---
**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:** [October 11, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/45 "2011-10-11T22:48:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Bri2k** : > Around here, when you order a fried egg, it’s usually assumed you want it “sunny side up”. Most of the larger chain restaurants have disclaimers on their menus saying they’ll cook the yolks well-done unless you ask otherwise and you do so at your own risk. I’m confused-- How do you cook the yolks to well-done if it’s sunny side up? I’d think that the white would be not just overcooked but actually burnt by that point. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/46 "2011-10-11T23:01:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m confused-- How do you cook the yolks to well-done if it’s sunny side up? I’d think that the white would be not just overcooked but actually burnt by that point. The few times I make fried eggs, that is the way I cook them. Perhaps I cook them at a lower temperature than usual. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/47 "2011-10-11T23:03:27Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > whoa whoa… I think this kind of speaks to the issue of the thread. Mustard? > Never have I been served a fried egg sandwich with mustard. Looked at some recipes and it is a thing but I’ve never seen it out in the wild. > > At most it’s mayo and maaaaybe cheese and/or tomato. Mayo? Cheese? Tomato? In the classic lunchcart presentation of 100 years ago it was literally a “fried” egg on white bread with maybe some butter if you were lucky. All for a a nickle. The way God meant for it to be. That’s the tradition… none of these extravagant garnishes. It was customary to put three in a sack and hang them next to the onion on your belt. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/48 "2011-10-11T23:26:22Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Mayo? Cheese? Tomato? In the classic lunchcart presentation of 100 years ago it was literally a “fried” egg on white bread with maybe some butter if you were lucky. All for a a nickle. The way God meant for it to be. That’s the tradition… none of these extravagant garnishes. It was customary to put three in a sack and hang them next to the onion on your belt. Yep- I’ve been served the two pieces of bread with only an egg before. That’s why I said “AT MOST.” ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/49 "2011-10-11T23:56:36Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > True dat. Scrambled eggs are mixed in a bowl (or in a pan, if you’re quick), but not beaten into a froth like eggs for an omelet. Omelet eggs are often mixed with a bit of water, scrambled usually with a bit of milk. A common mistake is to add too much milk; more than a tablespoon for three eggs is too much. I usually scramble them with a fork, foregoing the whisk, etc. [hijack]After reading about it in a book about an escaped POW in rural France, I’ve taken to pouring a generous dollop of heavy cream over the frying eggs. Excess, I know, but the result is pretty tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/50 "2011-10-11T23:57:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m confused-- How do you cook the yolks to well-done if it’s sunny side up? I’d think that the white would be not just overcooked but actually burnt by that point. You can baste the top with the hot cooking grease which will help the yolk firm up faster. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/51 "2011-10-12T00:21:34Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > You can baste the top with the hot cooking grease which will help the yolk firm up faster. I don’t know which of these to reply to first…Huerta88, you get a NASTY scum from the bacon grease on the egg. I whisk the egg vigorously, ala Julia Child, with Cavender’s. Coat the pan with butter. Over low heat gently cook the egg. Add a little cheese, feta, perhaps, or that garlic herb goat cheese. Fold it over carefully and finish cooking. Take it out to my lady, with bacon and bread fried in bacon grease with some cherry jam (G-d, I must love her!) on the side, where she is sitting in a lawn chair watching the humming birds and chipmunks, drinking coffee. Share it with her on the same plate, and think, _I must be doing something right._ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/52 "2011-10-12T00:22:20Z")
Another possibility… it is really hard to turn an egg on a plancha or flattop without breaking the yolk, which is why some places cook eggs in a pan, so sometimes I have seen flat top only kitchens- kitchens limited by intrinsic engineering- that will baste the eggs (usually with some butter and water under a pot top) if they get an “over easy” order as alternate technique. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/53 "2011-10-12T00:29:25Z")
I beat with a fork for scrambled, whisk for an omelet. For over easy eggs, I use a non-stick pan (actually, for all eggs) with generous butter, and flip the eggs with a quick wrist motion: sort of slide them to the far edge of the pan and…alley OOP! ---
**Author:** ![Chipacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Chipacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chipacabra)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/54 "2011-10-12T01:32:49Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > My understanding is “cook” defines an occupation, “chef” defines a position of employment. Thus all restaurants have cooks, some (fancy) restaurants label (some of) their cooks as chefs. That’s pretty close. The word _chef_ basically means boss. A cook makes food, a chef commands the operations of a kitchen. Also, fried egg to me just means an egg that was fried; there’s infinite variety in that. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/55 "2011-10-12T01:57:57Z")
It’s like ordering coffee at a diner. The order is incomplete. The waitress should then ask “cream and sugar?” Or ordering steak like someone else said. “I’ll have the fried eggs.” “How’d you like those eggs?” OR “I’ll have two eggs - runny/over-easy/etc.” “I like a man who knows what he wants.” /plows waitress on the dessert cart ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/56 "2011-10-12T02:16:51Z")
I’ve lived in Texas, California, and Indiana. In all three states, when I say I’d like fried eggs, the waitress asks how I’d like them fried. “Fried eggs” has always been a generic term everywhere I’ve ever ordered eggs, inviting further specification. I’m genuinely surprised to see that this is not the case for many people. Where are you all from? ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/57 "2011-10-12T02:19:49Z")
> [@](#): > > You will need to know the difference between Friday and a fried egg. It’s quite a simple difference, but an important one. Friday comes at the end of the week, whereas a fried egg comes out of a chicken. Like most things, of course, it isn’t quite that simple. The fried egg isn’t properly a fried egg until it’s been put in a frying pan and fried. This is something you wouldn’t do to a Friday, of course, though you might do it on a Friday. You can also fry eggs on a Thursday, if you like, or on a cooker. It’s all rather complicated, but it makes a kind of sense if you think about it for a while. Douglas Adams has the answer. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/58 "2011-10-12T02:20:12Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Where are you all from? I’m in Arkansas. Where are you from, asking “You all” instead pf “Y’all”? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/59 "2011-10-12T03:52:13Z")
Such a big thread… I love to get Dopers arguing! > [@Bri2k](#): > > Thanks to the OP for starting a great thread that really added to my knowledge. yw > [@Bri2k](#): > > I had no idea about the true definitions for fried eggs. It seems this can differ quite a bit due to local culture and custom. Hmm… my thoughts after reading this thread. > [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I think he means the yolk’s been broken - which is often done in short order cooking to distribute the yolk taste across the fried egg and also make the cooked egg flatter and more suitable for putting in a sandwich. This sounds like a strong possibility. > [@Irishman](#): > > You were closer to right, though a bit confused on terminology as well. > > Over all, I’d say it’s losers all around. 😃 ☹ > [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > whoa whoa… I think this kind of speaks to the issue of the thread. Mustard? > Never have I been served a fried egg sandwich with mustard. Looked at some recipes and it is a thing but I’ve never seen it out in the wild. > > At most it’s mayo and maaaaybe cheese and/or tomato. Ewwww… Lettuce and tomato please. > [@aceplace57](#): > > How can they get the terminology wrong? You should have seen how pissed the cook was, too. > [@devilsknew](#): > > He says this is a Mexican lunch stand, so maybe the problem is linguistic and cultural? It’s not a stand, but a sit down diner with about a dozen tables. I think the cook might have spoken better English than the waitress, but she’ the head waitress and he’s one of only two cooks in the place. It calls itself a Spanish/American restaurant, and it’s in a primarily English-speaking, Polish inhabited neighborhood. > [@Frylock](#): > > Where are you all from? NY, but I’ve lived up and down the East Coast. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306/60 "2011-10-12T05:14:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m confused-- How do you cook the yolks to well-done if it’s sunny side up? I’d think that the white would be not just overcooked but actually burnt by that point. You just cook them until they’re hard. Nothing mysterious about it. You can also cover the pan with a lid and steam them to chalky grossness, too, if you’re in a hurry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-fried-egg-mean/599306.md?page=4)