Stop making 'boring' fried eggs and try 1 method instead that will change your life

For many home cooks, fried eggs are one of the first things they learn to make. But while they may seem simple, most people are doing them all wrong, at least according to one expert. Some cook them low and slow in butter, gently spooning melted fat over the top. Others slap them onto a hot griddle or pan, hoping for crispy edges and soft yolks. But what if there was a better way?

One food writer believes the "boring" way most people make fried eggs results in a texture that's closer to poached than fried, and he's not holding back. After discovering a game-changing technique while travelling through Thailand, he said it completely transformed the way he cooks eggs at home.

Writing for Serious Eats, Kenji López-Alt explained how a woman at a street stall prepared his eggs separately after serving pork and rice. She added oil to a hot wok, let it reach a near-smoking point, and then dropped an egg into it.

The egg spat and sizzled as she used a spatula to send waves of hot oil over the top.

"Thirty seconds later, it was deposited on my plate with crisp, lacy edges, a tender centre, and a runny yolk to mix in with my rice," Kenji wrote. "It was a revelation."

Kenji, who is the former culinary director of Serious Eats and a New York Times food columnist, said he has tried nearly every method of frying eggs.

But none compare to this high-heat technique, which he calls his favourite.

Using a cast iron, carbon steel, or nonstick pan, he heats a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

Then, he cracks the eggs in gently and immediately spoons hot oil over the whites to help them puff up and crisp around the edges.

"The eggs should immediately start sputtering and spitting," he wrote.

"Once the eggs are puffy and crisp around the edges - about 45 seconds or so - I use a thin wooden or metal spatula to release them from the bottom of the pan."

He added: "They sure aren't the prettiest eggs around. These are the kinds of eggs you might describe to your friends as having a really great personality or being soooooo funny. Except you really, really mean it."

And it's not just him. Those who tried the method are raving about it online.

One person commented: "This is my favorite way to eat fried eggs." Another said: "I love this. It's the only way I make fried eggs anymore."

A third wrote: "What a revelation. No more will I accidentally break the yolk trying to flip, or end up with raw whites inside of an accidentally-folded-instead-of-flipped egg!"

A fourth added: "This is a life-changing method. The eggs are so crispy and delicious and the yolk is still runny."

Kenji's full recipe can be found here.