'Over Hard' Fried Eggs

Becca here with a good basic fried egg tutorial.  In case you don't prefer yours over hard like I do, I have included instructions on when to stop cooking for over easy, or even medium also.  I mentioned in a previous post that I try to fix a healthy, protein packed breakfast for the children and I every day.  This often ends up being eggs, which actually aren't one of my favorite foods. I do love a good restaurant style fried egg, but only in the past few months have I been able to fix a good one that isn't either hard & tough on the edges, still runny, or that ends up just being scrambled eggs.  I did consult the Incredible Edible Egg website when I first started to try to learn how to make these :)

Over-Hard Fried Eggs

1 T. butter or coconut oil

2 T. water

eggs (I can cook 6 at a time, absolute max, in my largest skillet)

salt & pepper, to taste

1) Heat the butter or coconut oil in skillet over medium-high heat.

2) When it is hot (this will depend on if you're using a gas or electric stove top, as well as the type of pan you're cooking in; on my electric flat surface cook top with a thick nonstick pan, it takes about 2 minutes), gently crack eggs and add them to the skillet.  In my skillet, I do 5 evenly spaced around the edges, and one in the middle.

3) They will begin cooking immediately, so poke the yoke with a spatula a few times gently to break it, if you prefer (I do).  I add a bit of salt & pepper at this point also.

4) Add the water to the skillet, and cover with a tight fitting lid.  I use a clear glass lid so you can keep an eye on the eggs.  When they have become more white than translucent, and only the center is still opaque and runny, this will just take a few minutes, remove the lid and gently flip the eggs over to finish cooking.  This should take less than a minute.  Because I use an electric stove that retains heat well, after flipping the eggs I normally replace the lid and turn the stove top off so I'm sure not to overcook the eggs. 

**If you prefer your eggs to be less cooked than over hard, just continue to cook them with the lid on, before flipping the eggs, until they've reached the desired consistency.  Please note that to prevent illness, eggs should always be heated to 165 throughout!  Also, the website I linked to above (that I have no affiliation with, I just found it useful) has more detailed instructions on cooking eggs any way you could imagine :)  Enjoy!