The main ways to cook eggs are fried (sunny-side up, over-easy, over-medium, over-hard, basted), scrambled (soft/creamy or firm/dry), and poached. Other methods include boiling, as in soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs, and cooking in a pan or oven like in an omelette or frittata.
Omelette vs Omelet spelling: English/French vs. American…
Fried eggs: These are cooked in a pan with fat.
- Sunnyside up: Not flipped. Cooked until the white is set but the yolk is still liquid and runny.
- Over-easy: Flipped once. Cooked just long enough for the white to set over the runny yolk.
- Over-medium: Flipped once. Cooked longer than over-easy, so the yolk is still creamy and slightly liquid, but not completely runny.
- Over-hard: Flipped once. Cooked until the yolk is completely firm and cooked through.
- Basted: Not flipped. Hot fat is spooned over the egg until the top white is cooked.
Scrambled eggs: The yolks and whites are whisked together before or during cooking.
- Soft or creamy: Cooked more slowly with higher fat content, resulting in smaller, moist curds.
- Firm or dry: Cooked more quickly, resulting in larger, firmer, and drier curds.
Poached eggs: The egg is cracked into water and cooked until the white is set and the yolk is warm and runny.
Other methods
- Boiled: Cooked in their shells in boiling water.
- Soft-boiled: Cooked until the whites are set, but the yolk remains runny.
- Hard-boiled: Cooked until both the whites and yolks are solid.
- Omelette: A beaten-egg mixture, sometimes with added ingredients, cooked flat in a pan and then folded over.
- Frittata: Like an omelette, but with ingredients mixed into the egg and cooked without folding