# The Perfectly Basted Egg



## bbally (Jan 2, 2005)

Perhaps the most miss understood preparation of eggs is the Basted Egg. Requesting basted eggs is a little like being a tea drinker in the USA. If you are a tea drinker and request tea either with breakfast or after dinner, you 
know what I mean. The system is not designed to handle such requests. If you go with the system you could have 6 cups off coffee by the time one cup of tea arrives! And refills? Forget it..... and so you are prepared to understand the problems associated with ordering a basted egg. I am 
putting this blog together so others might find it when they type basted egg into a search engine and bring this most divine way of serving natures perfect protein to a new group of chefs that have never learned the method.

The basted egg starts like most, with the chicken, but we will move forward to the kitchen. Get a fry pan out, one that has a good lid to fit it, and hit it will some butter. Bring it up on medium high heat. And let the butter melt.









Once you have the fat up to temperature you want to crack some whole shell eggs into it. Sans the shells of course. If the temperature is correct the whites should start to change immediately.









Little salt and fresh ground pepper. If you like a yolk thicker, pierce the top of the yolk with a toothpick. Or a paring knife tip. Once the bottom has set and the white is getting nice and bright, add 3 Tbsp of basting liquid. Today I used chicken broth. Give the fry pan a shake 
or two to get the water moved to all parts of the pan.









Through the cover on it. The steam and oil/water reaction is going to splatter the fat everywhere. And create a great amount of steam. This will serve to softly cook the top of the egg. No flipping and no rubbery egg white. Then you just monitor to your perfect level of "cooked" remove and serve.









And that my friends is the way to baste and egg. Great on their own, great on top a nice group of corn beef hash, excellent on top fried taters with green chili! Just an all round great way to prepare the wonderful EGG!

'til we talk again... break out the fry pan and baste an egg or two... you won't believe how nice an egg can taste!

Chef Bob Ballantyne
The Cowboy and The Rose Catering
Grand Junction, Colorado, USA


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## allie (Jul 21, 2006)

Thanks for the tutorial! I have tried cooking eggs covered so I didn't have to flip and risk tearing the yolk but I wasn't very successful. This method will work much better!


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

This is how my mom first taught me to make an egg. It's probably the easiest technique around for cooking an egg.

Phil


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## eddiespin (Feb 25, 2008)

Man those pictures look good enough to eat! I know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow...


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

me too. I started salivating Half-way through bbally. Always looking for a way to make Sunday breakfast more of a treat.


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## youngfrenchchef (May 12, 2011)

I love this saying.It's perfect. With your permission I'd like to use it myself


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## youngfrenchchef (May 12, 2011)

I haven't tried the chicken broth method but it makes perfect sense. Another method is to spoon some of the melted butter you put in the frying pan to cook the egg in over the top of the egg. The hot butter will set the white on top of the yolk and any remaining unset white, it also adds a rich buttery mouth feel to the white. Scrumptious. When I was the breakfast chef at the Holiday Inn in Anchorage, Alaska, we often got requests for basted eggs. The way I fixed them was classic short order style. We cooked our eggs, bacon, and sauaage on a commercial style restaurant griddle. I would put some clarified butter on the griddle to start the egg, crack the egg into the middle of the butter puddle and start to cook it sunny-side up. When most of the white had set up I would put a piece of iceberg lettuce on the griddle next to the egg and cover both with a saucepan lid. The griddle heat causes the lettuce to release some water which creats steam under the lid. That steam then sets the remaining uncooked white yet allows the yolk to remain soft and liquid. Most people who order basted eggs don't like the sight of uncooked egg white on top of their eggs or the mouth-feel of uncooked egg white. I personally like eggs prepared in any way even raw as an egg shooter or in a glass of beer. Here's to the incredible edible egg.


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## galore (Jun 8, 2012)

My mother made "basted eggs" by first cooking bacon. Then draining most of the pan, then turning to medium heat .  Mother  cracked fresh eggs into the skillet.  Mama, then took a tablespoon and gently spooned over the bacon grease over the eggs until they were done to her desire of doneness and ours.  What  a great way to eat eggs.  

When I was a young bride too many years ago my husband wanted me to make "eggs over easy". I was used to basting.  Well, after  much criticism from hubby - I was always breaking the eggs as I tried to turn them.   I told him to make his own "eggs over easy" or eat my basted eggs.  He ate the basted eggs.


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## colin (Sep 12, 2011)

I remember learning the bacon grease method too.  Ate a lot of bacon as a kid.  It's amazing I'm still alive.  One of the other tricks we learned was frying up a piece of bread in the bacon fat, 'cause you wouldn't want to waste any of it.


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## lawrence (Mar 6, 2012)

I have never heard of anyone doing this to an egg before!

I have cooked many thousands of eggs, and the secret was, use fresh eggs, get the temperature of the oil right and have plenty of it.

The white cooks at a lower temperature than the yolk, so you can always have a soft yolk and perfect white every time.

From memory I think it needs to be just above140 for the white, and if you want to set the yolk 150+

It is then a simple thing to splash the oil over the egg to cook the white with no risk of a hard yolk.

The biggest problem for most people is too high a temperature, eggs must be treated gently for the best results.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

I'm curious, how many different ways are there to cook eggs ;-)

mjb


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

I grew up with eggs basted in bacon fat, still do it once a month. Fry off the bacon and set aside to drain and cool a bit. Start toast for dipping in yolks. Crack eggs into medium hot bacon fat about 1/4 inch deep and salt and pepper. Splash bacon fat over the top with a spatula to set the white. Can do over easy at this point if desired. Serve! Just ordered a 30 pound case of thick sliced bacon. Annual BBQ coming up and I need 4 pounds for the beans and this was the cheapest way to get it. Balance will go into the freezer after being vacuum packed.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Basted eggs at one time was on most class menues in both Europe and USA. I don't know if English places do it.


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## duckfat (Aug 7, 2008)

I just do a sunny side up and drop a small ice cube in the pan, cover with a lid for a few seconds and voila.

No muss no fuss. Same method works on a flat top.

Dave


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

I usually melt butter in a pan , add the eggs and then a couple of tablespoons of water, cover and let cook (not long) . Remove from heat and gently spoon the liquids over the yolk, season. Much like Duckfat but with the butter. Why butter ? Just for the taste.

I understand way bacon fat is used. ( family practice ) Chicken stock is used when I make poached, what a terrific taste !

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Petals.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Here we have basted does anyone rmember Shirred Eggs??


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Still make them. Great for Brunch !

There is a B&B thread going and this would be perfect for them.

Cook up a couple of pounds of bacon ( only half way- it will finish cooking in the oven) and line the inside of  a 24 cup muffin tin with them. Drop in the egg , tbsp of cream, grated parm,  chives (or parsley & thyme) and season, toss in the oven 15 minutes on 325. Let stand a few minutes and they pop right out of the cups. No fuss . Creamy and full of taste.

Petals.

Or use mini cocottes or whatever you have on hand.


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## zoebisch (Apr 9, 2012)

Hmm, never used this technique exactly.  I have spooned the hot fat on top though.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Petals.   We almost do same way but use ramekins and you are right it is easiest and nicest way as they all look uniform


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## jennifer cruse (Apr 6, 2013)

My father taught me to cook them this way when I was 7 years old.  He'd been a fry cook at some point and claimed this was the perfect way.  I agree.   I did Not know that this technique was called Basting.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Responding to Ed from a year ago, I did shirred eggs last year as a breakfast variation. I try to cook breakfast every morning during the school year for my kids and I try to mix things up now and then. It was accepted but not loved by my kids.


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