Are all your frying pans dirty or is your favorite spatula missing? Is a fried egg all that is on the menu for breakfast? This article can help you learn how to fry an egg in the microwave without using either a frying pan or a spatula.
To fry an egg in the microwave, put about 2 tablespoons of oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Make sure there are no bubbles in the oil. Then, put the egg into the bowl. Add desired seasonings. Cover the bowl with a paper towel, then put it in the microwave and cook the egg for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
To learn more about how to fry an egg in the microwave, keep reading!
How to Fry an Egg In The Microwave: Step-by-Step
Frying an egg takes a few extra steps to prepare and cook in the microwave than it does to cook it in a frying pan on the stove. These steps will walk you through both how to prepare your egg to be cooked in the microwave, the cooking instructions, as well as what to do with your egg after it’s done cooking.
- First, you will need to gather all your materials. The materials needed for this are a little different than what you would typically need to fry an egg on the stove. These materials include:
- Microwave-safe bowl or cup
- Napkin or paper towel
- Egg
- Cooking oil of your choice
- Now that you have all your materials gathered up, can begin the setup. Your first instinct may be to put the egg in the bowl first thing but do not put the egg in the bowl first. You will need to put the 2 Tablespoons of oil in the bowl before anything else goes in there. Once the oil is in the bowl, you will need to mix it around so it is not standing stagnant and there aren’t any air bubbles in the oil. You can do this with either a fork or a whisk. Mix it enough so there’s movement but make sure it’s not over-mixed to the point where it’s foamy on the top.
- Next, put the egg into the bowl. Once the egg has made it into the bowl with the oil you will want to pierce the yolk with the prongs of a fork or the pointed end of a sharp knife. This will allow the yolk to become released so that when it is heated in the microwave, the yolk doesn’t burst and create a mess in your microwave or ruin your fried egg. This would also be the time to add any seasonings, vegetables, or other additional items that you would like to have in your fried egg.
- Once the egg itself is ready to go in the bowl, you will now need to cover it with a paper towel or napkin. This is important to make sure you keep the heat in the bowl so the egg can be cooked thoroughly. This also help prevents any splatters or explosions that may happen from getting all over the microwave so you don’t have a big mess to clean up afterward. If you don’t remember to put the napkin on top of the bowl before starting to cook the egg, you can stop it in the middle and put it on.
The napkin is important to getting the perfect microwaved fried egg and keeping a clean microwave. - After placing the napkin on top of the bowl, you can then place the whole thing in the microwave. Once everything is in there securely and you are sure the napkin won’t fall off while the microwave table turns, you can close the microwave door and start cooking the egg. Most microwaves can cook a single egg in 1 minute. If your microwave has a higher wattage than 900W, you may need to drop that time down to 45 seconds. If your microwave has a lower wattage than 900W, you may need to increase that time to 1 minute and 15 seconds. Experiment with the cooking time.
If you are someone that prefers their fried egg to be more on the runny side, you can decrease the time as well down to 50 seconds so it doesn’t cook the yolk quite all the way so it is still soft and runny. If you are someone who likes their fried egg to be more on the hard side, you can increase the time to 1 minute and 10 seconds to help solidify that yolk a little more than the standard cooking time would. If you could it just for the standard 1 minute, you will get a soft solid egg, meaning the yolk will be more on the hard side but a little softer than if you keep cooking it for an additional 10 seconds.
This is all done to personal preference and how you like the texture of your fried egg to be. However, you should not cook the egg for less than 45 seconds. If you do, the egg will be undercooked and you could potentially get food poisoning or Salmonella.
Experiment with the amount of time you cook the egg in your specific microwave for so you can cook the egg to your particular preferences.
Once the microwave timer goes off, you can eat your fried egg. Be careful when taking the bowl out of the microwave, as it may be hot. Do not begin serving or eating the egg right away, as you will want to wait for at least 1 minute for it to set and cool before removing it from the bowl. This can help prevent the yolk from breaking and running all over the bowl and prevent the egg from burning your hands or mouth when you eat it. When that minute is up, you can enjoy your egg as desired.
Method Ideas For Frying an Egg in the Microwave
Frying an egg in the microwave is faster and more efficient than frying it on the stove, and you can even still have all your favorite types of eggs as well! If you prefer scrambled eggs over fried eggs, you can do that in the microwave. If you prefer a poached egg over a baked egg, you can get that made in the microwave as well.
There are no limits to the different kinds of eggs you can make in the microwave, but sometimes it can get difficult to figure out how to make each of them turn out right, especially when using a new method of cooking such as cooking them in the microwave.
The first cooking method that can be done in a microwave is a poached egg. Sometimes poached eggs can be tedious to make on the stovetop, so if you are someone who struggles to make a poached egg on the stove, this microwave method could be a great option for you. To do this, you will need to crack an egg into a microwave-safe bowl or cup. Then add one-third cup of water and a cap full of vinegar. Make sure the cup or bowl is covered and microwave it for 30 seconds. If it needs to cook longer, cook it in 10-second increments so you don’t accidentally overcook it.
You can also make scrambled eggs in the microwave. Scrambled eggs can get messy and it can be easy to overcook them on the stove if you’re not paying attention. To make scrambled eggs in the microwave, crack at most 2 to 3 eggs into a microwave-safe bowl or cup and whisk them until they are smooth. Cook them in the microwave for a total of 30 seconds. Once this is done you can take your fork and lightly fluff them up so they separate so they aren’t cooking in one big mass. Scrambled eggs sometimes may not cook all the way the first 30 seconds through, so make sure to check and make sure they are fully cooked before eating.
You can also make a baked egg in the microwave. While you could do a baked egg in the oven, where it typically is made rather than on the stovetop, this is a great method to have on hand if you want a baked egg but don’t have access to an oven. To make a baked egg in the microwave, glaze the bowl or cup with a thin layer of oil all around the interior. Put the cracked egg in the cup or bowl and cook the egg for 15 seconds at a time, constantly checking it until it is cooked all the way through. 1 minute total should be enough, so you should only have to cook for four 15-minute increments.
Add-In Ideas
Eggs need to be seasoned to taste delicious. You can always just add salt and pepper with any of these recipes if that is what you like, but there are a couple of different add-ins that you can try if you are wanting to mix it up.
The first add-in idea is breadcrumbs. These can add both some texture and seasoning to your eggs. This is a good idea if you are wanting to add some flavorful seasoning other than salt and pepper to your eggs, but are at a loss of what seasonings would be good, this is an easy way to start deciding what seasonings you like and will start experimenting with later on. Breadcrumbs are also an easy add-in to reach for if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to grab various seasonings.
The second add-in idea is to use flavored oil rather than your regular olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil. Instead of using plain oil, add some seasoning to the oil prior to adding it to the cup or bowl that you will be cooking in. Some of the seasonings that are good basics to start with are paprika, garlic salt, and oregano. Adding the seasoning to the oil before the egg will dilute the seasoning a little bit so it’s not as strong, so if you are someone who doesn’t like an overpowering amount of seasoning but would like to add a slightly different flavor to your eggs, this is a good option.
The next add-in idea is a twist on a common add-in to scrambled eggs. While your eggs are cooking in the microwave, fry some shredded cheese in some oil on the stovetop until it becomes crispy. However, make sure you don’t burn it. Once the eggs are done in the microwave, pull them out and immediately place the fried shredded cheese on top of the warm eggs. This will help the cheese melt a little bit so you have the perfect combination of the crispy on the outside, melted on the inside cheese on top of your scrambled eggs.
The last add-in is a lightly toasted piece of bread. Put a piece of bread into your toaster and toast it until it is golden brown and is still soft enough to bend it and fit in the cup or bowl that you are cooking your egg in. This creates a crunchy layer to your eggs and is a unique twist to your typical eggs and toast. You will want to make sure that you have cooked the egg thoroughly, as sometimes there is some of the raw egg that can seep through the toast and not get cooked all the way, which can cause food poisoning in some cases.
All of these add-ins are suggestions, but you should feel free to take all of your favorite add-ins that you usually use with the eggs you make on the stovetop. The majority of those same add-ins work just as well with making eggs in the microwave as they do on the stovetop, so don’t let the method of how you are cooking the eggs take away your favorite way to make your eggs.
Overall, it is easy to fry an egg in the microwave.
