How Ree Drummond Makes The Perfect Sunny Side Up Egg Every Time

Making a simple sunny-side-up egg isn't always all it's cracked up to be. It can be tricky to get the egg white to set while keeping the yolk deliciously runny and golden. Celebrity chef Ree Drummond comes to the rescue with her surprisingly easy, no-fuss technique for making the perfect egg every time.

Shared on her award-winning cooking blog The Pioneer Woman, this foolproof method for cooking a sunny-side-up egg is a clever cross between "low and slow," and "steamed" techniques. She uses a cast iron skillet, the best choice for achieving crispy edges thanks to its excellent heat retention. Once the skillet is preheated, she cracks in her egg and turns down the heat to medium-low to ensure that the top of the egg white sets without overcooking at the bottom.

To speed up the cooking process, Drummond scrapes some of the egg white closest to the yolk with a knife and redistributes it to the edge of the egg, thinning the part that can take a long time to set. For an extra boost, she covers the pan for just a minute or so to help set the top of the yolk. This allows the egg to steam in its own moisture — no need to add water. When the white is opaque and the edges are crisp, the sunny side up egg is ready to serve.

There's nothing more anticlimactic than cooking up the perfect sunny side up egg only for it to stick to the pan, nearly guaranteeing that the yolk will burst and make a dribbling mess while you struggle to scrape it onto your plate. To prevent your egg from sticking, preheat your cast iron skillet before adding your ingredients. Starting with a piping hot pan means your egg will start cooking almost instantly, allowing the proteins in the egg to come together before they have a chance to get stuck to the pan.

Wait to add oil or butter after the cast iron is preheated so it won't burn and smoke. Using enough fat is one of the most crucial fried egg cooking hacks because it creates a smooth surface and acts as a barrier between the egg and the pan. While Drummond's technique features butter, resulting in a tender, creamy finish, you can sub another fat source to change up the flavor and texture of your egg. 

Using olive oil instead of butter to fry your eggs will make the edges of the egg white cook up brown and crispy. Cooking your sunny side up egg in pesto is an unexpected twist that offers both crispy edges and a garlicky kick. For another way to get those deliciously lacy brown edges, plus a deep, nutty taste, use Andrew Zimmern's tip to cook your fried eggs in brown butter.