We can almost say with certainty that everyone loves fried eggs.
Sunnyside up or over easy, scrambled eggs or omelet, there are many ways to cook eggs, and they all make the perfect breakfast or dinner just about every time.
Our previous article discussed how to prevent eggs from sticking to the pan when frying. We said that the sticking depends on the temperature, the pan you use, and the type of fat you use for frying.
One of the favorite fats for frying eggs is butter. The answer to our initial question from the title is – yes, you can fry eggs in butter, and many believe this is also the best way because butter gives eggs a specific taste and aroma.
Below we bring you more about butter as fat for frying eggs, and we will consider other fats and their impact on the final results – perfectly fried eggs.
Contents
What are the best fats for frying eggs?
It is difficult to give a universal answer because another may not like the fat that is perfect for one person. Which fat will be your choice depends on your preferences and habits.
People often fry eggs in butter, bacon fat, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, ghee, and margarine.
Let’s see how each of these fats affects frying eggs.
Butter
Many say that butter adds a beautiful aroma to dishes and is the best fat for frying. Butter is ideal for short-fried eggs, thin slices of meat, or chopped vegetables. However, although it is suitable for eggs, which you fry for only a few minutes, butter is not intended for second-time frying because it starts to burn, takes on an unpleasant smell and taste, and gets undesirable brown color.
Also, when frying in butter, keep in mind its caloric value. One tablespoon of butter, which weighs 14.2 grams, contains 102 kcal. Use it in moderation and enjoy the taste!
Margarine
Margarine is the most commonly used substitute for butter. Although it has a pleasing taste and texture, and you can fry eggs on it, be careful with using margarine. This food contains saturated fats and trans-fatty acids, which can be dangerous to your health if you consume them in large quantities.
Margarine has a slightly lower caloric value than butter – one tablespoon contains 60 kcal.
Ghee
ghee is purified butter – butter from which all water has been removed. People use ghee for frying, and its taste is similar to the taste of butter, only it is even more potent and concentrated. If you like the taste of eggs fried in butter, chances are you will also like ghee.
Remember that with ghee, most calories come from fat, just like with butter. Since it contains no water, ghee is even higher in calories than butter – 1 tablespoon contains 120 kcal!
Olive oil
Olive oil is one of the best fats you can use for frying eggs and all other culinary actions. In addition to being incredibly tasty, eggs turn out perfectly when fried in olive oil – the sunny side above the eggs has a perfectly fried egg white edge, while scrambled eggs are perfectly smooth.
Olive oil is incredibly healthy because it contains monounsaturated oleic acid, which, according to the FDA, has a preventive effect on the development of heart and blood vessel diseases. Olive oil is incredibly versatile – depending on which version you choose, its taste can vary from nutty, spicy, mild, fruity, etc.
One tablespoon of olive oil contains 90 kcal.
Avocado oil
Avocado oil has become extremely popular in the years that have passed, and it is not difficult for us to understand why. It has a neutral taste, reminiscent of avocado; only it is even milder than the fruit itself. It is healthy; it contains unsaturated fatty acids that have a beneficial effect on the health of the entire organism. Avocado oil has a lower caloric value than olive oil – one tablespoon contains 60 kcal.
If you are an avocado lover and want an “avocadastic” experience, add an egg fried in avocado oil to the avocado toast.
The only drawback of this oil is its price – it is often on the more expensive side. If you want an equally healthy but cheaper alternative, buy coconut oil.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is one of the stable fats with a high smoking point, and as such, it is ideal for frying eggs. Due to its composition rich in medium-chain fatty acids, coconut oil has numerous health benefits – from the effect of reducing body weight and waist circumference, strengthening the immune system, and protecting cardiovascular health.
Coconut oil is still high in calories – it contains 110 to 120 calories per tablespoon.
The only potential disadvantage of coconut oil, which will be an advantage for some people – whether you like its taste or not – is that eggs fried in coconut oil will have a mild coconut flavor.
Bacon fat
Bacon fat, just as the name suggests, is the fat that remains when you fry bacon. A tablespoon of this fat contains 115.7 kcal. Unfortunately, we must tell you that bacon fat is not the healthiest option, although it is undeniably delicious. While bacon itself is a source of animal protein, bacon fat contains no protein at all. It has high amounts of saturated fats and salts, which can harm cardiovascular health and your slim figure in the long run.
However, a small amount of bacon fat will give your fried eggs that unique smoky taste.
After frying the bacon, you can make bacon fat yourself at home by draining the remaining fat in a jar, after frying the bacon. If you don’t want to do the projects yourself, you can buy a pot of bacon fat in the better-stocked markets.
Fats that you shouldn’t use for frying eggs
Polyunsaturated fats, which are found in seeds and nuts, are not an ideal option for frying. These fats are not stable and prone to oxidation. When exposed to high temperatures, their decomposition leads to the appearance of free radicals that have a detrimental effect on human health.
Polyunsaturated fats include the popular sunflower oil, all other types of oils made from seeds and nuts, and margarine.
Some oils, such as grape seed oil, are better used in salads without heating when they are very healthy, while when heated, they are potentially very dangerous.
Citations:
- https://www.livestrong.com/article/514710-can-i-use-coconut-oil-to-cook-eggs-in-a-frying-pan/#:~:text=Choose%20fats%20that%20have%20a,use%20for%20frying%20your%20eggs.
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325266#:~:text=Along%20with%20coconut%20oil%20and,body%20and%20lowers%20the%20bad.
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-bacon-bad-or-good
