Egg Styles: Different Egg Styles Explained

Over easy, sunny side up, over hard - and that’s before you get to poached scrambled or fried.

Eggs can be cooked in many different ways, it’s part of their beauty, and this infographic by Culinaut sets out a handful of the ways in which eggs can be cooked with explanations on what exactly each name means.

There’s also info on the many different types of eggs that can be bought in the store, and a look at the difference between white and brown eggs.

As simple as the infographic might seem, there’s actually a great article to go with it on Culinaut, which lays out some detailed info on eggs, such as how to cook them, and even info on why your hard-boiled eggs sometimes have that greyish colour around the yolks.

Different eggs you can find in a store

White and brown eggs are nutritionally equal, the colour is actually dictated according to the breed of the chicken. Three different grades of egg - B, A and AA - describe the mass of yolk and white and how big they’ll be once cooked. The size of the eggs can vary, with the large egg being the most common. The smallest is known as ‘pee wee’, and the largest is known as ‘Jumbo’, which is 1.25 times the size of large.

When you purchase eggs you’ll see a description on the box referencing the way the chickens are reared. Unfortunately, battery cage or factory farmed eggs are the most common. Other more humane options include free-range, certified organic, cage-free and certified humane.

Different ways to cook eggs

Soft Boiled

Boiled with shell on, has a firm white and a runny yolk.

Hard Boiled

Boiled with the shell on, has a firm white and a firm yolk. The classic recipe using this cooking technique is devilled eggs:

Boil the eggs.
Scoop out the yolks.
Mix the yolks with mayonnaise, seasonings, and other ingredients.
Fill the whites with the mixture.

Over Boiled

Boiled with the shell on, has a chalky yolk with a green ring.

Poached

Boiled directly in the water without shell. Runny white and yolk. Try vegetarian eggs Benedict to experience this type of egg:

Poach the eggs.
Toast and butter English muffins
Load them up with cooked spinach and sliced tomato
Place the eggs on top.

Sunny Side Up

Fried on one side, runny yolk and firm white. For a variation on this mainstay, try fried eggs with tomatoes and shallots, which are great with eggs cooked sunny side up but can also work with over easy or over hard eggs, according to your preference: