Chef Alvin Cailan Busts The Biggest Myth About Fried Eggs - Exclusive
You've heard a million tips for eggs at this point. Gordon Ramsay suggests adding butter to the sides of the egg while other chefs suggest using water in your scrambled eggs instead of milk. What it boils (or fries) down to is your preference. Eggs are a very versatile ingredient that can be used anywhere from on toast to in the famous hibachi fried rice. That's why we turned to the fried egg expert, Chef Alvin Cailan, for some advice on how to get the perfect egg.
In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, Alvin Cailan divulged the best way to assemble a breakfast sandwich and even the most underrated U.S. breakfast meat. Dark turkey meat will be next on our grocery list. Cailan has some solid credentials when it comes to eggs, as he was the creator of Los Angeles' famous Eggslut and now offers the food on his menu at Amboy. While chefs have thrown around tips on how to make the "perfect" egg for as long as we can remember, Cailan mentioned that it really comes down to one thing.
Cailan thinks eggs come with too many rules
When asked about the biggest mistake people make when it comes to fried eggs, Alvin Cailan had a simple answer: "There's too many rules." The chef reminisced about his culinary school days when he explained, "Obviously, no one wants to eat an overcooked egg, but when I went to culinary school, they were like, 'You can't turn your eggs brown at all. It has to be one uniformly yellow or the yolk has to be completely perfect and the white can't be crispy.'"
While that method may be some people's preference, Cailan suggested we throw all the basic rules away and "consider texture for everything." The "Burger Show" host added that he cooks the breakfast food based on how he feels, and he compared eggs to "a mood ring in the morning." He continued, "Sometimes I don't feel like an egg yolk, so I go for a scrambled egg. But most of the time, I like to eat a really crispy egg white. It's something that I grew up loving." So there you have it — the so-called "perfect egg" just doesn't exist. High heat or low heat, yolk or no yolk, and oil or butter are constant debates in the kitchen.
Cailan frequently utilizes regular vegetable oil but has taken a liking to butter recently. The chef recommends, as your mood allows, using a nonstick pan and spraying vegetable oil on it for a crispier flavor. Next time you are unsure what to do as you grab that morning egg container, just remember — there are no rules.
Learn more about the Family Style Food Festival on its website, and head to Tanqueray's website to see its products. Check out Chef Alvin Cailan's Instagram page to keep up with his latest food creations.