The Ideal Way To Cook An Egg For A Delicious Burger Topping

There is virtually no end to the ways you can spice up your ordinary burger, and among these is the inclusion of a cooked egg atop your beef patty. But when dressing up your burger in such a manner, it's not as simple as picking your favorite egg-cooking method and slapping it on that delicious mound of seasoned beef. The way you cook your egg is an important consideration that will either make or break the burger as a whole — and simply frying your egg is most likely to give you the best results.

What makes the fried egg the superior burger topper? For starters, let's consider the alternatives: Scrambled eggs may have a difficult time staying put between the buns, and the notion of a hard-boiled egg burger is probably a bit bland or odd, even for the most adventurous eaters. Nearly every other cooking method doesn't allow for the runny yolk that makes an egg burger worth eating; however, a fried egg does allow for this and perfectly blends with the patty to present a continuous, sophisticated bite throughout the entire sandwich.

The fried egg on top of your burger is far more than an ornament. While it's undeniably a beautiful sight to behold, more importantly, this boost of protein adds a silky and delicious stream of eggy goodness to your burger. It almost acts as a condiment in and of itself that can enhance the burger's seasonings with a peculiar decadence so bold that it turns your love for rival ketchup into a distant memory.

To achieve this coveted runny yolk, you'll want to cook your fried egg either sunny-side up or over easy. The difference between the two methods is mild, with over easy requiring the extra step of flipping your egg once to ensure the whites are fully cooked. Whichever method you choose, both are perfectly acceptable for a burger. However, if you're aiming for fried egg perfection, you don't want to skip the step of basting your eggs. Water-basting involves spooning water over your fried eggs mid-cook to set the egg whites and add moisture, while butter-basting does the same with butter or oil to achieve crispy edges.

No matter how you choose to fry your egg, it's important to keep that yolk from overcooking. And after just one bite, when you come back down from cloud nine, we can bet you'll never look at burgers the same way again.