The Onion Ring Hack For Perfectly Round Fried Eggs

Being able to cook flawlessly round eggs is oddly satisfying — especially if they're going on an English muffin, hamburger bun, bagel, or another type of round bread. There are plenty of ways to get them that way, too. An egg ring is the standard method but a round cookie cutter will also ensure just the right shape for fried eggs. But what if you don't have either of those on hand? In that case, all you need is the onion ring hack.

No, that doesn't mean breaking out the breaded onion rings from the freezer and fishing for the largest one. What this hack refers to are the actual rings created by slicing onions. Since they're naturally round, it's an easy way to corral those eggs and make sure they come out the same shape. Even better, using an onion ring as a mold means there's nothing to wash afterward. Just add it to your meal or eat it straight from the pan.

This hack is as easy as cutting an onion, no joke! Just slice the onion so that the rings are relatively thick, which will prevent the egg from spilling out over the top (half an inch should do). Then pick the ring that matches the size you want your fried eggs to be. Wider rings will allow the whites to spread out, making larger, thinner fried eggs, while smaller ones will lead to thicker whites with a smaller surface area. If you're making the eggs to go on a burger or breakfast sandwich, compare the different onion rings to the bread to find the size that will make a perfect fit.

Once it's time to fry those eggs up, oil up the pan the same as you would for frying eggs without a mold. Then place the chosen onion ring in the oil, crack the egg, and carefully empty its contents into the ring. From there, cook as usual. This hack will work whether you like your eggs sunnyside up, over easy, or over hard. You can leave the onion ring when it's time to flip for over easy and over hard eggs or wiggle it off right before.

Egg rings can be used for more than just frying up perfectly round eggs — and so can onion rings. One easy variation on those round, fried eggs are egg patties. Instead of dropping the raw egg directly in the onion ring, put it in a bowl first and give it a good stir to combine the egg yolk with the white. After it's well blended, pour the egg into the onion ring and let it cook for a few minutes before flipping. When it's done you'll have an egg patty perfect for copycat fast food breakfast sandwiches.

Onion rings will also work great for whipping up miniature frittatas. Just use the same technique you would for making the egg patty but add cheese, veggies, and diced breakfast meats. Teeny tiny omelets are also a fun possibility with onion rings, though you'll probably want to use a fairly large ring to get enough surface area for the egg to spread out so that it can still fold in half once it's cooked.

This hack might not be that exciting if you already have an egg ring, but it can still come through in a pinch, such as when camping or staying in accommodations with limited cookware. Who knows, you just might need to break it out the next time you're in a hotel with a kitchenette or an Airbnb with a bare-bones kitchen.