Start Frying Your Eggs In Feta Cheese And Thank Us Later

Fried eggs are the fast-and-delicious protein hero that frequently takes the internet cooking world by storm. Whether in a classic breakfast with bacon and toast, topping a bowl of fried rice, or even on a cheeseburger, it's no surprise that new ways to prepare fried eggs keep popping up. One viral fried egg recipe that hit the scene in the summer of 2023 is the five-minute feta fried eggs.

To prepare feta fried eggs, first make a ring of feta cheese in the preheated pan. Since the feta hits the pan first, it gets melty and bubbly. Crack an egg or two into the center, and the egg whites will mix and mingle with the feta and begin crisping up the edges. You can wait until just the egg whites have set if you like a runny yolk, or use a lid to steam the yolk and cook it a bit more if you prefer. Some may like to use both oil and butter for unbeatable fried eggs, but this method doesn't require any extra cooking fats as the cheese will do that job.

Thanks to a viral video from food writer and recipe developer Grace Elkus, you can easily follow along to create feta fried eggs at home. Elkus likes to season the fried egg with black pepper and red pepper flakes, serving it on a tortilla slathered in mashed avocado, but you can season and serve it how you like. However, there are a few key elements of the recipe to remember so you can make sure your feta-fried eggs are at their best.

First of all, the quality of the feta cheese you use matters. A pre-crumbled variety is sufficient but may melt and burn quicker than a full block of feta cheese that you crumble yourself. If you can buy only a full-fat block of feta cheese in brine, you'll have the best-tasting, creamiest feta possible. It'll also melt easily and have enough fat to cook the egg in. A fat-free feta variety will miss these two key qualities. If you want to make sure you're not scraping the egg from the pan once it's done, use your best non-stick cookware. If you don't have a non-stick pan, add a bit of oil to the pan before cooking and the egg should slide off easily once it's done. Don't make the common egg-frying mistake of overheating the pan, as the feta and egg white edges could crisp and burn up before the rest of the egg finishes cooking.

Salty, briny feta adds a delectable taste and texture to the viral feta fried egg, but some other tasty cheeses can work well too. Cheeses with a similar moisture level and texture to feta could be good substitutes. Try using another firm, crumbly cheese like cotija or goat cheese. These cheeses also have a salty taste and can be bought in blocks or small wheels so you can crumble them by hand. A cotija cheese fried egg would be delicious in a breakfast taco and topped with cilantro and hot sauce, for example.

If briny cheeses aren't your style, a similar effect could be achieved with shredded cheese like cheddar or mozzarella, using the same ring of cheese method. Or, try your hand at parmesan fried eggs, where you coat the entire pan in cheese first, cracking the eggs on top. This makes a crispy, cheesy bottom for the whole egg instead of just around the edges. Try your hand at the viral feta fried egg and your breakfast will never be the same.