FOOD NEWS
How Cracking Eggs Directly Into The Pan Can Ruin Them
By Matt Byrne
It may seem like a simple equation to knock the egg open right on the side of the pan and get straight to cooking, but there are many reasons to avoid cracking eggs directly into the pan. There's the issue of controlling where in the pan your eggs land, keeping shells out of your culinary creation, and allowing them to cook more evenly.
A pan doesn’t heat evenly and has various zones of warmth, which is why Chef Alton Brown suggests using a receptacle in his recipe for over-easy eggs. Brown shared his tips: "Never crack eggs directly into a pan — always crack them into a cup or ramekin, It's the only way to make sure they cook evenly, and you can pour them into the pan right where you want them.”
Anyone who's bitten into an egg and encountered a bit of shell knows that it can taint the entire dish. When you crack eggs right into a pan, it’s not always possible to get the shell pieces out before they’re cooked into the eggs — the pan might be too hot or the shells too difficult to see in the egg whites — so take the extra step and crack your eggs into a container next time.