How to Fry an Egg in a Carbon Steel Pan

Frying an egg in a carbon steel pan is easy. All it takes is a little practice, an egg or two, some butter, some coconut oil, and a good carbon steel pan. The pan of choice here is a Vollrath French Style carbon steel pan.

RESOURCES

[yertelt]

Great video, love how you handle the less than constructive critics, very classy.

[BillHughes-hzei]

Finally an egg demonstration where the egg is all brown instead of white. Perfect looking egg

[rstumbaugh]

I am new to carbon steel, I have the 10” and the 8” matfer pans. These videos, with something so simple as cooking an egg, different oils, different Ways, is so awesome, and very educational! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge and experience, it really helps, and makes a big difference. Always look forward to your new videos!

[shanepasha]

Thanks for pointing out the gray lines/streaks that are showing on the egg white when flipped. I've just purchased a Matfer Bourgeat 8 5/5 a week ago, first CS purchase ever, I am pleased with the seasoning (used oven, ) however, I freaked out when I saw the gray lines on the egg white. I figured it can't be rust, but, then, what could it be. I have been working with seasoning, where I removed and started over. Still some lines.
So, you have solved the mystery. It's Iron.
So I thank you for that, and for your attention to details and reading the viewer's mind.
Good day

[expomm]

I bought a carbon steel pan couple months ago, I can fry eggs without sticking and now I learned to use stainless steel pan as well, comparing both I prefer the SS Pan, is lighter and easier to clean. I still use the carbon steel but much less often.

[bourbon]

Way too much oil! But was fun seeing you flip the egg like a champ. Lol

[alexbowman]

The only people I've ever heard complain about carbon steel or cast iron are those who don't know how to cook with them. The same people that use the same cheap stainless steel knife for years without ever sharpening it and only buy Teflon. Haha.

[chopin]

I saw a video (I think it was on the Scott's Kitchen channel) that demonstrates how the temperature of the food is important too.

For example, start with the egg. Crack the egg into a bowl well ahead of cooking, and let it sit until it is at room temperature. If you cook an egg, bacon, or sausage cold from the fridge, that lowers the temperature of the pan when dropped it into a heated skillet. For pork products cook with the pan at room temperature if your bacon or sausage is cold out of the fridge. Start at a low temperature.

According to the science, cold food expands the metal, and makes the skillet less non stick. As the pan heats up the pores in the surface of the skillet contract and close up.

Trust me. You can season a carbon steel pan once, and if you follow these rules, nothing sticks. I have one pan that I can do it all in, and it is carbon steel. This way you can use less oil. Try it. Let me know.

Thanks.

[dreamchaser]

i think first of all you need a pan with good seasoning first. Then good control of temp during cooking is necessary.

[joenunya]

I've had a 14" x 24" carbon steel griddle that has stayed over the two right side burners on my stove for over 15 years.
100% non stick, I can blow eggs across it with my breath with virtually no oil.
Carbon steel and cast iron are just as non stick as a brand new non stick pan and they get better with age while the non stick is in the trashcan in 2 years.

[wk]

hmmm, i wonder if those black spots are the seasoning flaking off, rather than metal flakes.

[kohort]

New to CS. I bought a couple de buyers and ive been religiously trying to season on a regular glass top stove. While it looks nicely seasoned i can get a decent omelet if i don't stutter too much. But if i do scramble the oil layer gets kicked up and the egg sticks. Conversely, when i fry an egg it also gets stuck and won't release the egg. Many times the yolk leaks out when i try to get the spatula under it. I have no problems with cast iron being non stick. So i had high hopes knowing what i am doing. I haven't tried oven seasoning yet or any of the "potato peel" method which i hoped wasn't really necessary. Any thoughts?

[kathyledkins]

Same thing with good old-fashioned American made iron skillets.

[monkeyb]

would the eggs have stuck had you used a lot less butter? I got a cs pan from Lidl, it was only like 10 bucks or so. Seasoned it with avocado oil, then wiped it probably 5 more times with avocado oil soaked paper towel. Did this on outdoor gas grill so that each time, it would smoke off nicely. I let it cool and it looked and felt nicely seasoned, not tacky at all. Then later I put it on cooktop, put some ghee in it and coated the bottom, cracked a couple of eggs into it, and they stuck really badly. So the bottom was coated with the ghee, but I was using way less of it than you are using. I'm not down on the cs, but still trying to master it. I had already used it for burgers and it's really good at that.

[guillaumegaudin]

In France, we don't use that much butter and we don't ever flip the egg

[TheMic]

butter is one of the best grease to make it nonstick. I heard it's because of its short chain structure... There're always trade offs. The more it's cooked or processed the less healthier it gets. The healthier the oil the less tasty it is. Like flaxseed oil. Compare to butter it tastes like sh*t. Eating least processed fat like nuts and seeds will be the best but ... If we care about our health that much, we would already be doing research about this. So never mind. Carbon steel pan is great. I'm using it sometimes. It looks gorgeous and dangerous at the same time.

[paulyang]

Thats quite a lot of butter & oil.

[justjohnmusicchannel]

wish you would have actually shwon the size of the flame...your numers mean nothing to me

[primary-user]

Looking forward to seeing your omelette video. Perhaps check out Jacques Pépin omelette video's before you do.

[samperkins]

With that much oil and butter in your pan No wonder your eggs don't stick