HOW TO FRY EGGS IN BUTTER OR IN VEGETABLE OIL?
Should you fry eggs in butter or vegetable oil? Chefs have named their favorite.
This choice determines whether the dish will turn out tender and fluffy.
Eggs cook in minutes , but what goes into the pan first significantly changes both the flavor and texture of the dish. Four culinary experts explain when to use butter and when to stick with vegetable oil, according to Real Simple.
Chef and Chief Innovation Officer of the American Egg Board, Nelson Serrano-Bahri, says he uses both types of fat, but for different dishes. Butter imparts a classic, rich flavor and serves as a convenient guide—when it foams, the pan is ready. For high heat, he chooses oils with a high smoke point, such as avocado oil.
Three-time James Beard Award winner and founder of Leite’s Culinaria, David Leite, attributes the difference to two factors: temperature and water. Vegetable oil contains no water, while butter contains 16–17.5% water.
However, most experts still prefer butter. David Davydov, founder of The Cooking Foodie, admits that he chooses it 90% of the time.
“For scrambled eggs, I use only butter, period. I cook them over low heat and take my time, so they get creamy. If I use vegetable oil, they’ll turn out greasy,” the chef explained.
Butter is also recommended for omelets. Leite explains that the water in it turns into steam, which makes the eggs fluffy and tender. And Lisa Steele, author of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook, recommends using salted butter, as scrambled eggs are cooked over low heat, preventing the butter from burning.
For fried eggs and frittatas, experts choose vegetable oil. It allows for high heat and produces a golden brown crust, something butter, due to its water content, can’t provide.
“Vegetable oil is ideal because it doesn’t have water in it like butter does, and water creates steam, which is the enemy of crispiness,” Leite explained.
For those who don’t want to choose, Davydov recommends adding a drop of vegetable oil to the butter. This will allow the pan to heat up more without ruining the creamy flavor. Steele agrees that this will give the eggs both a rich flavor and crispy edges.
