We were in Valencia in Spain a little while ago. It’s a fabulous city, well worth visiting. One of my strongest memories about this visit is the hotel breakfast and their wonderful fried eggs.

Fluffy, bubbly egg whites, crispy on the outside edges and a runny egg yolk in the center and hot: they were delicious. This got me thinking- how can I replicate this type of egg back home?

After a good hard think, I decided it must be something to do with the pan used to cook the eggs.  Different metals cook at different temperatures and I realise that this egg must have been cooked at a high temperature, in hot oil and very fast.

I could have chosen a cast iron pan, or black iron pan but I decided to try a carbon steel frying pan. It is lighter in weight than cast iron or black iron -this suit me as I don’t like heavy weight cooking pots and pans. It is sturdy and robust.

Out of our stock, I took a Master Class Induction Ready Non-Stick 20cm Fry pan Steel is a ferrous based metal so it will work on all heat sources including induction hobs.

The cooking is very easy- here goes……

First, put the olive oil in a pan and heat (so it covers the base of the pan). When it starts to smoke, add the egg and turn down the heat a little. Watch the egg spit and puff up in the pan gently lifting the edges of the egg so it doesn’t stick. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on it. When cooked, pour the olive oil from the pan onto a piece of toast (use this instead of butter) and then add the egg on top. Eat immediately.

Inspired by the performance of this pan, I have gone on to use a 20 cm Master Class Carbon Steel Wok. It is a really nice shape and makes the perfect, domed Spanish tortilla. You can pop the whole pan in the oven to brown off the top and finish the cooking.

Posted by Freetimers Support in news