Name: Caramelized Cream Eggs From Ideas in Food
Cook time: 5 min
Yield: Serves as many as you like!
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Heavy cream; Salt; Eggs

Caramelized Cream Eggs From Ideas in Food

Photo by Ty Mecham. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog. Prop Stylist: Brooke Deonarine.

Test Kitchen-Approved

Author Notes

This egg recipe might not just change how you think about cooking eggs, but most other ingredients, too. The amounts below are just a suggestion, but the technique is very flexible if you realize you've eyeballed wrong: If the pan looks dry before your ingredients are cooked through, just add more cream, or a splash of water or stock. If it looks too liquidy, pour off some of the cream or turn up the heat. (Just be careful not to burn it, which is the only way to ruin these.)

After you taste these eggs, try cooking more things in cream, and flavoring the cream with herbs, spices, garlic, citrus zest... Aki and Alex have written about carrots and smashed potatoes on Ideas in Food, but I've also tried kale (stems first) and a few baby eggplants I didn’t know what else to do with. They were soft-creamy and brown-buttery-crisp, every time. Talbot also rattled off still more ideas for ingredients to cream-caramelize—everything from meats (like pork chops seared in smoked paprika cream, burgers, sausages, hot dogs, ragus, dumpling fillings) to fish (with mustard, soy sauce, or miso) to fruits (apples with star anise and cinnamon). Adapted from H. Alexander Talbot and Aki Kamozawa at Ideas in Food. —Genius Recipes

Watch This Recipe

Caramelized Cream Eggs From Ideas in Food

Cook time 5 minutes
Serves as many as you like!

Ingredients

Heavy cream
Salt
Eggs

In This Recipe

Tools

Set a Timer

Directions

Choose a nonstick skillet with a lid that’s large enough to hold the number of eggs you’d like to cook, without leaving lots of extra room (an 8-inch skillet fits 2 large eggs nicely). If you don’t have a lid that fits your pan, a baking sheet or another skillet will work well.
Without heating the pan, pour enough heavy cream into the bottom of the skillet to make a thin layer (this will depend on the size of the pan, but for an 8-inch skillet, a few tablespoons is enough). Sprinkle the cream with salt to taste and add the eggs.
Now turn the heat to medium-high to start cooking the eggs. The cream will boil, steam, and eventually separate into liquid butterfat and butter solids. If you are using a gas stove, the cream will likely caramelize at the edges; electric or induction will likely only caramelize the bottom.
When the egg whites are almost set and the cream has mostly become butter and butter solids, remove the pan from the heat and cover it for a minute to finish setting the whites, specifically in the center of the pan.
Remove the eggs from the pan and serve up breakfast. The bottoms should be caramelized, the whites tender and cream-coated, the yolk firm but runny. Now you have a new way to cook delicious eggs and a path to explore adding flavors.

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Anu Narayan
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48 Reviews

Gina T. July 18, 2020

I tried this technique when first published here and was underwhelmed. Now, I have tried again and these eggs are perfection! I believe I had too much cream the first time, and was also cooking on a dreadful glass-top electric range. Today, I used just enough cream to coat the bottom of the pan and cooked on induction and made some of the best eggs I've ever had. I did give them a flip during the one minute rest because I feared the yolks weren't set but it was probably not necessary. Next time, I will not. I quite easily made 4 and think I could even do 6 at once.

nancy S. June 12, 2020

Contrary to all of the wonderful reviews, I found this to be a most unappetising recipe. I cannot, for the life of me, see its charm. It was completely unappetising.

J. June 12, 2020

Agreed 100%. Fried egg in butter with crispy edges any day over these.

Werdyo May 15, 2020

This was *delicious*. But before recommending non-stick skillets, you should watch the movie Dark Waters or do some research on the toxicity of Teflon. I used a stainless steel skillet with no problems.

Anu N. March 11, 2020

This was gorgeous! I think I used more than a "thin" layer of double cream, but since I'm on the keto diet, it's all good :) I added some homemade everything bagel seasoning over the eggs, and drizzled a bit of truffle oil before eating... Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe, this will go on my regular weekday rotation.

Anu N. March 11, 2020

Oh I should add another favourite way of mine of frying eggs, thanks to my best friend's recipe. Grate some cheese (cheddar works best) on the bottom of a nonstick pan to cover it, crack an egg or two over this layer of grated cheese, turn the heat to medium high, and cook until the cheese starts to melt and develop a crust. If the whites are still runny, you can switch off the job and cover the pan, exactly like this recipe. Once the eggs are cooked to your liking, transfer the crispy cheese and eggs to a plate and eat immediately!

Al S. March 8, 2020

OMG, I made these tonight and are absolutely delicious. I am a single 72 year old male and have to say do exactly as the recipe calls fall and you can't go wrong. Thanks for this recipe.

Bb February 17, 2020

Oh these were delicious! I’ve never made eggs that had such perfect yokes. This is the way I’ll be frying eggs from now on. Thanks!!

Lynn February 16, 2020

I've made these at least once a week since the recipe came out and had to share my great love for it. The whites are gently caramelized but not crispy, the yolk is easy to keep runny. I usually put in too much cream (so sad) but have learned to gently remove the eggs (spatula works great for this) then put the remnants of cream over a high heat to boil down. Spatula again to scrape out every drop onto sourdough toast.

eweideman January 13, 2020

A new Sunday morning favorite! Love this recipe!

RossB January 12, 2020

It took me a few tries to get the hang of it, but it’s an excellent method. What I noted: It’s important to season the cream before putting the egg on it; essential to start w a cold pan; keep fire low-ish and be patient. I tried flavored salts, and truffle salt was the big hit. I also tried it with slices of Granny Smith apple, used vanilla salt; it was a quick, rich, bright snack.

Robin G. January 6, 2020

I jumped into the deep end. You mentioned paprika and cooking other things, so I did this was a butterflied pork chop. Probably had too large a pan, and I covered the pan for most of the cooking because I was afraid the pork wouldn't cook. It did, though, and wasn't as overcooked as I usually make it. And I SWEAR that wasn't me licking the pan later, or the plate but holy cow. I mean, holy pig (it was pork after all). The cream did not break, but it browned and thickened and was wonderful. Next time I will not cover it towards the end. I did simmer instead of keeping it on medium/high.

nancy B. January 5, 2020

Epic fail. After 5 minute whites were still raw. And cream burned

OnionThief January 1, 2020

This is such a good technique. I finally can get delicious whites without a 1:1 ratio of spices! And even the time i walked away and overcooked it, it was still flavorful.

J. December 25, 2019

These were just okay. It worked in a lightly oiled cast iron pan, the eggs were cooked, the cream carmelized, I was just underwhelmed by the flavors. I much prefer an egg cooked crispy in butter. Will go back to that.

Roger December 20, 2019

This is a game changer recipe. Wow... nutty, delicate, easy, and delicious.

watercupcake December 16, 2019

Wow! I am a yolk person. The whites are always something I have to eat because it comes with the yolk. After making these I was wishing there was more white to my egg. I am converted.

abby R. December 15, 2019

Can I make these with half and half? Or will the fat content mess it up?

deborah December 15, 2019

Made these this morning and it was not a good result. Overcooked eggs, burnt, crusty pan. Then I watched the video to see where I had gone wrong. The recipe says to cook on medium high, which is pretty hot, at least with a gas stove. But in the video, it looks like you are cooking on very low heat, and that the cream is simmering more than boiling. Mine was bubbling and sputtering.

Thoughts? I will try again tomorrow, but on the lowest end of low heat.

CJ G. December 6, 2019

I tried this and it was absolutely outstanding. I am an egg lover and this recipe had me at the point when I could smell the cream converting to “buttah”.

keithcancook November 26, 2019

I tried it,but not for me.Instead I prefer the Simple Poached 4 min egg from this site.
it's always perfect

Lisa November 15, 2019

I cannot even with this!! I just bookmarked this recipe thinking I'd make it soon, and then realized I have heavy cream and was also hungry and just made it. Like two other reviewers said: regular butter seems so boring now, and this finally lets the whites shine!!! Everything is just...so....fluffy? Maybe fluffy isn't rhe right word. I serously think cooking the eggs in cream has invented a whole new texture category. The closest description I can think of is when you make the perfectly jammy hard boiled eggs - that's kind of how the whole eggs is, but with INCREDIBLE flavor. I don't like locking myself into rules of cooking (I never/I always/I won't ever), but I honestly don't ever want eggs cooked any other way ever again! The other bonus is that this cooks out any of thoes icky spindly snotty strands of egg white that always seem to be present, even in over-easy eggs. And the yolk! oh the yolk! And honestly, the simplicity of this recipe is also just phenomenal. I added some freshly grated (real) parm and my only mistake is that I should have cut the salt a bit from the cream to account for the saltiness of the cheese (yeah, cheese *and* cream, I did it and I have no regerts over it) but thats on me and not the recipe. I cannot wait to try this with veggies!!

Susan January 22, 2020

Regerts???