Fried Egg

Doneness

The white is fully opaque and set with no clear, translucent jiggle anywhere — that's the food-safety cue — while the yolk stays glossy and domed for a runny sunny-side egg. Tip the pan: a runny yolk wobbles like liquid, a jammy yolk barely moves, and a fully set yolk is matte and firm. Pull at the white-just-set point for runny, or give it another 1–2 minutes for over-medium-to-hard. Eggs go from runny to over-hard in well under a minute, so check from the early end of the window.

Oil & seasoning

Grease the ramekin or mould well with butter or oil spray, bottom and sides, so the set egg lifts out clean instead of welding on. A little extra oil pooled at the edge is what gives you a crispy, lacy fried-egg rim.

Season with: Sunny-side-up (the benchmark): ~5 min at 370 °F until the white sets and the yolk stays liquid — just salt and pepper, finished with flaky salt., Over-medium / set yolk: cook 1–2 minutes longer so the yolk firms to creamy-jammy; good for sandwiches and rice bowls where a fully liquid yolk runs everywhere., Crispy-edge: a hotter, well-oiled mould (390–400 °F) so the white frizzles and browns lacy at the rim — finish with chili crisp, furikake or smoked paprika., Basted-style / soft: 350 °F for a gentle, tender set with a soft opaque film over the yolk — top with chives, hot sauce or za'atar..

Watch out for

• !Use a greased oven-safe ramekin, dish or silicone mould. An egg cracked onto a bare basket runs through the grate and welds to it — this is the number-one air-fryer fried-egg mistake.
• !Cook the white fully — it should be opaque with no clear, translucent jiggle. A runny yolk is fine from fresh, well-stored eggs, but the white must be set for safety; use pasteurized eggs if a runny yolk worries you.
• !Preheat the empty greased mould for a minute or two so the white grips and sets fast instead of spreading thin and overcooking.
• !Check early and watch closely — the gap between a perfect runny yolk and an over-hard one is under a minute in a hot air fryer.