Fried Eggs

Œufs frits (true fried eggs) teach the difference between a name and a technique. The one true thing to know before you touch the pan is this: the egg is slid into a depth of hot oil, then its white is gathered around the yolk as it fries. A breakfast egg cooked flat in a buttered skillet is œuf à la poêle, a fine thing, but another thing. The word carries the technique.

The classical kitchen assumed a pan of frying oil already held at heat and enough hands to shape and send each egg at once. At home, a narrow heavy saucepan gives safe depth with less oil, and this recipe scales the service to four diners at two eggs each. The always-ready service pan was brigade scaffolding, and the napkin-lined presentation may go because toast was the book's equal option. Immersion in oil, gathering the white around the yolk, and serving immediately must stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.

The prize is a plump, irregular parcel with a crisp golden shell, tender white beneath, and a yolk that runs into the toast when cut. Bring the oil to 355°F (180°C) and let it recover before every egg; that steady heat is the step that decides the dish.