Wednesday, April 18, 2007

thank goodness for wikipedia. this has been confusing the hell out of me.

When ordering eggs in North America, one is invariably asked "how would you like your eggs?" This often bewilders visitors from Britain or Ireland, where this terminology is rarely used. North Americans may choose between the following methods (and refer to the British and Irish method as 'Sunny side up'):

  • 'Over hard', also called 'hard' — cooked on both sides until the yolk has solidified.
  • 'Over medium' — cooked on both sides until the yolk is fairly thick but still a liquid.
  • 'Over easy', also called 'runny' — cooked on both sides (not clear) but yolk is still liquid. This is occasionally called 'sunny side down.' These are also commonly referred to as 'dippy eggs' or 'dip eggs' by Marylanders and by Pennsylvania Dutch persons living in southern Pennsylvania. Also called 'treasure eggs' in southwestern Pennsylvania.
  • 'Sunny side up' — cooked only on one side; yolk is liquid (the oil or fat may be used to baste the sunny side, however). This is often known simply as 'eggs up'

2 comments:

gumtreefid farmer said...

milk is equally confusing. you can buy butter milk, half and half, cereal cream, whole milk, low fat half and half, cream, 2%, 1%, o.5% or skim milk. it's a whole language, i tell ya!

itchy fingers said...

hah! over easy, as in 'The Big'. i never understood it before now!