From shakshuka to soft scrambled eggs, these recipes deserve all-day status. Eggs are the cornerstone of countless culinary techniques, and while they’re a key ingredient for sauces like aioli and mayonnaise, eggs—if done properly—can be the star of the show. This is why the French omelette takes the pedestal […]
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From shakshuka to soft scrambled eggs, these recipes deserve all-day status.
Eggs are the cornerstone of countless culinary techniques, and while they're a key ingredient for sauces like aioli and mayonnaise, eggs—if done properly—can be the star of the show. This is why the French omelette takes the pedestal as the quintessential dish to test culinary prowess. Whisked? Mais non. This is where the fork becomes your friend, and mixing is the trick—not whipping. Ask any chef, and they'll all give you the same tip about eggs: the key is patience and timing. A six-minute, soft-boiled egg earned its name for a reason.
Whether you're cooking up a classic poached egg or want to shake up a standard deviled egg, the pros share their must-know egg recipes and the secret to mastering something as simple as scrambled eggs.
Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
"It's a perfect snack, and who doesn't love a good egg salad? Hard-boiled eggs are good on pretty much everything. There are so many ways to make them. I'm finding the most perfect way is to bring some salt and water to a boil. Gingerly add eggs to the boiling water, cook for exactly eight minutes, remove, and place in ice water until cool." — Michelle Bernstein, chef and owner of Cafe La Trova, La Cañita, and Michelle Bernstein Catering in Miami
Eggs Florentine
"This recipe is served at Le Tout-Paris in memory of my dad, who used to cook it all the time with me on Sunday nights as a child. It is easy to do and delicious—perfect for a Sunday brunch or a quick dinner." — William Becquin, chef of Le Tout-Paris at Cheval Blanc Paris
Huevos Rotos
"There are lots of ways this dish manifests, but it's usually potatoes + protein + a Spanish-style fried egg. We have it on the menu at La Bodega with serrano ham, fried herbs, and a lacy fried egg (huevo con puntilla) over Spanish potato chips. You could also use roasted potatoes, hash browns, or fry your own chips. Using potato chips is a fun and easy hack, and they soak up the beautiful egg yolk." — Katie Button, CEO and co-founder of Cúrate Bar de Tapas and Cúrate at Home in Ashevill
Tamagoyaki
"I can always tell the quality of a Japanese restaurant by their tamagoyaki. It takes precision and skill to create the seamless layers of egg with the perfect balance of sweetness. This dish is a lesson in patience for any cook, but the result is worth it!" — Manabu "Hori" Horiuchi, executive chef of Kata Robata in Houston
Eggs Benedict
"I started my career in Canada as a breakfast cook, and one of my favorite dishes in the morning was eggs Benedict. After a few months, I started to miss Chile and my Chilean avocado toasts in the morning, so I started making poached eggs on avocado toast topped with hollandaise sauce."— Rodrigo Andres Acuña Bravo, executive chef of Nayara Hangaroa on Easter Island, Chile
Pickled Eggs
"At The Shipwright's Daughter, we take the bar snack classic deviled eggs and add a fun twist by pickling the eggs in beet juice, which adds a beautiful color and a bright, briny sweetness." — David Standridge, executive chef of The Shipwright's Daughter in Mystic, CT
"I always like to have some soy-pickled eggs in the fridge. They are really easy to prepare, they make a great snack, and are a fun and delicious way to doll up a soup or salad." —Timmy Malloy, chef of Chezchez and Trick Dog in San Francisco
Sunny-Side-Up Eggs
"The faint crisp of tortilla chips loaded with charred green salsa is a match made in heaven. Here at El Camino West Palm Beach, we have a great example of this in our green salsa chilaquiles with fresh queso fresco, and of course, the crown—a perfectly cooked sunny-side-up egg." — John Sergi, chef de cuisine of Modern Restaurant Group
Turkish Eggs
"Turkish eggs is one of my favorite egg recipes that is both robust in flavor and incredibly easy to make with ingredients usually found in the pantry. The dish typically consists of poached eggs served on top of a bed of garlic labneh that are topped with a spicy hot butter made with Aleppo pepper, and garnished with crispy chickpeas and fried parsley. Fried eggs also work well here, along with any of your favorite fresh herbs and spices that you have on hand to substitute, such as parsley, mint, paprika, or cumin."— Jean-Paul Lourdes, executive chef of The Standard Grill in NYC
Frittata
"The possibility for a frittata is endless, and it's a great way to utilize vegetables sitting in your fridge! I recommend owning a seasoned 8- or 10-inch cast-iron pan. It looks great for presentation, and you can cook from stovetop to oven. I love using leeks, Sungold tomatoes, Bloomsdale spinach, broccolini, sunchokes, fennel, and maitake mushrooms. The key to getting more flavor is sautéing and seasoning the vegetables first before adding. I warm the pan over the stove with olive oil, add my well-whisked, seasoned eggs, distribute sautéed vegetables, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes uncovered at 350°F. I like my eggs still moist, with a bit of jiggle. I finish off with shaved Garrotxa cheese and a fresh mound of herbs dressed in lemon juice and olive oil." — Narita Santos, chef of The Exchange at Freehand Los Angeles
Aioli
"Being able to emulsify the fat of your choice into egg yolks is the base for so many great condiments. Making your own aioli or mayonnaise also means you can use the healthy fat of your choice if you're looking to avoid more inflammatory fats (like canola oil) that are often found in store-bought mayonnaise." — Joey Edwards, executive chef of Three Sisters at Blackberry Mountain in TN
Œufs Brouillés (Scrambled Eggs)
"Œufs brouillés, the real scrambled eggs—not smashed, overcooked eggs—is a dish that everyone should master. To do this right, slow-cook very good eggs in a bain-marie—no cream, just a cube of good butter. Truffles are optional." — Nicolas Delaroque, chef/owner of Maison Nico in San Francisco
Egg Foo Young
"Egg Foo Yung is a go-to. It's essentially a fried omelet covered in a gravy-like sauce that is often overlooked and is an old-school sort of Chinese-American dish. We've had it on our menu in the past at Chef's Special, and our guests love it. It's a good vehicle for folding in any meats or veggies, and also works great as a way to recycle leftovers." — Aaron Kabot and Tom Scodari, chefs of Chef's Special Cocktail Bar in Chicago
Soft-Boiled Eggs
"Most people know how to cook hard-boiled eggs, often to the point that the greyed yolk more closely resembles a foosball than food. Perfecting a six-minute egg guarantees you a soft, jammy yolk that's perfect for everything from toast to salads to ramen." — Tristen Epps, executive chef of Red Rooster Overtown in Miami
"The perfect six-minute egg with the yolk creamy and bright—not set or too runny. This is the 'new' fancy boiled egg that is great for salads, ramen, or any dish where you need a stunningly beautiful egg." — Jet Tila, chef and restaurateur
French Omelette
"The French omelette is a classic dish that I recommend everyone learn how to make. By mastering a good omelette, you learn how to use a pan to cook a delicate dish, and that can be applied to many other recipes. It's also often used as a test in culinary exams, so I'd say it's an essential dish for any aspiring chef to master." — Christopher Gross, executive chef and director of Christopher's at Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix, AZ
Soft Scrambled Eggs
"Soft scrambled eggs are one of my favorites and a style of egg that I believe everyone should have in their repertoire. Just a little bit of butter and low cooking leads to a deliciously creamy, rich texture. I love to put mine on a fresh piece of sourdough toast topped with a little bit of crème fraîche, smoked trout roe, and lemon zest." — Mary Attea, executive chef of Michelin-starred The Musket Room in NYC
"Everyone should learn how to make really good soft scrambled eggs. It seems simple, but perfecting this dish shows mastery and control of temperature. It is delicious on its own, or with crusty grilled bread, caviar, or poached asparagus. The options are limitless." — Ashley Rath, executive chef of Saint Theo's in NYC
Fried Eggs
"Everyone should know how to fry eggs like the Spaniards—crispy on the outside and soft inside. I fry my eggs with blended oil (canola and olive oil) on high heat, allowing the egg white to get crispy but leaving the egg yolk runny." — Daniel Lugo, chef of José Andrés's Spanish Diner in Bethesda, MD
"After the excesses of the festive season and to relieve the January blues, the best way to start the day—or any day—is a perfect fried egg sandwich! Fry one egg in butter, place on the bread hot, season with sea salt, and carefully place the second slice of bread on top. Apply pressure gently to the surface of the sandwich to make the yolk ooze, and serve with a cup of hot tea."— David McCann, chef of Dromoland Castle in Ireland
Shakshuka
"Shakshuka is one of those ultra-easy dishes that will give you massive bang for your buck in terms of flavor. Making a crowd-pleasing shakshuka can be as simple as sautéing some onions in olive oil, adding spices like turmeric, cumin, and paprika, stirring in some crushed tomatoes in their juices, and adding salt and pepper to season. Once the mixture is bubbling away and the tomatoes have deepened their color some, all one has to do is add eggs and cook them on a low flame with the lid on. Sprinkle some fresh cilantro or parsley, a little chili flake action, and you're done. And don't forget the crusty bread!" — Kanchan Koya, chef and founder of Spice Spice Baby
"This dish is so popular, it is gaining almost required status on brunch menus everywhere—and that's because it works so well and satisfies. We make our base pretty traditionally with tomatoes, harissa, peppers, garlic, and onion, and then finish in the pizza oven and send out with a sous vide egg. Served with a piece of our fresh-baked bread doused in olive oil and salt, it's a winner." — Robert Newton, executive chef of Fleeting and Bar Julian at Thompson Savannah
Over-Easy Eggs
"The over-easy egg is a challenge for any chef to execute perfectly. It's a true star on its own, but also complements all kinds of dishes, from veggies to proteins."— Brian Beadle, head chef of higher education at ethical foodservice company Genuine Foods
Deviled Eggs
"Œufs mimosa (French deviled eggs) is a typical and traditional French recipe that everyone knows, and it's simple to make. You can easily imagine yourself sharing this dish with friends and family on a terrace or at home as an appetizer." — Amaury Bouhours, executive chef of two Michelin-starred le Meurice Alain Ducasse in Paris
"A good deviled egg is not easy to come by. You'll want to make sure the egg is cooked just right (bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes), and then drop it in ice water for easy peeling. Mastering the right amount of Dijon, mayo, and other seasonings so that it is nice and creamy is the most important." — Brandon Collins, mustard sommelier for Maille and former executive chef of The Roundhouse in Hudson Valley, NY
Custard
"This building block of cooking is the basis for all sorts of items, both sweet and savory. Chocolate soufflé, vanilla ice cream, lemon curd, hollandaise (and subsequently béarnaise) are only a few of the many examples. Master this simple technique and no longer will any of those recipes seem imposing." —Ian Rynecki, executive chef of Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyard in VA
"You have to know the essential principles of egg cookery if you want to be a cook of any note—especially in the home. You should know how to make a mayonnaise; a sauce like a hollandaise; scramble, poach, or fry an egg; make a custard. Eggs do so many wondrous things!"— Andrew Zimmern, chef and host of Magnolia Network series Family Dinner
Spanish Tortilla
"One of my favorite egg dishes that everyone should learn is a Spanish tortilla. It's simple to make with pantry items—it's only eggs, potatoes, onions, and oil—and it's way more than the sum of its parts. The sweetness of the caramelized onions paired with the heartiness of the potatoes makes a substantial, flavorful, but not at all heavy meal." — Rachel Wright, sous chef of Leon's Full Service in Decatur, GA
"Like a good Spaniard, my preferred dish is the classic tortilla Española. This is not just an omelet—this is a dish I grew up eating prepared with love and patience by my mother and grandmother. One needs good potatoes, sweet onion, green pepper, and garlic (all well chopped), which are slowly cooked in extra-virgin olive oil at a high flame until caramelized and the potatoes are seared. I recommend using fresh farm eggs with a nice, dark yellow-orange yolk, and be careful not to overcook—tortilla Española should be soft and creamy inside." — Mikel Goikolea, executive chef of LEKU in Miami
