Don't Use High Heat Using medium heat, it should take about 3-4 minutes to cook a nice fried egg with tender whites and a warm, runny yolk. Don't overcook the eggs or the whites will get tough and chewy and the yolks will be dry and chalky.
Don't overcook them
The longer and hotter you cook your eggs, the more nutrients you may lose. Using higher heat for longer may also increase the amount of oxidized cholesterol they contain, which is particularly true of pan-frying.
Cooking eggs with olive oil is considered a healthy alternative to butter. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat that may help lower total cholesterol, benefit insulin levels, normalize blood clotting and lower your risk of heart disease.
Butter certainly works for fried eggs, but oil is the fat of choice for cooks who want a runny yolk with a satisfying crispy white. Extra-virgin olive oil is most popular, and yields a satisfyingly crunchy bottom that will soak up luscious flavor.
Cooking eggs with olive oil is considered to be a healthier opinion when compared with butter (via Live Strong). The Olive Oil Source details exactly what kinds of benefits different olive oils have. Extra virgin seems to be the best for fried eggs because it has the highest smoke point.
Typically, you fry eggs in canola or vegetable oil: fats with neutral flavor and a high smoke point, meaning you can cook the egg at medium-high heat and not worry about the oil smoking and giving the egg off flavors.
One study found that boiling, frying, or microwaving can reduce the antioxidant content in eggs. When eggs are heated at high temperatures, such as with frying or processing, the cholesterol can become oxidized. This has been linked to some health concerns and disease.
Olive oil has a lower smoke point-the point at which an oil literally begins to smoke (olive oil's is between 365° and 420°F)-than some other oils. When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially health-harming compounds form.
Salt made very little difference on the final texture of the eggs, but, if anything, the longer the eggs were salted, the more tender and moist they were. While salt certainly doesn't hurt the eggs (and may even help), there's no question that the most important factor when cooking eggs is the cooking technique itself.
During the cooking process, the fat in eggs can be oxidized through a process called lipid oxidation, which can cause serious health problems including heart disease and can destroy essential fatty acids and vitamins in eggs.
Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160° F. Use a food thermometer to be sure.
If you keep the heat turned up too high or too long when you cook an egg, the proteins in the egg white form more and more bonds, squeezing some of the water out of the protein network and making the egg white rubbery.
Although butter contains saturated fats but these fats are heart-healthy while the poly-unsaturated fat (omega 6 fatty acid) in oils are unwanted fats which may cause inflammation, and should be avoided.
For the least amount of fat, try using a non-stick pan and a spray-oil. Fortunately eggs do not absorb as much fat as some other foods when fried. You can also remove some of the fat by draining them from the pan with a spatula and blotting them on kitchen paper to absorb excess fat.
Boiled eggs are more nutritious than other types of eggs because they are cooked without oil or butter, which adds additional calories and fat to the finished product. In comparison, one large fried egg contains 90 calories and 6.83 grams of fat, of which 2 grams are saturated.
Some types of fat are healthier for your heart than others. Butter and other animal fats and solid margarine may not be the best choices. Alternatives to consider are liquid vegetable oil, such as olive oil.
The short answer is: Yes you can! This is a debated subject, and I want you to use whatever healthy oil you feel comfortable using for your fried eggs. When frying an egg in quality extra virgin olive oil, you'll use shallow amounts of the oil, over medium heat, for about 2 minutes or so.
Butter is best for frying eggs: it has the best feel in the pan and the ideal savory flavor. You can also use oil: but olive oil can lend a slightly bitter flavor.
Let the eggs cook until white is set and the corners begin to curl ever so slightly, about 3 - 4 minutes depending on your heat source. No need to fuss with them either, they'll turn out better if they're left alone. For sunny side up eggs, simply slide the eggs onto a plate and season again if desired.