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To make a sunny-side-up fried egg, slide the egg onto a plate and season with salt and pepper.

To make other kinds of fried eggs, gently flip the egg over by quickly but steadily moving the skillet away from you and then back toward you, so that the egg travels up the skillet’s curved side and is caught by its bottom on the way down. Do so with a gentle, even stroke so as to preserve the yolk. (To practice beforehand, put a thin slice of tomato or onion in a cold skillet and flip away.)

For over-easy eggs, cook for 5 seconds, then slide the egg out of the skillet onto a plate by tilting the skillet until the egg slides off. Season with salt and pepper.

For over-hard eggs, continue cooking for about 20 seconds until the yolk feels hard when pressed with your finger. Slide the egg out of the pan and onto a serving plate before seasoning with salt and pepper.

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Tips for Success

• Use a nonstick skillet with rounded edges (not straight sides).

• Even though you’re working on a nonstick surface, add a bit of butter or other fat so the egg slides gracefully across the surface.

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Poached Eggs

Simmering eggs very slowly renders them smooth, almost velvety. Makes 2 poached eggs (can be doubled or tripled—see Notes)

1 teaspoon vinegar (see Notes)

2 large eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Fill a medium saucepan about halfway with water, add the vinegar, and set over high heat just until the water comes to a bare simmer—a few spritzes, but not big bubbles. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into small, individual bowls, custard cups, or ramekins.

Slip the eggs into the pan, then reduce the heat so that the water barely dances in the pan, never bubbles or boils.

Cook undisturbed for 1 minute, just until the whites are somewhat set; then gently turn the eggs over with a slotted spoon and continue cooking just until you can see that the white has set, about 1 minute more. (If you prefer harder yolks, cook up to 1 additional minute.) Remove the eggs one at a time with the slotted spoon, holding each over the pan for a second or two to let water drain off before transferring to a serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes: If you increase the yield, use a saucepan large enough that the eggs do not touch or overlap. Do not necessarily increase the vinegar. Use the stated amount for up to 3 eggs. If you use a larger pot for 4 or more eggs, use 2 teaspoons vinegar.

Vinegar helps set the egg whites without their becoming feathery. Do not use balsamic or rice vinegar; neither has enough acid to do the job.

Eggs Poached in Red Wine: Use the technique above for poaching eggs, but omit the vinegar and substitute red wine for the water. Also add 1 minced shallot, 2 parsley sprigs, 1 thyme sprig, and 1 bay leaf in the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook the eggs as directed. Season with salt and pepper after you’ve transferred the eggs to a serving bowl.

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Egg Safety

While salmonella in eggs has become a fact of modern life, follow these steps to ensure that the eggs you buy are as safe as they can be:

Keep eggs cool. Get them home from the store quickly. If the day’s warm, put a cooler with a bag of ice in your trunk for the eggs (and other perishables).

Set your refrigerator at 40°F. Store eggs in their carton (which has been designed to minimize carbon dioxide and moisture loss, both of which compromise freshness) on a lower shelf of your refrigerator (not on the door where the temperature swings are the most pronounced, thanks to its opening and closing all day).

Crack an egg on a counter or other flat surface. Although eggs are washed at processing facilities, the shell can have residual contaminants. Cracking an egg on the counter prevents tiny pieces of the shell from being driven up into the white and yolk.

Don’t use the shell to separate eggs. Rather, wash your hands, then crack the egg into one cupped palm, letting the white slip through your fingers while you cradle the yolk. (Admittedly, this takes practice