Microwave Fried Eggs

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 35 ml drinking water
• 3 ml sesame oil
• 0.8 g salt

Method

Pierce each yolk twice with a skewer or chopstick — this ruptures the vitelline membrane and prevents the yolk from exploding under microwave heat. The microwave's radiation excites water molecules unevenly; piercing the yolk allows steam to escape gradually rather than building pressure that shatters the white.

Crack both eggs into a small microwave-safe bowl. Pour 35 ml of room-temperature drinking water around them — this acts as a heat sink, moderating the intensity of the microwave's energy and ensuring the whites set before the yolks overcook. Add the salt immediately; it seasons throughout cooking rather than remaining gritty on the surface. Drizzle the sesame oil last, after the salt dissolves into the water, so the oil doesn't repel the salted liquid.

Microwave on high power for 80 seconds. The whites will turn opaque and set solid around minute one; the yolks will remain runny beneath the surface. At 80 seconds, the yolk whites have just begun to firm at the edges while the centre still yields to pressure — this is the sweet spot between gentle-heating and full doneness. If your microwave runs hot or your eggs are particularly large, reduce to 70 seconds; if cool, go to 90. The sensory check is what matters: the white should be set and beginning to gloss slightly from residual heat, the yolk should dimple but not break under a spoon.

The bowl will be genuinely hot — the water has conducted heat throughout. Grab it with a cloth or silicone mitt; do not use bare hands. The eggs continue cooking for ten seconds after removal from the microwave as the carryover heat finishes setting the yolk rim. For breakfast service, slide them into a warm bowl with a sprinkle of fleur de sel and white pepper if the sesame oil flavour is calling for cut. Eat immediately; reheating hardens both white and yolk into rubber and defeats the entire point of this microwave-cooking shortcut.