Former royal chef reveals the secret to a perfect fried egg: He never uses one ingredient

Darren McGrady, a former chef for the British royal family, has shared his secret to achieving the perfect fried egg. With 15 years of experience cooking for Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, and Princes William and Harry, McGrady believes even simple dishes can be elevated by following a few key rules.

McGrady emphasizes the importance of fresh, quality ingredients. He recommends using organic eggs over those from caged hens. However, his most emphatic advice concerns the cooking fat. "Never, ever use margarine," he stated, advising to remove it from the kitchen entirely.

Instead, McGrady suggests frying eggs in butter or ghee (clarified butter). He specifically recommends using butter with a higher milk fat content, as it contains less water and splatters less during cooking. The butter should be heated but not browned before carefully cracking the egg into the pan.

For those who prefer not to use butter, McGrady suggests olive oil or avocado oil. He advises against using rapeseed oil or other seed-derived oils for frying eggs, deeming them unsuitable for the dish. Whether to fully cook the yolk or baste it with melted butter is a matter of personal preference, he noted.

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Never, ever use margarine. Don't prepare anything in it, actually, remove it from the kitchen entirely.