Fried eggs will come out of the pan tastier when you add 1 simple ingredient chef loves

While there's no arguing that an egg cooked in melted butter or a neutral oil is a classic for its satisfying familiarity, why not expand your horizons? There are endless ingredients you can use to fry your eggs to infuse them with different flavours and crispiness every time.

Chef Rebecca from The Practical Kitchen claimed that the "best way" to cook tastier fried eggs is to season them with paprika bloomed in oil before the egg even hits the pan. She explained that once she started adding paprika instead of just salt and pepper, "there was no going back". While Rachel's recipe is perhaps unconventional, it's how she ensures that the "paprika flavour penetrates the egg white and egg yolk as much as possible".

The chef noted that when you keep your yolk runny, you can still dip your toast in it without feeling the need to add more salt, as "the flavour is already there".

Instead of cracking the egg into the pan and then seasoning it with salt and pepper, start by blooming the salt, pepper, and paprika in the pan and then add the egg.

Blooming uses heat to awaken the dormant flavours of spices by cooking them in fat before proceeding with a recipe.

Start by heating oil in a small non-stick skillet on low heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the salt, pepper, and paprika to the pan. Swirl to distribute.

The hot oil helps "intensify the flavour" of the paprika, which will fizz a little and become fragrant and dark red very quickly.

Rachel said: "By blooming the spices first, when the egg settles into the pan, the oil is already packed with flavour that cooks right into the egg."

Crack the egg directly into the skillet on top of wherever the oil and spices have collected. Add a tiny pinch of salt directly over the yolk, along with another quick grind of pepper.

When the egg whites become translucent (about 30 seconds), gently shake the pan side to side to loosen the egg so it can slide around the pan.

Carefully tilt the pan forward so the egg and oil slide into the curve of the pan, and so the oil comes up over the top of the egg just slightly to encourage the surface of the egg to cook. You can also spoon the oil over the egg.

Add a small splash of water to the skillet and immediately cover it to steam the surface of the egg. Reduce the temperature to simmer. Set a timer for three to five minutes, checking regularly to make sure the egg isn't sticking to the bottom and to prevent overcooking. Adjust the heat or add additional teaspoons of water as needed.

The egg is done when the egg whites have completely set and there's no uncooked egg white on the surface of the egg. The egg yolk may have a thin layer of cooked egg white over the surface, but the yolk itself should still appear jiggly when you shake the pan.