Eggs are a delicious, healthy staple for every meal from breakfast to dinner. If you’ve ever been asked how you like your eggs while ordering at your favorite diner, you may not have known how to describe the way you like to have them cooked. Luckily, in the helpful guide below, you can learn how to order the perfect eggs to accompany your meal.

How to Order Your Eggs

1. Hard- & Soft-Boiled

Hard-boiled eggs are cooked in the shell in boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes, or until both the yolk and the whites are fully set and firm. The shell is then peeled off before eating. Hard-boiled eggs are a versatile breakfast food that can be sliced or chopped and placed on toast or eaten alone as a satisfying snack.

Soft-boiled eggs follow the same recipe as hard-boiled but are cooked for about half the time. This leaves the white firm and the yolk runny and golden, perfect for dipping or spreading on toast.

2. Scrambled

To scramble eggs, the white and yolk are mixed together thoroughly in a bowl before cooking in a skillet. For a fluffier, smoother texture, milk, cream, sour cream, or other ingredients may be mixed in prior to cooking. Similar to boiled eggs, scrambled eggs can be cooked hard or soft. Ask the waitress to tell the chef to cook the eggs longer for a drier, fully cooked dish, or shorter for a moist and creamy meal.

3. Poached

Poached eggs are removed from their shells and cooked in boiling water, vinegar, broth, or other fluids for added flavor. The result is a soft, warm, fully-cooked egg suitable for placing on an English muffin with ham or on its own as a tasty breakfast side.

4. Sunny Side Up

Also called fried eggs, these are made by cracking an egg directly into a hot pan and cooking on one side with an intact, runny yolk. Flipping the egg over results in an over-easy egg, with the opposite side cooked but some runniness remaining in the yolk. Allowing the egg to cook longer until it’s set all the way through will result in an egg fried over hard.

No matter how you prefer your eggs, you can enjoy them for breakfast at Belgian Waffle & Pancake House in Branson, MO. A local favorite since 1976, they offer fresh eggs cooked to order to accompany hash browns, bacon and sausage, pancakes, and Belgian waffles. Call (417) 334-8484 to place an order for takeout or browse their menu online.