What is a characteristic of over easy eggs?

Over easy eggs are characterized by having a yolk that is runny. This style of cooking involves frying the egg on one side and then gently flipping it to lightly cook the other side, ensuring that the yolk remains mostly intact and not fully set. The cooking method allows for a delicious contrast in texture between the firm whites and the soft, runny yolk, making it ideal for those who enjoy a rich, flavorful, and slightly viscous egg yolk as part of their dish.

While the whites being fully cooked is a common feature in fried egg dishes, it does not differentiate over easy eggs from other styles since the whites are uniformly cooked in various fried egg preparations. Fully cooked yolks, on the other hand, pertain to different styles of cooking, such as over hard eggs, which do not match the defining trait of over easy eggs. Serving eggs sunny side up does not involve flipping the egg, which is a defining step for achieving the over easy preparation. Thus, the defining characteristic that sets over easy eggs apart is the runny yolk.