It's an age old problem. You cook some eggs and then they won't come out of the pan. Few things are worse than having to clean eggs off of an old iron skillet — but it's actually really easy to stop your eggs from sticking to the pan.

The next time you decide to fry an egg, or cook some scrambled eggs, or make an omelet, or whatever it is you're craving, just remember this simple fact: eggs don't stick to a hot oiled pan.

The problem for most people is lack of patience. You want your eggs right now. So, you turn on the burner, heat the pan for what you believe is enough time, add some oil or margarine or butter and you dump your eggs in. Don't do that.

Put your cooking oil or spray or whatever you use into your pan, then heat your pan for several minutes. If you have an iron skillet it will be hot enough that you need a potholder or mitt to touch the handle before you can cook. To verify that you have enough heat to prevent sticking, put a couple of drops of water in the pan. They should jump around and make popping sounds. If they don't, keep heating the pan until they do.

That's it. No, really. Enjoy your clean pan.

Image source: James Hoey — Unsplash