Heat a small, nonstick frying pan (with lid) over medium-low heat. Add butter, let melt, and then add egg, being careful not to break the yolk.
Cook uncovered without moving the egg until the white of the egg is mostly set, or about 2 minutes. Add the hot water, cover pan and cook until the white of the egg is completely set and yolk has desired firmness (we find 1-2 minutes is usually sufficient).
Remove from the pan immediately to stop cooking. Serve with salt and pepper.
For butter basted egg:
Heat a small, nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add butter. When butter starts to bubble, carefully add egg, being careful not to break yolk.
Cook without disturbing for 1-2 minutes or until white begins to set. Carefully tilt the pan so that the butter pools towards one side. Use a spoon to spoon butter over the egg. If you like a firmer yolk, spoon it over the entire egg. If you like a softer yolk, avoid spooning the butter on the yolk. Keep basting egg with butter until egg is cooked to your liking. A runny yolk and firm whites should be achieved in 1-2 minutes.
Remove egg from pan and season with salt and pepper.
Notes
Recipe can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled. If you want to cook more than four eggs, we recommend doing them in batches.
For more crispy edges, increase heat to medium and reduce cooking time by 1 minute (unless a more firm yolk is desired).
For butter basted eggs, if desired, when the egg has finished cooking, remove egg from pan and continue cooking butter until it starts to brown slightly. Immediately remove from the pan and drizzle over egg or toast.