The Meat

• While a full English includes three types of meats -- bacon, ham and pork sausages -- choose just one for a more manageable breakfast. Cook your choice in a skillet on the stove top, then place it in an oven set to 250 degrees Fahrenheit to stay warm while you finish cooking the rest of the breakfast. Bacon and ham take about five minutes per side, while sausages take from eight to 10 minutes per side depending on the type of sausage.

Beans, Tomatoes and Mushrooms

• The vegetables for an English breakfast cook more quickly than the meats -- about three minutes per side in a skillet set on medium-high heat. After you've cooked the meat, pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the grease from your skillet to cook whole mushrooms with the stems removed so they lay flat and tomatoes cut in half. Heat canned baked beans for one to two minutes in the microwave or on the stove top.

Eggs and Toast

• The last step in making a fry-up is cooking the eggs and toast with a little of the bacon or sausage grease or with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Both foods take about two to three minutes per side, or cook until the toast is browned and crispy, and the egg's white is completely firm and the yolk has thickened slightly.

Alternate Versions

• Although the ingredients of an English breakfast are not unhealthy themselves, frying adds calories as well as messiness to the meal. Use alternative cooking methods to reduce those drawbacks, such as cooking the tomatoes and mushrooms under the broiler with just a spray of oil or toasting the bread in the toaster instead of frying it. Grilling, broiling or microwaving sausages takes about the same time as frying but minimizes cleanup.