I thought we had an item about eggs but apparently not... [Maybe we
talked about them  somewhat in another one of the items here.]  

So do you have any cool recipes using eggs [omeletes, deviled eggs, how
to fry or poach  one? How about related tips?

30 responses total.

I was just searching for the timing of making hard boiled eggs and came
across a site  that has a  lot of interesting tips and how-to's about
eggs...  So here are some of them  [in the next few responses]:

Perpetually Perfect and Peelable Hard-Boiled Eggs

Dear friends: 


Firstly, it's MOST important that after the hard-boiled eggs have
finished boiling, that  they be immediately rinsed in and then left to
soak in very, VERY cold water -- the  colder the better, icy is best.
This insures that the shell will separate from the albumen  (the thin
film that separates the shell from the egg) allowing us to peel the egg.


THEN, I find that the best way to peel a hard-boiled egg is to tap both
ends on a hard  surface, breaking the shell on both ends and then laying
the egg on its side on the hard  surface, simply and quickly rolling it
gently but firmly against the hard surface which  causes many, many tiny
and larger cracks to form through the shell and then it's ready  for
easy peeling. 

As an added extra... I find the wisest way to hard-boil eggs is to put
all the raw whole  eggs (as many eggs as you like as the number of eggs
you will be boiling has nothing  to do with this cooking method) into a
pot that has a tightly, snugly fitting cover of its  own -- then cover
all the eggs, filling the pot, with cool or lukewarm tap water until 
there is more than one-inch of water covering the egg that is on top of
all the eggs in  the pot. Then, on a high-flame, bring the water to a
full, rolling boil... the very minute  the eggs reach that full, rolling
boil, remove the pot from the stovetop to a nearby  waiting trivet and
IMMEDIATELY put the cover on the pot completely covering the pot 
TIGHTLY and allow the eggs to continue to cook in the hot water (right
on your tabletop,  yes, without any flame underneath it) still in the
pot for EIGHTEEN minutes. After the 18  minutes, remove the cover and
bring the pot to your kitchen sink, gently and carefully  pour out the
still very very hot water and refill the pot with the coldest water you
can  get your tap to produce. Let the eggs just sit in the very cold
water for a minute or two  and then refill the pot again with more of
the coldest water you've got. And you will  have perfectly hard boiled
eggs (which will also be remarkably easy to peel -- THAT is  the secret
to easy egg-peeling, immediately rinsing the cooked eggs with the very 
coldest water you can). I got this egg-boiling method from the old Betty
Crocker  cookbook and I was happily amazed to realize that it really
works -- PERFECT hard- boiled eggs EVERY single time -- and NEVER any
soft uncooked spots inside the eggs  either. It's just great. 

Sincerely, 

Miss Freya Friedman 

Centered Yolks

Hey,

I have a question. I read your recipe for boiling eggs perfectly  but 
what can be done  to keep the egg yolks from moving to the side i.e,
what can be done to keep them in  the center of the egg???? When I boil
them for deviled eggs, I often find the yolks at  the end of the oval  I
want them in the middle.

Thanks a Million
Lil Gibson

 
Hi Lil,

One of our readers wrote this tip for keeping yolks centered.  I found
this confirmed in  several other places, though I've not tried it
myself.

"I find that gently stirring the eggs as they come to a boil will keep
the yolk centered  and add a tsp of vinegar keeps them from cracking"

Also, use grade AA when making hardboiled eggs.  Their yolks are more
centered to  begin with.  Eggs are placed in their cartons large end up
to keep the air cell in place  and the yolk centered.  So keep them
stored that way in your refrigerator, too.

Hope this helps,
Desi @ DVO

Hard Boiled Egg?




Once in awhile, I come across hard-boiled eggs that are VERY difficult
to "de-shell". I  cooked the eggs for the amount of time required to
fully cook an egg (and sometimes  leave them in for a little longer) and
when I try to take off the shell, chunks of the egg  come off with it!
The egg also tastes a bit "odd". Is this an indication of an "bad" egg?

Thanks!

Hembokhae 



Hi,

I don't believe sticky shells are an indication of an old or a bad egg,
but I'm not sure.  You'd have to set up a kitchen test to find out
(hard-boil some fresh eggs and some  that have been sitting in your
refrigerator for a couple weeks, then see if one or the  other has a
difficult shell to peel). 

Use this test to see if an egg is old. Set the egg in question in a
glass of water. Fresh  eggs sink, while old eggs float. As eggs age, the
air sac on one end absorbs more air,  enlarges, and makes a nice little
floatation device! 

Meanwhile, the following post from one our newsletter readers may help
make your  eggs a bit easier to peel.

Hope this helps,

Desi @ DVO

Hard-Boiled Egg Tips 
Notes from Folks... 




Speaking of hard boiled eggs: the eggs that crack while being violently
rolled around in  the boiling water can be very messy. To keep the egg
from "leaking", splash a little  vinegar or lemon juice in the water
before turning on the heat. The acid "seals" the  egg.

And if you plan to store some of the boiled eggs in your refrigerator,
you will be able to  easily tell them apart from raw eggs if you put a
drop or two of food coloring (color of  your choice) in the water while
boiling the eggs.

Thanks for all your great recipes and cooking tips!

Pam Ratcliffe




For some time now, I've been using the following tips for boiling eggs,
and usually only  get an average of 1 out of ten problem eggs.

There are several challenges standing between the cook and the perfectly
cooked hard- boiled egg: for most recipes the yolk should be fully
cooked, but over cooking will turn  the white of the egg rubbery; the
egg shells should remain intact until the egg is fully  cooked, but a
rapid change in temperature usually causes the shells to crack and spill
 some of their contents; finally, the unattractive greenish ring around
the yolk needs to  be eliminated for reasons of appearance and taste.
Follow this method for perfect hard- boiled eggs every time.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with 1 inch (3 cm) of water. To
help make  newer eggs easier to peel, add 1 tsp Baking Soda to the
water. Bring the water to a boil  over high heat. As soon as the water
boils, cover the pot and remove it from the heat.  Allow to sit for 10
minutes, or 8 minutes if you prefer the center of the yolks slightly 
creamy. Drain the water from the pot and crack the egg shells - this can
be  accomplished simply by shaking the eggs vigorously in the pot.

Cover the eggs with cold water and let them sit for 30 minutes. Cracking
the egg shells  allows the sulfur compounds that cause the yolk to turn
green to escape, and since  these compounds are water soluble, and the
cold water will draw them from the egg.  Peel the eggs beginning at the
large end.

Donald Speer

Huevos al Alba il
(Eggs in Green Salsa)
DVO Recipe Center
Serves: 4


Serve up this dish with warmed tortillas at your next brunch or
almuerzo.

1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, medium, peeled, quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 serrano chiles, or to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
8 eggs
Salt to taste

For green sauce, in a large pan, place husked tomatillos, onion, garlic,
and serranos.  Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the
tomatillos are just softened. Pour  into a blender, add cilantro, cover
and puree until smooth. In a saucepan, heat 2  tablespoons oil. Add the
pureed sauce and cook over medium heat 15-20 minutes,  stirring
occasionally. Add salt to taste.

In a skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Beat the eggs and salt
to taste and pour  into heated skillet. Cook until set, flip and cook
the other side. Then, break the cooked  eggs into pieces. Pour the sauce
over the eggs and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve  immediately with
warmed tortillas.

[More stuff later!  I don't want to make this new item too
overwhelming/long so that the  rest of you won't read and contribute!]

BTW, when browsing recipes for making hard boiled eggs, there seemed to
be a wide  range of cooking times to make a good h.b. egg.  Anyone good
at making this kind of egg  have a suggested time to let the post-boiled
timing before cooling the eggs in cold water?


And any good ideas/recipes for egg salad?

The single most useful tip I know about for avoiding
shell-won't-come-off-easily is to NOT use fresh eggs.  If I'm preparing
them for a customer, I buy them at least a week before I need to hard
boil them.  

Here's an easy egg recipe for a slightly different flavor.

Onions               1/2 C
Butter                 1 Tbsp
Eggs                   2
MILD cheddar cheese    1 oz

Slice onions in very fine slivers.  Caramelize in heavy skillet by
heating slowly and stirring constantly.  No added fat, water, or
anything else.

The onions will turn translucent, and then start to turn slightly brown.
 Keep stirring until they are a rich light brown.  

Grate the cheddar.

Beat the eggs until thoroughly combined.  You may want to add salt and
pepper to taste.  

Heat about 1 tablespoon butter or oil in a very small frying pan or
omelet pan.  For 2 eggs 6 inches is about right.

Pour eggs into  omelet pan, and let cook without stirring.  After the
bottom is set, gently lift an edge and let the remaining liquid egg run
under the omelet. 

When the top is set but still shiny, spread the cheese over 1/2.  Spread
the caramelized onions over the cheese.  Let cook until the cheese
melts.

Gently slide onto the serving plate, using the edge of the pan to flip
half the omelet over top of the cheese and onions.  

Makes one serving, using Cheap Eats ingredients.

Hmm, I've had omelette's with onion and cheese but haven't ever
caramelized the  onions first. I'll have to give that a try the next
time I have one with onions.

Something to debate, perhaps:  What way do you prefer your
omelette's--the way that  my cousin taught me years ago where you beat
the egg whites first [not necessarily to  really stiff but to a fairly
fluffy state] and then gently blending in the yolks [that you  have
already stirred up by themselves] and then cooking them [in butter or
whatever  you use] to a lightly browned state on the bottom [not
stirring them after the eggs are  in the frying pan] and then lightly
browning the top under the broiler... [and then add  the other
ingredients of choice to half of the omelette, folding over, then
sliding on your  plate... 

vs

Beating the eggs [yolks and whites together] and preceding as Colleen
described as  above?


I do like both ways; I like the 'fluffiness' of the first way but the
flavor seems more  apparent in the 2nd option.

Earlier this afternoon, I did make up some hard-boiled eggs, letting
them sit in the boiled  water for 10 minutes before putting them in cold
water.  One of the 2 eggs I've eaten  peeled very nicely, the other one
had the eggwhite stick to one end of the shell. Maybe I  didn't crack up
the shell well enough first. [The eggs were brought maybe 2 weeks or so 
ago.]  The egg yolks didn't end up with that greenish tinge around the
edges, though they  were very slightly softer/undercooked in the center.
But still very edible.

For scrambled eggs, I've started adding bits of broccoli and fresh onion
while scrambling. Adds a little something to an old standby.

Does anyone remember the 50s Egg Foo Yong?  My mom used to buy a can of
LaChoy Chinese vegetables, mix in an egg or two, and fry the patties.  

They were served with soy sauce and rice at our house.  

Colleen, you could not be more correct.  If I use fresh eggs, I'm 
always screwed when it's time to peel.  

Re #13:  Oh yes, I remember 50s Egg Foo Yong.  And for a long time I
thought that a Chinese restaurant was a place where you went to get egg
foo yong, chop suey, or chicken chow mein...

Here's how I do hard-boiled eggs.  

I cook 1 dozen at a time, and store them in the carton in my
refrigerator. I *always* start with week-old eggs.

I use a pan big enough to hold all 12 of them in a single layer.  I fill
the pan half way with water, then place the eggs in it (water helps keep
the eggs from cracking against each other and the sides).  Then I add
enough more water to cover the egg by about an inch.

Then I let them sit until they come to room temperature.  Sometimes, I
use warm water in the pan to help this process along.  

Bringing them to room temperature helps keep them from cracking because
of different expansion rates between the shell and the white.  

I put the *covered* pan on a burner, turn the burner all the way up, and
bring the eggs to a boil.  The cover helps the contents reach the
boiling point faster, and in the summer, keeps your kitchen from filling
with steam.  

As soon as the cover starts jiggling, I turn down the heat to a very low
boil, and start an 7 minute timer.  When the timer goes off, I turn off
the burner but leave the eggs covered and on the stove.  (This is the
electric burner method  -- gas burners go for 8 minutes).  

At the end of 10 minutes from the start of boiling, I pour out all the
hot water, cover the eggs with the coldest tap water, and let them sit
for a minute.  The water heats up, so I pour it off, and cover them
again with cold water.  Sometimes you need to do this twice.

The idea is to cool the eggs as quickly as possible.  

Once they are room temperature again, I put them back in their labeled
carton, store them in the refrigerator, and use the "crack each end,
then roll" technique before I start peeling.  

The green comes from the sulfur compounds, but the way to eliminate it
is to cool the egg, not crack the shell.  

Hard boiled eggs will keep for a couple weeks in the fridge, as will
uncooked eggs.  I've been in places where people keep the eggs in a
basket on the table for a week or so, but I've never needed to do that.
   They will, however, be fine for a couple days on the counter.  

Really?  You can leave them at room temperature?  That seems wrong to 
me.  (I'm not saying you're wrong, it just seems wrong.)

I know, it seems wrong.  But think about it.  Those eggs don't go bad when
left in the nest for several days.  

In 3rd world areas without electricity and refrigeration, the eggs are not
collected and eaten the second they are laid.  Sometimes they are left on the
nest, sometimes they are collected and left on the table.  

Personally, I keep them refrigerated.  But there are areas of the world where
they are gathered and used under very different conditions.  

actually, I've never had a hard time peeling eggs, fresh or not if I 
immediately soak them in ice water (tons of ice) right after.  That 
always works for me.

Ok, I have some stuff on fried eggs [from a website, of course]:

How to Fry Happy
The secret behind frying an egg is to get a really good non-stick pan.
This is so  important that I have three 8-inch non-stick pans that I
bring to work with me every  day and take home every night. This may
sound extreme to some, but when you take  into account that I may need
to make up to 20 omelets and many fried eggs each day,  you see that
taking care of the equipment is key. One good 8-inch pan should take
care  of all your egg needs.

Remember not to scrub the pan. Instead, rinse it in hot water and dry it
with a soft  cloth. Never put anything metal in it and it will last
years. You will also need to get a  good rubber spatula.

Where to Get This Stuff
You could go to that cool cooking equipment store they have at the mall.
You know the  one, the name is in French and all the prices are in
triple digits. If how much you pay  for your pan is that important, then
by all means go have fun. But the real deal is this:  a decent pan can
cost as little as $20. Believe me, an expensive pan is not going help if
 you don't know how to fry an egg. Practice will make you a better cook.
If you can t  find a restaurant supply store in your town or if you just
want to see what professionals  are using, go to Surfas and take a look
around. Yes, you will find some very expensive  stuff there, but you
will also see that the professional cooks don t spend $20 on a frying 
pan or even a sheet pan.



Ok, So Let's Cook an Egg
There are only two options to frying an egg:

Yolk up
Yolk down
This is what you need to do: put your pretty new pan over a medium flame
and put a  little butter into it, enough so that when it s melted it
just barely covers the bottom of  the pan.

Take your eggs and crack them into the pan. Throw the shells away. If
you are making  sunny-side up eggs, you can just cover the pan and let
the egg cook for about two  minutes. You don t want to over cook them.
The eggs will continue to cook after you  take them out of the pan (this
is called carry over) so sometimes eggs that are done in  the pan are
rubber on the plate. You might as well chew on the spatula. If you have 
your oven on at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit, you can just take the pan
and pop it  into the oven until the eggs are done. There you go--sunny
side up eggs.

For over easy eggs, there s a little more to it but not much more. Over
easy eggs just  take practice. Get the eggs into the pan and let them
cook for a minute, then tilt the  pan so the eggs slide all the way to
one side. Put your spatula under the eggs and then  give them a gentle
flip. I just flip them in the pan with a little wrist flick. You can do 
that, too, but I would suggest a bit of practice on your own before
trying it in front of  someone. For over easy, cook the second side for
just 30 seconds or so. The more firm  you want the yolk, the longer you
need to cook it.



How to Fry an Egg
Now that you know how to fry an egg, I'll give you the real secret to
over easy. For  some reason, it is easier to flip two eggs than one. So
if you are not very experienced  with the egg flipping part, I suggest
practicing with two eggs at a time. I would also  suggest inviting some
friends over for brunch so you don t have to eat all those eggs 
yourself, but that s up to you. Two last points:

Never salt eggs while they are cooking. It will just make them hard.
Cold eggs give better frying results than room temperature eggs.

ngredients for Fried Eggs With Tomato Recipe
8 eggs
4 tomatoes, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
Seasonings to taste
Instructions
Season the tomatoes.
Put butter in the frying pan.
Put on a hot stove. When the butter starts to foam, break eggs on top of
tomatoes. Let cook slowly until the whites are set. Better results are
obtained if the frying is done  with 2 eggs at a time (individual
portion is 2 eggs).

You make fried eggs sound good.  I've never been able to stomach runny yolks.

I don't mind them with some toast to dip them in, but I really prefer
them fried so the yolk is all the way cooked.

I wasn't successful in frying my eggs  in the past... It's been years
since I've tried, so I  like finding hints and suggestions to make them
easy enough for me to do. My mom used  to make great fried eggs.

Re 22  You don't want to have grown up in my house then - we put 
ketchup on our fried eggs.  Dave said he'd never met anyone who liked 
ketchup like I do - until my grandparents came for a visit.  

Here's an interesting Egg Salad Recipe:

Aunt Thelma's Egg Salad

A family favorite, serve chilled.

 
using red or yellow bell peppers!

Items Needed: (for 2 servings) 

4 Hard Boiled Eggs 
2 tablespoons mayonnaise 
1 teaspoon sugar 
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard 
2 tablespoons shredded cheese of choice 
1/3 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (yellow works best color wise to
match the eggs,  but other bell peppers will work nicely too)  1/3 cup
white sweet onion (peeled & chopped)- optional  Salt & Pepper to taste 

To boil eggs, place eggs in enough cold water to cover completely, bring
to a rolling boil  over high heat.

Reduce heat to a lower MEDIUM BOIL and cook an additional 12 minutes. 
Promptly chill eggs so yolks stay bright yellow.

Remove shells from eggs, chop with a clean stainless steel knife until
the eggs are  nicely diced.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together chopped eggs, with all other
ingredients. Chill. 

Great as a single dish, or in a sandwich. Keep refrigerated until
served.  Enjoy! 

And from the 'Incredible Edible Egg' site:

Nutrition
Egg Nutrients

Eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have a high
proportion of  nutrients to calories. One large egg has only 75 calories
and provides 13 essential  nutrients in varying amounts. Eggs are an
excellent source of choline and a good  source of the highest quality
protein and riboflavin. Many of egg s incredible nutrients  are found in
the egg yolk, including choline, folate, lutein and zeaxanthin and
vitamin D.  The yolk also includes healthy monosaturated and
polyunsaturated fats and almost half  of the high-quality protein found
in eggs. Click here for the nutrient content of a large  egg.

Because they are so nutrient-dense, eggs are a source of nutrition for
people of all  ages.

DID YOU KNOW 

Eggs provide kids with the highest quality protein, which provides the
building blocks  they need to grow and the energy they need to stay
focused throughout the day.  The protein in eggs helps adults build and
preserve muscle strength and allows them to  feel full longer and stay
energized, which contributes to maintaining a healthy weight.  Eggs have
varying amounts of four of the nutrients pregnant women need most: 
choline, protein, folate and iron. Choline, a recently recognized
essential nutrient,  contributes to fetal brain development and is
important in nerve tissue development,  which helps prevent birth
defects.  Older adults are at risk for sarcopenia, the age-related loss
of muscle mass. Eggs  provide the highest quality protein, which can
help them meet their protein needs in  order to help maintain muscle
function and slow the rate of muscle loss. Eggs provide small amounts of
lutein and zeaxanthin (zee-uh-ZAN-thin), two nutrients  which are part
of the carotenoid family (like beta-carotene in carrots) that contribute
to  eye health and help prevent common causes of age-related blindness.
Research  suggests that lutein from eggs may be more bioavailable,
meaning more easily  absorbed by the body, than lutein from richer
sources.

An interesting twist to making scrambled egss for a crowd:

Oven-Scrambled Eggs
(6- 12 servings)

                12 eggs
                3/4 cup skim or 1% low-fat milk
                1 teaspoon salt, optional
                1/4 teaspoon pepper, optional
In large bowl, beat together eggs and milk with salt and pepper, if
desired, until  blended.  Pour egg mixture into lightly greased 13 x 9 x
2-inch baking pan.  Place in  preheated 350  F oven.  As mixture begins
to set, after about 7 minutes, pull out oven  rack and gently draw an
inverted pancake turner completely across bottom and sides  of pan,
forming large, soft curds.  Continue baking.  Repeat drawing a few more
times  until eggs are thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, about
12 to 15 minutes  more.  Do not stir constantly.

I love ketchup on my eggs. It is YUMMY!

I like ketchup on a few random items but I'm not as crazy about it as it
appears many  others do.  Like with hamburgers, if I'm ordering from a
fast food place, I usually get it  with the ketchup since its already
there.  But when I get a more -made-to-order  burger, I prefer it
medium, with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  Even though thhis  does
include some condiments, I'm not like a lot of people that load up on
tons of stuff.  I *like* to taste my meat snf not use it as a just a
thing to pile everything else on.  :-)   But I occasionally do use
ketchup on fries from time to time [depending on the fries].  


Though in the past, I'd rarely use mustard. But more recently, I've been
using it more  often. Especially honey mustard [just had to buy some
more last night when I was at  the grocery store].  It's good mixed in
with recipes like egg or potato salad, great as a  dip for chicken
nuggets, as well as great on hot dogs.  Or a tiny bit with the cheese on
a  grilled cheese sandwhich.  [Grilled cheese and tomato is great as
well.]

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