How on earth did I miss this thread? I
loves me some eggs, but as I'm transitioning to veganism, I don't really eat them much any more.
There is definitely a knack to making them though. The tricky thing is that the yolk actually cooks at a slightly lower temperature than the whites, oddly enough. I'm in the process of building a
sous vide cooker, originally for the purpose of cooking the ultimate boiled egg, but now it's pretty much just for shits and giggles.
L2R's guide for boiling eggs does an excellent job. I like the yolks a bit more custardy, so I boil them just a hair less. My favourite way to do eggs though are either as an omelette/fritatta or poached. The latter is very much like boiling in shell, except that you crack the eggs into gently boiling liquid and let them cook in there. Again, there's a real knack to getting this right: I use a small pot rather than a saute pan so that I get a bit more depth to the fluid. Just before the water comes to a boil, add in a few glugs of vinegar to help the whites quickly coagulate on the outside; this will keep the whites together better, rather than cooking as little spindly tentacles. Oh, and also a solid pinch of salt, to give the eggs a light first seasoning. I'll have two eggs cracked into a ramekin or small bowl waiting at the ready. Once the water barely comes to the boil, I take my slotted spoon and give it a vigorous stir along the outside of the pot to set up a little vortex. Interestingly, the steam bubbles actually help sustain the momentum of the water for a bit longer. Once the water is spinning, I'll add the eggs from the ramekin in one smooth go, from right at the water's surface so as to not make any splashes. Let it poach for 30 seconds or so, and then gently use the back of the slotted spoon to give the eggs a nudge, to make sure that they haven't stuck to the bottom. Let them cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes before pulling them out with the slotted spoon and giving them a poke to check for doneness. The whites should be fairly solid but still soft, and the yolk should have a little bit of structure, but not be rock hard. It should stand up on its own, but still be soft upon poking, basically. Drain as much water as you can off of the eggs, then slide onto waiting slices of garlic toast, season with coarse salt, pepper, smoked paprika if you've got it, and serve with avocado for great justice. Or if you're a full-on omnivore you can prepare the classic hangover cure: eggs benedict. Serve a poached egg on top of an English muffin (or toast if that's all you've got) which has been topped with a slice of ham (or bacon), then douse the whole thing in hollandaise sauce. Heavy, fatty and hypercaloric; just what a hungover stomach needs, amirite?
Omelettes and fritattas are pretty similar. The former are fluffy whipped eggs that are slowly cooked in a warm pan so as to be almost scrambled, but still cohesive. Fillings are then added to one side of the pan; I like sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic, a bit of sharp cheddar and scallions. Once everything is in the pan and the bottom is just starting to brown, slide the whole thing onto a waiting plate, flipping the un-topped side over to make a little sandwich type thing. Top with a bit more sharp cheddar, and serve with salsa.
Fritattas are basically the same, only the toppings are mixed in with the eggs, and rather than doing a flip it is finished in an oven and served in slices. Sort of like a crustless quiche, which are also quite delicious.
), happy hens. (They taste a lot better than store-bought eggs anyways.)
