Wednesday, February 1, 2017

20 ways to cook eggs

As you know we have 6 egg laying hens. For the most part, we are collecting 6 eggs a day. These cloudy winter days can be iffy when we go out to collect the eggs. The ladies need minimum 14 hours of exposure to light. We have a light in the coop. It's a small night light type light bulb. It's been burnt out for the last few rainy days, so we've only collected two eggs a day. 

Hopefully, the rain will let up tomorrow and we can string up a strand of lights we just took off the Christmas tree inside the coop. 

All of these eggs mean we need to expand our horizons and experiment with recipes beyond scrambled, boiled, fried, and baked. 

1. Our favorite way to eat eggs are scrambled. Or YELLOW, as Isabelle has always called them. 

Crack 4 eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk with a fork. Add a splash of milk and a dash of pepper, continue mixing. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, then pour eggs into the pan. Let eggs cook for a minute before using a spatula to push the eggs into the center of the pan. Continuing stirring as the eggs cook to your desired doneness. 

*You can add cheese and put the lid on the pan to make cheesy eggs
*Add Spinach as soon as you pour the eggs into the pan to make GREEN eggs



2. Hard Boiled Eggs are a quick snack and are easy tomake by the dozen. Just be sure to mark the container as HARD BOILED 

Place a dozen eggs in a pot with cold water (the water should entirely cover all the eggs). Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Turn off stove, remove the pot from the hot burner and let sit, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and place them in a bowl of ice water until eggs are completely cooled. They store for about a week in the refrigerator.



3. Tea Eggs

Tea eggs, a traditional Chinese snack, are made by cracking hard-boiled eggs and steeping them in a spiced tea mix. (Don't be alarmed—because they're cooked in water, then tea, the yolks of these eggs might turn slightly green, which is perfectly fine.)


4. Sunny Side Up Eggs

Heat oil or melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Carefully crack eggs one at a time into the skillet. Wait for 1 to 2 minutes, then either cover the pan for a minute, or tilt the skillet and use a spoon to collect the fat and pour it over the egg white. Repeat to pour it over the yolk. Covering the pan or basting the egg helps the top to cook without flipping the egg. Total time: 4 to 5 minutes. 



5. Omelet

Whisk eggs or egg whites with salt, pepper and seasonings. Sauté any omelet fillings you'd like (chopped onions, peppers, spinach, and so on), then pour the eggs over the vegetables, evenly distributing them in the pan. If you want to add bacon or cheese in your omelet, cook the eggs first, then sprinkle your filling in the middle. Cook about 4 minutes fold and serve.



6. Poached Eggs

I love poached eggs over roasted summer vegetables. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Carefully break 4 eggs into the water. Cook for 1 minute. If eggs begin to stick, loosen from bottom of pan with a spatula. Poach for 3 to 5 minutes, to desired doneness. Remove with a slotted spoon.



7. Runny Boiled Eggs

To cook soft-boiled eggs, use the same technique as hard-boiling and simply steep the eggs in hot water for a bit less time: Put your eggs in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then take the pan off the stove and cover. Let stand for 4 minutes.



8. Fried Runny Eggs

Heat a skillet on medium and add a pat of butter. Crack eggs one at a time in the butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the eggs and cover with the pan lid. Turn the heat to low. When the whites are bright white remove from heat.  Carefully lift the eggs out of the pan. 



9. Easter Eggs (Deviled Eggs)

Prepare hard-boiled eggs, peel and cut each egg in half lengthwise. Pop yolks out of each half into a large mixing bowl. A basic recipe includes mayonnaise,yellow mustard, salt and pepper, all mixed with mashed egg yolks. Evenly distribute the mixture among the hard-boiled egg halves. In Maryland we also like to sprinkle the tops of the eggs with Old Bay seasoning.



10. Egg Salad

Start with peeled hard-boiled eggs. Chop eggs and mash them together with salt, pepper, mayonnaise, and a dash of mustard, if desired. Add chopped celery, sweet gherkins, and onion if you'd like. Mix all ingredients together and place in the refrigerator for a half hour before eating. 



11. Frittata

Preheat the oven. Using an oven proof skillet add a bit of olive oil or butter to the pan (don't forget the sides). Cook any meats or vegetables in the pan before pouring the lightly beaten eggs into the skillet. The eggs need to cook without being touched for at least a minute, then take a rubber spatula to lift the edges of the frittata away from the side of the skillet. (This is the only stirring you need to do) Pop the frittata in the oven for10 to 12 minutes.



12. Quiche

I usually use a store bought crust. You can find recipes online for a homemade crust. Combine eggs with half-and-half and salt in a large bowl and whisk.You can add any delicious filling, sauteed vegetables, browned sausage or cooked bacon, and don't forget the shredded cheese. Pour the egg mixture into pie crust. Use a baking pan underneath the pie pan, in case of spillage. Usually takes about 40 minutes to cook. 
 


13. Baked Eggs

I like to use Hawaiian bread for this. Cut the tops of the dinner rolls and scoop out the middle. Crack an egg and sprinkle salt and pepper over the egg. Pop the pan into the oven for about 25 minutes, the bread will be toasted and the eggs baked through. 



14. Baked Eggs with ham and cheese

Line a muffin pan with slices of ham. Crack an egg on top of the ham and add shredded cheese. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. 



15. Over easy

Eggs over easy and sunny side up are often using interchangeably, but they are different. You go from sunny side up to over easy by simply flipping your egg when the edges are brown. The “easy” doesn’t refer to the simplicity of turning over an egg, but the state of your yolk. “Over easy” means the egg is flipped and cooked just long enough to make a film on the top of the yolk. When served, the yolk – and some of the whites – are still runny.



16. Over Medium

Over medium means the eggs are fried, flipped, and fried a little longer, enough to cook the whites through and brown the edges slightly. You’ll develop a thicker film on your yolk, but the inside is still runny. 



17. Over Hard

And over hard is the final step. Over hard is fried, flipped, and fried again – usually with the yolk broken – until both the white and the yolk are completely cooked. Just tap the edge of your spatula into the yolk or poke it with a fork before turning it over. Be careful not to dribble the yolk when flipping.



18. Spanish Eggs

Eggs are fried at high temps in olive oil, while you spoon the hot oil over the egg. Crack an egg into a small bowl first, then ladle it into the hot oil, and start scooping oil over the white and the yolk for about 1 minute. The result is the best of all worlds: crispy edges, creamy whites, and a runny yolk. 



19. Egg Burrito

Make your eggs and add the fillings you'd like. In another skillet warm a tortilla. Sprinkle cheese and add your egg mixture. After a minute fold the tortilla three times. 



20. Pickled Eggs

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from hot burner keep eggs in the hot water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove eggs from hot water, cool under cold running water, and peel. Bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Place eggs, garlic, and bay leaf in a 1-quart mason jar; top with vinegar mixture. Seal jar and refrigerate for at least 1 week.





















No comments:

Post a Comment