Egg Cooking Technique Secrets

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Eggs are simple and cheap, but to master how to cook them takes a bit of skill -- or at least attention. With all the different sizes (large, extra large, jumbo etc.), fresh vs. less fresh, and any number of different cooking techniques, eggs are easier to mess up than get right it seems.

Today I hard boiled a dozen eggs, and though they were very well cooked, they were a bit over cooked for my taste. (I like a soft core on my yolks.) When I hard boil eggs, I usually take the the water to boil and then let the eggs sit for 7-10 minutes based upon size. Large eggs (7 min) and extra jumbo whatever (10 min). Then I do the ice bath thing. For some reason I took large eggs to 10 minutes this time.

Anybody have any egg cooking secrets?

k.
 
Thermal circulator all the way. Perfection every time. I love me a good egg.
 
I knew that was coming, and my wife has been encouraging me to go that route too. Thanks for tipping me towards more kitchen equipment ;)

Btw, I have resurrected my egg eating after hearing about a study that people who ate one egg each morning lost weight. Apparently, the early morning protein is very effective at curbing hunger later in the day.

k.
 
Hahaha , couldn't resist. There are some cheaper home models available now, which is nice. But the polyscience professional is just so portable and great looking. And besides eggs go great with everything.
 
K, you need to run out right now and get the current issue of Bon Appetit. The cover has a big ol' cinnamon bun on it, but the major article is about eggs. Hey, I just found it online for you for free!

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/the-incredible-egg

You MUST try the Jean Georges Vongerichten technique of cooking scrambled eggs with a whisk. I thought my low and slow scrambling technique was good but my God this one changed my life as we love eggs so much.

The foolproof hard-boiled egg technique is in there too as is Thomas Keller's egg poaching method which is also superb.

Have you ever tried basting your eggs for something different?

And yes, eggs are fine for you in the morning. In fact a high protein breakfast is better that carbs for weight control. I like lean ham, natural peanut butter and Greek yogurt for breakfast too.
 
The latest issue of Food (Food Network) has Alton Brown describing the way to cook a variety of eggs from easy-over to poached, scrambled etc. For boiled for me its cold water, cold eggs, up to a boil, when at a rolling boil, 9 minute timer, drain the water, and a dunk in cold water. Leaves the yoke fully cooked, and tender in the center.
 
Have you ever tried basting your eggs for something different?

Now that is intriguing. And yes, I have the BA issue, just haven't looked at it closely yet. I am going to try that Keller poached egg on some homemade bread. Bread and runny eggs -- can't go wrong.

k.
 
You MUST try the Jean Georges Vongerichten technique of cooking scrambled eggs with a whisk. I thought my low and slow scrambling technique was good but my God this one changed my life as we love eggs so much.

Thanks for the link. I have saved the recipes as PDFs and will give them a shot. I don't eat eggs too often during the week, but love them on the weekends.
 
K, you need to run out right now and get the current issue of Bon Appetit. The cover has a big ol' cinnamon bun on it, but the major article is about eggs. Hey, I just found it online for you for free!

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/the-incredible-egg

You MUST try the Jean Georges Vongerichten technique of cooking scrambled eggs with a whisk. I thought my low and slow scrambling technique was good but my God this one changed my life as we love eggs so much.

The foolproof hard-boiled egg technique is in there too as is Thomas Keller's egg poaching method which is also superb.

Have you ever tried basting your eggs for something different?

And yes, eggs are fine for you in the morning. In fact a high protein breakfast is better that carbs for weight control. I like lean ham, natural peanut butter and Greek yogurt for breakfast too.

:thanx:
will try to get that issue of :bonappetit:
 
Hmm you are motivativing me to try my michael ruhlman perforated bad ass egg spoon this weekend. I bought it to make poached eggs for corned beef hash.
 
I forgot about the Pepin eggs en cocotte (in ramekins). They're great with some sauteed mushrooms, spinach or chard, oven-dried tomatoes or candied bacon added.
 
You MUST try the Jean Georges Vongerichten technique of cooking scrambled eggs with a whisk. I thought my low and slow scrambling technique was good but my God this one changed my life as we love eggs so much.

I will be trying that tomorrow, I seem to be out of caviar though.
 
That Ruhlman spoon kicks ass! Got to get me one of those, plus the reusable straining cloth he sells.
 
You always have to have caviar in the fridge -- and my kids eat it like it is crack cocaine.

k.

Aren't all modern drugs attempting to be a substitute for caviar?

Lucky Peach 1 has multiple recipes for eggs as well as a really cool diagram of temperature and yolk texture.
 
At work I do cold water, heavily salted, with eggs, maybe the water line an inch above the eggs. Bring to a full boil. Set timer for 10 minutes. Ice quench. I'd say they have been coming out perfect.not overcooked, easy to peal. I suspect the optimum time might have something to do with where you live.

-AJ
 
For sort of creamy soft boiled eggs I put them in boiling water and cook for 7 mins, still runny in the middle but a little set, the very centre of the yolk is runny. For poached eggs, I have no idea how long I cook them for, I just touch them to know they're ready, I cook breakfasts at my work the odd time. For the actual technique, I don't whisk them, I have found after some experimenting that for the best looking eggs, I must drop them in the water high enough that it doesn't splash me. If I don't get splashed they look great. Hardly scientific but it works for me
 
I had posted in my corned beef hash post here on how I poach my eggs. —

I use a non-stick pan and fill it with about an 1 1/2" of water, then bring the water to the verge of boiling and reduce heat. Add a tablespoon of vinegar for each cup of water in the pan and stir. Carefully crack open egg/eggs making sure not breaking the yokes and put each into a small cup. Get cup as close as you can to the water and gently pour in. If the whites start to spread out use a slotted spoon to push them back towards the yoke. They should be ready it 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yoke. I like mine a little firm so I went with 4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. If you are not serving them right away you can dip them in ice water to stop the cooking.

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Those are some gorgeous eggs. I am sure it is just photo trickery though ;)

I just made my poached eggs using Keller's method. He let the eggs set for 5 minutes in 1/2 C distilled white vinegar to set them, create a vortex with a whisk in the boiling water, pour in the egg with vinegar, keep stirring, bring back to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. I haven't opened them yet, but they are the nicest compact oval poached eggs I have ever made. At the same time I tried David Chang's 5:10 soft boiled eggs. Those were amazing and perfectly runny.

I also made some fresh bread this morning using that no-knead recipe that just sits in my fridge ready to make, so it is going to be poached eggs on fresh bread for brunch. Pictures later.

k.
 
Ok, here are the pics. Sorry for no plating skills or fancy photography -- laziness rules on Saturday morning.

As for the eggs, they both came out amazing, and I would recommend both the Chang 5:10 and Keller poached egg. With that said, if you just want the runny yolk for your morning egg, the 5:10 egg is much simpler. You just boil water, lower the eggs in for 5 min and 10 seconds, lift out the eggs and put in an ice bath. No vinegar or swirling and it is much easier to handle larger batches. With the Keller recipe, he says that if you do more than two eggs you should start new water because there is a cup of vinegar in at that time.

The last picture is of the 5:10 egg.

k.

poached.jpgbread.jpgpoached2.jpgpoached3.jpg510egg.jpg
 
Immersion circulators are expensive.

If you play around with a large enough pot...5qts/6 eggs? We boil water...let it cool for 5 min...add eggs...cover 45 min...and you get a nice gelatinous soft white...soft yolk.

Great for americanized sukiyaki where folks don't want toally raw egg.
 
Eggs are simple and cheap, but to master how to cook them takes a bit of skill -- or at least attention. With all the different sizes (large, extra large, jumbo etc.), fresh vs. less fresh, and any number of different cooking techniques, eggs are easier to mess up than get right it seems.

Today I hard boiled a dozen eggs, and though they were very well cooked, they were a bit over cooked for my taste. (I like a soft core on my yolks.) When I hard boil eggs, I usually take the the water to boil and then let the eggs sit for 7-10 minutes based upon size. Large eggs (7 min) and extra jumbo whatever (10 min). Then I do the ice bath thing. For some reason I took large eggs to 10 minutes this time.

Anybody have any egg cooking secrets?

k.

Many suggestions for boiled eggs depend on the heat source and the pan. To get perfect eggs on any stove with any pan, bring the water to a boil (the more water the better), and slide the room temperature eggs in gently with a spoon. Bring back to a boil as quickly as possible and boil for 12 minutes for hard eggs (deviled eggs, egg salad, etc.), 8 minutes for a softer yolk, or 4 minutes for soft boiled. At the elapsed time, put the pan immediately under cold running water to cool the eggs quickly. Peel 12 or 8 minute eggs as soon as they are cool enough to handle. They will peel perfectly every time, and be cooked the way you want.
 
Quick shot of my poached eggs from this morning. Served over cubed potatoes cooked in a skillet olive oil, butter, bacon, green and white onions, and a little minced garlic with some good sourdough toast and fresh grapefruit juice.

Poached_Eggs.jpg
 
I've spent most weekend mornings for the past two months trying to replicate the "runny eggs" from Ya Kun Kaya Toast coffee shops in Singapore. An order of "runny eggs" at any of the franchises comprises two barely-set but intact soft-boiled eggs that are completely peeled, in a bowl. The whites are ever so slightly opaque; I think 15 seconds less on the boil and they'd be translucent. The locals eat runny eggs with a dash of soy sauce, and dip their Kaya (coconut-egg jam) toast in it. It is heavenly. Any ideas how to time them that accurately? And how the heck do they peel such soft eggs so completely -- I can never get mine into the bowl intact.

IMG_0956-1.jpg
 
Many suggestions for boiled eggs depend on the heat source and the pan.

Two variables that throw me off are: (1) the varying size of eggs these days and (2) the boil (or re-boil). The difference between the first tiny bubbles of pre-boiling to a rolling boil is often 2 minutes or so, and that's significant in an egg's 'life'. And jumbo extra large eggs take longer to cook and also reduce the water temperature more meaning they affect boiling. From now on I am starting to buy the same size of eggs.

And thanks Johnny.B for making my brunch look simple ;)

k.
 
I put eggs directly from the fridge into cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, as,soon as it boils I turn off the heat and cover the pan, 9 or 10 minutes and I empty the pan and run cold water into it till the eggs are cooled. The yolks are just set in the middle.
 
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