The Art of Eggs
I have often remarked that the cooking of eggs is a dieing art. It often amazes me to see what cooks at diners across the country are trying to pass off as eggs. Restaurant eggs are often so consistently bad that I will order my eggs over easy in an attempt to get them served as i like them… over medium. I thought I’d post a brief overview of what should be obvious and is certainly a cooking fundamental. The art of eggs!
SOFT-COOKED, OR JELLIED, EGGS.
Eggs that are cooked soft, or jellied, may be used for any meal in which plain eggs can be served. When properly prepared, they are both digestible and attractive, and any person who is able to eat eggs at all can eat them in this form.
To prepare soft-cooked, or jellied, eggs, first bring to the boiling point sufficient water to cover well the desired number of eggs, which is usually 1 pint of water to each egg. Then drop the eggs into the water carefully, remove the pan from the fire, place a cover on it, and set it on the back of the stove, where the water will not heat further nor cool too rapidly. Allow the eggs to remain in the water for 5 minutes. When eggs cooked in this manner are served, they will be found to be the consistency of jelly all the way through. This method of cooking is preferable to boiling them for 3, 4, or 5 minutes, because boiling cooks the white just inside the shell very hard, while the yolk of the egg remains liquid.
POACHED EGGS
Eggs properly poached make a very attractive breakfast dish, but the poaching should be well done in order to have the dish attractive and digestible. The food value of a plain poached egg is, of course, identically the same as that of a soft-cooked, a
hard-cooked, or a raw egg. Eggs are usually poached in a shallow pan, although egg poachers are to be had.
To poach eggs in a shallow pan, pour into the pan sufficient water to cover the eggs that are to be cooked, add a teaspoonful of salt or of vinegar for each pint of water, and bring it to the boiling point. Remove the pan from the flame or reduce the heat so that the water will cease to boil. Break the eggs, one at a time, into a saucer and then slide them carefully into the water. Do not allow the water to boil after the eggs have been added, as boiling toughens the egg white and in addition causes considerable loss by tearing it into shreds. When the eggs are set, remove them carefully from the water and season them with salt and pepper. A convenient way to remove the eggs is to use a large spoon that has holes in the bowl for draining off the water. The salt or vinegar is added to the water before cooking in order to solidify the albumen and keep it in a mass.
An egg poacher contains a perforated section of metal just large enough to hold an egg. In poaching eggs with such a utensil, the perforated part is placed over a pan of boiling water; then the egg is carefully slid into it, and allowed to poach. Eggs prepared in this way are really cooked by steam and are found to be very satisfactory.
POACHED EGGS ON TOAST
Eggs poached according to the directions just given can be made both appetizing and attractive by serving them on toast, indeed, the addition of toast to a poached egg adds a quantity of carbohydrate, a food principle in which the egg is lacking. If the toast is buttered, fat is added, and such a dish, together with fruit, makes a very excellent breakfast. A slice of toast of medium size with the usual amount of butter and egg will have a food value of about 225 calories. In preparing poached eggs on toast, the usual custom is to butter slices of freshly made toast, moisten them with hot milk or cream, and place on them freshly poached eggs. The eggs are then seasoned with salt and pepper, and, if desired, a little piece of butter may be dropped on each one. To add to the attractiveness of such a dish, the toast may be cut round with a cookie cutter or a square piece may be cut diagonally to make two triangular pieces.
HARD-COOKED EGGS
Eggs that are cooked hard may be served hot or cold, or they may be used in numerous ways, as, for example, to garnish
a dish to which the addition of protein is desirable or to supply a high-protein dish for some light meal. To prepare hard-cooked eggs, bring to the boiling point sufficient water to cover well the desired number of eggs, about 1 pint of water for each
egg to be cooked usually being sufficient. Carefully drop the eggs into the water and place the pan on the back of the stove where the water will not boil, but will stay hot. Allow the eggs to remain in the hot water for 45 minutes; then remove them, and if they are desired hot, serve them at once. If they are not to be served hot, pour cold water over them and allow them to cool before removing the shells in order to prevent the yolks from discoloring.
When prepared in this way, eggs will be found to be tender and at the same time well cooked; whereas, if they are cooked at the boiling point, they are certain to be tough and leathery and consequently less digestible.
FRIED EGGS
Fried eggs are likely to be more or less indigestible, because the hot fat coagulates the protein and makes it very hard. The
addition of fat, however, increases the food value of the eggs to a certain extent. To fry eggs, melt enough butter or other fat in a frying pan to cover its surface well. Break the eggs one at a time into a saucer and slip them into the hot fat. Season with salt and pepper. Fry until the white has become well solidified on the bottom, and then either turn them over or put a few drops of water in the pan and cover it tight with a cover, so that the steam will cook the top of the egg. Fry until the desired degree of hardness has been obtained, and then serve.
SCRAMBLED EGGS
A pleasing variety from the usual methods of preparation is offered by means of scrambled eggs, which are not difficult to make. Too long cooking, however, should be guarded against, for it will cause the protein in the eggs to become too hard and to
separate from the liquid and will produce watery scrambled eggs. To be most satisfactory, they should be taken from the pan just before they have finished cooking, for the heat that they hold will complete it. Eggs prepared in this way, according to the accompanying recipe, may be served on toast or with ham and bacon. If they are served with meat, a smaller portion of meat should be given to a person than is ordinarily served.
SCRAMBLED EGGS RECIPE
(Sufficient to Serve Six)
6 eggs
3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tb. butter
Beat the eggs slightly, and to them add the milk and seasonings. Melt the butter in a frying pan and, when the butter is hot, pour the egg mixture into it. As the eggs begin to thicken, stir them up from the bottom of the pan and continue to stir them until the entire mass has thickened slightly. Before the eggs are entirely cooked, remove them from the pan. Bacon and ham fat may be used instead of butter, and they are strongly recommended if they can be secured, for they lend an excellent flavor to scrambled eggs.