Eggs are maybe the best food ever. They are so versatile! In most households they have been relegated to breakfast only. It’s time to break out of that shell (… erg) with these three methods!
The internet is full of how to cook eggs and I’ve tested many of the cooking techniques. It turns out I’m not into super fussy prep. I like an easy and reliable way to produce a nicely cooked egg time after time and I’m here to share those methods! Heads up, if you don’t like runny yolks, these won’t be your style. A cooked through yolk (in anything but a hard boiled egg) seriously depresses me. The yolk is everything.
Poached, soft boiled and hard boiled are our focus today. These times and temps are more useful to those at high altitude but some tips work everywhere!
MICROWAVE POACHED EGGS
The star of the show are the microwave poached eggs. This did take a little tweaking, and it will for you too unless you have my exact microwave. It’s SO worth perfecting though! You can add a poached egg to your quick breakfast options, to any salad, or pasta, or soup, etc. The only things you will need are a little water, a small bowl or cup, and a strainer.
My microwave is 950 watts, and I cook the egg for between 30 and 32 seconds. The extra seconds do matter. If your egg doesn’t feel cooked enough, next time add two seconds. Keep adding or subtracting by two seconds until you get the yolk and white consistency you like.
| MICROWAVE POACHED EGGS | ||
| 1. Fill a microwave safe cup with 1-2” water | ||
| 2. Microwave the water on high for 1:00 minute | ||
| 3. Gently crack one egg into the hot water | ||
| 4. Cook on high for :30 seconds | ||
| 5. Gently strain egg. | ||
| 6. Add to anything! | ||
A glass measuring cup works just fine for poaching an egg. You can use any glass or ceramic cup that doesn’t get overly hot in the microwave and has high enough sides not to over flow. Fill your measuring cup with about 1-2" of water, and microwave until boiling. About 1 minute.
Gently crack the egg into the water and cook for ~30 seconds.
Out of the microwave, you should see a thin layer of cooked white over the yolk but still be able to see the dark orange yolk inside.
Use a skimmer to strain the egg. Mesh won’t work as well because the egg will have a hard time sliding out of the mesh strainer due to the texture. This stainless steel skimmer works really well.
Then plate your eggs! This egg is great on a ton of dishes (as I mentioned earlier) so get creative!
SOFT BOILED EGGS
Next up, we have soft boiled eggs! Pictured above topped with flaky salt in an egg cup with toast soldiers for dipping. Soft boiled eggs work a lot like the poached egg in versatility. They go great in ramen or other soups, on toast, in salads or on pasta just like a poached egg. However, they prove much harder to peel than a hard boiled egg because they are soft. This often results in the egg tearing open while you are peeling it, which is a big bummer. Something to consider if you can't decide to go the poached route or soft boiled. If you want these for soup, add a minute to the cook time so you can cut them in half without losing all the yolk.
| SOFT BOILED EGGS | ||
| 1. Boil water on Med High | ||
| 2. Gently slip the eggs into the water. | ||
| 3. Boil for 5:30-6:00 minutes | ||
| 4. Remove to ice bath for max 1:00 minute | ||
| 5. Top the egg and use an egg cup, or peel and add to anything! | ||
I cook my hard boiled and soft boiled eggs on medium high. Then they aren’t bouncing around, but the water is fully boiling. (Sorry, dirty stove!)
If you are going to eat the egg in an egg cup, 5:30 minutes will give you a soft yolk and some soft white. Bump that up in :30 second increments to get to the white and yolk consistency you like. 6:30 minutes is a safe bet for firmer whites.
I gently lower my eggs into the hot water with either a pasta scoop or the aforementioned skimmer tool!
This is an egg topper, a strange little tool that has just one use. It does that job so well it’s worth having if you like soft boiled eggs in the egg cup. You snap this on the large end of the egg and it pops the shell off in a little crown. Then you can dig in!
Remove egg to an ice bath for ~30 seconds to arrest the cooking process.
Another utensil specific to the soft boiled egg in the cup is a little egg spoon. Purists say that metal changes the way the egg tastes. I can’t tell the difference, but a little ceramic spoon is so adorable and fun to use!
HARD BOILED EGGS
I don't have many pictures for hard boiled eggs because you use the same process for making soft boiled eggs, you just let them cook longer and cool longer! The most important part is to leave them in the fridge until you are ready to put them in the boiling water. Doing this makes it super easy to remove the shells from the egg. No other special trick is needed. This is the only method (out of those many I tried) that works for easy shell removal.
| HARD BOILED EGGS | ||
| 1. Boil water on Med High | ||
| 2. Leave eggs in the fridge until it’s time to add them to the water. | ||
| 3. Gently slip the eggs into the water. | ||
| 4. Boil for 12 minutes | ||
| 5. Remove to ice bath | ||
| 6. Store or eat | ||
No green ring around the yolk! No torn white from sticking shells!
I hope you enjoy these three techniques and find new interesting ways to bring eggs into the lunch and dinner scene.
No comments :
Post a Comment