How to prepare an egg

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asicer

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asicer
OK, I didn't really bang my head on Cessna flaps. I've been banging my head on the egg poll. Runny and fried are not mutually exclusive!!! This post is part of my therapy.

These are for the when the egg is the only ingredient, therefore things like creme brulee and huevos rancheros are not included. For the purposes of this discussion, things like water for boiling/steaming or fat for frying are part of the cooking medium and not an ingredient. Also, this only applies to the first step (e.g. pickled eggs start with a boiled egg, tamagoyaki starts with scrambled eggs).
  1. Fried - shell removed and placed in a pan, optionally coated with fat.
    1. Sunny side up - fried on one side; soft whites and runny yolks
    2. Over easy - fried on two sides; hard whites and runny yolks
    3. Over medium - fried both sides; hard whites, soft yolks
    4. Over hard - fried both sides; hard whites, yolks cooked through
    5. Scrambled (American style) - yolk and whites beaten together and fried until cooked through and surface starts to brown
    6. French Omelette - yolk and whites beaten together and fried until the interior is custardy
  2. Coddled- shell removed and immersed or suspended in/over water
    1. Poached - water just below simmering; soft whites, runny yolks
    2. Steamed soft - water near boiling; firm whites, runny yolks
    3. Steamed hard - water near boiling; firm whites, yolks cooked through
  3. Boiled - shell unbroken and immersed in water or steam
    1. Soft boiled - firm whites, runny yolks
    2. Medium boiled - firm whites, soft yolks
    3. Hard boiled - firm whites, yolks cooked through
      1. Hard cooked, dry boiled - ask @Ravioli
  4. Shirred - shell removed and then baked whole
    1. En Cocotte - Baked in a bain marie
  5. Sous Vide - Cooked in a low temperature water bath, sometimes in the shell sometimes in a bag
  6. Thousand year old egg - you don't want to know
 
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Never heard of coddled or shirred eggs before. This egg cooking thing sure is getting complicated!
 
I just talk softly and calmly to the egg to keep its attention on me as it is struck on the edge of a skillet. I suppose one could ask it the age old question of which came first. That would undoubtedly keep it so focused that it wouldn't notice its imminent violent death. I don't know how much more preparation an egg needs...maybe a priest?
 
Step 1. Make bacon.
Step 2. Fry eggs in the bacon fat.
Step 3. Eat said bacon & eggs.

Why complicate it?
 
Balut is boiled in shell (#3). But is it soft, medium, or hard boiled?
 
Pickled eggs.
They were a staple at the squadron bar.
And pickled sausage.
 
It blows my mind that people even eat eggs.
I used tusk work at a restaurant and there was a salad bar. I had to prep the eggs.

I told my boss "you couldn't make this smell more like flatulence if you tried and people want that in their mouth"

I mean there is nothing about that smell that makes me hungry.
 
Item 3 - Boiled.

I make hard cooked eggs in the oven. Set the eggs in a muffin tin so they don't roll around. They come out the same as boiling and are less susceptible to small fractures in the shell. After cooking they still go into an ice bath to cool quickly.
 
Scrambled should not be considered fried in my opinion. I make scrambled in a saucepan, over high heat (heresy I know) and you hold the pan handle removing and replacing it on the burner to control heat transfer, while stirring constantly with a heat proof silicon scraper. Actually you must use butter in this method, so since that's another ingredient does it not count?
 
Ravioli said:
Item 3 - Boiled.

I make hard cooked eggs in the oven. Set the eggs in a muffin tin so they don't roll around. They come out the same as boiling and are less susceptible to small fractures in the shell. After cooking they still go into an ice bath to cool quickly.
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I believe that would be considered shirred.
 
Rushie said:
Scrambled should not be considered fried in my opinion. I make scrambled in a saucepan, over high heat (heresy I know) and you hold the pan handle removing and replacing it on the burner to control heat transfer, while stirring constantly with a heat proof silicon scraper. Actually you must use butter in this method, so since that's another ingredient does it not count?
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As discussed in the preface, the butter is considered part of the cooking medium for this discussion.
 
Stewartb said:
Sous-vide. Been to Starbucks lately?
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That one is interesting. I suppose it could be considered a variant of shirred or poached but I'll give it its own category anyway.
 
You need more therapy. In an office. Lying on a couch. Paying for the listener's time rather than typing on your keyboard alone . . .
 
I would have thought coddled to be a subset of poached. But I guess that doesn't make sense. Generally those that get poached, don't get coddled.
 
Hank S said:
You need more therapy. In an office. Lying on a couch. Paying for the listener's time rather than typing on your keyboard alone . . .
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But at least I've stopped shopping for a Cirrus.
 
Can't eat them like that, too bland. I usually mix them in bowl, add three or four shakes of Frank's Red Hot to them, and add something else diced avocado, ham, or roasted red peppers. You can make a breakfast burrito out of them if you like,
 
asicer said:
I believe that would be considered shirred.
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Au contraire - Your description of shirred says shell removed. My hard cooking is still in the shell, but does not use water or steam.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
It blows my mind that people even eat eggs.
I used tusk work at a restaurant and there was a salad bar. I had to prep the eggs.

I told my boss "you couldn't make this smell more like flatulence if you tried and people want that in their mouth"

I mean there is nothing about that smell that makes me hungry.
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That is because they were overcooked. Causes a reaction that releases the sulfur in the yolk.
 
Ravioli said:
Au contraire - Your description of shirred says shell removed. My hard cooking is still in the shell, but does not use water or steam.
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Ah, I see. That's a non-standard preparation, though. If you asked a professional for "baked" then you'd likely get a shirred egg. Also, by your own admission it ends up the same as hard boiled. I'll add it as a variant.
 
Hank S said:
You need more therapy. In an office. Lying on a couch. Paying for the listener's time rather than typing on your keyboard alone . . .
Click to expand...

Hank,

Are poached eggs those that are taken out of season like Deer or Elk? James Dean may have some input on that.
James_Dean said:
That is because they were overcooked. Causes a reaction that releases the sulfur in the yolk.
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Thanks James. I probably eat eggs three time a week and savoir them for the protein. Over medium, scrambled, or poached on toast with a slice of cheese are the usual offerings. IMO, they are one of the best food values no matter how cooked. If I'm going to die of cholesterol overdose, egg salad, OM, and poached will be the way I choose to go.
 
Norman said:
Hank,

Are poached eggs those that are taken out of season like Deer or Elk? James Dean may have some input on that.
Click to expand...

I thought it was when you sneak into the chicken coop at nightime with a flashlight and steal the eggs.
 
I've taken to cooking my eggs in the microwave. The end result is a cross between souffle and scrambled. I use two large eggs, pepper and salt to taste, a dash of half and half, and usually some shredded cheddar cheese. Nuke for 1.5 minutes on high power in a 1200 watt microwave. Prefer bowls suitable for French onion soup. Yum! :)
 
N659HB said:
I've taken to cooking my eggs in the microwave. The end result is a cross between souffle and scrambled. I use two large eggs, pepper and salt to taste, a dash of half and half, and usually some shredded cheddar cheese. Nuke for 1.5 minutes on high power in a 1200 watt microwave. Prefer bowls suitable for French onion soup. Yum! :)
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Yup, when my son was younger, I'd do something similar to make egg burritos. 1 scrambled egg in a ramekin, cumin, garlic powder, zap for 45s, add a slice of cheese, done.
 
I made this:

Herb Baked Egg

1 (or 2) eggs preferably brought to room temperature
butter
2 tbsp heavy cream
Himalaya sea salt
fresh cracked pepper
fresh herbs, chopped (I use tarragon and thyme)

Preheat oven to 350. Generously butter a ramekin. Put it in a shallow pan and fill half way up the ramekin with hot tap water. Crack one (or two) eggs into it. Gently pour 2 tbsp heavy cream over egg. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Bake for 15-20 mins or until egg white is set. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

herb baked egg.jpg
 
Seriously, if your local Starbucks has sous-vide egg bites you need to try them. They're so good my wife bought a sous-vide heater and has worked on duplicating the recipe. She's awfully close. I like eggs but these eggs are incredible.
 
I do like to eat 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs right before a flight.....


But the med crew doesn't like that....
 
I have occasionally had problems with hard boiled breaking up while peeling them. Always pisterns me off. Just recently came across this 'perfect' peeling method:
Put hard boiled egg in a glass or jar with a bit of water, shake it a bit and done nicely. So far has worked for me everytime. Once used a pint jar to peel two in one go.
 
I had to put together the ideas of @Rushie and @James_Dean this morning.
2 eggs, splash heavy cream, 1 tsp ricotta, blended in immersion mixer, pour into a buttered ramekin, into 350 toaster oven for 20 mins.
Good stuff!
 
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