Home Cooking
I won't deny it. I ran through all the to-be-expected (eggspected?) egg puns before finally settling on this one. Eggcellent. Eggciting. Eggs... okay I'll stop now.
Why am I jumping up and down over this humble and understated pantry basic? Because Byron has just opened my eyes to what an amazing food item it really is.
We've thrown away the idea that eggs are a 'breakfast item' and have indulged in amazing scrambled eggs and soft boiled eggs for dinner the past 2 nights. Not that I would say 'no' at breakfast time.
The secret to silky, soft and cloud-like scrambled eggs? Here's how we do it...
First, beat the eggs (don't just do 1 - beat up maybe 4 or so) with a good splash of milk and some salt and pepper. We use the old-fashioned whisk and really put some elbow into it until it's nice and frothy.
Next, and this is the trick, use a small saucepan instead of a frying pan and put it on medium heat. Pour the egg into the saucepan and let it stew.
And then...
After a while, the mixture will start to thicken and bubble in places. You can start gently stirring the mixture.
Keep working it gently until it forms the desired scrambled egg consistency.
We theorize that by cooking it in a saucepan, the mixture has more volume and thus less surface area for the moisture to escape. It really makes a difference!
To keep the eggs from being lonely, we served them with toasted butter croissants and smoked salmon. Add a garnish of chopped fresh parsley and it makes a great meal... for any time of the day!
I also got an education in cooking soft-boiled eggs. I always thought that soft-boiled meant the white was set and the yolk was still runny. Byron's definition is that the whole thing is still runny (but not 'snotty', he adds) and you chop the top of the shell off and use the egg as a dip for your toast.
Apparently, the key here is military-precision timing. First, you have a saucepan with water and bring it to the boil. Byron reckons that for room temperature eggs, you give it 3 minutes and for refrigerated eggs, bring it up to 4 minutes.
We simultaneously toasted some light rye, buttered them liberally and cut them into thin fingers.
Because I'm not a fancy pants and I don't own egg holders, we made do with a preschool craft project-inspired substitute of using bits of the egg carton.
Not the most glamorous presentation but hey, it tasted good.
I know that many will be reading this and thinking 'eggs? I know how to cook eggs!' Well, I thought I did too but I learnt something new with these cooking methods and it really made eggs a 'feature item' for me, rather than just a side to compliment other foods. Give it a go!
I love eggs! This is currently my favourite soft-boiled egg recipe.
ReplyDeleteHi sweetfires...
ReplyDeleteEggs are awesome! I've always appreciated them in baking but never gave them enough value on their own. Ah, how my mind has changed.
(Hi! From a fellow Voguette :) )
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I have always had issues trying to make the perfect scrambled eggs like they do at the cafes, and I think this will be a good recipe to try! Using a saucepan instead of a frypan might just do the trick.
Those soft-boiled eggs also look sooo good.
I saw Jeff Jann's do the scrambled egg thing in a saucepan years ago and i swear by it. Perfect eggs everytime. I know people who add cream and butter to make 'great egg's, but you dont' need it. So in a saucepan, you get good eggs and don't need to add any fat.
ReplyDelete