The Egg Thread
 

Oh, the venerable egg... so many uses, so many forms, so many varieties.

(For the purposes of this thread, we're talking about bird eggs, so forget caviar :p... also, let's keep it substantially egg-like, e.g., don't include mayonnaise, which is it's own tasty thread).

Fried: I love mine over-medium, or in Benedict form. Scrambled is hard to mess up, but it's also hard to make excellent. One excellent time was at a brunch in SF... must have had sea salt and a touch of butter. However it may be, it can't be scrambled and runny.

I don't like it when the yolk is solidly cooked, so :td: to hard-boiled and McD's McMuffins. And what's the deal with poached?

Egg salad is tasty.

Quail eggs scare me (for some reason), but I want to try an ostrich egg sometime.

The only acceptable form of egg is in pastries/breads (can't make my world-famous cornbread without eggs) or fried rice.

tobiko sushi topped with a raw quail egg


mmmmmmm....

I tend to scramble them with lots of added ingredients. I also order scrambled out since they are harder to mess up. I do avoid tubs of scrambled in buffets, since they're usually gross.

I enjoy an occasional hard boiled egg. Low in calories and filling. I also love devilled eggs. I just spotted a recipe for dill chicken salad stuffed eggs in Sothern Living magazine that I will try later this week. Chicken and eggs in the same dish, hmmmm.

I love scrambled. But I don't like them "wet" scrambled.

Oh, and scrambled eggs are made from EGGS, not out of a carton or a powdered, freezedried or otherwise processed egglike product.

I like eggs in all forms: poached, scrambled, omelette, over easy, hard boiled, deviled...it's a beautiful thing, the egg. I actually got as a gift an Oster egg poacher/hard boiler that you can hard boil 6 eggs in at a time; you put a bit of water in its base, plug it in, and it does an excellent job at hard boiling the eggs. It's not so swift on poaching, it tends to overcook the eggs, but it's great to be able to hard boil a few to have around for breakfast....

I fully agree with the earlier posters regarding "runny" scrambled eggs. This problem seems to be especially prevalent at Embassy Suites ! Totally gross.

I'm an egg lover....and will have them for dinner from time to time. (In fact, I'm known to do bacon/sausage and sunny side up eggs for dinner).

I know.....it's bad for me. But I don't do it too often !!!

I must be the exception. I like my scrambled eggs wet and just underooked. For me there is nothing worse than dry overcooked scrambled eggs. But I also like them fried with the yolk still runny. Also like yolk based stuff like hollandaise sauce and lemon curd. Yum!

Breakfast was torture as a child.

My mother overfried eggs that were sunny side up, and made runny scrambled eggs.

I like hardboiled eggs, egg salad, eggs benedict, and hollandaise on anything.

Deviled eggs are the best. I can not pass them by.

Umm, hardboiled seagull eggs at St. Johns in London.

Heuvos Rancheros and best of all, but really hard to find, good migas with chorizo. Yummmmm.

Best eggs benedict I ever had was at The Connaught in London. The eggs were like they were floating on air they were so light and fluffy.

With the current pattern of immigration, I ought to be able to find a local plate of huevos rancheros in the morning, but haven't yet. I guess it's time to do a little more scouting arround.

Living in CA and CO, and visiting AZ and NM, it's been a treat, but too rare.

Of course, it's best done on a Saturday moirning so I'm not inflicting my co-workers with an ill wind.

Deviled eggs, how could I forget? My personal recipe is to take equal amounts of the yolk and mayo, a squirt of mustard, and bacon bits. Mmmm....

I too am an egg lover

fried, scrambled (spilled on to the plate just as the last of the moisture is gelling into firmness with the lightest dusting of smoked pimenton/paprika), turned into lacy filaments to top a pad thai or threading through like a cobweb in a delicate soup. Boiled, no more than 6-7 minutes. Just enough so there are no white 'mocos' (I'll spare you the translation :) ) but not long enough for the yolk to harden. Poached eggs with Bernaise sauce can be extraordinary when cooked to perfection.

My favourite omellete will always be 'tortilla de patatas' the REAL Spanish omelette- egg, salt, potatoes (and for my taste some onion) - nothing else except for the oil it's cooked with. (I'll acknowledge the addition of some bell pepper slices as an acceptable regional variation).

Tamago onsen (an egg lightly boiled in volcanic mineral water) with rice is a perfect breakfast, or tossed and fried with spring onions/scallions or garlic shoots and topped with shredded nori (dried laver/seeweed) and flakes of toasted sesame seeds. I even like raw eggs whipped with freshly grated yamaimo and hot rice or soba (buckwheat) noodles.

I don't think I could take on Filipino Balut, these eggs are also enjoyed in Vietnam and other parts of Asia.

Any balut lovers out there???

Then there are the egg desserts. I've ALWAYS got room for flan de huevo (what Spaniards call eggy creme caramel) and properly made custard (creme anglaise) is also a delight.
But I also have a fondness for 'yema tostada' literally 'toasted yolk' - a traditional Spanish delicacy made with little more than egg yolk and sugar.

I also like seagull eggs, but not the real ones. These were a beloved treat of my husband's granddad. (Inside, it looks like an egg shell of white chocolate with a thin layer of sponge and a sweet yellow bean jam filling) kamome no tamago

I adore eggs. I prefer them farm raised from chickens free to walk around and eat bugs and flowers. Can't get enough of the really fresh ones.

First choice is boiled eggs and scrambled after that with real butter.

I had some of the eggs boiled in volcanic water in Japan. Extremely good! In fact all the eggs in Japan tasted better than ours.

Rice Cooker Update: so far I love it!

Congratulations! I'm so pleased you're happy with your choice of rice cooker!

(I used to be given the task of feeding the chickens as a child staying with my relatives - chickens are REALLY scary when you're not much bigger than one :eek: . Many of the eggs would be double yolkers. Been a while since I've had one of those...)

I thought eggs Benedict was made with poached eggs?

Mmmmmmmmmm...

Huevos con chorizo from Esperanza's
Croque madame

preserved eggs are great! even when it is mixed with fish and steamed like they do in Hongkong. Also those mooncakes with salted eggs in it. yummy!:p

Yep... funny how that works.

Then again, I may just be as happy with an English muffin, ham, and hollandaise sandwich. :D

I could go for an omelette (sp?) right now. Gotta have diced bacon, shredded cheese and sliced mushrooms in it. Mmmmm mmm mmm.

Sunny side eggs, and "runny" scrambled are good, but need a little bit of salt. There's nothing wrong with a soft boiled egg either.

Now that sounds appetizing. :) I've made friends with the various "aged" eggs in China lately, actually they are fairly tasty snacks.

I haven't identified the hard boiled eggs eaten with kuksu noodles in SW Korea but the taste is delicious.

And to return to London, nothing beats an egg'n'bacon sandwich and a cup of tea in one of the trad shops not eaten up by Pret and co.

My apprentice egg production facility
Current crop Yes, I actually have a chicken that lays green eggs. Now I need a green pig. :D

I am fortunate to sometimes have eggs that are minutes old. They're still warm when we bring them in for breakfast. :) Mrs. Redbeard makes "dirty eggs," mixing garlic, tumeric and something else. Yummy.

Fried eggs over easy must be fried in the grease left in the pan after cooking bacon or sausage we call them "dirty eggs"

Deviled eggs I like adding bacon and shredded cheddar or Horseradhish and picle relish for a little bite.

CPTANGO

Oh, me too. Just warmed through - for preference. At least, that was until I moved to the UK and found out about salmonella! But my neighbours keep us well supplied with the loveliest freshest eggs imaginable.

Mmmmm!!!!!! Yes, these are super-licious! I don't know why but when I try to make them at home, it is never as good as the tapas bar I used to visit. do you have any cooking tips? It seems so simple, I must be missing something..... :(

I also like mini ham and cheese frittatas for appies/tapas! Chopped onion, peppers, ham, cheese of your choice, herbs (chopped chives, thyme, or whatever) all mixed with 4 or 5 beaten eggs and baked in miniature muffin pans.

Ah, yes, local favorite: Balut! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut

Invented by the person just too hungry to wait for it to hatch and grow.....

Occasionally a tourist will buy a couple of balut, thinking they're hard boiled eggs; you should hear the screams coming from the picnic tables outside as they discover the prize inside, and get the shock of their lives!!!!!

Yum is right, wet scrambled eggs please and it must be a runny yolk when serving a poached or fried egg !!!!

I also use eggs at dinner, I'll either throw some scrambled eggs into some stir frys I make or serve scrambled with black beans, chorizo and good sour cream.

Damn, hungry again!!

--

I just had a couple yummy egg sandwiches, one on a toasted bialy and one on a toasted bagel, from a deli a few blocks from here. I dont eat them every day but it is my normal Sunday breakfast/lunch treat. Most excellent.

Tortilla De Patatas
 

There are as many recipes for this as there are Spaniards - but this is my family's (from Alicante) and completely authentic.

First trick is getting the right potatoes. In Spain we get those with red skins (no idea what they're called) - in the UK I tend to use Desiree potatoes or King Edwards.
New potatoes won't do, nor will any of the 'salad' potatoes which are too waxy.
You can use more 'floury' potatoes meant for roasting or frying, but the best for a tortilla are just a little firmer.

Now the main trick is to get the potatoes right. Peel them first and then hack away around the surface so you are making extremely squashed 'pyramids' or angular 'cones' - the aim is to get as much surface area as possible. Careful not to make them too thick - you're aiming for 'pyramids' no more than about 1/3 inch high with a diameter well under an inch. Just move the potato around in your hands as you hack away at the surface.

I'm assuming you'll be using a 9 inch non-stick frying pan. Cut enough potatoes to fill the pan two thirds to the brim (usually 4 to 5 medium/large potatoes should do this.)

Also cut into pieces a large onion - you're aiming for 1/2 inch squarish pieces.

You have two options available now

- fry the potatoes in a deep fat fryer until golden (doesn't really matter which oil you use - the olive oil taste will come later)

- or cover the frying pan with at least 1/3 inch of olive oil, bring up to heat (medium/high) and start cooking the potatoes stirring at least once a minute. When the potatoes just start to soften (and well before they brown) add the onions and continue to stir - hopefully they'll start to brown together.

If you've pre-fried the potato pieces, keep them warm and fry the onion in the 9 inch pan until soft and browned - put in enough olive oil to generously cover the base. Once the onions are done, add the potatoes and stir together, mixing the two and bringing the potato pieces back up to temperature.

Which brings us to the egg part. Beat at least 4 large egss (you'll need at least 5 medium ones) add another one if you aren't sure. Once the eggs are beaten together and look deliciously creamy and slightly frothy, add one lightly heaped teaspoon of finely ground sea salt (you can use any kind - different kinds of salt have different levels of 'saltiness' there's an art in getting the right amount - too little and the omelette will taste bland, too much and your tortilla will be way too salty) and beat through the egg - the egg should look a lot less appetising now!

Turn down the heat a little and pour the egg over the potatoes and onion in the pan and violently turn the handle of the pan in several clockwise (or counter-clockwise) motions.
(Right at the very start you can quickly stir the egg and potato mix together with a spatula - but only in the first ten seconds or so)
Continue jerking the pan round occasionally whilst it's cooking - this helps to prevent it sticking.
(This would be the time to add a little more egg if you think you've miss-judged the amount)
When you think the omelette is done on one side, lift one side gently with a spatula to see if it has lightly browned underneath.

Now for the tricky part. Hopefully you have a dinner plate or pan lid that fits closely inside the pan. To begin with, you might like to do this over a sink (if you're very frightened of these things, wear some rubber gloves and wrap a tea-towel over your wrist). Drop the plate over the omelette, put one hand firmly over the plate, your other hand should be gripping the handle and in one quick, deft motion turn the omelette over onto the plate.

Check to make sure you haven't got anything sticking to the pan (if you have - just scrape it off and addd a little more oil if necessary) and slide the omelette back into the pan from the plate. Continue to cook, again, jerking the pan around occasionally so that it cooks evenly.

If you find at this time that one of the sides hasn't browned as well as you wanted it to, just repeat the flicking around process and cook that side some more.

Once done, turn onto a plate in the same way, or just slide it off the pan.

If the tortilla has been made without onions, it's best served hot. With onions I like it warm, perhaps just a little above room temperature. It will keep well for the next day, but bring it up to room temperature as they are not that nice 'cold'.

You may like to dust the top with a little smoked pimenton/paprika (although I rarely do this).

Sorry this got so long winded - it's one of those things that's easier to show than it is to explain. Keep a note of how much salt, eggs, potatoes you used... don't be surprised if it takes about 3 attempts before you're entirely happy with the result. It's worth persevering with though - it's a fantastic dish to have in your repertoire. The whole process will take at least an hour - no matter how much you try and speed it up. We made loads of them for my wedding reception... alas, there just aren't any acceptable shortcuts (except for deep-frying the potatoes).

Wow! Thank you so much for this! I'm very appreciative that you took the time to explain this. I knew I was missing something before! :)

I'll definitely give this another try! Thanks again, LapLap!

My pleasure! It makes me want to cry when I see recipes and directions for making tortilla de patatas in cooking shows and books - I've even seen instructions suggesting you can dice or even BOIL potatoes (shudder!).

If you want to play around with the recipe, you could add some chopped garlic (just before the onions brown), or thin slices of capsicum pepper along with the potatoes (although my mum would literally scream at me if she knew I was even suggesting this :D )- but anything else is veering too far away from being an authentic Tortilla Española.


If an hour is too long for you and you can get hold of good quality potato chips (crisps) that aren't too salty, beat two or three eggs in a large bowl and add the contents of the chip bag, mixing the egg and chips together thoroughly. Leave for at least 10-15 minutes for the chips to soften in the beaten egg (obviously, the salt in the chips will mean you won't need to add any more). If you're aiming for a fast meal, slice some shallots or scallions thinly and fry them in the meantime and once cooked add them to the mixture (if you have longer, just use a small onion). Stir everything together, add to the pan (just a little olive oil will be needed) and cook on both sides.
A Spanish friend (who is an amazing cook) knocks these out as a quick evening snack for his nephews and nieces.

I was in England a few months ago and noticed that the yolks there were almost orange, making eggs here at home look (and taste) a little anemic. What's up with that? Different chickens or different farming practice?

I had a coworker in TN who raised chickens on the side. They were allowed to roam and feed freely. She gave me a dozen eggs once and I noticed how brightly colored the yolks were. She told me it was the breed.

You guys crack me up (no pun intended). Hehehe...

I like mine over-easy. Poached is fine too. Or soft-boiled. Anyone see a theme here? ;)

I once tried to eat a preserved duck egg (thousand year old egg is the name of the recipe). It's a hard-boiled duck egg soaked in very strong black tea. I just couldn't get past the texture and the smell hits you like a ton of bricks. I'm pretty adventurous, culinarily speaking, but there was something not right about these eggs.

Additives - consumers prefer darker yolks so the 'producers' give it to them.
Just found this website with more info: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/public...of-egg-quality - it is an industry website - so its opinions will be rather biased.

I love quail eggs but unfortunately they are so much work for so little reward (I normally put down at least dozen at a time). A particular omelet in San Francisco's Cliff House that consists of eggs (obviously), dungeness crab, avocado, and sour cream is amongst my favorites, but I also love eggs benedict. A very long time ago at a restaurant in New York I had some decadent scrambled eggs cooked very slowly over a double boiler and topped with Oscetra caviar and creme fraiche. By far the best breakfast of my life!

This is sounding like an OMNI thread.

:rolleyes:

(Oh sorry...that's an OMNI thread...)

I like mine scrambled with milk!