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Sunday 20 September 2020

Healthiest Way to Cook Eggs !



James Colquhoun at Food Matters writes:

Firstly, not all eggs are created equal. Secondly, not all cooking methods maintain the nutritional integrity of their health-promoting essential fatty acids. If you’re not avoiding eggs for allergy or ethical reasons, they can be a powerful nutritional inclusion in your diet. Eggs are a rich source of full-spectrum protein, healthy fats, and micronutrients like iron and B12.

The healthiest eggs to choose are pasture-raised and free-range. This is because the chickens get to eat their own natural diet (including grasses, seeds, weeds, insects, bugs, and more) and move about in a natural way (scratching, roaming, and playing in the sun). This results in healthier chickens and a higher quality egg, rich in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and beta carotene.

Some other points to consider when buying eggs are sourcing from local farms and looking for your country’s animal welfare organization’s tick of approval.

Once you’ve found the right egg, it’s time to master the right cooking method. The key nutritional principle to remember when cooking an egg is to maintain the nutritional integrity of the essential fatty acids (EFA’s) in the yolk, these are the DHA and EPA fats essential for brain and bodily function. These EFA’s are adversely affected by high temperatures which means you should aim to not overcook your yolk.

So no matter how you like your eggs, here’s our guide for cooking perfect, healthy eggs, every time.


Poached
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add a splash of vinegar (you can use apple cider vinegar if you have it).
2. Gently swirl the water with a spatula or big spoon as you crack the egg in. If easier, you can crack the egg into a small bowl beforehand and slide it into the swirling water.
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the white has set. The aim is to have a firm white and soft-to-runny yolk.


Boiled
1. Place eggs (still in their shells) into a pot of cold water and bring to a boil.
2. Turn on your timer from when the water begins a rolling boil.
3. Soft-boiled eggs will only take 3-4 minutes. For a firmer egg, boil for 6-8 minutes.
4. Strain the hot water and let cool in cold water for 1 minute. This makes your egg easier to peel and stops it from continuing to cook.

Fried (Sunny Side Up & Over Easy)
1. Begin with a small amount of oil, butter, or ghee on the pan over medium-high heat.
2. Crack your eggs into the pan and cover with a lid.
3. Wait for the eggs to turn a little white, approximately 1 minute, then add a small splash of water (1-2 tbsp) into the pan, and put the lid back on. This will help to steam the bottom without burning and stop your egg from staying gluggy and uncooked on top.
4. If you enjoy your eggs sunny side up, add a little more water to the pan until your egg whites are cooked and the yolk is soft-to-runny, about 2-3 minutes. If you prefer over-easy, flip the egg once the white is cooked for a further minute keeping the yolk in a soft-to-runny consistency.

Scrambled
1. Start with a little high-quality butter or ghee in a pan over a low-medium heat as you mix your eggs in a bowl with salt, pepper, and any other herbs or seasonings of your choice. Pour your eggs in and constantly mix your eggs - it doesn’t need to be a fast movement, but rather a consistent motion. We suggest using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and avoid any damage to your pan while keeping the eggs nice and fluffy.
2. Take the eggs off the heat when they’re almost cooked (still slightly runny) and place them back into the whisking bowl (it will gently cook any of the remaining egg in the bowl) as they will continue to cook until you are ready to serve.

Omelette
1. Crack eggs into a bowl with a healthy pinch of salt and a good bit of freshly ground black pepper and whisk. We recommend two eggs per person.
2. Finely chop your favourite herbs and add them to the eggs. This step is optional but makes the omelette that much more delightful.
3. Heat your frying pan on medium heat, and once warm, add butter, ghee, or cooking oil. Allow it to bubble then tilt the pan so it covers the whole surface.
4. Slowly pour your egg mixture into the pan and leave them untouched for 20 seconds or so, until it begins to cook.
5. Use a rubber spatula or fork to gently pull the sides of the mixture away from the pan, while tilting the pan to allow for the uncooked egg mixture on top to run into the surface of the pan.
6. Continue this motion around the pan so the mixture has time to rotate and cook.
7. Now leave the omelette to cook until almost set, which should only take a minute or two. You can use this time to prep any fillings and scatter them on one half of the omelette.
8. Using a spatula, gently flip the unfilled side onto the filled side and cook for another 30 seconds.
9. Remove from the heat and gently slide onto a plate to serve. The aim is that the inside of the omelette should still have a slightly runny to soft consistency to maintain the nutritional integrity of the egg.



Eggs can be incredibly nutritious, when coming from happy, healthy hens and when they’re cooked in just the right way. So crack out the pots and pans and crack open a shell to make the most of this easy addition.
Words above are from James' original article which you can see here
Do you like eggs? I enjoyed poached eggs for breakfast today.

Dear reader, you will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

38 comments:

DVArtist said...

Yay for the egg. I eat them everyday.

Tom said...

...I've never met an egg that I didn't enjoy!

Christine said...

I should do an omelette, thanks for the suggestions.

My name is Erika. said...

Eggs are the best. Especially those free range ones. You can even taste a difference. I enjoyed reading this! Hugs-Erika

Divers and Sundry said...

These are good suggestions for varying one of my dietary staples. Thx!

Jo said...

I love eggs, I can eat them any way and always buy free range.

Jeanie said...

Eggs are one of my favorite foods -- and I love them any time of day. This is a terrific post with lots of good tips (I always seem to flunk poaching and my omelets never flip right so I just keep trying!)

Thanks for your recent visits and wonderful comments. I so appreciate the catch-up and it's always good to see your visits. Happy week, Jan (and Eddie, too!)

This N That said...

Eggs straight from my families farm are the best..You can really tell the difference..I never added water to my fried eggs..will have to try that..Thanks for the "Egg lesson"..Never too old to learn..I just got eggs at the store (yuk) this AM..will have to try some of you hints..Thanks

Elephant's Child said...

A good omelette is hard to beat.

https://linsartyblobs.blogspot.com said...

I've been eating a lot more eggs recently.

Martha said...

Love eggs! We usually somehow go through about 2 dozen a week!

DMS said...

I love eggs and always make sure to get free range. So many different ways to cook them! I had scrambled eggs this morning. :)
~Jess

peppylady (Dora) said...

I am real picky about my eggs

A Cuban In London said...

Excellent tips. Thanks. :-)

Greetings from London.

Carola Bartz said...

I love eggs. I get mine on the farmers market from a farm where they are free range and pasture raised. It really is a difference in taste from "regular" eggs. More expensive as well, but that is money well invested I think.

happyone said...

Scrambled are my favorite way to eat them.

Lee said...

I've gone off eggs lately for whatever reason...I buy them, but then end up throwing them out because I've had them too long!

Hopefully my taste for them will return soon.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

The trick is how to stop eggs sticking to the bottom of the pan. Even poached eggs do that. No matter how much water is in the pan. The eggs sink to the bottom and stick to the pan. Maybe it is because chickens can't swim.

God bless.

CJ Kennedy said...

There was a commercial campaign for eggs decades ago: the incredible, edible egg

Kay said...

I've been steaming rather than boiling eggs for a while now. They don't overcook and come out very nicely.

Practical Parsimony said...

I loved the eggs from my chickens that were allowed to free range in the yard every day. I only like boiled and scrambled and no soft yolks.

aussie aNNie said...

Eggs, boiled, poached or curried, love them....sorry if lack of comments blogger keeps telling me to prove I am not a robot. xx

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

I love shirred eggs sometimes, though scrambled are my favorite. Here is a recipe I learned in Alaska:
SHIRRED LEMON EGGS

Serves 2.

Note: Zest is the grated colored rind of citrus fruit. This recipe can easily be increased. From "The Breakfast Book," by Marion Cunningham.

• Butter for the ramekins

• 4 tbsp. heavy cream

• 1 tsp. lemon zest (see Note)

• 3 tbsp. grated Gouda cheese

• 2 eggs

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 11/2 tsp. minced herbs (dried fines herbes or fresh parsley, oregano, tarragon, marjoram or thyme) (I use parsley)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two ramekins well and pour 1 tablespoon of cream in each. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and 11/2 tablespoons cheese over the cream in each ramekin. Salt and pepper to taste.

Crack 1 egg into a cup and carefully pour it into a ramekin (this is to assure that the egg yolk doesn't break or have a spot on it; if it does, use another egg); repeat with remaining egg into second ramekin. Pour the remaining tablespoons of cream over the eggs. Scatter herbs over the top. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes. (We cooked ours for about 15 minutes, so that the white was cooked, but the yolk still soft and a bit runny.)

Variations: Add lemon zest to the top of egg before it's cooked.

Margaret D said...

The egg faces are cute.
Nice article on eggs..

RO said...

These are some great tips on eggs and I learned quite a bit. I can stomach every egg EXCEPT for boiled. Something about that smell is just not fun!(lol) Hope you have an amazing day. Hugs, RO

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mamasmercantile said...

Our girls are good to us so we eat a lot of eggs.

Sue said...

I love eggs, cooked any way except for poached - yuk. I would have to say that fried on a sausage and egg sandwich is my favourite - in a former life of course! ;-) Take care and have a very happy week, Sue xx

David M. Gascoigne, said...

We find this is the way to make a perfect boiled egg - place the egg in a saucepan with cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand for ten minutes. Works every time, and mostly the shell comes off easily too.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I love eggs cooked in any way! They are so tasty and we can buy good brown eggs here at our grocery store. Thanks for the ideas for new ways to cook them.

NatureFootstep said...

lol, I do all of these :)

Rose said...

I love those egg faces...

sandy said...

I make egg salad more than having eggs for breakfast although sometimes i do have an egg in the morning. i love egg salad in the afternoon.

Linda said...

When I was eating in restaurants (pre-Covid), I often ordered eggs poached because that way they were free of milk and butter (which makes me bloat terribly). I was surprised at how many cooks have no idea how to poach an egg. It's not rocket science.

Jenn Jilks said...

I love eggs!

Debbie said...

eggs...so many ways to cook them, all delicious. i have read and do add a few small pats of cold butter at the end of scrambling eggs, it makes a wonderful difference!!

Lowcarb team member said...

Thickethouse.wordpress said...
I love shirred eggs sometimes, though scrambled are my favorite. Here is a recipe I learned in Alaska:
SHIRRED LEMON EGGS

Hello, many thanks for sharing your lovely recipe.
For any commenters who haven't seen it, please check it out at about 14 comments above :)

All the best Jan

Conniecrafter said...

Oh my I crack the yokes because I don't like a runny yoke in my eggs, I wonder if that is making it not so nutritious for me? I have never heard of adding water to them while they are cooking.