The egg is one of the most diverse ingredients on the grocery list today. It provides a great protein, it can be served with any course at any meal and it can be mixed with pretty much any flavor profile.
This little guy has caught a lot of flack for being a bad additive to an otherwise healthy diet. A study done by the Physicians' Health Study I once tried to prove a link between the consumption of eggs and type 2 Diabetes. A later study proved that there was no link between them at all. As a matter of fact, cleanly prepared eggs are great for both types of Diabetics since they do have so much protein, which really helps insulin to do its thang.
Other studies have tried to prove that the yolk of the egg, the fattiest part, lead to heart risk with an increase of cholesterol. But the Greeks had it right when they lived by the rule of moderation. An egg a day isn't even enough to clog the arteries.
Mama says: A diet that includes a small amount of cholesterol is actually very good for you. And she's right! Cholesterol can be dangerous in large doses, but it promotes brain functionality, provides fat to make other foods last longer in the system and gives substance to your diet.
I just don't like the taste of yolks, so I stick to the whites and get my fats from elsewhere.
Of course, when I speak of eggs, I'm talking mainly about chicken eggs. But there are a number of other types of embryos that are considered not only edible, but a delicacy all over the globe. I've actually tried the egg of quail (something about me and quails...). And hope to one day try other fowl such as goose, duck, pheasant, emu or even ostrich, which provide people from coast to coast and across the pond with gourmet omelets. And if your pocketbook allows, you might even find yourself dining on the salty gel beads that is caviar. I'm not so sure if or when I'll ever be moved to try fish eggs.
For now, I'll stick to egg tacos.
Chicken egg tacos.
I don't know many people who don't enjoy eggs in some form or fashion, but chances are if you don't like eggs, you haven't had them in all of the many ways they can be prepared. Besides being important ingredients in baking and as washes or batters, the great thing about eggs is that they can be the star of their own show...
Baked (Shirred) Eggs
- In France, this basic methods of baked eggs is called oeufs en cocotte.
Boiling Eggs - A good tip to avoiding the Green Ring of Death (which really doesn't effect the taste of or harm the egg... it's just ugly) is to make sure not to over cook the eggs, and shock it in a cold water bath after boiling. Sometimes you can't avoid the green ring because it also has to do with the iron and sulfur content.
Coddled Eggs - Coddled eggs are made by very briefly immersing an egg in the shell in boiling water (to cook in water just below the boiling point) to slightly cook or coddle them.
Deviled Eggs - Deviled eggs have their roots in ancient Roman recipes with the first published recipes for stuffed, boiled eggs were from medieval Europe. In the 17th century, this was a common way to prepare eggs. they were not called "deviled" until the 18th Century, in England.
Fried Eggs - A French technique that very slowly cooks the eggs in butter.
Poached Eggs - The best eggs for poaching are the freshest eggs you can find. If eggs are more than a week old, the whites thin out. Whites of fresh eggs will gather compactly around the yolk, making a rounder, neater shape. A tip to keep the egg from freaking out in the pot is to add vinegar.
Scrambled Eggs/Omelets - Scrambled eggs make a delicious and quick meal, but there is a little science to getting them just right. The secret to successfully scrambling eggs is slow cooking (you need low, gentle heat).
These are pretty standard breakfast recipes; the most common of them all. I found not only these, but a bad ass list of different and very interesting recipes featuring the mighty egg at whatscookingamerica.net. They took eggs to a level that I knew was possible, but had never really taken a second look at. Poke around the site's recipes. there were way too many good ones to list them all here.
This entry is dedicated The Mud Egg - even though you get a lot of attention every year, you will always be the ugliest egg.
-k
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