Making eggs

I've been watching a number of old black and white movies lately and have been surprised by the prevalence of eggs (simple scrambled or cold hard boiled) as a snack food and as guys being the good cooks of egg dishes. I can't help wonder if it was a common assumption of the time, or whether it was a way of making some of the male characters stand out as unique. It's not a bad idea to make sure teen boys know how to cook eggs, even if they know nothing else about cooking because they are cheap, easy to acquire, last a long time in the fridge (as well as several days outside the fridge in the shell), nutritious, and filling. For awhile they weren't sure it wasn't a source of bad cholesterol but the talk seems to have backed off on that (and are more apt to blame the body for turning sugars into bad cholesterol according to one radio clip I heard). I wouldn't recommend living on just eggs, but it's a good food in a pinch and I have eggs for breakfast a couple of times a week because I love them and I enjoy cooking them in many forms.

For those who might not know some of the terminology of eggs, here are a few things I figured out over the years:

Technically speaking, scrambled eggs are just eggs that have been whipped and lightly fried but many people consider scrambled eggs to be the loose chopped-up-looking pile of eggs, even if water or milk has been added to the mix prior to cooking.

Technically speaking, an omelet is an egg or eggs with stuff added to it, whether mixed in or folded into the cooked eggs just prior to serving. The simplest form of omelet is what I considered scrambled eggs growing up: eggs with a little milk added before cooking in a loose jumble.

The classic omelet has water or milk (or half and half or sour cream, and sometimes herbs such as tarragon or dill) beaten into the egg prior to cooking, the batter is cooked in an omelet pan into a fairly solid mass. Then other things which have been cooked or at least heated separately, such as onions, pepper, mushrooms, diced dam, shredded or crumbled cheese, shrimp, etc. etc.) are sprinkled on top and the omelet is folded in half (which holds in heat and helps cheese melt) and then served. Many restaurants will precook the add-ins, store them cold, heat then on the grill, and pour the scrambled eggs or egg batter on top so that they are pre-mixed, then sprinkle the cheese on top in the last half minute of cooking to melt it, fold it over even though there are no innards to hold in and keep warm (because it's traditional), and serve.

For a similar taste but alternative texture, healthier eating (no added fat), and quick fixing if I have some hard boiled eggs around, I'll chop a boiled egg, sprinkle shredded cheese and maybe a little dill weed* on top and heat in the microwave until the cheese melts.

Poached eggs are fried eggs that, rather than turning over, are finished cooking by adding water, covering, and steaming the top. This requires a little less oil and makes for pretty presentation of an egg that still has a soft center.

Fried eggs are typically the least healthy (along with omelets made with half-and-half, rich cheeses, or fatty meats), and I like to cook them in butter, which doesn't help, but they can be made more healthy by using olive oil, and healthier still by dedicating a non-stick omelet or saute pan to egg use and using the smallest bit of olive oil spray. Any burns and stickiness due to cooking other foods in the pan, however, will cause eggs to stick.

Fried egg doneness: the meanings vary with the cook, but the common terms are

Easy over - the egg is fried lightly top and bottom but the yellow is still liquid and the whites are likely to be soft in the center. This and other soft-center types are recommended only if you are sure of the quality of the eggs, preferably a certified farm source.

Medium over - the egg is fried longer on each side and only the center of the yellow is still liquid

Hard over - the egg is fried longer on both sides and the center is fully cooked. Depending on the temperature of the pan or griddle, this can result in somewhat rubbery whites. Some restaurants will break the yellow to encourage it to cook without turning the whites to rubber, but are as likely to end up with runny whites instead.

Sunny side up - many people don't like the appearance of this as the top is essentially raw, but if you like 3-minute boiled eggs, you'll like this. The bottom of the egg is cooked until the whites are nearly done to the top and the egg is carefully served without flipping or breaking the still liquid yellow.

Boiled eggs: to boil eggs, bring water to a boil (bubbling but not churning, as this will cause eggs to break), and gently add eggs to the water (I usually put them on a large spoon, lower them into the water, and gently draw the spoon out from underneath. Turn water down until it remains just bubbling and cook desired duration.

3-minute eggs are very liquidy but used to be very popular. The traditional way to serve them was to gently roll them, large end down, into an egg cup (a pedestal with a small curved top to keep the egg upright), chop off the top of the egg shell with a quick hard strike of a knife, and eat the egg with a spoon.

7-minute eggs are like medium over; the white is done, some of the yellow is done, but the center of the yellow is soft. If being served hot, the outer surface can be cracked by tapping with the back of a spoon and then carefully peeled. If the cook is doing the peeling or serving is very informal, the eggs can be run under cold water before or after cracking and peeled immediately to help avoid burning fingers on the hot shell. Not recommended for serving cold.

10-minute eggs are cooked through. If the egg is cooked a little longer (or the eggs are small), the yellow may start to turn green around the edges. This is perfectly healthy and some people like it that way though it is often accompanied by the white's beginning to turn rubbery. These can be served hot or cold and can take fairly rough pounding of the egg to break the shell and peel, but if hot, should be run under cold water a minute to cool enough for handling. To test for doneness, some people can achieve a roll test. Try spinning the egg like a top on its large end. If it continues to spin a moment without falling over, it is done.

*"weed" in herbal terminology means the leaf, to differentiate from the seed, flower, or whole plant