Eggs

[billhammond]

When I have breakfast in a restaurant, I order eggs over medium -- I want the whites firm and the yolks still a little runny when stabbed with toast.

But at home, for some reason, I usually cook eggs by whipping two of them in a bowl, not too much, so there is still some white and yolk separation visible. Then I pour that mixture into a skillet that has butter almost browned in it, and just let the whole mess sit. When it firms up, I section it into quarters, flip each one over, turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a plate, with Cry Baby Craig's hot sauce on the side.

They're not scrambled, but not fried over hard, either. Simple and delish.

Your preference?

[John B]

Sunny side up, for me. Unless I feel like scrambled, or an omelet or something frittata-like. But if I'm at home and just want some eggs, sunny side. With wheat toast.

[factorychef]

Two and a half minute soft boiled eggs for me.

[billhammond]

Jul 6, 2023 8:43:07 GMT -5 factorychef said:

Two and a half minute soft boiled eggs for me.

Ate a lot of those as a kid, never do it now, for some reason.

[billhammond]

Jul 6, 2023 8:43:07 GMT -5 factorychef said:

Two and a half minute soft boiled eggs for me.

Are the eggs at room temp when you drop them into the boiling water?

[Marty]

Over easy, add some Cholula or Tapatio and smash the eggs into well done hash browns. Don't like Tabasco, too much vinegar.

[RickW]

Sunny side up at home, usually poached when out. I like a runny yoke. I like soft boiled eggs too, but never get them, for some reason. I do occasionally poach at home, as well.

We also tend to buy organic/free run/no hormone eggs. Noticed a difference, and the ladies in the house, (and there are four of them,) all notice. Wife figures it’s the hormones in particular — just does something that doesn’t sit quite right. We don’t get too intense about organic usually, but in this case, we do.

[drlj]

I order over easy in restaurants. At home, we do poached, scrambled, and what Barb calls toad in the hole. She uses a juice glass to take out the center of a slice of bread, grills the bread and cracks an egg in the center. The whole thing gets flipped over to cook the top and toast and egg meet the plate together. She uses a large grill to do it. I love it. Unappetizing name, but great results. No actual toads involved.

[billhammond]

Basted eggs are wunnerful, but not all eateries have them on the menu.

thecookful.com/how-to-baste-eggs/

[billhammond]

Jul 6, 2023 8:56:10 GMT -5 drlj said:

I order over easy in restaurants. At home, we do poached, scrambled, and what Barb calls toad in the hole. She uses a juice glass to take out the center of a slice of bread, grills the bread and cracks an egg in the center. The whole thing gets flipped over to cook the top and toast and egg meet the plate together. She uses a large grill to do it. I love it. Unappetizing name, but great results. No actual toads involved.

[John B]

Jul 6, 2023 9:01:23 GMT -5 billhammond said:

Basted eggs are wunnerful, but not all eateries have them on the menu.

thecookful.com/how-to-baste-eggs/

I use a lid to try to get most of the whites cooked (yet leave the whites over the yolks clear). Alternatively, I will also tilt the pan and spoon some of the butter (or if I'm lucky, bacon fat) over the top to cook the whites.

Even though they call them basted eggs, they're not really basted, are they? In that recipe they're steamed. Mine, however, are basted.

[majorminor]

3 eggs from the local egg lady pan fried in butter, seasoned with Greek seasoning and black pepper, flipped and smushed to cook the yolk, rolled up in a warm tortilla shell with grated sharp white cheddar and green chili sauce. That and an apple or a banana are my typical before work breakfast to go.

[billhammond]

Jul 6, 2023 9:13:52 GMT -5 John B said:

Jul 6, 2023 9:01:23 GMT -5 billhammond said:

Even though they call them basted eggs, they're not really basted, are they? In that recipe they're steamed. Mine, however, are basted.

Yeh, I think you are right -- basted eggs should have butter poured over them during the cooking process. Ignore that recipe I hurriedly posted.

[james]

Scrambled but not over cooked, with brown bread toast. I like to bung in spoon of crème fraiche at the end of cooking to stop overheating. Chives if available. Huevos rancheros also good.

[billhammond]

I think Steve's approach is the clear winner, at least so far.

I've read that when restaurants interview prospective chefs, they often ask them to cook eggs, as there are so many methods and yet pitfalls, as well.

[John B]

Jul 6, 2023 9:20:22 GMT -5 billhammond said:

Jul 6, 2023 9:13:52 GMT -5 John B said:

Yeh, I think you are right -- basted eggs should have butter poured over them during the cooking process. Ignore that recipe I hurriedly posted.

But I do think a lot of people cook it that way and call them basted. So I'm not raging against that specific recipe, but the whole industrial egg complex that names recipes.

[drlj]

Jul 6, 2023 9:09:55 GMT -5 billhammond said:

Jul 6, 2023 8:56:10 GMT -5 drlj said:

I order over easy in restaurants. At home, we do poached, scrambled, and what Barb calls toad in the hole. She uses a juice glass to take out the center of a slice of bread, grills the bread and cracks an egg in the center. The whole thing gets flipped over to cook the top and toast and egg meet the plate together. She uses a large grill to do it. I love it. Unappetizing name, but great results. No actual toads involved.

That’s it.

[billhammond]

At the regrettably now closed Ward 6 restaurant in St. Paul, their eggs always tasted so good, and I asked the owner what their secret was. He said it's all about freshness -- the eggs they bought were usually only a day old or so.

[Cosmic Wonder]

Over easy/medium. I like a runny yolk. But I also do scrambles, omelets, etc. I do like a hard boiled on a Cobb salad. Eggs Benedict’s be pretty yummy too.

Mike

[billhammond]

Jul 6, 2023 9:51:52 GMT -5 Cosmic Wonder said:

I do like a hard boiled on a Cobb salad.

I succumb to convenience and buy peeled hard-boiled eggs at Trader Joe's, six to a package.