From baking, scrambled, to deviled eggs, and all the tricks in the toolbox for working with eggs and the science behind them. Check out all my egg -based recipes for the perfect way to use and cook eggs. Most importantly, buy your eggs from reputable free range, organic suppliers. I know they are more expensive, but it matters, and beside the fact the egg you get is far richer in taste, brighter in color, and they are happier hens.
Perfect Fluffy Scrambled Eggs
Add a teaspoon of water per egg to the bowl and whisk well. Save seasoning with salt and pepper until the eggs are cooked. It dulls the color of the eggs and affects the texture. When adding to the pan, use a spatula to gradually pull the egg mix towards the middle, working your way around the pan. Always keep the eggs moving in the pan. When 1/2 cooked, add small pieces of butter, allow to melt in. When it still looks a little moist, not quite cooked through, take off the heat. Eggs continue to cook, and the key is to not let them overcook.
Baking and Using Eggs
1st allow eggs to come to room temperature. Then add one at a time, mixing well. This stabilizes the emulsion of liquid and fat in the batter. Results in a springier, lighter texture. Also, size matters. If it asks for a large egg, use large eggs or compensate if using smaller eggs. Folding in a small amount of the egg whites before folding in the rest is designed to prepare the batter, as the purpose is to not deflate and keep as much of the air in the egg whites.
Boiling and Peeling Eggs
Use older eggs, they are easier to peel. Really fresh eggs are a pain in the butt. Reasoning - the egg whites shrink more from the shell with older eggs. When finished boiling, drop them in an ice bath and peel immediately. The longer you leave them, the harder they are to peel.
Beating Egg Whites
Again room temperature eggs matter, as the foam more easily, which is important for this process. Use a stainless steel bowl or glass bowl as fat clings less easily to these than plastic bowls. No matter how well you clean a plastic bowl, some grease remains behind. For recipes that require sugar, it is added later, otherwise it can take up to double the time to produce the foam texture. Overbeaten egg whites can be resurrected by adding an additional egg white and beating until the mixture looks glossy. Adding vinegar or any other acid, like cream of tartare, can reduce the chance of overbeating. The big no, no is to get egg yolk in the egg white, or part of the shell. To remove any shell fragments use the egg shell to scoop the shell out. If you happen to get a little yolk in there, not all is lost, just add a little vinegar or cream of tartare.
Storing Eggs
Store them in the egg carton in the fridge. Egg shells are very porous and absorb odors easily. The egg carton protects them. If you hard boil eggs, also store them in the egg carton if you find you don't use them all.
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