Recipes

Eggs are pivotal representations of both Passover and Easter, and are a traditional symbol of spring. They are the perfect shape, self-contained and independent.

As a food, they are a low-calorie and fat source of good protein. They are inexpensive, easy to find and easy to prepare. I consider them a necessary staple and have some in the house at all times. If hungry and tired, there are many things that can be whipped up easily with eggs.

First – egg safety.

As I mentioned in the post on poultry safety, eggs can carry Salmonella, so eggs need to be handled with the same precautions as for preparing poultry. Eggs are safest when completely cooked through. However, I know that I don’t eat my eggs cooked through, nor my beef medium well.  For liability purposes I need to tell you that cooked completely is the only totally safe way to eat eggs. For recipes calling for uncooked eggs, you can get and use either pasteurized eggs or pasteurized egg products (usually above the eggs in the refrigerated section).

The FDA has a full list of egg safety tips here.

If cholesterol is a concern, replace some or all of the eggs in your diet with products like Egg Beaters which are all or mostly yolk-free, thereby reducing the cholesterol. These products make great omelets, frittatas, scrambled eggs and work perfectly in baked goods.

Second, eggs are protein

Like all protein, do not cook eggs at too high a temperature or your will destroy the texture of the protein.  This means low to medium temperature- even when frying.

Next, let’s talk about preparation.
Since the hard cooked egg is the egg of the season, I’ll start with the cooked in the shell eggs.

Eggs cooked in the shell

(soft, medium and hard cooked eggs- or “boiled” eggs):

• To keep eggs from cracking, pierce the bottom (the fat part) of the egg shell. If you don’t have an egg machine with a piercer, you can buy an egg piercer.  You can use a clean needle or pin, but its easy to stab yourself (not recommended).
• Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat
• Cover and remove from the heat
• Set aside for
  • Soft Cooked – 4-5 minutes
  • Medium  Cooked – 6-8 minutes
  • Hard  Cooked – 8-10 minutes
• Drain the hot water
• Cool in ice water or under very cold running water. (This keeps yolks from blackening and eggs from splitting.)
• Peel (or drain and refrigerate hard cooked eggs, using within 1 week).

Now, having said all that, let me add that I ate soft cooked eggs every day for over 20 years and I used an egg cooker, which is much more reliable and consistent than the above method (and easier I find too).  However, whatever method you use will take some trial and error. With my egg cooker I found I needed longer cooking times to reach the doneness I prefer, so  I needed to add more water than it suggested.

OK, now you have those great cooked eggs. Here are a couple of recipes:

Devilled Eggs

• Peel the eggs. This can best be done with a teaspoon (table not measuring). Gently crack the shell all around. Pick or pry off a piece of shell and pierce the membrane under the shell. Using fingers or the spoon, try to get under the membrane and pull off the shell. This takes a little practice.
• Cut the eggs in two, either across or lengthwise. Lengthwise is easier because they sit better and are easier to fill, but I am not the egg police.
• Gently scoop out the yolk into a small mixing bowl. Place the whites onto a plate or serving dish.
• Mash the yolks with a fork.
• Add the other ingredients and mixThis always includes mayo, yellow mustard and black pepper. I prefer Miracle Whip to mayonnaise, but that is just the way my Mom made them. Everything else is optional and I never measure, I just do it by taste. Below are guidelines to get you started:For 6 eggs use about:
  • ¼ c mayonnaise
  • 1 t yellow mustard
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 t white vinegar (optional)
• Spoon or pipe the mixture into the eggs.
• Dust Paprika over the eggs

Mom’s Comfort Eggs

(My Mom made this for us when I was a child and they are always my go-to when I am ill)

2 soft to medium cooked eggs
1 piece of white bread or a Hawaiian roll (I prefer Sweet) torn into small pieces
1 -2 teaspoon butter, melted
1-2 Tablespoons milk

Mix all together and add pepper and salt as desired.

Enjoy the holidays and enjoy your eggs!  Next post will be other ways to prepare basic eggs.

Two of the healthiest foods to eat are poultry and eggs. They are rich in protein and low in fat. Sadly, many people just never learned safe preparation of poultry and eggs. If not prepared with care and cooked properly, they can make you very, very ill. That is due to the possibility of bacteria that can be in raw eggs and poultry that can be transferred to your hands, utensils and counters when preparing these foods,  and you can get by eating them if not completely cooked.

Salmonella poisoning is very possible with poultry or eggs and can be life threatening. Imagine diarrhea so bad you can NOT get liquids in fast enough to make up for the ones you are losing.

Basic tips for safe preparation of poultry:

• Wash your hands, utensils, dishes, counters and sink surfaces they come in contact with before and after use with hot soapy water. Even if just a little. Even if just liquid.
• Do not touch a hand towel until after you have washed your hands with hot soapy water. (I have seen good cooks wipe hands on a dish towel after handling a chicken. Don’t do this! Err on the side of caution and wash your hands first!
• Use the back of your hands (where you have not gotten any egg or poultry juice) to turn on faucets or open the trash can. In case of doubt wash anything you touched with hot soapy water too. With practice, you can get good at not touching things until your hands are clean.
• Set up your sink faucet and hand soap so you can reach and use them easily.
• If you know you will have trash (egg shells, poultry wrappers or parts you don’t want), open the trash before working with them.
• Have your pans ready and in place (egg pan out and near or on the stove. Roasting pan oiled and on the counter).
• I usually have someone assist me when I am prepping a turkey because it’s a challenge with the size and weight of it to move it around and not touch anything.
• Most poultry recipes call for rinsing and/or wiping the bird with paper towels. Have them ready (torn from the roll) before you start prep.
• Another trick is to have a plastic shopping bag hooked over a drawer knob for all the trash.

Basic trips for safely cooking poultry:

• Do NOT cook a partially frozen bird! Period. My son and I got salmonella poisoning when a hostess cooked a partially defrosted turkey.  Better to give them something else than poison people.
• Properly defrost poultry – be sure there are no crystals of ice anywhere, including inside the bird. Err on the safe side.
  • In the refrigerator is the best. Depending on the size of the bird, this can be overnight to several days. Most turkey tell how long to defrost.
  • If you need it faster or it’s not completely defrosted when you need to cook it, put it in a resealable plastic bag in a cold water bath with a slow tap on so the water stays cold.
  • The third way is to defrost in the microwave- be sure to set on defrost (30% power) and for less time than you think. Check, turn, repeat.
  • Cook to an internal temperature of 165° F and use a thermometer to check
• Follow directions on the wrapper of the bird, or bake at using this roasting chart from foodsafety.gov.

Knowing the easy steps for the safe preparation of poultry can keep these healthy foods healthy for you.

Next time we will discuss cooking eggs.