EGG HINTS

Thursday, 29 January 2009 11:15:32 AM

A THUMBNAIL

& nbsp;

Eggs - Substitutes: 1: You can substitute 1 Tablespoon of milk mixed with 1 dessertspoon of custard powder for 1 egg in a cake mix.
2: Some years ago I read in a magazine what to do if you want to bake cookies and you don't have eggs at home. Instead of adding the recommended number of eggs, add the same number of table-spoons filled with vinegar to the dough. This may sound funny, but it really works! And the cookies do really not have a vinegar flavour at all (when they are ready).
Egg will fall apart. Put them unpeeled in cold water and cook them gently with the cover on.
Eggs Fresh or Not: bad eggs float to top good eggs sink to bottom.
Eggs - Substitutes: You can substitute 1 Tablespoon of milk mixed with 1 dessertspoon of custard powder for 1 egg in a cake mix.
Eggs will not crack and boil out of the shell during cooking if a dash of vinegar or pieces of lemon are added to the cooking water. And eggs for garnishing should be stirred until the water boils. This keeps the egg yolk in the centre.
Before boiling eggs prick the blunt end with a needle to prevent cracking whilst boiling.
To remove stain spoons etc that browned whilst eating the egg, place it them in the water that they water cooked in for 10 minutes, then rub with damp cloth and salt.
Richer Eggs: To really make scrambled eggs or omelettes rich add a couple spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream and then beat them up.
To make light fluffy omelettes, use a bit of water, instead of milk, in your eggs.
Easy Devilled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done -- easy clean up.

Do not overcook the egg. This is typically where most people go wrong. If the shell is sticking to it and you lose most of the egg as you peel it, then you know you have committed this sin. Hard-boiled eggs should be boiled for 5 minutes, soft, runny eggs for 3 minutes.
Do not forget to place eggs in cold water. Wait until water has come to the boil and then time it with your watch, or better still an egg timer (3 or 5 minutes depending on whether you want soft or hard) to cook your perfect egg.
Do not buy non-organic eggs. Fresh, free-range, organic eggs are a must. I would never buy hormone-riddled, big eggs.
Do not cook eggs in too little water. Eggs need to be covered. To avoid cracking the egg, place it in the saucepan with a spoon.
Do not forget to run cooked eggs under a cold tap. It makes the peeling of the egg much easier and makes burnt fingertips a thing of the past.
Do not eat more than is recommended by nutritionists. Eggs are an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals but if you have very high blood cholesterol, you should restrict egg consumption to no more than four a week.
Do not forget a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar. And serve your eggs with crusty toast and butter.
The older the egg the larger the air sack in the bottom. With soft-boiled eggs it's not as important but when you peel a hard-boiled one you will find half the bottom missing.

For soft-boiled, take a 60g egg from the fridge and place it in a small saucepan, adding enough water to cover the egg by 2cm. Place the pan over a medium-high heat until the water boils. Then reduce the heat to a medium simmer and cook the egg for one minute and 45 seconds from the time the water originally boiled. Remove the egg from the pan, place in an egg cup and remove the top. This results in an egg with a runny yolk which is ideal for dipping toast fingers.
OR Fully immerse the eggs in a pot of cold water (again this provides extra insurance against cracking). Bring the pot slowly to simmering point (between 96C and 99C). Let it simmer for about 4 minutes for soft-boiled.
OR For a soft-boiled egg that is just set, put enough water in a small pan to cover an egg and heat on a middle setting. On my induction stove the settings are between 1 and 9 so I would heat the pan on a 5. You don't want the water to boil, only a very low simmer - you just want to see a few bubbles. Then leave the egg like this for between 12 and 15 minutes. Remove from the water and run under a cold tap until the outside of the egg is no longer hot.
For four 65g soft-boiled eggs, the eggs are also best cooked from room temperature. Bring 1 litre of lightly salted water in a small saucepan to 85C. You will need a thermometer to test this. Carefully lower the eggs into the water and maintain the temperature between 80C and 85C for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water, place in egg cups and serve immediately. I have found that you can achieve a more consistent soft-boiled egg with a just-set white and a warm runny yolk if you cook your eggs in 85C water for exactly 5 minutes. The heat penetrates more slowly at this temperature and the egg proteins set more gently than they would if you boiled them rapidly.
For soft-boiled, I always favour the cold water start. Place your (fresh laid) eggs into a pot allowing at least 10 times the volume of the eggs. Place the pot on a high heat until just simmering. Time three minutes and remove.

For hard-boiled, place enough water in a small saucepan to completely cover the egg and bring to a full boil. Lower a room-temperature egg into the water with a spoon, turn the heat down to a medium simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the egg and place into a bowl of ice water and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. This should result in a golden yolk with a little moisture in the middle. Avoid cooking the egg too long as it results in a yolk of strange colour and texture.
For hard-boiled, put enough water in a small pan to cover the egg. This time boil the water but as soon as it boils turn it down to a simmer. Leave the egg in the simmering water for 10 minutes.
For four 65g hard-boiled eggs, the eggs are best boiled from room temperature. Pour 1 litre of lightly salted water into a small saucepan. Heat the water to just before boiling point and carefully lower the eggs into the water. Bring the water to the boil but do not allow it to boil vigorously - maintain a gentle boil for one minute exactly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the eggs to cool slowly in the water (this can take up to an hour). When the water is cool, remove the eggs, peel and slice in half. The yolk should be set but not dry.
For hard boiled eggs, remove the pot from the heat and leave the eggs in the water for another 10 minutes. Refresh under cold running water and peel if required. Don't boil the eggs as they crack on the bottom of the pot and at such a high temperature, the yolk is in danger of getting that horrible grey-green ring around it - this is a simple chemical reaction and one that is easily avoided.

Toppings for soft-boiled eggs:
Serve soft-boiled eggs with a selection of delicate flavourings, leaving everyone to mix their preferred ingredients into their egg. Allow two eggs each - they are bound to be popular, especially if you serve them on a large platter for brunch. Why not push the boat out and serve them for breakfast in bed with a ramekin of caviar? Mini-ratatouille: Cut a medium onion, a small chunk of red, yellow or green capsicum, a small zucchini, a dwarf eggplant and a skinned ripe tomato into 3-4mm dice. Gently heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a small saucepan, sweat the onion for 2 minutes, then add the capsicum and cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini then, at intervals of 2 minutes, the eggplant and tomato. Season with salt and pepper, add a few thyme leaves and serve just warm. Olives Remove stones from green and black olives, chop and mix. Mini croutons Cut the crust from a slice of white bread and cut the bread into tiny cubes. Heat a little clarified butter and fry the croutons over medium heat until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm. Capers Small ones are best. Rinse off the vinegar under cold running water and drain well. Soft fresh herbs Finely snip chervil, flat-leaf parsley and chives. Grated cheese There is nothing better than freshly grated parmesan. Salt and pepper Freshly milled sea salt and cracked pepper are essential.