Granny's Cookbook
Eggs
Eggs are a good source of protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and D, and riboflavin. There are about 75 calories in the average egg. Although eggs have gotten a bad reputation in recent years as being unhealthful for people worried about their cholesterol levels, the pendulum seems to be swinging in the other direction yet again. Eggs seem to be bad for you, good for you, bad for you, good for you, in cycles. Let moderation be the key to your enjoyment of anything, and eggs are no exception.
Eggs are sold in two grades, A and AA, the former having slightly thinner whites and spreading a little bit more when you cook them. Grade A is fine for use in baking or as an ingredient in a dish, but use AA eggs when you want a good-looking cooked egg.
Eggs come in sizes from small to jumbo, which has less to do with their appearance than it does their weight. Most recipes in cookbooks are based on large eggs, two of which will yield a half-cup of beaten egg. For comparison's sake, it takes three medium eggs to get a half-cup.
The color of the shell has no effect on egg nutrition or quality. Brown eggs are laid by a different breed of hen than white eggs, that's all. Egg yolks vary in color as well, from light to bright yellow. There is no difference in quality. The different-color yolk depends on what the chicken was fed.
Buy the freshest eggs you can find. The "sell by" date on an egg carton usually is three to four weeks past the date the egg was graded. You should try to use your eggs a week or two before the date on the carton for the best freshness. To tell whether your egg is fresh, put it in a glass of water. A fresh egg will sink to the bottom. An egg past its prime will float because it has lost some moisture through the shell to air.
Store your eggs in the refrigerator in their original carton for 10 to 14 days. Avoid using the egg-storage shelf in your refrigerator door because this is the warmest spot in your refrigerator. Turn your eggs so the pointy end faces down. This will suspend the yolk in the white better.
An egg will begin to set at 144 degrees. This is good to know if you want to cook an egg on the sidewalk in July, but more to the point, it lets you know that eggs don't need a lot of heat to cook. Most methods of cooking eggs are done at medium-low to medium heat. Cooking eggs at too high a temperature will toughen them quickly.
Eggs are a basic ingredient in a lot of dishes. They make our cakes rise, thicken sauces and bind lasagna fillings. But eggs cook up well all by themselves, too.
To fry eggs, add a tablespoon or two of butter to a skillet on low heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl to be sure that they're usable, and slide the eggs one at a time from the bowl to the skillet. You'll get a firm white and a nicely cooked yolk if you cover the pan and cook for just a few minutes. This is the traditional "sunny-side up" fried egg. For "over easy," use a spatula to turn the egg carefully so the yolk will cook quickly on the pan bottom just before serving. Be careful not to break the yolk.
Scrambled eggs make good meal for a large bunch of people at brunch. Lightly beat four to six eggs with 2 or 3 tablespoons of milk or cream, salt and pepper in a bowl. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a skillet on low heat, swirling to cover the bottom and sides. Add the eggs, stirring constantly with a fork, and cook for about three minutes, so the eggs are set but not too dry.
Some things you can add to the beaten eggs before scrambling are crisp bacon bits, grated cheese, sour cream (instead of the cream or milk), capers, sauteed onions or mushrooms, cooked sausage pieces or snipped fresh herbs. Use your imagination; almost anything tastes good in scrambled eggs.
Hard-boiled eggs: Place the eggs in a saucepan big enough not to crowd them. They all should fit in the bottom of the pan with about a quarter-inch of space between them. Add water to cover the tops of the eggs by one inch.
Put the pan over high heat and bring to a full, rolling boil. Immediately cover the pan and remove from heat. Let the eggs stand in the hot water, covered tightly, for 15 minutes, not one minute longer nor one minute less. Pour off the hot water and run cold water over the eggs until the pan itself is cool to the touch. This stops the eggs from cooking and makes peeling much easier.
Cooling eggs immediately after they are hard-cooked also eliminates the green ring that can form around the yolks.
Hard-boiling is a good way to prepare eggs that are a week or two old.
To soft-boil an egg, follow the method above, but leave the eggs covered for only one minute.
Poaching an egg can be tricky, but there are some tips that can make the results a little more aesthetically pleasing. Use a lightly greased saucepan filled 1 1/2 inches deep with water. Bring to a boil. Crack an egg onto a saucer. Once the water is boiling, take a spoon and stir quickly around the edge of the pan to create a whirlpool. Slide the egg off the saucer into the whirlpool and lower the heat. Simmer for four to five minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg, and snip off any "streamers" that remain.
Another method involves adding a half teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of vinegar to the water. Once the water is brought to a boil, the pan is removed from the heat, and the egg is slipped from the saucer into the pan. Let stand in the hot water for three to five minutes, until the egg is set. More than one egg at a time can be poached with this method. The result is a little flatter, and not as round as the swirling-water method.
Hints
To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh—if it rises to the surface, throw it away.
Poke an egg with a small sewing needle before hard-boiling, and the egg will peel with ease! And hold that needle in place with a magnet refrigerator clip.
To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.
Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful, glossy finish.
Easy Deviled Eggs
12 hard-cooked eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Remove shells from eggs. Carefully cut each egg in half lengthwise, remove the yolks and drop the yolks into a one-gallon size zip-type plastic bag. Add the mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, onion, curry, mustard and pepper. Zip the bag partially closed, leaving a small area for the air to escape. Squish and squeeze the bag until all ingredients are well mixed.
Press the mixture down towards one corner of the bottom of the bag. With scissors, snip off about 1/4-inch of that bottom corner of the bag. See what you have? A filled pastry bag. Carefully pipe the filing into each of the 24 egg white halves. Garnish as desired, or not at all. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 24 deviled eggs.
Special Deviled Eggs
Here’s a different twist on deviled eggs….You’ll get some raves about these next time you take them to a pot-luck dinner!
6 hard cooked eggs
2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon mustard
Peel the eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Take yolks out and mash them with a fork. Add relish, mayonnaise and mustard to the yolks and place this mixture back into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika if you like.
