Always crack an egg on a flat surface, not the edge of a cup or pan. Cracking on an edge can cause the shell to point inward, piercing the yolk. Tap a few times gently to crack.
A perfect fried egg to have a soft, fluffy white with a warm, runny yolk. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to achieve this:
• Crack the egg and use your fingers to break open the egg and pour into cup.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan on low heat to prevent the egg white -- the protein-loaded part of an egg -- from coagulating too quickly and becoming tough. Add about 1 teaspoon oil or butter to the frying pan and allow to melt.
• When melted, slowly pour the egg from the cup into the pan. Pouring from a cup prevents the egg yolk from plopping into the pan and breaking.
• Watch as the egg fries to prevent overcooking the lean protein of the white.
• The egg is done when the white is firm but soft. The yolk should be warm and still runny. Sunny-side up is the classic way to serve an egg, but it can be gently flipped and cooked a few seconds longer to firm up the yolk. The yolk should be soft enough to cut with a fork.
• If an egg is fried too quickly on high heat, the white instantly coagulates, rendering the egg tough and compromising the flavor.
Scrambled eggs are creamy if cooked right, but dry as toast if cooked wrong. Follow these steps for flavorful scrambled eggs:
• Break the eggs into a small bowl and, with a fork, lightly blend the yolks into the whites. For two large eggs, use 1 tablespoon of butter. For more eggs, multiply the ingredients accordingly. Heat half the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. The most frequent mistake is using high heat, which produces dry, tasteless eggs. After the butter begins to foam, slowly pour eggs into saucepan.
• Use a wooden fork or spoon to stir briskly, with backward and forward movements. Be sure to get to the corners of the pan to prevent the egg from sticking to the sides.
• Keep stirring until three-quarters of the egg mixture is a creamy, solid mass and a quarter is still liquid. Remove from heat and add the remaining butter. Continue scrambling with a fork or spoon.
• Serve as soon as there is no liquid left.
Hard Boiled Eggs
• Place eggs in a single layer on the bottom of a saucepan. Add enough water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch. Cover and quickly bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and let the eggs stand, covered, in hot water for about 15 to 17 minutes for large eggs; 3 minutes less for smaller eggs.
• Run cold water over the eggs until completely cooled.
• Fresh is better for scrambled, fried and soft-boiled eggs, but 7- to 10-day-old eggs work best for hard-boiled. Fresh eggs are difficult to peel. The older the egg, the greater the separation between the egg white and shell. This gap makes eggs easier to peel.
• To peel, crackle the shell all over by tapping it gently on a table or countertop. Roll the egg between your hands to loosen the shell and then peel it off, starting at the large end.
Arroz con Huevos
From Arizona Republic Ingredients:1 cup water
1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoon bottled taco sauce or red salsa
1/2 cup chopped tomato
4 eggs
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
In medium saucepan combine water, rice, onion, garlic and salt. Cover. Over high heat, bring to boiling. Reduce heat to keep water simmering.
About 10 minutes before rice is done, stir in green pepper and taco sauce. Re-cover and cook until rice is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in tomato. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm while poaching eggs.
To poach eggs on top-of-range, in 1-quart saucepan or 8 to 10-inch omelet pan or skillet, heat 2 to 3 inches of water to boiling. Reduce heat to keep water simmering. Break eggs into bowl. Then, slip eggs into water, holding bowl close to water's surface, letting the eggs slide one by one into the water. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on desired doneness. With slotted spoon, lift out eggs.
Drain in spoon or on paper towels and trim any rough edges, if desired.
To poach eggs in microwave, pour about 2/3 cup of water into 1 quart bowl or baking dish. Break and slip in eggs. Prick yolks with tip of knife or wooden pick. Cover dish with lid or plastic wrap. Cook on high power setting for 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes to complete cooking, if necessary. Lift out with slotted spoon.
To serve, spoon half of the reserved rice mixture onto each of two plates. Top each with 2 of the poached eggs. Sprinkle each egg with 1 tablespoon of the cheese.
Makes 2 servings.
Fresh Corn Frittata
Ingredients:3 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob
3 tablespoons minced onion
4 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add corn and onion; saute, stirring often, three to five minutes, until tender.
Beat together remaining ingredients and pour over corn mixture in skillet. Reduce heat to low and cook, without stirring but shaking the pan to prevent sticking, until bottom is just set, three to five minutes.
Cut frittata into four wedges. With spatula, carefully turn each wedge over. Continue cooking until set, one to two minutes longer. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
