The Many Different Ways to Cook an Egg
Who doesn't love eggs? Other than vegans of course, but nonetheless eggs are a delicious meal with a lot of versatility. Still, many people struggle with the different ways to cook an egg. Some people have never even heard of soft boiled eggs or frittatas, but that's why we're going to go over the most common ways to cook an egg.
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Scrambled
Scrambled eggs are the most basic way to cook eggs. It's easy to just throw some eggs into a skillet, mash them around, and in a matter of minutes they're cooked. We recommend adding salt, pepper, a bit of butter, and a small amount of milk to get soft scrambled eggs, and then sprinkling some cheese on top, and any other ingredients you would want.
Baked
Baked eggs are less common, but pretty easy. The easiest method is to cook them in a muffin tin. All you have to do is set your oven to 350F, grease a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, and crack your eggs into the tin. Let it bake for about 17 minutes. You can add some cheese, spices, and if you want a mini breakfast sandwich put a biscuit at the bottom on the tin and the egg on top. Baking eggs is a delicious way to get some stuff done while it's cooking.
Sunny-Side Up
Sunny-side up is another easy way yo cook your eggs. Crack them in the pan and you're good! The tricky part is cooking the egg whites all the way through while keeping the yolk runny. It's pretty easy actually. When the main base of the egg whites are cooked, add some water to the pan and put a tight lid over it, so the whites get cooked and the yolk is still sunny!
Over Easy, Medium, and Hard
Over easy are the easy versions of sunny-side up. Crack an egg, let the egg whites cook, and instead of having to let it steam to fully cook, instead just flip it over for just a short time and you're done! The only tricky part of this is making sure the yolk doesn't break when you turn it over. All it takes is a little bit of practice! Over Medium is just like over easy, but you let the yolks be a little less runny by letting it cook a little bit longer. Over hard is just like the previous two, but you let it cook long enough that the yolk isn't runny at all.
Poached
Poached eggs are most commonly found in Eggs Benedict. These are cooked in simmering water, so while they are similar to sunny-side up and over easy in that the yolk is runny, poached eggs aren't cooked in a skillet. This offers a more delicate way of cooking them than searing them.
Hard & Soft Boiled
Hard boiled eggs are also a classic in the home, but sometimes not the easiest to get just right. Soft boiled eggs are far less common in the U.S., but just as delicious. Place your eggs in a large pot and fill with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then turn off the heat and cover with a lid. If you are looking for soft-boiled eggs, set your timer for 7 minutes exactly. If you want hard-boiled eggs, set for 11 minutes. As soon as your timer goes off, transfer your eggs to the ice water. If you use eggs that are a week or two weeks old, the shell will peel more easily.
Frittata
A frittata is the easy omelette. Instead of folding an omelette, you crack some eggs, throw in some veggies, maybe some meats and cheeses, and let it cook and you're good! The tricky part is making it cook all the way through without letting the bottom burn. This requires a little bit more time and patience. Cook it on a lower heat setting so the top will cook and then the bottom won't burn. If you have a broiler, then that's the best way to finish cooking the top. However, a little runniness never hurt anyone!
Omelette
Omelettes are delicious, but how often have you attempted to make one and failed? The best method is to whisk your eggs first, with a little bit of water or even milk (roughly two tablespoons), and if you want a pinch of salt or pepper then that's the best time to mix it in as well. Spray your pan well and let it heat up over medium, and then you pour in the egg mix. As eggs set around edge of skillet, with spatula, gently push cooked portions toward center of skillet. Tilt and rotate skillet to allow uncooked egg to flow into empty spaces. When eggs are almost set on surface but still look moist, cover half of omelette with filling. Slip spatula under unfilled side; fold over onto filled half. Cook for a minute, then slide omelette onto plate. It's that easy!
Deviled Eggs
We could go on and on about how to make egg salad, quiche, egg waffles, egg whatever, but we will finish with the classic deviled eggs.
- Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with enough water that there's 1 1/2 inches of water above the eggs. Heat on high until water begins to boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and leave covered for 14 minutes, then rinse under cold water continuously for 1 minute.
- Crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks to a medium bowl, and placing the whites on a serving platter. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
- Evenly disperse heaping teaspoons of the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and serve.
What's your favorite way to cook an egg? Let us know by tagging us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!