# Egg Cooking Technique Secrets



## mr drinky (Apr 21, 2012)

Eggs are simple and cheap, but to master how to cook them takes a bit of skill -- or at least attention. With all the different sizes (large, extra large, jumbo etc.), fresh vs. less fresh, and any number of different cooking techniques, eggs are easier to mess up than get right it seems.

Today I hard boiled a dozen eggs, and though they were very well cooked, they were a bit over cooked for my taste. (I like a soft core on my yolks.) When I hard boil eggs, I usually take the the water to boil and then let the eggs sit for 7-10 minutes based upon size. Large eggs (7 min) and extra jumbo whatever (10 min). Then I do the ice bath thing. For some reason I took large eggs to 10 minutes this time. 

Anybody have any egg cooking secrets?

k.


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## wellminded1 (Apr 21, 2012)

Thermal circulator all the way. Perfection every time. I love me a good egg.


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## mr drinky (Apr 21, 2012)

I knew that was coming, and my wife has been encouraging me to go that route too. Thanks for tipping me towards more kitchen equipment 

Btw, I have resurrected my egg eating after hearing about a study that people who ate one egg each morning lost weight. Apparently, the early morning protein is very effective at curbing hunger later in the day. 

k.


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## wellminded1 (Apr 21, 2012)

Hahaha , couldn't resist. There are some cheaper home models available now, which is nice. But the polyscience professional is just so portable and great looking. And besides eggs go great with everything.


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## cnochef (Apr 21, 2012)

K, you need to run out right now and get the current issue of Bon Appetit. The cover has a big ol' cinnamon bun on it, but the major article is about eggs. Hey, I just found it online for you for free!

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/the-incredible-egg

You MUST try the Jean Georges Vongerichten technique of cooking scrambled eggs with a whisk. I thought my low and slow scrambling technique was good but my God this one changed my life as we love eggs so much.

The foolproof hard-boiled egg technique is in there too as is Thomas Keller's egg poaching method which is also superb.

Have you ever tried basting your eggs for something different?

And yes, eggs are fine for you in the morning. In fact a high protein breakfast is better that carbs for weight control. I like lean ham, natural peanut butter and Greek yogurt for breakfast too.


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## PierreRodrigue (Apr 21, 2012)

The latest issue of Food (Food Network) has Alton Brown describing the way to cook a variety of eggs from easy-over to poached, scrambled etc. For boiled for me its cold water, cold eggs, up to a boil, when at a rolling boil, 9 minute timer, drain the water, and a dunk in cold water. Leaves the yoke fully cooked, and tender in the center.


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## mr drinky (Apr 21, 2012)

cnochef said:


> Have you ever tried basting your eggs for something different?



Now that is intriguing. And yes, I have the BA issue, just haven't looked at it closely yet. I am going to try that Keller poached egg on some homemade bread. Bread and runny eggs -- can't go wrong.

k.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Apr 21, 2012)

cnochef said:


> You MUST try the Jean Georges Vongerichten technique of cooking scrambled eggs with a whisk. I thought my low and slow scrambling technique was good but my God this one changed my life as we love eggs so much.



Thanks for the link. I have saved the recipes as PDFs and will give them a shot. I don't eat eggs too often during the week, but love them on the weekends.


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## geezr (Apr 21, 2012)

cnochef said:


> K, you need to run out right now and get the current issue of Bon Appetit. The cover has a big ol' cinnamon bun on it, but the major article is about eggs. Hey, I just found it online for you for free!
> 
> http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/the-incredible-egg
> 
> ...



:thanx: 
will try to get that issue of :bonappetit:


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## Johnny.B.Good (Apr 21, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Anybody have any egg cooking secrets?



Pepin has a few too. 

http://blogs.kqed.org/essentialpepin/2011/09/10/episode-118-egg-ceptional/

including "Cocotte Eggs with Creamed Mushrooms"

http://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/episode209.html


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## Deckhand (Apr 21, 2012)

Hmm you are motivativing me to try my michael ruhlman perforated bad ass egg spoon this weekend. I bought it to make poached eggs for corned beef hash.


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## cnochef (Apr 21, 2012)

I forgot about the Pepin eggs en cocotte (in ramekins). They're great with some sauteed mushrooms, spinach or chard, oven-dried tomatoes or candied bacon added.


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## GlassEye (Apr 21, 2012)

cnochef said:


> You MUST try the Jean Georges Vongerichten technique of cooking scrambled eggs with a whisk. I thought my low and slow scrambling technique was good but my God this one changed my life as we love eggs so much.



I will be trying that tomorrow, I seem to be out of caviar though.


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## cnochef (Apr 21, 2012)

That Ruhlman spoon kicks ass! Got to get me one of those, plus the reusable straining cloth he sells.


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## mr drinky (Apr 21, 2012)

GlassEye said:


> I will be trying that tomorrow, I seem to be out of caviar though.



You always have to have caviar in the fridge -- and my kids eat it like it is crack cocaine. 

k.


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## mhlee (Apr 21, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> You always have to have caviar in the fridge -- and my kids eat it like it is crack cocaine.
> 
> k.



Aren't all modern drugs attempting to be a substitute for caviar? 

Lucky Peach 1 has multiple recipes for eggs as well as a really cool diagram of temperature and yolk texture.


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## ajhuff (Apr 21, 2012)

At work I do cold water, heavily salted, with eggs, maybe the water line an inch above the eggs. Bring to a full boil. Set timer for 10 minutes. Ice quench. I'd say they have been coming out perfect.not overcooked, easy to peal. I suspect the optimum time might have something to do with where you live.

-AJ


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## stevenStefano (Apr 21, 2012)

For sort of creamy soft boiled eggs I put them in boiling water and cook for 7 mins, still runny in the middle but a little set, the very centre of the yolk is runny. For poached eggs, I have no idea how long I cook them for, I just touch them to know they're ready, I cook breakfasts at my work the odd time. For the actual technique, I don't whisk them, I have found after some experimenting that for the best looking eggs, I must drop them in the water high enough that it doesn't splash me. If I don't get splashed they look great. Hardly scientific but it works for me


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## sw2geeks (Apr 21, 2012)

I had posted in my corned beef hash post here on how I poach my eggs. 

I use a non-stick pan and fill it with about an 1 1/2" of water, then bring the water to the verge of boiling and reduce heat. Add a tablespoon of vinegar for each cup of water in the pan and stir. Carefully crack open egg/eggs making sure not breaking the yokes and put each into a small cup. Get cup as close as you can to the water and gently pour in. If the whites start to spread out use a slotted spoon to push them back towards the yoke. They should be ready it 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yoke. I like mine a little firm so I went with 4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. If you are not serving them right away you can dip them in ice water to stop the cooking.


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## Deckhand (Apr 21, 2012)

Oh man that looks good!


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## mr drinky (Apr 21, 2012)

Those are some gorgeous eggs. I am sure it is just photo trickery though 

I just made my poached eggs using Keller's method. He let the eggs set for 5 minutes in 1/2 C distilled white vinegar to set them, create a vortex with a whisk in the boiling water, pour in the egg with vinegar, keep stirring, bring back to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. I haven't opened them yet, but they are the nicest compact oval poached eggs I have ever made. At the same time I tried David Chang's 5:10 soft boiled eggs. Those were amazing and perfectly runny. 

I also made some fresh bread this morning using that no-knead recipe that just sits in my fridge ready to make, so it is going to be poached eggs on fresh bread for brunch. Pictures later. 

k.


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## mr drinky (Apr 21, 2012)

Ok, here are the pics. Sorry for no plating skills or fancy photography -- laziness rules on Saturday morning. 

As for the eggs, they both came out amazing, and I would recommend both the Chang 5:10 and Keller poached egg. With that said, if you just want the runny yolk for your morning egg, the 5:10 egg is much simpler. You just boil water, lower the eggs in for 5 min and 10 seconds, lift out the eggs and put in an ice bath. No vinegar or swirling and it is much easier to handle larger batches. With the Keller recipe, he says that if you do more than two eggs you should start new water because there is a cup of vinegar in at that time. 

The last picture is of the 5:10 egg.

k.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Apr 21, 2012)

Johnny.B.Good said:


> Pepin has a few too.
> 
> http://blogs.kqed.org/essentialpepin/2011/09/10/episode-118-egg-ceptional/



I usually watch KQED cooking shows Saturday morning (to inspire my breakfast and/or dinner choices for the weekend).

Oddly enough, this morning's "Essential Pepin" rerun is the "Egg-ceptional" episode I linked to above.

I was going to make waffles, but now I think I'll have eggs. 

Looking forward to brunch pics K!


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## eshua (Apr 21, 2012)

Immersion circulators are expensive. 

If you play around with a large enough pot...5qts/6 eggs? We boil water...let it cool for 5 min...add eggs...cover 45 min...and you get a nice gelatinous soft white...soft yolk.

Great for americanized sukiyaki where folks don't want toally raw egg.


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## Keith Neal (Apr 21, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Eggs are simple and cheap, but to master how to cook them takes a bit of skill -- or at least attention. With all the different sizes (large, extra large, jumbo etc.), fresh vs. less fresh, and any number of different cooking techniques, eggs are easier to mess up than get right it seems.
> 
> Today I hard boiled a dozen eggs, and though they were very well cooked, they were a bit over cooked for my taste. (I like a soft core on my yolks.) When I hard boil eggs, I usually take the the water to boil and then let the eggs sit for 7-10 minutes based upon size. Large eggs (7 min) and extra jumbo whatever (10 min). Then I do the ice bath thing. For some reason I took large eggs to 10 minutes this time.
> 
> ...



Many suggestions for boiled eggs depend on the heat source and the pan. To get perfect eggs on any stove with any pan, bring the water to a boil (the more water the better), and slide the room temperature eggs in gently with a spoon. Bring back to a boil as quickly as possible and boil for 12 minutes for hard eggs (deviled eggs, egg salad, etc.), 8 minutes for a softer yolk, or 4 minutes for soft boiled. At the elapsed time, put the pan immediately under cold running water to cool the eggs quickly. Peel 12 or 8 minute eggs as soon as they are cool enough to handle. They will peel perfectly every time, and be cooked the way you want.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Apr 21, 2012)

Quick shot of my poached eggs from this morning. Served over cubed potatoes cooked in a skillet olive oil, butter, bacon, green and white onions, and a little minced garlic with some good sourdough toast and fresh grapefruit juice.


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## SameGuy (Apr 21, 2012)

I've spent most weekend mornings for the past two months trying to replicate the "runny eggs" from Ya Kun Kaya Toast coffee shops in Singapore. An order of "runny eggs" at any of the franchises comprises two barely-set but intact soft-boiled eggs that are completely peeled, in a bowl. The whites are ever so slightly opaque; I think 15 seconds less on the boil and they'd be translucent. The locals eat runny eggs with a dash of soy sauce, and dip their Kaya (coconut-egg jam) toast in it. It is heavenly. Any ideas how to time them that accurately? And how the heck do they peel such soft eggs so completely -- I can never get mine into the bowl intact.


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## Andrew H (Apr 21, 2012)

I guess I'm the only one that didn't take pictures. Eggs benedict with bacon instead of ham. I used Alton's 'recipe' for poached eggs: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/poached-egg-tips-recipe/index.html


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## mr drinky (Apr 21, 2012)

Keith Neal said:


> Many suggestions for boiled eggs depend on the heat source and the pan.



Two variables that throw me off are: (1) the varying size of eggs these days and (2) the boil (or re-boil). The difference between the first tiny bubbles of pre-boiling to a rolling boil is often 2 minutes or so, and that's significant in an egg's 'life'. And jumbo extra large eggs take longer to cook and also reduce the water temperature more meaning they affect boiling. From now on I am starting to buy the same size of eggs. 

And thanks Johnny.B for making my brunch look simple 

k.


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## SpikeC (Apr 21, 2012)

I put eggs directly from the fridge into cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, as,soon as it boils I turn off the heat and cover the pan, 9 or 10 minutes and I empty the pan and run cold water into it till the eggs are cooled. The yolks are just set in the middle.


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## mr drinky (Apr 21, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> I put eggs directly from the fridge into cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, as,soon as it boils I turn off the heat and cover the pan, 9 or 10 minutes and I empty the pan and run cold water into it till the eggs are cooled. The yolks are just set in the middle.



I'm going to try that method.

k.


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## geezr (Apr 22, 2012)

Great info re. eggs on this thread :hungry:
Picked-up the issue of Bon Appetit magazine at the bookstore today and realized I have not been to a bookstore in a very long time - an unexpected treat - sort of :thumbsup:


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## Eamon Burke (Apr 22, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> I put eggs directly from the fridge into cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, as,soon as it boils I turn off the heat and cover the pan, 9 or 10 minutes and I empty the pan and run cold water into it till the eggs are cooled. The yolks are just set in the middle.



This.


Breakfast this morning:


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## Namaxy (Apr 24, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> I put eggs directly from the fridge into cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, as,soon as it boils I turn off the heat and cover the pan, 9 or 10 minutes and I empty the pan and run cold water into it till the eggs are cooled. The yolks are just set in the middle.



I use this method, and vary the time. I prick the eggs, cold from the fridge, bring until just to the boil, then about 10 minutes for just setting large, to as much as 15 - 16 minutes for x large where you want a solid, but not greened yolk. I go from the pan to ice bath. Once cooled, I quickly (15 seconds or so) dip them in almost boiling water - the shell expands and peels very easily at that point.

Having said all that - once I bought a thermal circulator I tend to use that. You can really dial in how much you want the yoke cooked.


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## Duckfat (Apr 24, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Anybody have any egg cooking secrets?



Not really a secret but if I'm doing soft boiled eggs I add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water in the last minute of cooking. The shells pop right off and you get nice smooth soft boiled eggs as long as you do your part with the timing. At home I tend to cook about six eggs at a time in a 2 qt pan. I allow the eggs to come up to room temperature so they don't crack when I set them in the pot of boiling water. Six minutes in the water, two under running cold water.

Dave


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## DwarvenChef (Apr 24, 2012)

Just got hooked on pasture raised chicken eggs from work. The flavor can't be beat /drool I got a carton about a month ago and munched right through em. My wife replaced it with general production eggs and the flavor was lacking, got another carton of the good ones and I'm never going back to conventional eggs again 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXAJAyLdUXU

DROOL, done this at work a few times lol


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## cnochef (Apr 24, 2012)

We buy eggs from our favourite bio-dynamic winery 15 minutes away from us, they keep a coop and also sell vegetables from their garden. You're right, after having farm eggs you can't go back to regular supermarket ones.


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## jgraeff (Apr 24, 2012)

A tip for peeling is. Smash down as if you are going to crack a raw egg shell. Then roll the shell on your board back n fourth once or twice. Then peel from the smashed portion should come off in one peel very easily. I candi a whole case this way in about 5-8 minutes


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## Pabloz (Apr 25, 2012)

I just blow the damn thing out.....UUUHHHH that sound BAD...but that's how it's done.


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## mr drinky (Apr 25, 2012)

Pabloz said:


> I just blow the damn thing out.....UUUHHHH that sound BAD...but that's how it's done.



I used to blow the shells off, but I found that it didn't work well (or at all) on eggs that were hard to peel in the first place. You can search YouTube if you want videos of how to blow your egg out of the shell. It's pretty cool actually (when it works). Fresh eggs are more difficult to peel in general, so usually let mine sit in the fridge for a couple of weeks to 'age' them a bit and then hard boil them.

k.


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## Duckfat (Apr 25, 2012)

Use baking soda in the water and they will be easy to peel even on very soft boiled eggs.

Dave


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## mr drinky (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks for the tip, and through the glory of YouTube, there is someone who uses the baking soda and blows the egg out of the shell. 

[video=youtube;PN2gYHJNT3Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y[/video]

k.


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## Duckfat (Apr 25, 2012)

Yeah but if ya boil the eggs 12 minutes they are so over cooked you won't need baking soda. That trick works best on soft boiled eggs that are often very hard to peel. I never understood the oral fixation with eggs. Just peel them. LOL

Dave


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## Eamon Burke (Apr 25, 2012)

I just watched a Day in the Life about Tim Ferriss. He's got a book coming out called "The 4 Hour Chef". I wonder if it will be good. Supposed to have "the principles and methods for learning anything" in it.


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## Shinob1 (Apr 25, 2012)

Do you guys have any tips for making eggs sunny side up? Also I wanted to know what you all thought about this: 
[video=youtube;gTpqutgqKQ4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTpqutgqKQ4&list=FLTpn9BzRTsbvOT6rxVpOBwg&index=9&feature=plpp_video[/video]

I tried it myself and it came out okay for me. I had a few problems, mostly because I was using eggs from the store and not fresh eggs as he recommends.


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## cnochef (Apr 25, 2012)

That video doesn't do a thing for me. If I want ham for breakfast, I fry a nice slice of bone-in or country ham in bit of butter/canola oil mix until it is nice and caramelized all over.

With regards to sunny-side eggs, I fry mine with a heaping teaspoon of rendered bacon fat in my well-seasoned #3 Griswold cast iron skillet on medium heat (probably medium-high if you're not using cast iron). What I'm looking for is nicely browned and crispy edges on the egg whites, just the way my Grandma used to do it. Then a pinch of kosher salt and a couple of twists of my Unicorn Magnum pepper grinder and I'm good to go, with some challah toast soldiers.


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## Crothcipt (Apr 25, 2012)

those are not actual sunny side up. They would be considered basted. Sunny side up would never be cooked any way on the top. Pretty much just cooked on 1 side until the whites are cooked all the way through. You can do this by turning down the heat just like he did in the vid.


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## SpikeC (Apr 25, 2012)

I must have numb taste buds, because I have never had bitter egg whites.


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## cnochef (Apr 25, 2012)

+1 on what both Crothcipt and SpikeC said, this guy is another internet g-ball who thinks he knows more than he does. 

I've never had eggs with nicely browned bottoms and crisp edges that were ever "bitter", just like with my ham technique above these crispy caramelized bits are where the flavour is. Why do you think chefs use non-stick stainless pans and make pan sauces with wine from the fond left behind after searing or sauteing?


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## mr drinky (Apr 25, 2012)

For sunny side up, I cook mine on medium until the whites on the bottom are somewhat set, and then reduce to low and cover to help the top part of the whites cook. Maybe a minute more.

k.


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## cnochef (Apr 25, 2012)

I didn't mean to say "non-stick stainless pans" in the post above, just "stainless steel pans."


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## Mucho Bocho (Apr 25, 2012)

cnochef said:


> +1 Why do you think chefs use non-stick stainless pans and make pan sauces with wine from the fond left behind after searing or sauteing?



This quote is unclear to me?

The best pan for eggs is seasoned carbon steel (debuyer is my favorite brand). this is the ultimate non-stick pan. The professional chef's that i follow, don't ever cook with teflon coated pans. Those are uniquely reserved for people that own Cutco. 

Every time I see someone on TV pulling out a non-stick anything, I just roll my eyes. May I get another helping of PTFE with my organice free-rance expensive what everplease. Non-stick anything is marketing crap. I bet most people that use non-stick also love crock pots, or should I say, pots of crock.

For over-easy eggs--warm dry pan on medium heat for two or three minutes, add a pat of real butter (no margarine) alternatively a dollop of duck fat is also nice, or maybe both. bacon dripping are too overpowering for a simple fried egg. The pan should be warm enough so that the egg moves a little but should not bubble hard as to create a crust (denatured protein). Once all the albumen has solidified around the yoke, give a light flip, cook for 10 seconds, remove from pan and serve on a warm plate. 

For sunnyside, same procedure but don't flip.


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## Andrew H (Apr 25, 2012)

Mucho Bocho said:


> This quote is unclear to me?
> 
> The best pan for eggs is seasoned carbon steel (debuyer is my favorite brand). this is the ultimate non-stick pan. The professional chef's that i follow, don't ever cook with teflon coated pans. Those are uniquely reserved for people that own Cutco.
> 
> ...



Cnochef made a mistake and corrected himself in the post directly above yours. Also once the egg 'white' has gone from clear to white you've already denatured the proteins. Forming a crust is different.


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## cnochef (Apr 25, 2012)

Mucho Bocho said:


> bacon dripping are too overpowering for a simple fried egg



Please explain to me why bacon fat is too overpowering for frying eggs, that is a new one to me. 

Pork fat is a respected and oft-used fat in many cultures and dishes.

After all we're talking about home-cooking here, not serving up breakfast at a country club.


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## TB_London (Apr 25, 2012)

I cheat with boiled eggs and use this


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000CFGB5/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Just drop in with the eggs and it changes colour as the eggs cook.


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## ajhuff (Apr 25, 2012)

TB_London said:


> I cheat with boiled eggs and use this
> View attachment 6492
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000CFGB5/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
> ...



I give those as gifts. Really works!

-AJ


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## SpikeC (Apr 25, 2012)

+1 on the bacon grease, it makes eggs perfect. I don't have duck fat in stock anyway!


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## SameGuy (Apr 25, 2012)

Aw, those are cool! Thanks!


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## Duckfat (Apr 26, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> +1 on the bacon grease, it makes eggs perfect. I don't have duck fat in stock anyway!




WOT!!! :bigeek: LOL I always keep left over bacon drippings for eggs especially from smoked bacon.
With basted eggs I just do sunny side up in a pan, drop in a small ice cube and put a lit on the pan for a second.

Dave


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## Mucho Bocho (Apr 26, 2012)

The reason I do not choose bacon grease is because bacon is smoked. If you're actually trying to appreciate the cleanness of a pastured farm raised egg, to my pallet the smoke of the bacon is over powering.

Now if I were making some sort of egg sandwich, or were eating it with spicy home fries or something like that, bacon grease does bring a lot of flavor to the table. 

Cnochef--My feedback was a procedure for cooking an immaculate unadulterated egg. Sometimes i'll finish them with a dash of pimento pimenton.


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## TB_London (Apr 26, 2012)

Lol, i find bacon and eggs goes together like...well bacon and eggs. Used to know the egg lady at the farmers market when i was at Uni and would get boxes of 50 organic free range for £5 (about $8) for a couple of weeks every year when she brought in new layers, as they were the first lays and were all kinds of shapes and sizes. They were awesome eggs


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## Mucho Bocho (Apr 26, 2012)

those are the ones I use. Colored like a rainbow, my little girls always request the blue ones. The farm that get them from feeds them marigolds in their feed mix. makes the yokes look like an autumn evening setting sun.


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## Still-edo (Apr 26, 2012)

This thread is beast!


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## mpukas (Apr 26, 2012)

Check out Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table interview f/ 04/14/12 w/ Dave Arnold on cooking eggs in an immersion cirulator. Listen at about 30:00. 
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/listings/120414/
She also mentions this was in Luck Peach. Gotta get me an immersion circulator device... 

Re: JG's method, I've seen Ramsey do it this way. One thing Ramsey does differently is he salts the eggs after they start cooking. Apparently this is the typical French way of cooking eggs. Not my favorite way... and I think serving eggs in an empty shell is fussy and silly... 

There's about a dozen different way I cook eggs f/ omelettes, to scrambles, to poached to over-easy... re: sunny-side up or over-easy I like a big non-stick pan and low heat.


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## ajhuff (Apr 26, 2012)

Actually there are 101 different ways, right? 101 pleats?

-AJ


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## Amon-Rukh (Apr 27, 2012)

Still-edo said:


> This thread is beast!


Heck yeah! My fiancee and I have been doing the eggs each morning thing for a while now and loving it, but my boiling technique is... lacking. Will have to follow some of the advice here to see if I can improve! 

I picked up that Bon Appetit too and while I thought the Keller poached eggs turned out well, I didn't much care for the Vongerichten scramble. The polenta-like texture that they were raving about in the magazine just didn't do much for me and I just felt like there are plenty of other, more interesting ways to go about making eggs than that one! Our current favorite egg dish is a javanese omelette recipe by Vincent Price. It has green onion and sambal oelek in it and is pretty much single-handedly responsible for me starting to develop actual omelette-making technique, which was something that I always sucked at before.





Now if only I could improve my photo technique....


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## SameGuy (May 4, 2012)

I'm ready to give up on Singapore-style runny eggs until I get an immersion system. It seems obvious after trying every other method that in order to just (barely) set the white almost all the way through without the outer layers getting rubbery, I need a constant temperature bath at the point the whites coagulate (~62°C). I tried the &#916;T method (i.e.: 1 L water at the boil in a small pot, remove heat source and drop eggs in for minimum eight minutes) and it came closest, but the outer layers were still rubbery and the shells just as difficult to peel off as most standard methods.


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## Vertigo (May 4, 2012)

Just saw this ludicrous quote.



Mucho Bocho said:


> The best pan for eggs is seasoned carbon steel (debuyer is my favorite brand). this is the ultimate non-stick pan. The professional chef's that i follow, don't ever cook with teflon coated pans. Those are uniquely reserved for people that own Cutco.



That's like saying "carbon steel knives are the best, stainless steel knives are uniquely reserved for people that throw their knives in dishwashers." As a professional egg-cook who slays around a thousand eggs a day, literally millions of eggs since 1994, and in a dozen different kitchens, I can assure you that Teflon coated pans are the _industry standard_ for eggs.

Seasoned carbon steel pans are for people who have the time and energy to spare looking after their seasoned carbon pans (like pro chefs making videos for you to follow). Teflon is the industry standard because it's completely effective, less fussy than carbon, less _reactive_ than carbon, cleans faster than carbon, and doesn't lose it's seasoning when encountering volatile or acidic ingredients to incorporate in a scramble. If you've spent any time playing with your deBuyer pan, you've learned what's good and what's bad for your seasoning. That's a non-issue with Teflon. Don't get me wrong, I'm a total fan of carbon steel pans and have cooked many an egg within them. I can also cook an egg on a hot muffler without it sticking, but still keep a Teflon pan on top of my cupboard specifically for no-mess, no-fuss eggs.


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## SameGuy (May 4, 2012)

I was keeping my trap shut, because I think I mentioned in the "one pot/pan" thread that my go-to is a Calphalon Commercial Non-Stick 12-inch omelette pan (with glass lid). I don't own Cutco knives.


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