Perfect Eggs - what''s the secret?

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 2/15/2009 9:25:34 AM
Author: Pandora II

Date: 2/15/2009 1:34:58 AM

Author: FrekeChild

I believe on the other side of the pond, their chickens are treated much better than ours in the States are. I''ve heard that you can actually cook chicken to a doneness (like steak) without having to worry about salmonella. Unfortunately, we don''t seem to be as lucky because our chickens live in tiny quarters with no room to move around, and live in their our feces, and eat ground up chicken parts for food. Sorry for the images, but that''s just how it is.


And IMHO, the key to great eggs, is all in the pan.

All our chickens are tested for salmonella I believe.


You can still buy ''battery'' eggs, but I and most people I know only buy free-range eggs from happy hens that run around outside.


I''m a huge supporter of compassionate farming methods and will pay the extra to know that the creatures I eat have had happy lives before becoming my lunch.


Do you not have big campaigns in the USA to stop inhumane treatment of chickens/pigs etc?

This is such an interesting thread - my DH and I were just talking about this very subject (and specifically omelettes) the other day - neither of us has ever been able to get an omelet we are happy with.

I knew about eggs needing to be room temperature for baking, but had no idea it would help for cooked egg dishes.

Pandora and Freke - do you guys think that if we bought truly free-range, organically farmed, humanely treated eggs we could really store them at room temperature? I''ve always been really worried about salmonella in eggs, especially as an immunologist/microbiologist, I''m a bit paranoid

My problem (besides not knowing about RT eggs) is that I actually don''t eat them myself - can''t stand the taste or texture - but I make them for DH, and since I''m normally a "tasting" cook (taste as I go along to see how things are going, or get used to which inputs equal which tastes and textures), that''s always been tough for me too.

I''m definitely going to try some of the tips here though - you guys are so awesome, I love what a wealth of knowledge we have on PS about virtually any subject

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 2/15/2009 3:01:38 PM
Author: AmberGretchen

Date: 2/15/2009 9:25:34 AM

Author: Pandora II

Date: 2/15/2009 1:34:58 AM


Author: FrekeChild


I believe on the other side of the pond, their chickens are treated much better than ours in the States are. I''ve heard that you can actually cook chicken to a doneness (like steak) without having to worry about salmonella. Unfortunately, we don''t seem to be as lucky because our chickens live in tiny quarters with no room to move around, and live in their our feces, and eat ground up chicken parts for food. Sorry for the images, but that''s just how it is.



And IMHO, the key to great eggs, is all in the pan.

All our chickens are tested for salmonella I believe.



You can still buy ''battery'' eggs, but I and most people I know only buy free-range eggs from happy hens that run around outside.



I''m a huge supporter of compassionate farming methods and will pay the extra to know that the creatures I eat have had happy lives before becoming my lunch.



Do you not have big campaigns in the USA to stop inhumane treatment of chickens/pigs etc?

This is such an interesting thread - my DH and I were just talking about this very subject (and specifically omelettes) the other day - neither of us has ever been able to get an omelet we are happy with.


I knew about eggs needing to be room temperature for baking, but had no idea it would help for cooked egg dishes.


Pandora and Freke - do you guys think that if we bought truly free-range, organically farmed, humanely treated eggs we could really store them at room temperature? I''ve always been really worried about salmonella in eggs, especially as an immunologist/microbiologist, I''m a bit paranoid

My problem (besides not knowing about RT eggs) is that I actually don''t eat them myself - can''t stand the taste or texture - but I make them for DH, and since I''m normally a ''tasting'' cook (taste as I go along to see how things are going, or get used to which inputs equal which tastes and textures), that''s always been tough for me too.


I''m definitely going to try some of the tips here though - you guys are so awesome, I love what a wealth of knowledge we have on PS about virtually any subject

Yes you can, almost all of the rest of the world does. Very often eggs sit in nests for a day or so before the farmers get out to go get them (at least with regular hens). At my house we have always had chickens and often only checked for eggs once a day...sometimes once every other day.

Refrigerating eggs is a figment of our "we are so scared of being sued for every little thing so our recommendations are always insane" society.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 2/15/2009 3:24:08 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 2/15/2009 3:01:38 PM
Author: AmberGretchen

Date: 2/15/2009 9:25:34 AM
Author: Pandora II

Date: 2/15/2009 1:34:58 AM
Author: FrekeChild
I believe on the other side of the pond, their chickens are treated much better than ours in the States are. I've heard that you can actually cook chicken to a doneness (like steak) without having to worry about salmonella. Unfortunately, we don't seem to be as lucky because our chickens live in tiny quarters with no room to move around, and live in their our feces, and eat ground up chicken parts for food. Sorry for the images, but that's just how it is.

And IMHO, the key to great eggs, is all in the pan.

All our chickens are tested for salmonella I believe.

You can still buy 'battery' eggs, but I and most people I know only buy free-range eggs from happy hens that run around outside.

I'm a huge supporter of compassionate farming methods and will pay the extra to know that the creatures I eat have had happy lives before becoming my lunch.

Do you not have big campaigns in the USA to stop inhumane treatment of chickens/pigs etc?

This is such an interesting thread - my DH and I were just talking about this very subject (and specifically omelettes) the other day - neither of us has ever been able to get an omelet we are happy with.

I knew about eggs needing to be room temperature for baking, but had no idea it would help for cooked egg dishes.

Pandora and Freke - do you guys think that if we bought truly free-range, organically farmed, humanely treated eggs we could really store them at room temperature? I've always been really worried about salmonella in eggs, especially as an immunologist/microbiologist, I'm a bit paranoid

My problem (besides not knowing about RT eggs) is that I actually don't eat them myself - can't stand the taste or texture - but I make them for DH, and since I'm normally a 'tasting' cook (taste as I go along to see how things are going, or get used to which inputs equal which tastes and textures), that's always been tough for me too.

I'm definitely going to try some of the tips here though - you guys are so awesome, I love what a wealth of knowledge we have on PS about virtually any subject

Yes you can, almost all of the rest of the world does. Very often eggs sit in nests for a day or so before the farmers get out to go get them (at least with regular hens). At my house we have always had chickens and often only checked for eggs once a day...sometimes once every other day.

Refrigerating eggs is a figment of our 'we are so scared of being sued for every little thing so our recommendations are always insane' society.

Yeah I'm going to agree with neatfreak. The USA has gotten a little (A LOT) sue happy. Not to mention the scares we keep having with everything else having salmonella. What I think is funny is that salmonella really isn't that bad compared to many other food borne illnesses.

AmberGretchen I believe you can wash eggs off before using them, because salmonella is on the shell, and contact with the infected shell is what puts it in the eggs.

We only buy free range eggs. I believe the only animal rights organization in the USA is PETA. But it's not something I really know anything about.

ETA: I'm sketchy with not putting eggs in the fridge because of the fat in the yolks going rancid. But I'm weird.

 

[JulieN]

Chickens that have infected ovaries can also infect the inside of the egg, not just the outside of the shell.

 

[pixie1216]

i use organinc eggs, i can taste the difference compared with regular eggs. for scrambled eggs i use a little whole milk and add some cheese, usually american. the taste great! oh- i also cook them in a pan coated with melted butter!

 

[sap483]

I recently came across a french omellette receipe in Cook''s magazine and it has forever changed my Saturday morning breakfast experience. It is absolutely delicious. The eggs take on this amazing fluffy and silky texture

According to their recipe, for one omellette you use 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk. You beat it at a moderate pace for about 80 strokes and then gently mix in frozen butter cubes (about 1/4 Tbs, frozen and cubed), and a pinch of salt and pepper. In the meantime, you heat up a pan over medium heat with half a Tbs of butter for 10 minutes. Before you begin cooking the omellette you wipe off the pan, turn up the heat to medium high, and add another half Tbs of butter and let if foam up. Once the foaming subsides you spread the butter around and add in the egg mixture and scramble the eggs with chopsticks from the outside in for about thirty seconds and then remove from heat and form the scrambled pieces back into the omelette shape with a rubber spatula. You add the filling (I like to saute the filling first before I begin making the omellette and then set aside) and cover tightly. If you like your omellette less firm, leave it covered for less time (about a minute to a minute) or longer (about a minute and a half to two minutes) for more firm omellettes. You then slide it on a plate that has a paper towel on it and use the paper towel to roll it up.

I think that''s it, I''m going from memory here. I''ll check it against the recipe when I get home.

 

[FrekeChild]

Cook''s Illustrated has fantastic recipes, and they make it so someone can make something with little experience, and it will still come out well. Love it!