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The Incredible, Edible
EGG
OVE AND EGGS
are best when they are fresh,” says a lovely old Russian proverb. Of course, with love
as with eggs, nothing comes easy. As another famous proverb both literally and
metaphorically suggests: “You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.”
It’s hard to suggest a food that’s more a part of our
consciousness than the egg. We call a nice person a “good
egg”—and good-for-nothings “bad eggs” or “rotten eggs.” A
“nest egg” is all that you’ve set aside for the future, while a
“goose egg” is a big, fat zero. After a humiliating experience,
one might be said to have “laid an egg” or to have “egg on
ones’ face.”
The first egg mystery to solve is one that’s probably
crossed your mind at least once in the grocery store aisle:
What’s the difference between brown-shelled and whiteshelled eggs? The answer, according to the American Egg
Board: Absolutely no difference in quality, nutrients, flavor, or
cooking characteristics.
The shell color of eggs is determined by the breed of
hen. White-shelled eggs are produced by hens with white
feathers and white ear lobes. Brown-shelled eggs are
produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. The only
possible difference is price.
E
G
G
S
When Can An Egg
Stand On End?
An Astronomical Question.
n
It’s an old myth: On the day of the Vernal
Equinox—and on that day only—you can stand
a raw egg on its end. The fact is, if you can stand
a raw egg on end, it has nothing to do with the
Equinox. It’s difficult and takes patience, but you
can stand an egg on end all year long.
According to leading astronomer Phil Plait:
“This has to be one of the silliest misconceptions
around, and it never seems to die. Every year,
without fail, some TV station broadcasts a
segment showing local schoolchildren standing
eggs on end on the first day of spring. Usually, the
newscaster will make some vague mention about
how his works, but it is rarely specific, and never
holds up to too much scrutiny…
“Let’s look at it from an astronomical angle. What
is special about the Vernal, or Spring, Equinox
that makes it different from any other time of the
year? Although the Vernal Equinox might seem
like a special event, all it really means is that day
and night have about the same length: 12 hours
each. Otherwise, it has no real manifestations
to us here on the surface; if you were locked in
a windowless box you would have no way of
knowing that it was the Vernal Equinox. As far
as gravity goes, there isn’t anything special about
this time…
“I once heard a newscaster say that you can stand
an egg on end during the Spring Equinox because
the sun’s gravity “lines up with Earth’s.” This is
just silly. Draw a line between the center of the
earth and the sun, and you’ll see that at any time,
someplace on the earth is on that line! If there
is any validity to this solar balance claim, then
certainly it negates the Spring Equinox claim.
I would hope our nation’s television journalists
would know better.”
Leave it to the scientists to take all the fun out of
superstition…
Since brown egg-laying hens
Obviously, the egg-industryare slightly larger birds and sponsored Egg Nutrition Center
require more food, brown eggs has strong feelings on the matter.
are usually more expensive Here’s a quote from their website:
than white.
“The dietary cholesterol and
There is nothing more common egg restrictions have become a
on the American table — scrambled staple of American dietary folklore
or poached, made
easily incorporated
into omelets or soufinto our fat-phobic,
flés, whipped into
cholesterol-phobic
The American Heart
meringues or eggnog.
lifestyle. Over the
Yet the egg — particyears eggs have
Association guidelines
ularly the fried egg
literally become the
now allow room for
many people have for
icons
for
high
eating one egg a day.
breakfast — has for
cholesterol,
both
the past 30 years
dietary and plasma,
been under attack by
and it has taken
the food police.
considerable re There
has
search efforts to
been considerable
prove that they do
debate over whether
not belong in the
eggs in the diet
“bad” food group….
contribute to elevatBut
now
that
ed plasma cholesall seems to be
terol levels and
changing and the
heart disease risk, or whether this consensus based on opinion is
is just an overly simplistic view slowly giving way to an avalanche
equating dietary cholesterol with of research data showing that eggs
plasma cholesterol. Ever since the are not the serious health concern
restrictions on dietary cholesterol they have been portrayed to be.”
and egg consumption were proRecent research shows that
posed in 1972, nutritional scien- dietary cholesterol has only a
tists have argued the question small effect on plasma cholesterol
without reaching a resolution. One levels, and that dietary cholesterol
problem is that opinions had has little relationship to heart
became so fixed that in many cases disease incidence. The American
the heat of the debate put it in Heart Association guidelines now
the category of religion and allow room for eating one egg a
politics: Topics not appropriate for day. Previously, three eggs a week
polite conversation.
was the maximum allotted amount
recommended by the AHA. Until
A hen needs 24 to 26 hours to produce an egg. Thirty
Egg-citing Info
recently, researchers believed egg
yolks contained as much as 274
milligrams of cholesterol, practically filling up the daily allotment
in one gulp. Now, an egg is
believed to have around 214-220
milligrams, allowing room in the
diet for an egg—provided egglovers can keep their remaining
daily cholesterol intake below the
300 milligram benchmark.
This revised dietary recommendation was obviously good
news for the nation’s egg producers. Annually, the U.S. egg industry supplies 245 eggs per capita to
each of the nation’s 265 million
people. Approximately 70 percent
of the eggs are supplied to the
consumer as fresh shell eggs and
30 percent in eggs broken by
processing companies and used in
the manufacturing of products
such as cakes, pies, and pasta.
“Of course, the finest way to
know if the egg you plan to eat is
a fresh one,” wrote the famed food
writer MFK Fisher, “is to own the
hen that makes the egg.”
• A hen needs 24 to 26 hours to
produce an egg. Thirty minutes
after she’s finished, she starts
all over again.
• The egg shell may have as
many as 17,000 tiny pores over
its surface. Through them, the
egg can absorb flavors and
odors. That’s why storing eggs
in their cartons helps keep
them fresh.
• Eggs age more in one day at
room temperature than in one
week in the refrigerator.
• About 240 million laying hens
produce approximately 5.5 billion dozen eggs per year in the
United States.
• White-shelled eggs are produced
by hens with white feathers and
ear lobes. Brown-shelled eggs
are produced by hens with red
feathers and red ear lobes.
• To tell if an egg is raw or hardcooked, spin it…If the egg spins
easily, it is hard-cooked but if it
wobbles, it is raw.
• If an egg is accidentally
dropped on the floor, sprinkle
the area heavily with salt for
easy clean up.
• Egg yolks are one of the few
foods that naturally contain
Vitamin D.
COOKING EGGS
IN THEIR SHELL
A “boiled egg” is a misnomer for eggs
cooked in the shell. Although hard- and softboiled are terms often used in conversation,
the proper term is hard- or soft-cooked. Eggs
should not be boiled because high temperatures make them tough and rubbery.
Instead, place eggs in single layer in
saucepan. Add enough tap water to come
at least one inch above eggs. Cover and
quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat.
If necessary, remove pan from burner to
prevent further boiling.
Hard-cooked: Let eggs stand, covered, in the
hot water (but off the heat) for about 15
minutes (for regular large eggs; give or take
a few minutes for smaller or larger eggs).
Immediately run cold water over eggs or
place them in ice water until completely
cooled. To remove shell, crackle it by tapping
gently all over. Roll egg between hands to
loosen shell, then peel, starting at large end.
Hold egg under running cold water or dip in
bowl of water to help ease off shell.
Soft-cooked: Let eggs stand, covered, in the
hot water (again, off the heat), about 4 to 5
minutes, depending on desired doneness.
Immediately run cold water over eggs or
place them in ice water until cool enough
to handle. To serve out of shell, break shell
through middle with knife. With teaspoon,
scoop egg out of each shell half into serving
dish. To serve in eggcup, place egg in cup
small end down, slice off large end of egg
with knife or egg scissors and eat from shell
with spoon.
Source: American Egg Board
Source: American Egg Board
minutes after she’s finished, she starts all over again.
E
G
G
S
THE EGGNOG STORY
OLD-FASHIONED EGG SALAD
⁄4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1
⁄4 teaspoon salt
1
⁄4 teaspoon pepper
6 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1
⁄2 cup finely chopped celery
Bread or lettuce leaves
1
In a bowl, combine mayonnaise,
lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper.
Stir in eggs and celery. Cover and
chill. For each serving, spread
about 1/2 cup on bread, or spoon
onto lettuce leaf. Serves 3-4.
SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH LOX
AND CREAM CHEESE
12 large eggs
1
⁄2 teaspoon salt
1
⁄2 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons butter
8 ounce package well-chilled cream
cheese, cut into 1⁄2 inch cubes
6 ounces thinly sliced smoked
salmon, or lox, cut into 1⁄2 inch
pieces
Chopped fresh chives
Whisk eggs, salt and pepper in large
bowl to blend. Melt butter in large
nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat. Add eggs. Using wooden spoon,
stir until eggs are almost set, about
5 minutes. Gently fold in cream
cheese and salmon and stir just
until eggs are set, about 1 minute.
Transfer eggs to platter. Sprinkle
with chives and serve with toast.
Serves 6.
POTATO AND LEEK FRITTATA
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons oil
1 cup cooked potatoes (1⁄2 inch cubes)
2 Leeks, white part sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1
⁄2 cup chopped raw vegetables
(carrots, peppers, broccoli)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1
⁄4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon cilantro sprigs
5 eggs
1
⁄2 cup table cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salsa, optional
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil. Add
the leeks, onion and garlic and sauté
until soft. Add the potatoes and
vegetables and cook until potatoes
are lightly browned. Remove from
skillet and place potato mixture into
a medium bowl. Add cheese and
cilantro to bowl, toss and set aside.
In another small bowl, combine eggs,
cream, salt, black pepper and cayenne
pepper and whisk until blended. Pour
over potato-leek mixture.
In the empty skillet, melt the
remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
Pour in the potato-egg mixture and
cook slowly over low heat, piercing
the top with a fork and gently lifting
the bottom. Continue cooking until
the bottom is brown and set.
Slide frittata onto a dinner plate,
invert the plate with the frittata
back into the skillet and cook the
remaining frittata side until brown,
similar to an omelet. Serve with
salsa. Serves 4.
This chilled winter holiday beverage consists of a
blend of milk or cream, beaten eggs, sugar, nutmeg
and usually liquor of some kind. Rum was noted in
early references to the drink, but brandy and whiskey
are also common additions. Liquor-free eggnog has
also long been served.
A British creation, eggnog descended from a hot drink
called posset, which consists of eggs, milk, and ale or
wine. The recipe for eggnog has traveled well, adapting to local tastes wherever it’s landed. In the
American South, bourbon replaced ale (though nog,
British slang for strong ale, stuck). Eggnog goes by the
name coquito in Puerto Rico, where rum is the liquor
of choice There the drink has the added appeal of
being made with fresh coconut milk. Mexican eggnog,
known as rompope, was created in the convent of
Santa Clara in the state of Puebla. The basic recipe is
augmented with a heavy dose of cinnamon and rum or
grain alcohol, and the resulting drink is sipped as a
liqueur. In Peru, holidays are celebrated with a biblia
con pisco, an eggnog made with the South American
pomace brandy called pisco.
TRADITIONAL EGGNOG
12 egg whites
12 egg yolks
11⁄2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
11⁄2 quarts brandy, optional
1 pint dark rum, optional
1 quart milk
1 quart cream (lightly whipped)
Nutmeg, grated, to taste
Beat the whites until stiff. Put aside. Beat the yolks
until they are light. Add gradually the sugar and
beat the mixture until it is thick and pale. Chill the
mixture*. Add vanilla. Beat in slowly the brandy and
the rum, if desired. Add in the milk and the cream,
beating constantly with a wire whisk. Fold in the egg
whites and sprinkle the surface with nutmeg for garnish. Pour into highball glasses. Serves 12.
* Note: If there is a problem with eggs in your
region, do not prepare using raw eggs. If you don’t
want to use raw eggs, an alternative is to add half
the milk and cook egg mixture on low heat instead
of chilling, until thick and at least 160˚F. Then chill
before adding rest of ingredients.
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