Eggs - ranting and basic egg recipes

Eggs are nutritious and carry a wide variety of proteins and trace nutrients. They are portable boiled in their shells can be used for making art, and incredibly versatile in cooking. They are also a symbol of life in virtually every religion on the planet. That's some powerful magic.

So why are most of my recipes egg free? No doubt you are aware of what happens with factory farmed chickens. Live slaughter, debeaking, living in poo. You know, I know. Aside from this ethical concern there is another one many of us don't think about. If it's that bad for the chicken's how bad is it for the people who work in the battery? Not only do better treated chickens taste better (both them and their eggs I hear) follow the logical chain of thought regarding that poor standard of life for the chickens means a pretty horrible standard of life for the people working with chickens. According to Human Rights Watch meat and poultry work suffer from systematic human rights abuses, breathing and endocrine problems as a result of the mass manufacture methods used with chickens. (http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/usa0105/usa0105.pdf.) To compound the issue US poultry labeling standards tell us nothing about the quality of life for either the worker or, in most cases, the chicken.

Back when we lived in KS this posed no problem for us. We knew the family who raised the chickens whose eggs we ate. Those chickens were heritage breeds, given a high flax diet, lived on a pasture and allowed the full range of social interaction for chickens. We even met a few of the chickens. Those eggs in 2008 were about 2.50 a dozen for the medium eggs. At the time I could have gotten a dozen of battery eggs for 80cents or so but I got a sense of responsibility and well being as well as taste from these eggs. It just meant we ate fewer eggs, that they were mostly reserved for hard cooked eggs, weekends, parties or the occasional big quiche. This why many of my recipes eschew eggs and offer appropriate substitutes and when eggs appear they are the center of attention.

Since 2008 both grain and gasoline prices have gone up, and this has further raised the cost of eggs and other animal products. We also now live in a large city which, while being closer than many cities to agriculture no longer offers us the option of a half dozen different farms from which to choose our eggs.

This raises the cost of the eggs too. We could go down to whole Foods I guess but these are the same people who refused to back National Healthcare because they assumed you wouldn't be unhealthy if you ate their food. Most people can't afford a "Whole Foods" diet. We can afford diets based on actual whole foods but that's another story. Social Darwinism anyone? Anyway we tend to avoid big chains because they take money out of the community and rarely contribute as much as is being funneled away. Not only that but the fact that they are a nation wide chain tends to mean more standardization and large scale processing which means even if the workers in the slightly larger Organic battery cages might be better off the processor workers will still be dealing with the same mess.

For now we have two choices- travel 1 1/2 each way hours by bus to the big polish market on Narragansett which carries family farmed pasture raised butter, milk and eggs at 2008 prices (as well as pasture raised cured meats which I still won't eat but which some of my family enjoys) or pony up 4-5$ a carton for the same at the health food stores near us. Prices even go up from that in winter because biologically speaking chickens are supposed to taper off to producing fewer or no eggs during the winter. I suspect the rent difference between the two stores is largely responsible for the cost difference. This means when I do get there it's usually for the specific purpose of making yule cookies, Oster eggs, pysanky making, lemon curd or a party. When I do this I usually grab an extra dozen or two, boiling some , freezing the egg white and using the yolks to make lemon, lime or orange curd. We try to save the shells for pysanky of composting.

Eggs are a luxury and we should revere them as such. Respect the egg! Please use the best eggs you can.

To check the freshness of your eggs click here.

Eggs Coddled/ basted

Take as many ramekins or oven safe little cups/ mugs as people you will be serving. Oil or butter lightly. crack each egg into a ramekin. Nudge the egg yolk with the  back of a spoon until the yolk is centered. This means it's more likely the yolk will still be creamy and not solid.) As always with eggs which are not fully cooked you may get sick. Fresher eggs are better for these recipes for that reason and also for taste reasons.

Stove top method

Put ramekins in a wide pan filled to below the rims of the ramekins with boiling water. I use my kettle to do this easier and with less fuel. Turn that sucker on high. When the water boils again cover and check on your eggs in 3 minutes. they should done. If you have a family member with a morbid fear of accidental egg white snot, like my Rabbit, allow to cook for 4 minutes. If they complain about the yolk being too solid explain that animal protein always contracts under heat and the fat only provides a modicum of protection to maintain a runny yolk. So they can pick risk of moderate egg jelly or risk of more solid yolks. Please use waterproof mitts or a jar lifter to remove the ramekins so nobody gets horrible burns. Allow to cool slightly before serving to young children and the impatient. Ceramic holds onto the heat for a while.

Oven method:extra butter or oil needed

preheat oven to 400F. If you want toast slide a cookie sheet of bread on the second rack for ten minutes and then flip when you put the eggs in.

Put ramekins into a large ceramic baking dish. Now add a lump of butter or light drizzle of oil to the top of these eggs. This protects them from over cooking and you from the horrible burned egg smell. 

Pour boiling water into the larger dish up to just below the rims of the ramekins. Put in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Please use waterproof mitts or a jar lifter to remove the ramekins so nobody gets horrible burns. Allow to cool slightly before serving to young children and the impatient. Ceramic holds onto the heat for a while.

Basic Scrambled Eggs for Two
Crack  3 eggs into a bowl. Add 1 oz milk or dairy free milk, broth or even water. You can use a small shot glass to measure if you don't have a 1 oz measure. Using a fork or whisk to create a uniform texture. If using the whisk eggs will generally be fluffier. This is a matter of personal taste.  I usually like to add a grate or two of nutmeg and either a few snips of thyme , chives or other fresh herbs and stir. When preparing this for use in fried rice skip the herbs and spices. Heat a seasoned iron pan to medium, add small bit of oil or butter. Allow oil to heat and spread evenly using a spatula. Pour into pan and stir with fork or spatula until egg begins to coagulate or form little clouds. Continue to stir or flip periodically until you reach the desired texture. Some people like their eggs softer than others.
Hard cooked eggs

You do not really want to boil eggs . This leaves them with a green ring and rubber yolks. Here's what to do instead. Gently place eggs in enough cold water to cover them. Turn stove on medium high. Make sure the lid is clean. Once the eggs reach a boil set a timer for 4 minutes. When this timer goes off cover them with the lid and turn off the heat. Set a timer for 20 minutes and leave them alone. Repeat steps for each dozen you want to make. The stock pot will not help you here.

Deviled Eggs 
Start with 1 dozen peeled hard cooked eggs. Remove the yolks and place in a bowl. Mash the yolks until powdery. Add 2 tb  sourcream or labneh and 2 tb mayo, 1tb fresh dill, a sprinkle of thyme if you have it and 2 tb dijon mustard. Mash it until uniform.If desired Stir in 1 tb capers or dill relish. Spoon or flute into the egg. Sprinkle with parika Refrigerate or serve on a plate over ice, covered.


Godzilla Eggs
These were designed for an insane radioactive picnic sci fi con theme party. Fortune favors the brave. If you aren't making them for a party I wouldn't bother dying whites, but to each their own.
Prepare your dye bath. Use 10 drops food safe green dye (yes there all all natural forms but the green is widely considered the safest) in 1 1/2 cup water with 2 tb cider vinegar in a big bowl or tub. Put the whites in there once separated from the yolk and rotate them every so often so the dye is even. Start with 1 dozen peeled hard cooked eggs. Remove the yolks and place in a bowl. Mash the yolks until powdery. Add 2 tb  sourcream and 2 tb mayo or 4 tb mayo, 1 tb dijon, 1 tb wasabi powder (not the real stuff the green powdered horseradish stuff) and 2 tb sambal oelek.   Mash it until uniform.
Before introducing egg white and filling allow the whites to dry on paper towel to prevent hand an clothes staining. poon or flute into the egg. Sprinkle with paprika or chili powder Refrigerate or serve on a plate over ice, covered. Warn people about the heat level unless you want one thrown at you.