365 Cooking Tips and Tricks Every Cook Needs to Know by C. Stewart - HTML preview

Eggs and Egg Dishes

168. Whatever size and type of egg you choose to buy, make sure it is graded AA or AAA.

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365 Cooking Tips & Tricks Every Cook Needs To Know

169. Store eggs in the container carton you bought them in – not loose in your refrigerator-door egg bay.

170. Don’t buy unrefrigerated eggs – no matter how “fresh” the grocer insists they are. Eggs need to be maintained at 40°F or slightly colder.

171. Fresh eggs can be safely kept in your refrigerator for 3-5 weeks.

172. If you want a perfect poached egg, use a fresh egg.

173. Treat uncooked eggs the same as any other food you serve, if they are out of the refrigerator – observe the 2-hour rule. (“Put leftovers away within 2 hours of serving.”)

174. Refrigerate cooked eggs straight away – and use within 3-4 days.

175. Yes, you can freeze raw eggs – but not in the shell. Freeze whole eggs in a container, and label it with the date. For mixed white-and-yolk, pour into ice cube trays. Freeze, remove, put in a container and label. (Raw eggs will keep up to a year in a chest freezer.)

176. To freeze cooked eggs, use the yolk only – the white of a cooked egg will turn unpleasantly rubbery. To prepare: Separate your raw eggs, and place each yolk carefully in a small saucepan, without breaking. Slowly add cold water to just above the yolks. Cover and (barely) bring to a fast but not rolling boil. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon onto layers of paper towel. When your eggs are well-drained, place in a container, date and freeze.

177. To make a mock Hollandaise sauce, first chop ¼ cup of butter into pieces (it doesn’t have to be room temperature and will cut better if chilled). Set aside. Then make a basic white sauce -- bubble and slightly brown a tablespoon or two of flour in 2 tablespoons of butter (NOT your chopped butter!) over medium-low heat; then turn heat down and slowly add 1 cup of milk, stirring constantly.

Add a dash of cayenne and black pepper. Mix a tablespoon or two of the sauce into 1-2 egg yolks. Pour egg yolk mixture back into your mock Hollandaise sauce, stirring constantly for a minute or two. Add your reserved, chopped butter, piece by piece, to your sauce, stirring in between each addition. Remove from heat.

Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

178. When you bake eggs, do so in heat-proof individual dishes, lightly greased. (2 eggs to a dish.) Cover them with 1 tbsp. milk or cream.