I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you have eggs you’ll always be able to create something delicious. And because eggs are so versatile, they also have so much to teach us in the way of cooking techniques.

Temperature management to get the most delicious omelette, the dreamiest silky scrambled eggs, or, to create that beautiful smooth texture with yolks in carbonara.

Time management is the other big one. A perfect example is getting the timing right for the perfect jammy egg - which is everything!

A good egg. It makes you a better cook.

Understanding time, temperature and how ingredients transform into different textures depending on what you do them are foundational skills that help you to easily create magic in the kitchen.

That’s what I’m here for.

Making more delicious food with ease.

With confidence.

With your unique creative flare.

You get to do that so much more when you build yourself a strong foundation. And maybe you don’t feel like you’re there yet but that’s why we practice. That’s why we build the reps. And doing it with eggs is one place to start because they’re easily accessible, aren’t going to break the bank so why not take advantage of them to dial in your skills?

Let’s dive into some different ways to master those techniques with eggs.

Boiled

Boiled eggs are great for so many things; salads, on their own, to dunk slices of bread or veggies into a perfectly runny yolk, or my favourite - the jammy egg marinated with soy sauce which is usually my favourite part of Ramen.

Take a look HERE to see the different times for each type.

Omlette

There’s something so special in the simplicity of an omelette and it’s a good lesson in temperature management to get that perfectly fluffy inside without it browning too much on the outside. I shared the how to on a previous post HERE. Eat them plain, add some cheese, fresh, herbs or veggies - anything goes.

Crispy fried egg

I love a crispy fried egg. The balance of the soft, runny yolk with crunchy bottom is the perfect balance in textures, which you know I’m all about and I hope you are too! Mixing textures is such a big part of making food taste good. I’ll put a crispy egg on leftover rice or any starch really for a quick meal, they’re one of the stars in bibimbap where my favourite part is breaking apart the egg to mix in with everything else to get the perfect bite.

Here’s a quick run down on how to make the perfect crispy egg:

Heat a small fry pan over medium/high heat with enough neutral oil to just glaze the bottom of the pan. Proper heating of pan will help avoid anything sticking. Crack your egg into a bowl (which makes it easier to drop into the pan evenly) while the pan heats. You’ll know the pan is hot enough when you can only hold your hand over it at a few inches for a couple of seconds. Carefully drop your egg into the pan from the lowest height possible - this will help avoid any hot oil splash. Let the egg cook without touching it for 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the edges are crispy, the egg is starting to release from the pan, and the egg whites have cooked to look opaque. Transfer the egg from the pan with a fish spatula.

Sunny side up

For these you want a lower heat than the crispy egg so start with your pan on medium heat, adding enough butter or oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Drop your eggs into the pan gently and cook for about a minute or until the eggs have set their shape.

Reduce the heat slightly and let them cook for another few minutes or until the egg whites are opaque and there's no clear egg white which will give you the perfect sunny side up with runny yolks.

If you’re flipping them, use a fish spatula and cook for a few more minutes until you get the doneness of the yolk you’re looking for; 1 minute for over easy, 2 for over medium and 3 or more for over hard. You can tell for doneness by gently pressing on the yolk - just do this a few times and you’ll start to get a feel for each one or specifically the one you’re looking for.

Scrambled

Another simple way to make eggs that depends so much on temperature. If you’re pan’s too hot they’ll and cook unevenly, cook them too long and they turn rubbery.

My favourite way to a good scramble is this:

Crack the eggs in a bowl and scrabmel with a fork until there are no white bits remaining and it’s fully mixed. Season with salt and I use a squeeze of lemon instead of milk. There’s some science behind this which I won’t go into but the long & short is it breaks down the protein to help get a creamier finish.

Melt a little bit of butter (usually about a tablespoon for 2 eggs) and heat a small skillet to medium/high heat until the butter is just foamy. Add the eggs, reduce heat medium and swirl the pan in a clockwise motion allowing the eggs to coat the pan entirely.

Use a spatula to fold the eggs into the centre of the pan swirling the pan again to move any egg that’s still liquid into the space you’ve just folded with your spatula.

Continue to do this until the eggs are just barely all set. Remove from the heat - they will continue to cook so you want to take them off the heat just before they look completely cooked.

Poached

If the idea of poached eggs makes you nervous, start by poaching them in something other than water. Okay maybe it’s not technically poaching, more like braising maybe but who cares? Try doing them this way in a Shakshuka which I did a whole post about HERE.

Using egg yolks for caesar salad dressing or mayo

Emulsifying egg yolks turns them into the most dreamy sauce and two of my favourites using this technique are caesar salad dressing and mayo.

The trick here is always about going slow, drizzling your oil into the yolk to get that smooth texture. Sure, you might not do this all the time, but there’s something very satisfying in getting the technique down. And you can’t beat the difference in flavour from storebought.

You can watch the how to for Caesar salad dressing HERE. Mayo is the same concept, just omit the flavourings and add more oil (I prefer a neutral oil over olive oil here) until you get the thickness you like.

More on eggs:

We haven’t even ‘cracked’ the surface on these little beauties and all they can do so if you’re looking for even more try these:

Making meringues are always fun and they’ll teach you about incorporating air, practice that dreamy sauce with egg yolks in Carbonara, or adding that creaminess to my favourite Spring soup

How about a cookbook devoted to eggs? Of course there is! Good Eggs is one to get your hands on this month for more inspiration.

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Ready to learn the pleasure and the principles of cooking well? Let’s THE CREATIVE KITCHEN This if for you if you want to learn some foundational cooking skills so you can find your own creativity and flow in the kitchen. Because that’s what it’s all about!

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