Mmm... fried egg, sliced sausage, and hash browns on a grilled bunPrevious TaleTown Story: Coconut Balls Dessert

"When it comes to making a cheap, quick, nutritious breakfast," said Isha, "you need not even look beyond the incredible, protein-packed, egg recipes."

"Most of them are easy to make, versatile and will keep you full until lunch. What more could you want from your breakfast?"

"There are so many easy egg recipes and so many diverse ways to cook them, that if you just rotated the recipes daily, it would be months before you get a repeat."

"Scrambled eggs, poached eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs, Omelets, French toasts, egg benedicts, frittatas, and egg soups are common simple egg recipes."

"But eggs are so versatile, you can cook them with varied ingredients to create many interesting dishes. You can also use them as ingredients to create dishes like muffins, cakes, pies and pizzas."

"I love fried eggs Ma," said Hosh, "sunny side up. Teach me how you make them."

"Ok," said Isha, "You can serve fried eggs for breakfast, in sandwiches or on top of steaks, burgers or hash. The Ingredient List is simple:"

  • 1-2 Teaspoon Butter
  • 2-4 Eggs
  • Salt and pepper to taste

"That should be enough to make 2-4 servings, and they'll be ready in less than 5 minutes from start to finish. The recipe is pretty basic too."

"Sunny side eggs are eggs that aren't flipped over when the white portion is fried on one side. So the yolk looks like a sun and is beautifully saucy."

"If you flipped them over when the bottom side was fried and cooked them further depending on your mood on the day, you can get between Over easy to Over hard versions."

"You can watch some YouTube videos later, to see variations in cooking even a basic dish like this. This improvisation is what makes cooking, especially eggs, wonderful."

When the ingredients were assembled, she directed:

"Heat butter in a (preferably nonstick) skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Break eggs and pour directly into pan, one at a time. Reduce heat to low."

"Heat matters. If the heat is too high, eggs will become tough and rubbery. Gentle heat preserves nutrients and allows for even cooking."

"So, cook slowly until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard. The best things take time, but the waiting is worth it in most cases."

"For a neater shape, break eggs into a cup first and then slide them into the pan, rather than breaking them directly into the pan. Hold cup close to the surface of pan and slide broken eggs from cup into pan."

"Fresh eggs are said to produce the best-looking fried-egg. A compact oval with a thick white and a high centered yolk."

"To cook Over-Easy or Over-Hard eggs, you can now push a turner under your eggs and carefully flip them over in the pan. Cook second side to preference. Then sprinkle salt and pepper on top and serve immediately."

"For Basted Eggs, cook as for Over-Easy or Over-Hard Eggs, but take 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook until edges turn white. Then begin spooning up excess butter from pan corners and pouring it back over the eggs."

"Cover pan between bastings and continue cooking until whites are completely set. Yolks would have begun to thicken but wouldn't be hard yet. These are basted eggs."

"For Steam-Basted Eggs, cook as for Over-Easy or Over-Well eggs, but use 1 teaspoon butter or a light coating of cooking spray. Cook until edges turn white. Add 1 teaspoon water to pan. Cover pan tightly. Continue cooking until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard."

"Ma, I've heard that eggs should not be cooked in a microwave," asked Hosh, "Ever."

"When an egg is heated in the microwave," answered Isha, "pressure builds up inside. A decade ago, researchers used to warn against microwaving eggs in the shell. Danger existed, they said, not just in microwaving an intact shell but also with egg yolks with open shells and even pierced yolks."

"Manufacturers recommended multiple piercing before cooking or heating eggs, even those already boiled. But I haven't recently kept up with research on this."

"I'm no fan of microwaving things, and sure, they may not be for everyone. But I regularly use microwave, when I am pushed for time. I have read claims that 30 second increments create a beautiful egg and most would not even realize it was microwaved."

"Anyway, besides Protein, eggs are an excellent source of Choline and Vitamin D. A few years ago, a blogger commented that Woman's World magazine had featured eggs in a weight loss article, recommending 2 eggs for breakfast at least 5 days a week to help lose weight. I must remember to tell your father that."


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