The most common and widely eaten eggs are the ones from chicken. They are also used in many dishes, as they can be served as a main dish. Eggs can be eaten raw, though this is not recommended for people who may be susceptible to salmonellosis, such as the elderly, the infirm, or pregnant women. Surprisingly, the protein in raw egg is just 51 per cent, while that of boiled egg is 91 per cent.
Getting the egg cooked
Scrambling: Scrambled egg is a quick, easy and popular breakfast recipe. It is prepared with milk, salt and pepper, and then fried in butter.
Frying: Fried egg is the most popular egg recipe, as it is easy and quite stress-free; no beating or thorough mixing of eggs. It is prepared with salt or seasoning and pepper, then the oil for frying.
Poaching: Poached egg is a recipe prepared in simmering liquid. This method of preparation is preferred because a very consistent and predictable result can be obtained with precise timing, as the boiling point of water removes the temperature variable from the cooking process.
Baking: This is an egg recipe cooked either in microwave oven or in gas cooker oven. The oven is heated to about 3250F. Eggs are placed in an egg cup to prevent them from shaking and colliding.
Omellete: An omelette is a dish made from beaten eggs, quickly cooked with butter or oil in a skillet or frying pan. In making omellete, you can add sausage, bacon or chicken franks as desired.
Meringue: Meringue is an after meal, otherwise known as desert, associated with Swiss, Italian and French cuisines. It is made from whipped albumen (egg white) and sugar, and often flavoured with vanilla and a little amount of coconut extracts and almond. Meringue is preferably baked on low heat.
Preserving eggs
Eggs are very fragile and have low lifespan if not well preserved. Salt draws water out of bacteria and moulds, to prevent their growth. Therefore, eggs can be preserved with salt coating and stored in a cool place.
If you are not ready to use an egg and you wash or dry buff an egg, you are removing a protective outer coating which in turn allows bacteria to more easily have access to the egg.
Eggs can be stored for up to two to three months at temperatures no higher than 55F without doing anything to them.
Facts about eggs
Bad eggs can be easily detected. All you have to do is; fill a bowl with more than enough water to cover the eggs, then add them to the bowl. If an egg sinks to the bottom, it is fresh and good. But if it floats to the top, it is not.
There are a lot of recipe made from raw eggs, like from salad cream, Mayonnaise, lemon curd and some cocktails.
Health benefits of eggs
Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet containing a bit of almost every nutrient we need, except carbohydrates. A whole egg contains all the nutrients required to turn a single cell into a baby chicken. Eggs contain vitamins, folate, phosphorus, calcium, zinc and selenium at substantial amount.
Eggs contain chlorine, which build cell membranes and has a role in producing stimuli molecules in the brain, along with other functions.
Eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin – antioxidants that have major benefits for eye health. They build up retina of the eye.
Eggs are very high in quality protein, having in it all the essential amino acids in the right proportion. Proteins help in body building and growth; therefore, eggs are highly nutritious.
