How to Make Eggs: Expert Pro Tips

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How to Make Eggs: If you love them, you know they can be utterly delicious. But they can also be tough and rubbery. Making a perfect egg is easier than you think. Learn these pro tips from the experts on how to make scrambled eggs, poached eggs, over-easy eggs, boiled eggs, and more.

They’re an almost perfect food. Delicious, easy, budget-friendly, and best of all, healthy and nutritious. I can’t imagine life without them, food-wise, of course.

From breakfast sandwiches to frittatas to simple egg bites, from coffee houses to fast-food restaurants and diners… we order and consume… and love our eggs.

Let’s begin with a few of their benefits.

Healthy and Budget-Friendly Benefits

Making sense:

According to the American Egg Board, eggs are “17¢ a serving,” and “they’re the least expensive source of high-quality protein.”

High-Quality Protein:

“Eggs have 6 grams of high-quality protein and that a protein-packed breakfast helps sustain mental and physical energy throughout the day? That’s good news for people of any age!”

Promotes Health:

“Choline promotes normal cell activity, liver function and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body. It’s also key in the development of infant’s memory functions, so get cracking, mom!”

The Egg Personality Test.

So popular are eggs, that there is an Egg Personality Test. Truly. According to the kitchn, how you take your eggs depends on your personality.

The next time you’re with friends or family… and order eggs, here is a brief synopsis, supposedly, of what it says about you. I’m not telling which is my favorite. But I will say I would like it to be “Soft-Boiled.”

Scrambled:
A loyal friend: conservative, but always friendly, not the life of the party, sometimes bland.

Omelet:
A mother figure: always comforting, inclusive, but passive.

Sunny Side-Up
A wild child, but an old soul: collects friends, a dreamer who desires to travel the world, yet often ends up reading books instead.

Over-Easy:
Shy and old-fashioned: quiet yet convicted, takes their time trusting

Poached:
A mysterious and elusive soul:  entrepreneurial, hard-working, trendy, and somewhat lonely

Soft-Boiled:
Classy and beautiful: graceful

Hard-Boiled:
Athletic: health-conscious

How to Make Eggs: Expert Pro Tips

If you’ve ever wondered how to make perfect eggs, these pro tips will transform your recipes.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Although the cooking water must come to a full boil in this method, the pan is immediately removed from the heat so that the eggs cook gently in the hot water. This produces tender, not rubbery, eggs and minimizes cracking.

DIRECTIONS

1. PLACE eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer. ADD cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch. HEAT over high heat just to boiling.
2. REMOVE from burner. COVER pan. LET EGGS STAND in hot water for about 12 minutes for large eggs (9 minutes for medium eggs; 15 minutes for extra large).
3. DRAIN immediately and serve warm. OR, cool completely under cold running water or in bowl of ice water, then REFRIGERATE.

Fried Eggs

Fresh eggs produce the perfect, best-looking fried-eggs – a compact oval with a thick white and a high centered yolk. For a neater shape, break eggs into a custard cup first, rather than directly into the pan. Hold cup close to the surface of the pan and slip egg from cup into pan. Heat matters. If heat is too high, eggs will become tough and rubbery. Gentle heat preserves nutrients and allows for even cooking.

DIRECTIONS

1. For Over-Easy or Over-Hard Eggs: HEAT 2 tsp. butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
2. BREAK eggs and SLIP into pan, 1 at a time. IMMEDIATELY reduce heat to low.
3. COOK SLOWLY until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard. SLIDE turner under each egg and carefully FLIP it over in pan. COOK second side to desired doneness. SPRINKLE with salt and pepper. SERVE immediately.

Poached Eggs

Use very fresh eggs for poaching. They hold their shape better and form fewer wispy threads or “angel wings” in the water. 

Just before dropping the egg into barely simmering water, stir with a spoon to create a vortex. Remove the spoon and quickly drop the egg into the center of the swirling water. This helps the egg keep its round shape. 

DIRECTIONS

1. HEAT 2 to 3 inches of water in a large saucepan until it boils. REDUCE HEAT to keep the water to a bare simmer. 
2. BREAK eggs, 1 at a time, into a sieve to allow some of the water to drain away. Then add the egg into a custard cup. Holding dish close to surface, SLIP egg into water.
3. COOK eggs until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not stir. LIFT eggs from water with slotted spoon. DRAIN in spoon or on paper towels. TRIM any rough edges, if desired. SPRINKLE with salt and pepper. SERVE immediately.

Scrambled Eggs

Avoid cast iron. Eggs scrambled in a cast-iron skillet can turn a greenish shade. This harmless but unappealing color change is the result of a chemical reaction between iron in the pan and sulfur in egg whites.

Don’t overcook. The heat retained in the pan will continue to cook and firm up the eggs after pan is removed from heat.

How long to beat? It’s a matter of preference. Light beating produces more dense scrambled eggs. Vigorous beating aerates the eggs, resulting in lighter fluffier curds.

DIRECTIONS

1. BEAT eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl until blended.
2. HEAT butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. POUR IN egg mixture.
3. As eggs begin to set, GENTLY PULL the eggs across the pan with an inverted turner, forming large soft curds. CONTINUE cooking – pulling, lifting and folding eggs – until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Do not stir constantly. REMOVE from heat. SERVE stovetop scrambled eggs.

Microwave Scrambled Eggs

Your morning just got easier with these tips on how to make scrambled eggs in the microwave. Don’t over cook. Scrambled eggs will continue to cook and firm up after removed from the microwave.

DIRECTIONS

BEAT eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl or 12-oz. coffee mug until blended.

MICROWAVE on HIGH 45 seconds: STIR. MICROWAVE until eggs are almost set, 30 to 45 seconds longer. SERVE immediately.

Recipe Ideas:

Top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese or fresh herbs.

For rich creamy scrambled eggs, add small cubes of cream cheese or a dollop of cottage cheese before cooking.

For added flavor, stir a bit of creamy salad dressing, pesto, salsa, or your favorite herb into the egg mixture.

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