Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cooking Eggs
Learn the best ways to scramble and poach plus get tips and recipes for more ways to enjoy everybody's favourite breakfast staple.
How-To Prepare Scrambled Eggs
A good scramble is a soft, creamy, full-flavoured mass. Spooned on toast with a few chives, it is heaven.
Three Steps to the Perfect Scramble
1. Beat in a bowl using a fork or spatula—whisks beat in too much air.
2. When adding eggs to the skillet reserve about 2 tbsp (30 mL) of mixture.
3. Stir in the reserved egg mixture off the heat, which will loosen the curd slightly.
Change It Up!
Caramelized onions
Smoked salmon
Spinach
Cheese
BBQ Pork
More About Eggs
Nutrition
Eggs are the perfect package. They are high-quality protein, with lots of vitamins and minerals and only 70 calories for a large egg.
Tasty Types
The best eggs are organic, free-run eggs from chickens that run around a yard and have a wide range of diet. These eggs have great taste.
Size
Eggs come in sizes from peewee to jumbo. Most baking recipes call for large eggs even when they don't specify. For scrambled eggs any size will do, but when boiling eggs the timing will vary depending on the size of the egg.
How-To Prepare Poached Eggs
Have no fear! Poaching eggs is just a matter of knowing what to do. The key points are getting the white to hold together in a tidy mass and cooking until the white is set but the yolk is still liquid. The versatile poached egg can then transform any number of meals. See the recipes here. Or turn a less exciting leftover from the fridge into a new and delicious meal.
Bring about 3-inches (8cm) of water and 1 tbsp (15 mL) white vinegar to a simmer in a wide pot. Working with no more than 4 eggs at a time, crack into ramekins. Turn heat to low (so there are only small bubbles rising from bottom of pan) and use a wooden spoon to swirl water around in a circle. Slip one egg at a time into the middle of the vortex you have created and poach for 4 minutes or until they have set whites but runny yolks. Remove them from pot using a slotted spoon. Dab bottom onto a paper towel to remove any excess water.
Poached Egg Tips
Want beautiful poached eggs? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Try Fresh Eggs
This is a perfect use for the eggs you bought at the farmers’ market. The white in a fresh egg is thicker and fully surrounds the yolk, making it easier to get a beautiful poached egg.
Use a Wide Pan
You don’t need deep water to poach eggs, but if you’re going to poach more than one at a time, you need a bit of space to allow them to keep good shape without running into each other.
Add Vinegar
Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) white vinegar to about 3 inches (8 cm) of water. Acidifying the water helps to coagulate the proteins in the white more quickly (it’s a bit of an insurance policy against stringy bits of egg white).
Add Carefully
Crack your eggs into small individual ramekins. It’s a lot easier to slip eggs neatly into swirling water this way.
Use a Strainer
Not a necessary step by any means, but if you have a small fine strainer you can crack your egg into it and let any watery whites strain off before gently transferring it to a ramekin. This step cuts down on the wispy egg-white factor.
Swirl the Water
Use a wooden spoon to swirl the water in a circle and then slip your eggs, one at a time, into the middle of the vortex you’ve created. This will encourage your raw egg to form a neat and tidy package.
Watch the Temperature
It's easier to adjust the temperature of a burner quickly with a gas stove than an electric one. If you are using an electric stove you may want to shift your pot of boiling water to a turned off burner, add the eggs, and then return it to the burner you’ve turned down to a lower temperature.
Serving Size
Remember that the more eggs you put in the pan the longer it will take to poach them (they will lower the temperature of the water). If you want to make more than about 8 poached eggs, have a bowl of cold water handy and slip cooked eggs into it. Eggs can be held in cold water in the fridge for up to 2 days, if desired. Use your fingers to pull off any stray wisps of egg white. Reheat eggs by placing in a pot of very hot water for 1 minute or until heated through. Drain or blot dry on paper towels before assembling.
Recipes With Poached Eggs
Farro with Roasted Vegetables & Poached Eggs
Shakshuka
Greens, Eggs & Ham Breakfast Sandwich
Warm Salad of Kale, Salmon & Poached Egg with Crispy Capers
More Ways to Cook Eggs
Best Hard-Boiled Eggs
Abalone Mushrooms with 6-Minute Eggs
Parmesan Cloud Eggs with Arugula Salad
Hash with Chorizo & Fried Eggs