Eggs Three Ways
Twelve eggs, one carton, endless possibilities. Chicken eggs are an incredibly versatile protein loaded with nutrients and play well as the star of the show or as a featured player in many a dish, whether it be for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
From hard boiled to poached, there are a variety of ways to prepare eggs and mastering each technique is key to cooking a delicious egg every time. We’ll explore some of the basic methods, before sharing three of our favorite dishes where eggs truly shine.
Boiled
Place eggs in a pot and fill with cold water with at least an inch above the eggs. Bring the water to a boil before covering the pot with a lid and turning the heat off. For hard boiled eggs, cook for 9 to 12 minutes. For soft boiled eggs, cook for 4 to 6 minutes. Place in an ice bath for 15 minutes to stop the cooking process.
Fried
Melt butter or oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat and crack the egg in.
Sunny Side Up
Cover with a tight lid for 3 minutes or until the whites are set.
Over Easy
Cook for 3 minutes, flip, and cook 1 minute more.
Over Medium
Cook for 3 minutes, flip, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until yolk is slightly set.
Remove from the pan and season with salt and pepper.
Scrambled
Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is foamy, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring occasionally until small curds begin to form. Continue cooking until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Poached
Fill a non-stick pot with an inch of water, along with a teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of white vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Crack eggs in a small ramekin and ease each egg into the water. Cover with a tight lid, turn off the heat, and let cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and serve.
Pro Tip: Temperature and timing are also key factors in achieving a certain style. For example, when attempting an omelet or scramble, a lower temperature gives you a bit more control without over-browning the beaten together eggs to either form a semi-solid layer for you to carefully roll on-to itself (creating an omelet) or gently fold curds into itself as the eggs set (creating scrambled eggs).
-
Ready to put your skills to the test? Here are a few of our favorite egg dishes organized by level of difficulty to prepare. We hope you’ll find them just as delicious as we do, as you start on your next egg-venture!
Soy Sauce Marinated Eggs
Experience Level: Beginner
Hard (or soft) boiled eggs are bathed in a sweet-and-salty marinade. Ideal as a snack on their own, a perfect way to punch up a simple salad, or as the finishing touch to an Asian noodle dish, this is a great simple recipe that can be adapted to your taste with additions like fresh scallions, ginger, garlic or chilies.
What you need
- 6 Smith Brothers Farms Organic Eggs
- 6 tbsp. warm water
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
- 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free)
Optional:
- Flaky salt and black pepper, to taste for serving
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the water and sugar, until the sugar has completely dissolved, before adding in the sherry vinegar and soy sauce.
In a large pot cover the eggs (shells on) in at least an inch of cold water so they are fully submerged. Next, bring the water to a boil before covering the pot with the lid and turning the heat off. If you prefer a firmer yolk, let the eggs cook for 9 to 12 minutes before removing them and placing them in an ice bath for 15 minutes to stop the cooking process. If you prefer a softer more jam-like yolk, only let the eggs cook for 6 and a half minutes before placing them in the ice bath.
Once the eggs have completely cooled, gently peel them in the chilled water. Transfer the eggs to the soy sauce mixture for at least 2 to 6 hours, making sure the eggs are completely submerged. (Pro-tip: you can easily store them in a lidded food storage container, or in a bowl large enough for a small plate to be placed on top of the eggs to ensure they are fully submerged.)
Once fully marinated, you can save and reuse the mixture for another round of eggs. The marinated eggs should be stored refrigerated in a tightly sealed container and will keep up to one month.
-
Experience Level: Intermediate
A fun and easy adaption of the classic North African dish, this one-pan recipe features perfectly poached eggs nestled in a flavorful, vibrant green sauce. It's perfect for your next one-pan brunch or dinner.
What you need
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 10 oz. Baby Spinach
- 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more as needed
- 1/3 cup Smith Brothers Farms Heavy Whipping Cream
- 8 Smith Brothers Farms Organic Eggs
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper, plus more as needed
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta
- Fresh Avocados, sliced, for serving
- 1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced, for serving
- Chopped cilantro, for serving
Optional:
- Smoked hot sauce, for serving
- Penny’s Tortilla Chips or Surito Tortillas, for serving
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes, until fragrant.
Increase the heat to medium-high, add in the spinach in small batches until they are sufficiently wilted. Season the onion, garlic, spinach mixture with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the heavy whipping cream while gently stirring the mixture.
Using the back of a spoon, make eight small nests in the mixture and crack an egg into each hollow. Cover with a lid or foil and reduce the heat again to medium-low. Cook until the eggs are just set, but still soft and creamy, about 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the lid and season with additional salt and pepper to tastes. Garnish with cheese, avocado, jalapeño, and cilantro. Serve with smoked hot sauce, toasted tortillas or chips, and lime wedges.
-
Scotch Eggs
Experience Level: Advanced
What you need
- 6 Smith Brothers Farms Organic Eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely crushed corn flakes
- 7 ounces (3/4 cup) fresh breakfast sausage, casings removed (if necessary)
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Instructions
In a small saucepan, cover 4 eggs (shells on) in at least an inch of cold water so they are fully submerged. Next, bring the water to boil before covering the pot with the lid and turning the heat off. Let the eggs cook for 3 minutes before removing them and placing them in an ice bath for 15 minutes to stop the cooking process. Carefully peel eggs under cold running water, and then store eggs in cold water until ready to use and completely chilled. Eggs can be made up to 1 day ahead.
Divide your ground sausage into 4 equal portions. Pat 1 portion of sausage into a thin patty across the length of your palm and lay 1 soft boiled egg on top, gently enclosing the egg in the meat so that it is completely sealed. Repeat with remaining sausage and eggs.
Place the flour, corn flakes, and remaining 2 eggs whipped together in 3 separate wide shallow bowls. This recipe follows the dry-wet-dry frying technique. Working gently with one sausage egg at a time, dredge one in flour, patting off the excess flour, then coat in the egg wash, then roll carefully in the corn flakes to coat. Chill eggs again until ready to fry, eggs can be prepped up to one day ahead chilled and uncovered.
Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of a large heavy pot. Pour in 2 inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 375F. With the help of a kitchen spider, gently lower the eggs one at a time into the hot oil. Because the egg is so cold, each time one is added to the oil it will lower the temperature a bit, so for the best result fry one egg at a time. Carefully spoon the hot oil maintaining a temperature of at least 350° to maintain even cooking. Keep the egg in the oil until the sausage is cooked through and the breading is golden brown and crisp about 5 to 6 minutes.
Once fully cooked, transfer the eggs to a paper towel to drain excess oil season immediately with salt and pepper. Serve warm with a side of mustard.