Eggs - Serious Business
There’s something I should come clean about. I’m obsessive about certain things, and if it gets in my brain, it itches like a mosquito bite until I perfect it, or at least until I get distracted by my next obsession.
Right now, that obsession is eggs. Not because I particularly like eggs (I like them fine, but this isn’t about cravings) but because they’re deceptively difficult. Anyone can make them, but only a truly skilled cook can make them well. A pure white ring surrounding an unbroken yolk is a thing of beauty.
I’m far from perfecting the craft, but I have figured out a few little tricks that bring that perfection a little closer:
- High quality non-stick pan. To feed my obsession, I have invested in one that is roughly equivalent to a car payment. Yeah… I know.
- Low heat. On my stove, that means setting the burner between 1 and 2.
- Clarified butter. Milk solids brown the edges of the egg. Clarified butter gives the flavour of butter without the milk solids.
- White pepper. Eggs should be seasoned with salt and pepper, but black flecks ruins that whole “perfection” thing we’re going for.
- Fresh Eggs. This is a hard one, unless you have access to a chicken. But the fresher the egg, the higher the proportion of thick white, which prevents the egg from becoming runny and thin.
The final consideration is the flip. Sunny side up is no problem, but over easy is another animal altogether. Sure, you can use a spatula, but you get extra style points for flipping two eggs in the pan. And really, looking good is half the battle.
