Eggs

For this month’s What’s On Your Plate we’re going to discuss eggs. Yes, eggs.

I was all set to write about menu planning – but just a couple of paragraphs in, I was bored, so I dread to think how you, dear reader, would have felt. You see, despite being a project manager in my corporate day job, I’m not one of life’s natural planners. Day job aside, if there’s a plan in place, rather than it helping me feel in control, I tend to feel controlled. It’s a fine but important difference – and one that applies to my writing as well. While I might begin a book with an opening scene or image in mind, I tend not to know what my characters are up to until they get up to it. 

So, while I am doing the whole menu planning thing at the moment because I know rationally that it helps me, well, stick to plan, it’s weeknights only, leaving me with the impression that I can free-wheel if I want to. I plan holidays the same way – basic structures such as flights and accommodation in place and the rest flexible.

Anyways, I was bored. So what to write about instead? While I was thinking, I began watching the new HBO show Julia – based on Julia Childs and, therefore, my cup of tea entirely. In the first episode, Julia demonstrates how to cook a three-egg omelette in two minutes. Impressive.

The thing is, while I love omelettes, I’m not great at making them – other than the type that you don’t fold but rather finish off under the grill, like Nigella’s masala omelette – my omelettes tend to turn into a scramble instead. (As an aside, while it doesn’t look very pretty, this is a super quick, tasty and healthy lunch. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.)

Grant is, however, good at them – he makes me one every Sunday morning and I eat it sitting up in bed. No, you can’t have him. 

I mightn’t be an omelette master, but I’m good at the other types of eggy things and am super fussy about them too. I also probably eat more of them than I should. Hey ho.

At least a few mornings a week I’ll have a boiled egg with rye sourdough toast fingers.

The egg is cooked for 5 minutes 20 seconds exactly in already boiling water. Heaven forbid if we buy our eggs from a different supplier and I have to change the timing to take account of the different sizes.

Soft boiled eggs with asparagus, chilli and anchovies

Scrambled eggs are a weekend treat – I add a little double cream (I know, I know), and scramble them slowly over low to medium heat.

They’re also great in quick and easy Japanese-style suppers.

Beef and broccoli soboro

As for poached eggs, I love them with asparagus and do them Nigella’s way – into a tea strainer to get rid of the straggly bits and then into water that was previously boiling but is now turned off.

Fried eggs need to be still runny but not snotty (I pop a lid on for the last minute of cooking to firm the white up) and are best on top of Asian mince dishes.

Then there’s the egg that’s tossed through pasta with parmesan cheese and a little cooking water to become the best sort of carbonara – no cream in sight.

And finally, one of my favourite egg recipes and a simple and tasty lunch – Nigella’s Turkish Eggs. Give it a try.

Omelettes though? In theory so simple, but why haven’t I tried making a proper one?

Given though that I had “making an omelette” on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days, I decided that if Julia could do one in two minutes, so could I – and you know what? It worked. It mightn’t be perfect, but practice will make that. And it was done from go to whoa in under three minutes. Lunch done. (And another tick off my list…)

Linking up with Donna from Retirement Reflections and her co-host Deb The Widow Badass Blog in their #whatsonyourplateblogchallenge.

Author: Jo

Author, baker, sunrise chaser

36 thoughts

    1. Now I know how to do them I’ll be ticking that box and let Grant continue to be the expert – not risking my Sunday morning brekky in bed status.

  2. Scrambled eggs are my favorite, but they’re messy to make, so I usually stick to making crustless quiches in batches, then freezing the extra ones. So delicious!

  3. Hi Jo, I love your update on all the different ways you enjoy eggs. They are such a versatile food and full of goodness, even though they have been maligned in the past. I also love French Toast, adding egg to fried rice and hard boiled eggs to salads.

    1. Oh yes to these! My dad used to make eggy bread which is sort of a cross between a French toast and an omelette and it remains the only thing he can really cook.

  4. My son (the baker) and I have been watching Julia too and we love it! I think the secret to her omelets, like many of her meals, is all the butter. We looked it up and it said something like the real Julia used over 750 lbs. of butter during the tapings of her shows. My favorite way to eat eggs is in quiche (or frittatas or stratas) — so basically a casserole.

  5. I need to watch Julia! I am a retired project manager and did try to really menu plan for a week a while ago. I found that it didn’t work for me either. I was over ambitious in trying new recipes and then wanting something else. I do a kinda plan in my head for the week based on what needs to be used which I think is good project planning.
    I love your egg cup! I love a boiled egg usually once a week. Fried eggs on the weekend. Husband does a good scramble. Poached I only have out. Omelets I am decent at.

    1. Tha’s the perfect blend of planning. How cute is that egg cup? My daughter bought it for me in a little shop in Stow on the Wold in The Cotswolds.

  6. Yum! I love egg dishes…yet the omelet is not a favourite of mine. I don’t know why…if you put all the same ingredients in a scramble, I’m good with that. It doesn’t make any sense, I know 🤣. A simple boiled egg is a thing of beauty – I use my pressure cooker to make them perfectly (and perfectly easy to peel too!). I will be looking up the recipes you mentioned – thank you for the links, Jo!

    Deb

  7. My husband loves fried eggs with the yolk slightly runny. Sometimes I overcook his . . . oops! I can make a decent omelet. I need to look at her instructions and see what I can do differently.

    1. Ooops indeed lol…I was pretty happy with the way my omelette turned out but won’t be showing Grant – it can remain his thing so I still get brekky in bed on a Sunday morning.

  8. As a vegetarian, I eat a lot of egg dishes. I especially like frittatas and quiches. I can make a good omelette but have yet to master poached eggs, which we both love. BTW, hang on to that hubby and whatever you do, do not let him know you have learned to make an omelette!

    1. There is no way he can ever know I can do my own omelettes now – I’m not risking my Sunday morning brekky in bed status.

  9. I often make omelets for dinner – feta cheese, pepper, and onion, with a slice of tomato on the side. It’s all about the pan. Never thought of using a lid to finish the white part on a fried egg -so simple. Thanks for the tip.

  10. That settles it. I am having eggs for lunch today (since it is well past breakfast and after reading this post I couldn’t possibly wait until tomorrow)! Now my dilemna is which egg lunch to choose. I love all that your presented here (although you did lose me a bit with the anchovies)! Thanks for a fun and tantalizing post. 😀

  11. I love this Jo and I love eggs. Cooked a any way. I could eat them at every meal. If I had to pick poached would be favourite. I always have an omelette the day before food shopping to use up all those bits and pieces. But I rarely end up with one good enough to show in public. Yours looks great

    1. Thanks… I was stoked with the way it turned out but won’t be showing the photo to Grant – I don’t want to risk my Sunday morning brekky in bed!

  12. I love eggs Jo and all your versions sound delicious. I enjoy mine most ways but poached preferably. I love a good omelette and am getting better at them as time goes on. Great post for WOYP.

  13. As always Jo you make a simple ingredient much more like a gourmet meal. I was on my own this week so made a mushroom omelette which was delicious. I’m partial to poached eggs but love the nostalgic memories of boiled eggs and ‘soldiers’. I still have an eggcup which was my Mum’s when she was a little girl. Nothing wrong with the versatile egg is there!

  14. As someone who has kept chickens for over a decade now, I’m a big fan of eggs and all the various ways they can be cooked and doctored up 🙂 I’m also a big fan of Nigella, so… win, win! Thanks for sharing all your egg-cellently inspired meals!

    1. You’re very welcome. We had chooks when I was younger and I just adored them and all their little foibles.

  15. Jo, Your egg versions look delicious. I love eggs but haven’t done egg in pasta and Turkish eggs yet. Thank you for sharing this with us at #weekendcoffeeshare.

  16. Thanks for the inspiration on what to do with eggs! Eggs are excellent nourishing foods. I always eat a soft boiled eggs with toast in the morning. But perhaps should try some more variation! I’ll definitely try them with asparagus and chili.

  17. Hi Jo – I really like eggs in their many incarnations, but I think I might have a small intolerance to them somewhere in my system because anything that is predominantly egg tastes great to start with, but makes me feel a little ill towards the end – hasn’t stopped me eating them though! And of course all your egg creations look amazing!

  20. So serendipitously what I’ve been obsessing over this past week. I think Eggs should have it’s own food group! at least in my household!

    I am drooling over your lovely images & descriptions, from the simple (NOT!) omelette (beautifully achieved!), to mysterious Turkish eggs, to the classy poached egg.

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  22. Oh yum. All your egg dishes sounds so good. I want to make Carbonara! I love eggs. Late commenting from last weeks coffee share..lol.

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