When we’re on the go we like to eat our eggs on a sandwich, right? But cooking eggs in a frying pan isn’t conducive to fitting on your English muffin, bagel or kaiser roll without some part of the egg dangling out. Here’s some tips on how to make your eggs behave.
Frying pans, griddle irons and microwaves are the most popular methods of cooking eggs. So how does McDonald’s keep their eggs in a nice little circle so it will fit onto an Egg McMuffin? I can’t say for certain, but I know how you can do it at home. If you’re using a frying pan or griddle iron you need something that will stand up to heat and not damage your cookware. An egg poacher is one option. It usually comes as a unit for up to four eggs. If you’re poaching eggs, you would fill a sauté pan with water so that it just covers the poacher. Once the water reaches a slow boil, break open one egg and place them into each round. Poached eggs usually have a soft yolk center, but you can cook them longer to firm it up.
You can also use the poacher if you plan on frying an egg as well. The important thing to remember is to use a low heat setting and you must cover the frying pan or poacher unit on the griddle to allow for even heat distribution and complete cooking. Use some non-stick spray or spread a tablespoon of olive oil (or other cooking oil) on the surface of the pan where the poacher will sit. Crack open an egg for each round and then cover. You eggs should be done in 5-7 minutes. This will also work if you have a large cookie cutter or donut cutter.
Now, what if you want to use a microwave? I’ll bet you have a soup crock in your cupboard that will do the trick. Measure the bottom of the crock to the English muffin, bagel or roll to make sure its the right size. If it is, your good to go. Spray the crock with cooking spray or coat with a small amount of cooking oil, crack an egg into the crock, place it into the microwave and place a paper towel or other cover over the top of the crock (no metal please!). In this case the cover is to avoid having the egg coat the inside of your microwave. The trick with cooking an egg in the microwave is to turn on the microwave in 30-45 second increments to try and avoid the egg exploding. As a quick explanation, the microwave heats foods up by making the water molecules dance around really fast. This causes steam, and if the steam doesn’t escape before the egg solidifies, it can burst out. Don’t worry. This explosion won’t damage anything; just make a mess if you don’t cover the crock. Stop cooking when the egg has reached the consistency you want. Remember, each microwave is different so you’ll have to use your better judgment and knowledge of your machine. Please Note: The egg doesn’t always explode. This is a precaution.
Now that your egg is cooked, grab some cheese, your bread of choice and off you go.
