I’m sure we can all agree that as a nation, we love adding eggs to most of our meals. Whether that be first thing in the morning for breakfast or as a quick and easy snack for lunch, eggs are simply unmatched. The reason for this is mostly likely due to the plethora of ways in which eggs can be cooked accompanied by the magnitude of health benefits upon consumption (eggs are loaded with high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals, good fats and nutrients).
We should always ensure that we have Heart Healthy foods for the Breakfast. We should have foods like Black beans, Fresh Herbs, Salmon, and Tuna. They consist of a lot of Omega 3 which is good for the heart and helps us in maintaining a healthy life.
Scrambled eggs are also one of the foods that include a high amount of protein. We should ensure that scrambled eggs are fried in Cooking Oil with rich oryzanol. Including oryzanol in oil will always keep our heart healthy and our foods tasty.
Whether they’re ‘sunny side’ up with bacon and toast, or ‘over easy’ in a traditional bowl of ramen, you simply can’t go wrong. With this in mind, we have listed 6 different methods of cooking eggs and the benefits of being cooked using different techniques.
Soft Boiled
To soft boil eggs, you will need to:
- Cover the eggs with cold water in a pot
- Bring the water to a boil
- Cover the pot
- Heat for roughly 6 ½ minutes
- Turn off the heat and let sit for 2-8 minutes.
You will then need to crack off the shell and scoop out the inside with a spoon.
Benefits –
The benefits of soft boiling eggs is that shorter and lower-heat cooking methods cause less cholesterol oxidation and help retain most of the egg’s nutrients. For this reason alone, poached and boiled eggs may be the healthiest to eat and don’t add any unnecessary calories from fats or oils.
Hard Boiled
To hard boil eggs, you will need to:
- Cover the eggs with cold water in a pot
- Bring the water to a boil
- Cover the pot
- Heat for roughly 10-12 minutes
- Turn off the heat and let sit for 2-8 minutes.
You will then need to crack off the shell and scoop out the inside with a spoon very similar to how soft boiled eggs are made.
Benefits –
Hard-boiled eggs are an excellent source of lean protein. They’ll fill you up without adding in too many calories to your diet, which is helpful if you want to lose weight. The protein and amino acids in hard-boiled eggs also work alongside vitamin D to promote prenatal development.
Poached
To make poached eggs, you will need to:
- Gently boil water in a pot
- Crack an egg into a cup
- Using a spoon, begin stirring the water in a large, circular motion
- add the eggs as the the motion of the water will wrap the egg white around itself so the egg stays together as it cooks
- Cook the eggs for 2½ to 3 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon
Benefits –
The primary benefit of poached eggs is there is no added fat you would usually experience with fried or scrambled eggs (which we will discuss later). Furthermore, poached eggs are generally one of the best ways to cook eggs as overall, shorter and lower-heat cooking methods cause less cholesterol oxidation and help retain most of the egg’s nutrients.
Sunny Side up
To make sunny side up eggs, you will need to:
- Heat a frying pan on a medium to low temperature and add olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan
- Next you will need to crack the eggs into the pan. As the oil gets hotter you’ll see it start to change the colour of the eggs. If the oil starts to spit, turn the heat right down
- Cook until the tops of the whites are set but the yolk is still runny
- When you’re happy with how cooked your eggs are, remove the pan from the heat and take the eggs out using a spatula and place on a plate
Benefits –
One of the main benefits of cooking eggs sunny side up is that it supports your bone’s health. This is because an egg cooked using the sunny side method provides roughly 10% of the RDI (Recommended Dietary Intake) of vitamin D that you need based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Vitamin D is linked to reducing your risk of bone fractures and is also a great source of protein, which is consumed to maintain muscle mass and a strong immune system.
Over Easy
To make over easy eggs, you will need to:
- Add butter to a pan and when it starts to sizzle, crack an egg and slide it with the butter
- Cook the egg until the bottom is firm enough to flip easily
- Slide a spatula under the egg and gently turn it over
- Let the egg cook for about 8 to 10 seconds longer
- Turn the egg back over
- Serve and enjoy
Benefits –
The main benefit in relation to eating over easy eggs lies solely with the flip. Essentially, the flip means you’re less likely to be consuming raw egg whites. This means more bioavailable protein is consumed and your yolk is still full of easily absorbed micronutrients.
Scrambled
To make scrambled eggs, you will need to:
- Crack an egg and lightly whisk it with milk in a jug until the mixture has just one consistency
- Heat a small non-stick frying pan then add some butter and let it melt
- Pour in the egg mixture and let it sit without sitting for roughly 20 seconds. Stir with a wooden spoon, lifting and folding it over from the bottom of the pan
- Repeat until the eggs are softly set and slightly runny in places.
- Remove from the heat and leave for a moment to finish cooking
- Give a final stir to make large fluffy curds.
Benefits –
Whole scrambled eggs have a rich and varied nutrient profile and contain a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients. By cooking scrambled eggs in a nonstick pan,
You are cutting down on the need for oil which can drastically increase your calorie intake.
Scrambled eggs are particularly rich in iron and vitamin B-12. Both nutrients are crucial for carrying oxygen to your tissues and are important for nerve health.
Final Point
As a final point, if you are required to crack the shell of the eggs you should consider breaking the shell using a colour coded utility knife. This is because cracking an egg on the counter top is considered a massive taboo in the cooking world and professional chefs grow weary from cross contaminating the food. You more than likely won’t be sure of what was on the table last and you don’t want any potentially dangerous bacterias to mix with your food. Thankfully, utility knives are precise and hygienic to prevent any cross contamination from occurring.