Yes, you have to break a few eggs when you are making an omelet, but before you begin cracking shells, you should ensure you are not making any egg-cooking errors. Indeed, many people don’t even realize they are making these errors until their eggs don’t turn out right. So, what shouldn’t you do? Ido Fishman has highlighted some of the things you should not do when you are cooking eggs here:
- Not whisking your eggs
When you are making scrambled eggs or omelets, whisking is a very important step for several reasons. First off, it can help in blending both parts of the egg i.e. the yolk and the white, into a temporary emulsion. According to Ido Fishman, this ensures that you don’t see any flecks of white in your cooked eggs and they will have a uniform yellow color.
Secondly, whisking can be helpful in whipping air into the eggs, which means they will cook up fluffy and light. Thus, whisking for a full minute vigorously will give you frothy eggs. But, you should only whisk just before you add the eggs to the pan, otherwise the froth will just dissipate.
- Under seasoning the eggs
Under seasoning any food is a big mistake and this is particularly true in the case of eggs that already have a relatively mild flavor. Seasoning hard-boiled eggs is not possible, but Ido Fishman Chef says that you should certainly season scrambled eggs, including omelets, fried eggs as well as poached eggs.
- Overcooking your eggs
Anyone who has had to eat rubbery, tough eggs should know that eggs can overcook easily. Sure, crispy fried eggs are nice, but you don’t want all your eggs to be like that. Therefore, cook the eggs over medium heat, rather than high. Egg whites tend to cook faster than the yolks, so frying an egg until the whites are set will leave the yolk oozy. Ido Fishman suggests that you lower the heat if you want to cook a little longer.
- Not poaching them right
Poaching eggs is a tricky business because the temperature has to be just right for it. The eggs can turn out hard if the temperature is high and leave crumbly yolks. Too low and the eggs will spread out into snaky, long tendrils. The key is to add a tablespoon of vinegar and the acids will cook a little faster with the acid and hold their shape as well. Make sure the water is not bubbling when you are poaching the eggs and the liquid should be salty.
- Cracking eggs in a cold pan
When you add melted butter in a pan and add your eggs, but they don’t produce the big satisfying sizzle, it means you haven’t heated the pan enough. Moreover, Ido Fishman says that the butter will end up on top of your eggs and this is definitely not what you want. The whole point of the butter is to prevent the eggs from sticking to the pan, but the butter will not be able to lubricate if it doesn’t get between the pan and the eggs. Hence, you need to heat the pan until the butter turns foamy and even a small drop of water sizzles.
- Using the wrong kind of pan
Eggs serve the same function as glues. In fact, Ido Fishman says that they can be used for sealing empanadas, pie crusts and other pastries. Thus, it is not surprising that they stick to the bottom of the pan. When you are cooking the eggs, the proteins within form chemical bonds with the pan’s metal. Adding fat like butter or oil before the eggs or using a nonstick pan can interfere with this bonding. If you don’t have a nonstick pan, just make sure the bond never forms and your eggs will not stick to the pan, regardless of which one you use.