Easy-Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs - The easy trick in cooking

JD

October 02, 2019

0

egg-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

A hard-cooked egg that’s just cooked through, with no chalkiness (or greenish tinge) to the yolk, is plenty good on its own sprinkled with salt, and it can also be used in myriad other ways. Cooking methods abound,
but we found that steaming, followed by an ice bath to halt the cooking, not only guarantees perfect eggs but also results in shells that slip off easily. Why? Hot steam hitting cold eggs rapidly cooks the outermost egg white proteins, which shrink away from the membrane. Be sure to use large, cold eggs that have no cracks. You can cook fewer than six eggs without altering the timing, or more eggs as long as your pot and steamer basket can hold them in a single layer. If you don’t have a steamer basket, use a spoon or tongs to gently place the eggs in the water. It does not matter if the eggs are above the water or partially submerged. Unpeeled cooked eggs can be stored in their shells in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

6 large eggs

Procedure

1. Bring 1 inch water to rolling boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Place eggs in steamer basket. Transfer basket to saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook eggs for 13 minutes.
2. When eggs are almost finished cooking, combine 2 cups ice cubes and 2 cups cold water in medium bowl. Using tongs or spoon, transfer eggs to ice bath; let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Crack wide end of each egg against a hard, flat surface. Starting at wide end of each egg, peel away shell. When done, dunk peeled egg back into ice bath to remove any stray bits of shell (if necessary).

Soft-Cooked Eggs

With a set white and fluid yolk, these have the appeal of poached eggs but are less fussy and can be eaten out of the shell. Precise timing is critical, so use a digital timer. You can use this method for one to six large, extra-large, or jumbo eggs without altering the timing. We recommend serving these eggs in egg cups and with buttered toast sticks, or soldiers, for dipping, or simply use the dull side of a butter knife to crack the egg along the equator, break the egg in half, and scoop out the insides with a teaspoon and serve as you would a poached egg—over toast, salad, or cooked vegetables. After adding steamer basket with eggs to saucepan of boiling water, reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 6½ minutes. Remove cover, transfer saucepan to sink, and place under cold running water for 30 seconds. Remove eggs from saucepan and serve, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

THE EGG-DONENESS CONTINUUM

The fundamental challenge in egg cookery is that an egg is not really one ingredient but two: the white and the yolk. And each solidifies at different temperatures: Whites start to thicken at 145 degrees and are fully set at 180. Yolks begin to thicken at 150 degrees and are fully set at 158; this narrow range means that just a minute or two of timing can completely change the consistency of your eggs, from creamy to fully set to overdone, as the photos below show. Our steaming method ensures a consistent temperature, allowing us to nail down more precise timing than boiling would, since adding eggs to a pot of boiling water lowers the temperature of the water. Just make sure to set a timer!

Dinner Style Fried Eggs Variation - How to cook your own at home

JD

October 02, 2019

0

egg-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

This method produces diner-style fried eggs with crisp edges and a runny yolk. If, like us, you have struggled with whites that never fully set up or yolks that overcook, it’s a game changer. The first thing to do is to reach for a nonstick skillet; there’s no point in frying eggs in anything else. Next, don’t skip preheating: It ensures the pan’s surface will be evenly hot, which is extra important for quick-cooking foods like eggs. Once you raise the heat, don’t dawdle: Each step from here takes under a minute. When checking the eggs for doneness, lift the lid just a crack to prevent loss of steam should they need further cooking. To fry just two eggs, use an 8-inch nonstick skillet and halve the amounts of oil and butter. You can use this method with extra-large or jumbo eggs without altering the timing.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled

Procedure

1. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, crack 2 eggs into small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining 2 eggs and second small bowl.
2. Increase heat to medium-high and heat until oil is shimmering. Add butter to skillet and quickly swirl to coat pan. Working quickly, pour 1 bowl of eggs in 1 side of pan and second bowl of eggs in other side. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Remove skillet from burner and let stand, covered, 15 to 45 seconds for runny yolks (white around edge of yolk will be barely opaque), 45 to 60 seconds for soft but set yolks, and about 2 minutes for medium-set yolks. Slide eggs onto plates and serve.

Variation

Egg in a Hole

Use 6 eggs. Adjust oven racks to lowest and top positions, place rimmed baking sheet on lower rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Spread 2½ tablespoons softened unsalted butter evenly over 1 side of 6 slices
hearty white sandwich bread. Using 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out and remove circle from center of each piece of buttered bread. Remove hot sheet from oven, add 2½ tablespoons softened unsalted butter, and let
melt, tilting sheet to let butter cover sheet evenly. Place bread circles down center of sheet and bread slices on either side of circles, buttered side up. Return sheet to lower rack and bake until bread is golden, 3 to 5
minutes, flipping bread and rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove sheet from oven and set inside second (room temperature) rimmed baking sheet. Crack 1 egg into each bread hole. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Bake on upper rack until whites are barely set, 4 to 6 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer sheets to wire rack and let eggs sit until whites are completely set, about 2 minutes. Serve. Makes 6 toasts.

PUT AN EGG ON IT

Adding a fried egg on top of pretty much any dish makes it richer, heartier, and more luxurious. In addition to bulking up the protein content of your meal, a fried egg also comes with its own built-in sauce from the silky, runny yolk. This makes it a great topping for simple pasta dishes (try it on top of our Pasta with Garlic and Oil) or for salad greens to turn them into a light meal (spinach is especially nice).
Other recipes in this book that feature fried eggs as their finishing touch are our Bacon and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwiches, Brown Rice Bowls with Roasted Carrots, Kale, and Fried Eggs, and Vegetable Bibimbap. We also recommend trying one on top of Hash Browns, mixed into Faster Steel-Cut Oatmeal for a savory take on breakfast porridge, or as the ultimate decadent topping for The Burger Lover’s Burger.

Crispy Tofu Fingers with Sweet Chili Sauce - Chefs secret in cooking

JD

October 02, 2019

0

healthy-food, tasty-food-recipe

Pan frying is one of our favorite ways to prepare tofu. It becomes crispy on the outside and creamy within, perfect for dipping into a sauce, as we do here, or adding to salads (see the variation). To ensure the tofu got
nice and crisp, we first drained it thoroughly. A coating of cornstarch and cornmeal gave us a crunchy, golden-brown crust that paired perfectly with a quick spicy-sweet chili sauce. We prefer the softer, creamier
texture of soft tofu here for the perfect contrast between creamy interior and crispy exterior. Medium-firm, firm, or extra-firm tofu will also work, but will taste drier. You can find Asian chili-garlic sauce in Asian markets or the international aisle of most supermarkets. Be sure to handle the tofu gently and pat it dry thoroughly before seasoning and coating.

Serves: 4
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

28 ounces soft tofu
4 teaspoons plus ¾ cup cornstarch
½ cup water
½ cup rice vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce
¼ cup cornmeal
Salt and pepper
¾ cup vegetable oil

Procedure

1. Slice tofu crosswise into ¾-inch-thick slabs, then slice each slab into 3 fingers. Arrange tofu on paper towel–lined baking sheet and let sit for 20 minutes to drain, then gently pat tofu dry with paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, whisk 4 teaspoons cornstarch, water, vinegar, sugar, and chili-garlic sauce together in small saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and cover to keep warm.
3. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Combine remaining ¾ cup cornstarch and cornmeal in shallow dish. Season tofu with salt and pepper. Coat tofu thoroughly with cornstarch mixture a few pieces at a time, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer to prepared rack.
4. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in 2 batches, fry tofu, turning as needed, until crisp and golden on all sides, about 4 minutes. Gently lift tofu from oil, letting excess oil drip back into skillet, and transfer to paper towel–lined plate to drain. Serve with sauce.

Variation

Crispy Tofu and Warm Cabbage Salad

Skip step 2, omitting dipping sauce. Instead, whisk 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 5 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1–2 teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce in bowl, cover, and microwave until simmering, 1 to 2 minutes. Reserve 2 tablespoons dressing and toss remainder with 1 (14-ounce) bag green coleslaw mix, ¾ cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts, 4 thinly sliced scallions, ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, and ½ cup chopped fresh mint. Drizzle tofu with reserved dressing; serve with salad.

SECRETS OF TERRIFIC TOFU

Most tofu comes stored in water, and since it’s quite porous, it needs to be drained before cooking. You could just pat tofu dry, but taking time to drain it for 20 minutes removes excess moisture that can make dishes bland and watery. Plus, the more water you remove, the more flavor the tofu can soak up from sauces or other ingredients added during cooking. Coating the tofu in cornstarch helps absorb exuded moisture and ensures a crispy exterior and better browning. As an ingredient, tofu takes to a wide variety of preparations. Crispy tofu stars in our Farro Bowls with Tofu, Mushrooms, and Spinach, and Tofu Banh Mi. We scramble it like eggs in Tofu Scramble with Herbs, and stir-fry it to make Stir-Fried Tofu and Bok Choy and Spicy Tofu and Basil Lettuce Cups. It even tastes great raw if marinated first in a flavorful dressing, as in our Marinated Tofu and Vegetable Salad.

Delightful Tofu Scramble with Herbs - Make your own at Home

JD

October 02, 2019

0

healthy-food, tasty-food-recipe

Eggs are not the only thing you can scramble (for that, see this page).Soft tofu can be cooked in a similar way to produce a quick, hearty, egg free breakfast. When crumbled up and sautéed, the tofu yielded smooth, creamy pieces very much like curds of scrambled egg. Tofu scramble is a great option if you’re cooking for a vegan or if you’re just looking for a change. We added a small amount of curry powder to our version for a touch of flavor and color, plus a sautéed shallot and chopped fresh herbs. This simple preparation is perfect for a basic approach, but it’s also very easy to add other ingredients into the mix for a more substantial variation. Do not substitute firm tofu for the soft tofu in this recipe. Be sure to press the tofu completely dry before cooking.

Ingredients
14 ounces soft tofu
1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
1 shallot, minced
¼ teaspoon curry powder
¾ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil, parsley, tarragon, or marjoram

Procedure

1. Crumble tofu into ¼- to ½-inch pieces. Spread tofu on paper towel–lined baking sheet and let drain for 20 minutes, then gently press dry with paper towels.
2. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in crumbled tofu, curry powder, salt, and pepper and cook until tofu is hot, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and serve.

Variations

Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Feta

Before adding tofu to skillet, add 4 cups baby spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup crumbled feta to skillet with tofu. Tofu Scramble with Tomato, Scallions, and Parmesan. Add 1 seeded and finely chopped tomato and 1 minced garlic clove to pan with shallot; cook until tomato is no longer wet, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup grated Parmesan and 2 tablespoons minced scallions to skillet with tofu.

Tofu Scramble with Shiitakes, Red Bell Pepper, and Goat Cheese

Before adding shallot to skillet, cook 4 ounces stemmed and thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, 1 finely chopped small red bell pepper, and pinch red pepper flakes, covered, until mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover, add shallot, and continue to cook until mushrooms are dry and shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese to skillet with tofu.

REDEEMING TOFU

To many people, tofu is the quintessential tasteless, unappealing health food: the punch line of a million vegan jokes and probably to be avoided at all costs. But we want to change the way you think about this maligned ingredient, and that starts with understanding exactly what it is and how to make it shine in recipes. Tofu comes in a variety of textures based on how much liquid has been pressed out of the soy curds: silken, soft, medium-firm, firm, and extra-firm. In general, firmer varieties maintain their shape when cooking, while softer varieties do not. We prefer extra-firm or firm tofu for stir-fries and noodle dishes, as they hold together during high heat cooking and when tossed with noodles. These two varieties of tofu are also great marinated (they absorb marinade better than softer varieties) or tossed raw into salads—try our Marinated Tofu and
Vegetable Salad. Medium and soft tofu boast a creamy texture; we love to pan-fry them. The crispy crust that develops makes a nice textural contrast to the silky interior. Soft tofu is also great scrambled like eggs, as in this recipe. Silken tofu has a soft, ultracreamy texture and is often used as a base for smoothies and dips, in desserts such as puddings, or as an egg replacement in vegan baked goods.

How to Cook Perfect Scrambled Eggs - The easy trick in cooking

JD

October 02, 2019

0

egg-recipe, healthy-food, tasty-food-recipe

Turning out rich and creamy—not dry and rubbery—scrambled eggs makes the simplest of all meals something special. Adding a couple extra yolks and ¼ cup half-and-half ensures rich flavor, and the added fat prevents overcooking, as does seasoning the raw eggs with salt, which tenderizes them. To create large, even curds, we used a smaller (10-inch) skillet so we’d have a thicker layer of eggs. Stirring constantly (scraping along both the sides and bottom) helped the eggs coagulate evenly, and dropping the heat partway through gave us more control over doneness. Follow the visual cues, as pan thickness will affect cooking times. (If using an electric stove, heat one burner on low and a second on medium-high; move the skillet between burners for temperature adjustment.) To dress up the eggs, add 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, chives, basil, or cilantro, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or tarragon after reducing the heat to low.

Serves: 4
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

8 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
¼ cup half-and-half
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled

Procedure

1. Beat eggs, yolks, half-and-half, ⅜ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper with fork until eggs are thoroughly combined and color is pure yellow; do not overbeat.
2. Heat butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming just subsides (butter should not brown), swirling to coat pan. Add egg mixture and, using rubber spatula, constantly and firmly scrape along bottom and sides of skillet until eggs begin to clump and spatula just leaves trail on bottom of pan, 1½ to 2½ minutes. Reduce heat to low and gently but constantly fold eggs until clumped and just slightly wet, 30 to 60 seconds. Immediately transfer eggs to warmed plates and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Variations

Perfect Scrambled Eggs for Two

Use 4 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, 2 tablespoons half-and-half, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and 1½ teaspoons butter. Cook eggs in 8-inch skillet for 45 to 75 seconds over medium-high heat and then 30 to 60 seconds over low heat.

Perfect Scrambled Eggs for One

Use 2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, 1 tablespoon half-and-half, pinch salt, pinch pepper, and ¾ teaspoon butter. Cook eggs in 8-inch skillet for 30 to 60 seconds over medium-high heat and then 30 to 60 seconds over low heat.

Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs with Chive Butter

Mash 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter with 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives. Toast 4 (1-inch-thick) slices rustic white bread, then spread with 2 tablespoons chive butter. Cook eggs as directed, using remaining chive butter. Immediately spoon eggs on top of buttered toasts, top with 3 ounces smoked salmon, and serve. Garnish with extra chives if desired.

THE CLEANEST BREAK

There are best practices for even the simplest kitchen tasks. For example: cracking an egg. Do it thoughtlessly and you’ll end up with annoying bits of shell in the bowl. For the cleanest break, crack eggs

against a flat surface, rather than the edge of the counter or a mixing bowl. Once you can crack an egg correctly, separating them is easy. We separate eggs if we need just the yolk or white (as in our scrambled

eggs, which uses additional yolks) or if the two will be used in different ways. Separate eggs when they’re cold: Cold yolks are less apt to break into the whites. To separate an egg, hold the halves of the cracked shell over a bowl and gently transfer the yolk back and forth between them, letting the white fall into the bowl; drop the yolk into a second bowl. (Alternatively, open the cracked egg into your cupped palm and slowly separate your fingers to allow the white to slide into the bowl, leaving the yolk intact in your palm.) If you plan on whipping the egg whites, use three bowls: Separate each egg over the first bowl and let the white fall in. Slide the yolk into the second bowl and then move the white to the third bowl before starting over with the next egg. That way, if one yolk breaks into the white, it doesn’t contaminate the whole batch of whites. Even the tiniest amount of fat from the egg yolks can undermine the stability of the beaten whites.

Farro Bowls with Tofu, Mushrooms, and Spinach - Make your own at home

JD

October 02, 2019

0

healthy-food, tasty-food-recipe

At the base of this bowl is hearty, nutty farro. Farro is traditionally associated with Italy and flavor profiles of the western Mediterranean, but we thought it would stand up well to bold Asian ingredients, so we built a bowl to test that theory. For toppings, we chose crispy seared tofu planks along with simply sautéed mushrooms, shallot, and spinach. We partnered these easy-to-prepare toppings with a potent miso-ginger
sauce. The pairing of the farro with the zing of the Asian ingredients turned out to be a match made in grain bowl heaven. We prefer the flavor and texture of whole-grain farro; pearled farro can be used, but the texture may be softer. We found a wide range of cooking times among various brands of farro, so start checking for doneness after 10 minutes. Do not use quick-cooking farro in this recipe.

Ingredients

MISO-GINGER SAUCE
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons red miso
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1½ teaspoons sherry vinegar
1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
FARRO BOWLS
1½ cups whole farro
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
14 ounces firm tofu, sliced crosswise into 8 equal slabs
⅓ cup cornstarch
¼ cup vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and chopped coarse
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons dry sherry
10 ounces (10 cups) baby spinach
2 scallions, sliced thin

Procedure

1. FOR THE SAUCE Whisk all ingredients in bowl until well combined. Set aside.
2. FOR THE BOWLS Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Stir in farro and 1 tablespoon salt, return to boil, and cook until grains are tender with slight chew, 15 to 30 minutes. Drain farro and return to now empty pot. Drizzle with sesame oil and vinegar, toss to coat, and cover to keep warm.
3. While farro cooks, spread tofu on paper towel–lined baking sheet and let drain for 20 minutes. Gently press dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread cornstarch in shallow dish. Coat tofu thoroughly in cornstarch, pressing gently to adhere; transfer to plate. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add tofu and cook until both sides are crisp and browned, about 4 minutes per side, adding more oil as necessary to prevent charring. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate to drain and tent with aluminum foil.
5. In now-empty skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in mushrooms, shallot, and ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables begin to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until skillet is nearly dry, about 1 minute; transfer to bowl.
6. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat in now-empty skillet until shimmering. Add spinach, 1 handful at a time, and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute.
7. Divide farro among individual bowls, then top each bowl with tofu, mushrooms, and spinach. Drizzle with miso-ginger sauce, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.

MISO PRIMER

An essential ingredient in the Japanese kitchen, miso paste is made by fermenting soybeans and sometimes grains (such as rice, barley, or rye) with a mold called koji. Packed with savory flavor, miso is used to season everything from soups and braises to dressings and sauces. Although countless variations of miso are available, three common types are white shiro (despite its name, this miso is light golden in color), red aka, and brownish-black hatcho. Flavor profiles are altered by changing the type of grain in the mix, adjusting the ratio of grain to soybeans, tweaking the amounts of salt and mold, and extending or decreasing the fermentation time, which can range from a few weeks to a few years.

White miso is mild and sweet, red miso nicely balances salty and sweet, and black miso is strong and complex. Though flavor nuances will vary from brand to brand, if you’re looking to keep just one type of

miso on hand, moderately salty-sweet red miso (which is called for in the Miso-Ginger Sauce in this recipe) is a good all-purpose choice. Miso will easily keep for up to a year in the refrigerator (some sources say it keeps indefinitely).