I Love Eggs

I struggled for a long time about what to eat for breakfast. Then, on our honeymoon, we enjoyed the hotel breakfast buffets all up and down the west coast. I realized that having eggs for breakfast is very satisfying. They make you feel full for a lot longer than a bagel, and they are very healthy. If I make a bunch of hard cooked eggs on a Sunday and peel them, it is a super quick breakfast. It is also super cheap. My idea of protein for breakfast was started by drinking Special K protein shakes, which did the job of preventing my stomach growling in 11am staff meetings, but are actually very expensive. $6.99 for four shakes can't compare to a couple bucks for a dozen eggs.

First, I started out with the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cooking School. The eggs came out a little rubbery sometimes. The technique is to cover the eggs in a saucepan with an inch higher than the eggs in cold water. Then put the heat on high and bring it up to a boil. Immediately take the eggs off the heat and put a lid on and leave them there for 13 minutes. Put them in an ice bath for about ten minutes. These were alright for a while. Then I thought of how much I love Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home, and thought that I would try his technique. He also covers the eggs in water the same as Martha, and then brings them to a medium simmer. He lets them simmer for 7 minutes (he recommends using an egg timer), and then puts them right in an ice bath. Then, he peels them under cold running water. Somehow his recipe is better. It is so simple, and the differences are subtle, but his whites are fluffier and his yolks have almost a creamy texture.

Now I'll just have to get one of these: