Just in Time for Dyeing Easter Eggs

Eggs are plentiful and cheap in the spring and provide high quality protein.

Here's eggs-actly a dozen tips!

Use the freshest eggs for frying or poaching because the white is thick and doesn't spread as much. This makes it easier to flip the eggs without breaking the yolk.

Fried eggs should be turned "over easy" to insure safety from salmonella.

Older eggs (1 to 2 weeks) are the best for hard-cooking because they are easier to peel. I've included directions below on how to hard-cook eggs.

Remove  eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before hard-cooking to prevent the shells from cracking.

For recipes that use egg yolks and egg whites separately, separate the yolk from the white when the eggs are cold.

When beating egg whites, allow them to warm slightly so that they will whip to the greatest volume. 

Use a non-stick pan for frying eggs and cook the eggs over low heat.

Adding 1-2 teaspoons vinegar to the water for poaching the eggs will reduce the spreading of the white.

Place poached eggs on aa paper towel to absorb poaching water to prevent soggy bread.

Always use large  eggs (24 oz./dozen) when baking as they are used in recipe development.

When using more than one egg, break each egg into a custard cup before adding to your recipe.
When you are separating the yolk from the white, you can remove any little bits of shell by using the empty egg shell. It attracts the small bits.

HOW TO HARD COOK EGGS:  Remove eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to avoid cracking. Place in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by one-inch. Bring to a boil. When water is boiling, remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let stand 15-17 minutes. (I use 17 minutes but most sources say 15 minutes).