The Over Medium Egg

[Lady Day]

Im rarely a snob on anything, but the way I take my eggs is the one thing that I refuse to compromise.

I am a connoisseur of a true over medium egg:

The outside is cooked (NO SKIN :rage: ), with the yolk still translucent, but slightly firm as in wont run if cut open, but may slightly pool. Mmmmmm

Thats it. Thats all.
A runny yolk is an over easy egg, a cooked yolk is an over firm/hard egg. Skin crust is not acceptable for me on any of these options.

Scrambled is for wimps.

I had a friend who owned a cafe who told me he made a great over med egg. I told him Id send it back if I didnt like it. After the third try I just said "Stop we are wasting eggs".

To cook an egg to that perfection requires a lot of attention, low heat and more than one flipping. I know, I make them at home and I still get it wrong.

So ladies and gentle-fellows of the Lounge, is there one small thing that you refuse to settle for? Something that might be flippant to another, but is a must for your enjoyment of said pleasure.

I welcome the discussion.

LD

 

[dhermann1]

Ahhh . . . . eggs.
I like scrambled in its place, very slightly loose. When I was a kid I was obsessive about steam basted (a term I learned recently here in the Lounge). Steam basted is a LOT easier if you have a glass lid for your skillet.
Now, about eggs over . . . I like 'em over easy. I got into over easy in the USMC. The cooks in the mess hall would cracked a dozen or two eggs right in succession and have a whole griddle going at once. They'd flip them over zip zip, in almost a single motion. Then they's flop 'em on your tray. Wonderful to watch, tasty to eat. But like I said, I really like my whites cooked and my yolks runny.
Now, not to stray too far off topic, for a really VINTAGE style of egg, how about soft boiled? There's a whole generation out there who don't have any idea what an egg cup is for! The technique for the perfect soft boiled egg is truly someting to get obsessed over! The whole rituial, getting the eggs in the cold water, bringing them to a boil, counting the time from the moment the water starts a full boil, getting them off the burner and under the cold tap at exactly 3 1/2 minutes, or what ever you prefer, and getting the top cracked and the insides scooped out. Truly a ritual. And worth it. My old great aunts, born 30 years before Queen Victoria's death, knew how to do it. And of course the toast was made on the old fashioned tilt open toaster.
With a slice of cantaloupe before. And a cup of tea. And saying grace before eating.
But just for you, Lady Day, I'm going to try over medium tomorrow.

 

[alphy27]

How many kinds of eggs?

Makes me think. . . Why only chicken eggs? With all the birds in the world, why don't humans eat more kinds of eggs? Yes, yes, I know you can get quale's eggs in some more gourmet recipes. But I'm talking about the volume you see chicken's eggs consumed here in the western world.

 

[Smithy]

Poached eggs are my favourite way to enjoy the humble egg.

But I am fond of soft boiled eggs dhermann, had two for brekkie today with toast soldiers. Still popular back home but very rare here.

 

[Warbaby]

For me, the ultimate eggs are scrambled. But not the sort of scrambled eggs you'd get in a diner. Here's how I do it:

Four eggs per person - two whole and two extra yolks.
Add a tablespoon or two of cream for each serving
Cook slowly in lots of butter, stirring almost constantly
Serve when firm but creamy
Top with sour cream and caviar, lots of salt and pepper

Yummy.

 

[Josephine]

Nothing that I would really refuse to settle for off the top of my head, but I have to admit I don't like wet scrambled eggs. But I'll eat them if need be. I guess I'd eat most anything though it wasn't cooked the way I like it, if it were served to me (as opposed to ordering it, then I'd send it back). Doesn't mean I'd eat a lot of it...

Oh, scallops. They have to be near overdone for me to eat them.

 

[Fletch]

Funny thing

I used to be quite the fellow for getting outside of an egg. Scrambled, sunny, over, poached, boiled, didn't much matter, bring on the cackleberries, preferably with plenty of sidemeat.

Then, one morning a few years ago, I noticed hard-boiled or cooked-thru yolks were starting to taste chalky and unpleasant to me.

More recently the liquid yolk is no longer to my taste. Its flavor is just too...funky somehow.

Couple days ago I had an all-white omelette. Didn't even care for that much. Kind of blah.

Scrambled's about all I like anymore. With ketchup.

What's happening to me? :eusa_doh: I hope this isn't the symptom of some wasting neurological condition or something.

 

[dhermann1]

Probably is.

 

[sweetfrancaise]

So ladies and gentle-fellows of the Lounge, is there one small thing that you refuse to settle for? Something that might be flippant to another, but is a must for your enjoyment of said pleasure.

It has to be tea. At restaurants, if I'm ordering iced tea, it must be unsweetened, black. None of this mango-tango-paradise high fructose syrup nonsense. Real tea. Same for hot. No, I do not want an infusion of mint-vanilla-and-lavender. If I wanted perfume, I would bring some with me. And, please, no honey or lemon. I'd love milk and sugar, and it would be very nice not to get a weird look from the waiter when I ask for them!

But that's it, really. I'll deal with (almost) everything else...

 

[Diamondback]

What's so hard for people to understand about "NO lettuce, NO tomato, NO onion, EXTRA pickle" on a burger? Is an IQ below that of the ground beef some kind of occupational requirement in fast-food or something?

I mean, "plain burger, then slap on a mountain of pickles" shouldn't be that hard for anyone with more intelligence than my Clue-by-Four to understand, should it?

 

[Idledame]

Alphy 27-why chickens? Probably because they are a heck of alot easier to raise than crocodiles! Actually, if you have ducks, geese, peacocks (oops make that peahens) you end up eating their eggs, though the goose eggs are huge. These are all birds that lay eggs where you can get to them without climbing trees or cliffs. Chickens must be cheaper to raise. And warbaby, I read your recipe and then checked your origins. The only time I've had eggs like that was in England-(well without the caviar) Do other countries take a healthy egg and load it with fat? (But they are the best scrambled eggs ever)

 

[KY Gentleman]

I am particular about iced tea, I don't like sweet tea and I've been places where you had to stress that fact, all tea was SWEET! I also always ask for "no mayo" on sandwiches but a lot of times that proves too complicated...

 

[Warbaby]

I used to be quite the fellow for getting outside of an egg. Scrambled, sunny, over, poached, boiled, didn't much matter, bring on the cackleberries, preferably with plenty of sidemeat.

Then, one morning a few years ago, I noticed hard-boiled or cooked-thru yolks were starting to taste chalky and unpleasant to me.

More recently the liquid yolk is no longer to my taste. Its flavor is just too...funky somehow.

Couple days ago I had an all-white omelette. Didn't even care for that much. Kind of blah.

Scrambled's about all I like anymore. With ketchup.

What's happening to me? :eusa_doh: I hope this isn't the symptom of some wasting neurological condition or something.

It's not you, it's the eggs. Commercially raised eggs have gotten pretty bad over the last couple of years. There's no comparison between grocery store eggs and real FRESH eggs from free-range, grain-fed chickens. We get ours from a local farmer and they're beautiful - big, rich yellow yolks that stand up firmly. And they taste like eggs are supposed to taste. Definitely worth the little bit of extra expense.

 

[Dr Doran]

for a really VINTAGE style of egg, how about soft boiled? There's a whole generation out there who don't have any idea what an egg cup is for! The technique for the perfect soft boiled egg is truly someting to get obsessed over! The whole rituial, getting the eggs in the cold water, bringing them to a boil, counting the time from the moment the water starts a full boil, getting them off the burner and under the cold tap at exactly 3 1/2 minutes, or what ever you prefer, and getting the top cracked and the insides scooped out.

The movie that really, really explains this (although you did an amazing job) is a Polish film from the late 70s or perhaps early 80s called SEX MISJA or SEX MISSION. It concerns Soviet Polish workers put into suspended animation who wake up in a Fellini-"City of Women"-type world where women control everything and there are no men -- except these young hunks who have just woken up. It was an oblique critique of the Soviet system with matriarchy instead of communism BUT -- most germane to this discussion -- THERE IS A LENGTHY DISQUISITION ON THE WONDERS OF THE SOFT-BOILED EGG. With full motion picture explanation, full commentary on the physical and spiritual properties thereof. Hermann, you will be able to find a copy of this with English subtitles from Netflix or Greencine -- anyone who really cares about softboiled eggs MUST see this film.

 

[Mojito]

Love a poached egg on toasted sourdough wholegrain (or Turkish, if it's nice and fresh) - I love it when it's cooked enough not to be overly liquid, but still unset enough that it completely soaks the bread when cut.

Don't mind well done scrambled eggs - not too wet, not too dry. Favourite cafe does it for breakfast, light and fluffy with cubes of fetta - bliss!

I'm fussy about cocktails and bananas - can't stand the latter if they're too ripe, although I'll accept a degree more ripeness if I'm cooking them into porridge.

And kangaroo must be done rare - it's a lean meat, so too much cooking and you've got an inedible lump of protein glaring at you from your plate.

 

[Josephine]

So much for my not thinking of anything... I won't consume sweet tea or green bananas.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

Im rarely a snob on anything, but the way I take my eggs is the one thing that I refuse to compromise.

I am a connoisseur of a true over medium egg:

The outside is cooked (NO SKIN :rage: ), with the yolk still translucent, but slightly firm as in wont run if cut open, but may slightly pool. Mmmmmm

Thats it. Thats all.
A runny yolk is an over easy egg, a cooked yolk is an over firm/hard egg. Skin crust is not acceptable for me on any of these options.

Scrambled is for wimps.

I had a friend who owned a cafe who told me he made a great over med egg. I told him Id send it back if I didnt like it. After the third try I just said "Stop we are wasting eggs".

To cook an egg to that perfection requires a lot of attention, low heat and more than one flipping. I know, I make them at home and I still get it wrong.

I am absolutely agreed with you on the Over Medium Egg. The main problem I run into is undercooking. Most cooks think Over Medium should be very runny, but that's Over Easy. I have learned to start ordering my eggs Over Medium-Well, to reasonable success.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

egg in a basket...or eggy in a basket for the v for vendetta fans ...i just started cooking it and love it...my favorite breakfast now...
i want to try ostrich eggs...whoooooaa is that even legal??
my aunt gives me fresh eggs from her chickens and they are just so much better then store bought...orange yolks...yummmmm...

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm an awful egg wimp -- they got to be scrambled hard, and cooked in bacon grease. The best ones are at the lunchroom I frequent downtown, but I have to get after the cook about being very careful to keep them away from the home fries -- if there's even the slightest tinge of onion about them, I can't eat them. I'm violently allergic to onions, and even a slight nibble of one makes me sick.

I like my oofs with salt, pepper, and a dollop of A-1 Sauce. Sausage on the side and two slices of white toast, and I'm all set.

 

[AmateisGal]

Lady Day, the Over Medium Egg is exactly how I like my eggs cooked, too, yet I rarely get them that way.

My bacon must be perfectly cooked - not chewy or burnt or too greasy or too anything. It's light and crispy and ohhh...yum. Fortunately, my husband can do this to perfection. I knew there was a reason to keep him around...lol