More and more folks I know are raising their own eggs. I reap the benefits of these extra fresh eggs, but I’m not always certain how to handle them to keep my family safe. Chronic diseases, age, at either end of the life cycle, pregnancy and a number of other conditions put some of us at greater risk for food borne illness, regardless, we all need to work to assure the food we eat is safe. I did some research at eXtension.org to prepare for this article. This is a wonderful site, filled with relevant and evidence-based information.
Since I won’t begin to pretend to tell anyone how to raise poultry, backyard or otherwise, suffice it to say a clean environment is extremely important. Fresh eggs should be free of dirt and other debris, especially fecal matter. Wiping or brushing is universally recognized safe. Washing, however, raises some controversy. According to eXtension.org if you choose to wash eggs you should follow these rules:
Tasty and inexpensive, even when purchased, eggs are an excellent source of protein and other nutrients while low in calories. We do need to be aware of the fat and cholesterol content. However, recent studies indicate that cholesterol found in foods does not impact blood cholesterol as much as saturated fat and trans-fats do.
High in cholesterol, in the past eggs were banned from heart healthy diets. One egg contains 186 milligrams of cholesterol. The maximum daily recommendation for cholesterol intake from food is 300 milligrams for healthy persons and 200 milligrams per day for persons with diabetes, heart disease or high cholesterol. So limiting egg consumption to one per day and considering which foods will be paired with your egg is necessary.
The frequent mantra in a healthy diet is moderation, balance and variety. So pairing your egg with vegetables is an excellent choice. Any of your favorite vegetables can be paired with your egg. I frequently sauté eggplant, onion, tomato, leafy greens including kale as a base for the egg or part of the scramble.
Instead of butter, I scramble and fry eggs in either olive oil, spray olive oil or when I have butter loving company, in a mixture of 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Other cooking methods like poached and hard boiled eliminate the need for any added fat. When making or eating scrambled eggs, you can substitute egg whites or cholesterol free egg substitutes which are made from egg whites for some or all of the eggs. (Shh…don’t tell my personal picky eater that his favorite eggs are frequently made this way.)
To make perfect hard cooked or hard boiled eggs, try the following method.
Place eggs in saucepan large enough to hold them in single layer. Add enough cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch. Heat over high heat just to boiling. Cover and remove pan from burner.
Let eggs stand in hot water about 12 minutes for large eggs. Smaller medium sized eggs need about 9 minutes while extra-large ones require 15 minutes.
Drain and serve immediate for warm eggs. Otherwise, drain and place in ice water or under cold running water to stop the cooking. Wipe dry, identify as boiled or hard cooked (I mark mine with the letter B.), then store in refrigerator immediately for up to one week.
Last updated June 1, 2015