Do Americans use egg-cups?

[skatemommy]

I love soft boiled eggs! They are a comfort food to me as I remember my mom would make them for me only if I stayed home from school with a bad cold. We didn't use egg cups, just placed them in a small bowl.

They have to be cooked just so as I don't like the white part to be too runny. Sprinkle on lots of salt and dip my toast into the yolk and scoop out the whites with a spoon. Delicious with a glass of orange juice.

Guess what I'm making for breakfast tomorrow.

http://www.factsfacts.com/EggCups/EggCups.htm

When I make hard boiled eggs, I'll pull one or two out at the 6 minute mark. I run them in ice water then break the top of the shell. I NEVER mastered that cutting with a knife thing; hate eating eggshells, hence don't use egg cups but love soft boiled, deviled and poached eggs along with the omelet and quiche variety!

[Lanie]

Only way I'll eat eggs is if they're over easy, dipping toast in the yolk.

I've never even heard of an egg cup.

[mkats]

Well, now I'm having a hard boiled egg for breakfast tomorrow. Very solid though, mind you.

I can't stand runny eggs. Over new years' we split up brunch duties and the girl that made eggs had them practically still liquid when she served them! I chopped some scallions into my serving and dumped it back into the pot until they were nice and fluffy and lightly browned. Much more tasty (and palatable )

[mpal2]

I can't stand runny eggs. Over new years' we split up brunch duties and the girl that made eggs had them practically still liquid when she served them! I chopped some scallions into my serving and dumped it back into the pot until they were nice and fluffy and lightly browned. Much more tasty (and palatable )

I would do the same thing. In fact, I rarely order eggs at a restaurant because most won't cook them long enough for me to like them. They consider it to be overcooked.

[love skating]

We have a machine that makes soft boiled eggs. It's very old! I eat them on occassion, but we don't use egg cups. We cut the egg in half and take it out of the shell and into a small bowl. I have seen Martha Stewart use egg cups on her show. She probably would be appalled that we don't use them!

[skatemommy]

Let me make the case for the organic "Eggland's Best" eggs. Expensive yes, but worth it. No sulfur smell, beautiful color - my family really notices the difference. I think y'all would think differently about soft boiled eggs after tasting these...just sayin!

[FigureSpins]

DH has a friend at work whose family owns an organic chicken farm so we get freebies fairly regularly. They do look and taste better, as do Eggland's, but I only buy them when there's a coupon or a sale.

[Prancer]

Let me make the case for the organic "Eggland's Best" eggs. Expensive yes, but worth it. No sulfur smell, beautiful color - my family really notices the difference. I think y'all would think differently about soft boiled eggs after tasting these...just sayin!

I love Eggland's Best and buy the big cartons at Sam's. I eat eggs all the time. But boiled eggs of any kind-- . Gimme over easy with a runny yolk and some toast.

I do have to say, however, that no one should ever eat organic eggs because they are free of salmonella (I know you didn't say that, but I saw it somewhere up thread). Organic eggs most certainly can have salmonella.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news...maybe-not.html

[eusebius]

My husband is allergic to eggs, so we don't have them in the house. He goes into anaphylactic shock if he eats eggs or anything containing egg yolk or white.
Fortunately I didn't like them all that much in the first place ...

[IceAlisa]

I love eggs, but I find soft boiled eggs revolting.

Same here (we are agreeing on a lot of things! ) but I do own egg cups and occasionally use them on hard boiled eggs--kind of pointless but reminds me of the old country.

I hate runny yolk so it's either scrambled or dead for me.

[skatemommy]

My husband is allergic to eggs, so we don't have them in the house. He goes into anaphylactic shock if he eats eggs or anything containing egg yolk or white.
Fortunately I didn't like them all that much in the first place ...

I'm assuming you have Epi-Pens on hand? Long story but my DD took pistachios to elementary school one day thanks to DH and classmate needed treatment.

[eusebius]

I'm assuming you have Epi-Pens on hand? Long story but my DD took pistachios to elementary school one day thanks to DH and classmate needed treatment.

Yes, we always have Epi-Pens around. Thankfully I've never had to use one, but I know how if necessary.
Our daughter's school has the same stringent anti-nut policy and there is a kid with a kiwi allergy in her class as well.

[FigureSpins]

I also like "frizzled eggs" which are fried over high heat until the edges are crispy and browned. Tricky to keep the yolk runny, though. They're a guilty pleasure with a nice salad.

My grandniece (4) has terrible food allergies (soy, peanuts, milk/dairy products, and more!) The doctors just diagnosed a new one: egg whites. Poor little thing - she does love meringue cookies but now they're off the list too. Finding treats so I can be the favorite aunt is getting tricky...

[eusebius]

My grandniece (4) has terrible food allergies (soy, peanuts, milk/dairy products, and more!) The doctors just diagnosed a new one: egg whites. Poor little thing - she does love meringue cookies but now they're off the list too. Finding treats so I can be the favorite aunt is getting tricky...

That must be difficult for her and her family. I have heard of kids outgrowing some allergies like that so maybe there is hope.

[JasperBoy]

Another Canadian here who enjoys soft boiled eggs. I have owned a matching set of four stainless steel egg cups for about 40 years. Very mid-century modern.

I only buy free range eggs, with lovely dark yolks. I realize there is a concern about salmonella in undercooked eggs but I don't think I have ever had a problem.

I usually cook some of the eggs for 4 minutes, and leave the rest in for 15 mins to make them hard boiled. Mr. JB insists that I run cold water over the eggs to stop them from cooking in the shell, before putting them in the egg cups. We cut off the top, add butter, salt and pepper, and eat the eggs with toast fingers on the side. Or dipped, if the egg is really runny.

Scooping the soft boiled egg into a bowl is a travesty. It totally spoils the taste, and they look gross. As for poached eggs, I can only eat them when cooked in a metal poacher. Not dropped into boiling water. That's gross, too. I am very fussy, no?

[Allen]

That must be difficult for her and her family. I have heard of kids outgrowing some allergies like that so maybe there is hope.

One of my cousins was very allergic to dairy and gradually grew out of it.

[genevieve]

My family had egg cups but no one ate soft boiled eggs. maybe my mom did occasionally, but no one else.

When I was younger I needed my eggs scrambled hard. I still don't like runny eggs, but I've learned to appreciate them just cooked. Will never ever ever eat a soft boiled egg, though. Way too gross for words

[Orable]

Like Matry I didn't even know that eggs could be soft-boiled. I, um, had to Google-image them and yeah. I'm sure you all have great memories and all, so I'll leave the eating of said soft-boiled eggs to you. You're welcome.

I actually like eggs. I like 'em scrambled, in omlettes & quiches and fried Have em nearly every weekend - since I'm not a big meat-eater, it's one of my most important sources of protein. But I'm not a fan of hard boiled eggs and detest even looking at "over easy" eggs.

Egg cups sound cute, though, and I love the idea of a specific little container for the one egg. It's a bit decadent and who doesn't like to indulge while eating? I might just buy some egg cups and to put mousse or creme caramele (tons of eggs in both!) in them and elegantly eat them like the dainty lady I am

[MacMadame]

I have egg cups and eat soft boiled eggs (but I live in Canada.) I have always been of the understanding that soft cooked is okay with Canadian eggs but not with American eggs. Not sure why, just one of those bits of random information taking up valuable brain space!

Unless Canadian eggs are laid by hens who have been sterilized and live in sterile labs, you can get salmonella from them just like from US eggs.

Forget the shock that many of you hadn't even heard of egg cups. I'm shocked that you don't eat soft boiled eggs! What kind of childhoods did you have without egg and soldiers?

I think this is an age thing. I'm in my 50s and I grew up eating soft-boiled eggs. I <3 them in fact. As well as Sunnyside up.

But safety issues caused me to switch to hard-boiled and Over Easy (which most places I go to don't understand what EASY means and make the yolk solid - yuck). I imagine the younger FSUers mostly grew up after we were scared out of making soft-boiled eggs and missed out. Poor them!

Oh and I love Eggland's Best. I get the brown ones. It amuses me to get brown eggs at the supermarket.

ETA when I was growing up some families had egg cups but they were considered kind of pretentious, so most of us used bowls.

[Skate Talker]

Canadian? check
Soft boiled eggs? check
Egg cups? check

Love them though I also find scrambled a lot easier to make without worrying about overcooking. My Dad would make himself a soft-boiled egg for breakfast every work day. It was the only cooking he ever did.

As for salmonella being an issue for soft-boiled eggs - never heard of that. Raw eggs yes but not soft-boiled.

Did a check on-line and this is what I came up with first - from the Egg Safety Center http://www.eggsafety.org/consumers/consumer-faqs
(American site so American spelling but got the link from Canadian site called GetCracking.ca)

COOKING WITH EGGS

What is an adequate temperature to cook an egg?

Egg white coagulates between 144 and 149°F, egg yolk coagulates between 149 and 158°F and whole eggs between 144 and 158°F. Plain whole eggs without added ingredients are pasteurized but not cooked by bringing them to 140°F and maintaining that temperature for 3 and 1/2 minutes. According to the FDA Food Code, eggs for immediate consumption can be cooked to 145°F for 15 seconds.

If the eggs are to be used in a recipe with other food items, dilute the eggs with liquid or other ingredients, such as milk, or sugar (at least ¼ cup liquid or sugar per egg as in custard) and cook the egg mixture to 160°F, which will destroy harmful bacteria in a few seconds. Adequate cooking brings eggs and other foods to a temperature high enough to destroy bacteria that might be present.

EGG SAFETY AND APPEARANCE

How safe are eggs?

The risk of getting a foodborne illness from eggs is very low. However, the nutrients that make eggs a high-quality food for humans are also a good growth medium for bacteria. In addition to food, bacteria also need moisture, a favorable temperature and time in order to multiply and increase the risk of illness. In the rare event that an egg contains bacteria, you can reduce the risk by proper chilling and eliminate it by proper cooking. When you handle eggs with care, they pose no greater food-safety risk than any other perishable food.

The inside of an egg was once considered almost sterile. But, over recent years, the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis (Se) has been found inside a small number of eggs. Scientists estimate that, on average across the U.S., only 1 of every 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria. So, the likelihood that an egg might contain Se is extremely small – 0.005% (five one-thousandths of one percent). At this rate, if you’re an average consumer, you might encounter a contaminated egg once every 84 years.

Other types of microorganisms could be deposited along with dirt on the outside of an egg. In the U.S., eggshells are washed and sanitized to remove possible hazards. You can further protect yourself and your family by discarding eggs that are unclean, cracked, broken or leaking and making sure you and your family members use good hygiene practices, including properly washing your hands and keeping them clean.

Once in 84 years - wow.