Chefs share the best and worst foods to make with eggs
Cheyenne Lentz
- Chefs shared the best and worst dishes to make with eggs.
- Frittatas, deviled eggs, and carbonara sauce are foolproof classics.
- Baked and scrambled eggs can come out overcooked and underwhelming.
Eggs are a staple in most kitchens, as they can be served on their own or enhance something else - but not all egg dishes are created equal.
Here are eight of the best and five of the worst things to make with eggs, according to chefs:
Frittatas are a versatile and foolproof dish.
Celebrity chef and "Chopped" champion Kathleen O'Brien-Price, also known as "Chefleen," told Insider that frittatas are an easy dish to make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Just whisk some eggs together, place them in an oiled skillet, and throw the pan into the oven.
"You can eat it hot or cold, and it holds well in the fridge," O'Brien-Price said.
She added that you can put nearly anything you have in your fridge in the mix, from vegetables to leftover chicken.
Huevos rancheros is full of protein.
Palak Patel, a chef with the Institute of Culinary Education, told Insider that although huevos rancheros may be a basic breakfast, it's also a protein-packed dish.
Patel said that it typically consists of eggs, black beans, salsa, and chips. Mexican-style rice, guacamole, and charred tortillas are also popular accompaniments.
Shakshuka combines many delicious flavors.
Shakshuka is a classic Middle Eastern and North African breakfast that combines runny eggs, a spiced sauce, and crispy bread.
"This is one of my favorite dishes to make with eggs," Patel said. "You have a nice, spicy tomato sauce that goes underneath the eggs, and sopping up a slice of toast with the egg and tomato is just perfect."
To sneak some extra greens into your meal, you can add any leftover veggies you have in your fridge to the sauce.
Soufflés are light and rich at the same time.
Made by whipping eggs, soufflés use both parts of the key ingredient to create a rich yet light dish that rises beautifully when baked.
"The secret lies in whipping the egg whites to the proper consistency and folding them into the briefly cooked egg yolks," O'Brien-Price said.
Just like many other egg dishes, this one can be made sweet or savory.
Carbonara sauce perfectly combines eggs and parmesan cheese.
Carbonara is an egg-based sauce made with cream, parmesan cheese, pancetta, and garlic.
"The egg may not be the front focus in this dish, but the way the egg and parmesan cheese come together to coat the strands of pasta is heavenly," O'Brien-Price said.
This sauce is most commonly paired with spaghetti, but you can also use fettuccine, rigatoni, linguine, or bucatini.
Although hollandaise sauce is typically served with eggs Benedict, it also pairs well with fish.
You can whip up a light and flavorful hollandaise sauce with the eggs you have on hand.
"It's a bit more tricky to make, but once you learn how to stream butter into egg yolks to produce the proper emulsion, the sky's the limit," O'Brien-Price said.
She added that you can also mix in herbs or seasonings to make the sauce uniquely your own and use it to top dishes like eggs Benedict or fish.
Eggs are the base of desserts like Pavlova.
Jack Peterson, executive chef of several Warren HQ restaurants in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, told Insider that Pavlova is a dessert that favors eggs.
Pavlova is an Australian, meringue-based dessert filled with fruit and whipped cream.
"I don't like many desserts, but this rich, yet light, baked, whipped meringue is truly perfect," Peterson said.
You can top your dessert with fresh fruit like kiwis and assorted berries.
Deviled eggs are a staple.
Deviled eggs, also known as stuffed eggs, are made by shelling and halving hard-boiled eggs, which are then filled with a paste commonly consisting of yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, and paprika.
Peterson said he likes to take this classic dish to the next level by adding either trout roe or caviar.
On the other hand, baked eggs often end up overcooked.
Easy for meal prep and portable breakfasts, baked eggs have gained popularity, but Patel said this dish is a very "vanilla" take that he recommends avoiding.
He added that this recipe often results in an overcooked and under-seasoned meal.
For similar ease, you can try boiling eggs and storing them in ice water.
Scotch eggs often involve a lot of guesswork.
Scotch eggs consist of a whole egg, either soft- or hard-boiled, wrapped in ground sausage and coated in breadcrumbs.
But Patel said that since you can't see the eggs as they bake or deep-fry, the process is a lot of guesswork.
Plus the dish can result in overworked meat because you have to mold it around the egg.
Egg casserole is a difficult dish to master.
Egg casserole may have all the ingredients of a great breakfast, but it's rarely done well.
"There is typically a lot going on in an egg casserole, and there can be a large margin of error when cooking recipes with a lot of egg, which can result in a rubbery texture," Patel said.
Instead, quiches and frittatas can stand in as crowd-pleasing dishes.
Pickled eggs can end up with a strange texture.
"Pickled eggs are hard-boiled eggs that have been placed in pickling liquid until the flavor — and sometimes color — has been imparted onto the egg," O'Brien-Price said.
She added that if the eggs are left in the pickling liquid for too long, they may develop an unpleasant texture.
Scrambled eggs are often done wrong.
Although scrambled eggs are a breakfast staple, O'Brien-Price told Insider that they're often made incorrectly.
"They are something nearly everyone knows how to make, but they are sometimes overcooked, not mixed properly, or even hard," O'Brien-Price said.
She added that the secret is to slow cook the eggs over low heat, occasionally stirring so you get fluffy, soft curds.
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