Honestly, it’s a wonder I could look another chicken egg in the face once my dad explained how babies were born.
And Gentle Reader, I think the preceding statement gives you a pretty good picture of thesis, content and overall effect of that disturbingly colorful, completely unhelpful explanation of reproduction.
But by the time I asked, in the 3rd grade, I already had a life-long love of eggs that would’ve been pretty hard to shake. Although if, when eating one, I think too much about what they actually are and where they came from, I find I can’t quite raise fork to mouth.
I’m not here to diss my Daddi-o because I also get my deep and mighty adoration for eggs from him. Growing up, breakfast was taken very seriously in our house. Dad did breakfast cooking on the weekends, his specialties were oatmeal and omelets.
He’s really good at omelets, I always assumed this was something every dad could do, but he could give Julia a run for her money.
I grew up watching my dad — if he were running late for work — down a couple of eggs, straight from the shell. So, when Rocky Balboa did it, I wasn’t sure what the big hairy deal was.
Around the same time as the “talk” (or should I say, “Squawk”?) an egg almost killed me.
I thought the fancier hard-boiled-egg-eating option was all-in-one-bite. Yeah, there’s a reason why it isn’t. Didn’t see any bright lights I wanted to go toward, but it felt like I was getting fitted for wings.
So, after that I had a bit of a grudge against the hard-boiled persuasion. Mixed in tuna, or potato salad and later in green salad, I was there. But deviled eggs and egg salad kind of grossed me out.
The hard-boiled mishap did nothing to dampen my consumption of just about every other preparation. When I heard that the folds of a French Chef’s hat represented the many ways to cook an egg, I wanted to try them all.
Everybody knows that if you have a green ring around the outside of the yolk, you’ve overcooked it. But overcooking occurs way, way sooner than that.
A yolk should be moist and the white should not rival the rubbery nature of a Stretch Armstrong.
I’ve discovered that I am, in fact a fan of deviled eggs. I haven’t tried egg salad made with jammy eggs yet, but I’ll let you know how it goes, Gentle Reader.
Thanks for your time.
Contact me at dm@bullcity.mom.
Jammy Egg
At least 1 egg
Pot with a tight-fitting lid and big enough to fit as many eggs as you’re making.
Timer
Patience
Place all the eggs in the pot and cover with cold tap water. Put on a burner set to medium-high. Let go, uncovered until it comes to a rolling boil.
Cover. Move off heat and let eggs sit undisturbed for 6 minutes.
Drain hot water, fill pot with ice and cover with water. Let sit for another 6 minutes.
One at a time, gently crack the shell little by little until the shell is in tiny pieces still attached to the egg.
Gently, benevolently, peel the egg. You’re gonna have trouble with probably 25% of the eggs, don’t judge your self when it splits or hunks of white come away with the shell.
Use this in place of any hard-boiled egg.