Breakfast for Dinner
Everyone has their preferences when it comes to meal time. I don’t like bok choy much, Ted does. I don’t like mangoes, Ted and Maya do. I like raisins, Ted doesn’t, Maya’s undecided. That sort of thing. When it comes to meal planning, I try to take everyone’s likes and dislikes into consideration, though sometimes someone has to suck it up and eat the green beans. Often, if either Ted or Maya isn’t home for dinner, I’ll try to make something that the absent family member doesn’t enjoy, but the others do. When Maya was in L.A. a few weeks ago, we had linguine and clams one night, steak and green beans another.
One thing Ted’s not fond of is the whole “Breakfast for Dinner” concept. Once in awhile he’ll go for an omelet at dinner time, but those days are rare, and usually have to do with being very hungry and not wanting to wait for something else to cook. So the other night, when Ted had to go into the city for several hours (partly to film his online talk show, “American Liberal”…you can watch here!), Maya and I decided to have breakfast at dinner. Maya’s sort of like her dad on this one, in that she doesn’t want sweet…no pancakes or waffles for dinner, though she loves them for breakfast. Go figure. So we made eggs, which for me meant scrambled eggs with a bit of Parmesan on top, and for Maya meant a ham and cheese omelet. Delicious.
Here’s Maya’s omelet. Yummy, no? Ignore my plates. Those are our ‘everyday’ plates, which we registered for and received as a wedding gift almost 20 years ago. I liked them then, and I don’t HATE them now, but I’m tired of them. Do you think it would be tacky to register for a new set for our 20th anniversary? Yes? Hell yes? Drats. I think maybe we’ll buy ourselves a new set for our 20th anniversary, then, and save these for when Maya moves out someday. I’m thinking something classic and crisp white.
Here’s my scrambled eggs. I saw a recipe (more tips) on Yahoo a week or two ago, from one of the America’s Test Kitchen cooks. I’ve been following the tips ever since, and my eggs have never been fluffier or creamier. Delicious. By the way, notice the wine in the picture. It’s dinner time, so I’m having a glass of wine. I’ve had wine with omelets before, and with quiche, so I thought it would go well with the eggs. Blech. Perhaps because the eggs were soft, and it was a texture thing? I don’t know. I quickly put the wine away for later, and had a glass of water instead.
If you’re interested in how to make luscious scrambled eggs, and in case you don’t know already, here are her tips:
Fat is Good
Forgive me scrambled egg white lovers, but this is where we part. An extra yolk or two (depending on how many eggs you’re making) and some half and half add luscious, rich texture to the eggs. More importantly, the extra fat prevents the eggs from becoming tough. So go ahead and thank an egg yolk today.*Scramble… Just Enough
A light scrambling with a fork–just until the eggs are combined and pure yellow–is enough. Don’t take your frustrations out on the poor eggs and they will stay nice and tender for you.Shrink the Pan
Don’t let those eggs spread out in a thin layer. Switch out the 12-inch skillet for a 10-inch one–nonstick if you want to get the eggs out of the pan. That thicker layer of egg is harder to overcook.Get High, Then Get Low
I’m not talking about mood swings here. Starting the eggs in a medium-high skillet will create steam, which in turn makes for large, fluffy curds of scrambled eggs. After they’re just set, reduce the heat so that they don’t overcook. It’s pretty foolproof.
*I didn’t put in an extra yolk, nor half and half. I had 1% milk, which makes them creamy. I read somewhere that milk means creamy, and a bit of water means fluffy. I’ll go creamy over fluffy any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Perhaps if I were scrambling more than two eggs, I’d try the extra yolk thing.
Give these tips a try, and ignore the idiots who say that eggs are as bad for you as smoking. Clearly a flawed study. I’ve seen contradictory studies that say that there’s no real difference in the health of egg eaters and non-egg eaters, done over more time with more participants. So there.
13 Comments
Dad Who Writes (Gabriel)
Eggs! I love eggs. One of the many profound food disagreements supermum and I have is over her paranoia about raw eggs. Or undercooked eggs. Or anything that tastes ‘eggy’. This means that scrambled eggs have to be cooked to the texture of foam packing, real chocolate mousse is out of the question and that she’s never experienced the wonder that is a raw egg cracked into a Korean stone bowl bi-bim-bap.
I also add a dash of milk. I do it for omelettes too.
J
Oh, so she’s never had a lovely poached egg, either? Tragic. My grandma is like that, she only likes her eggs to taste like Styrofoam. Blech. If you ever have to eat eggs at my Grandma’s house, the only help is in ketchup, which I would NEVER put on good eggs. Me, I like my eggs runny yolk, firm white.
Is her paranoia about the taste, or is she scared of getting sick? I figure, you only live once, and I’m not going to be paranoid about my food. Bring on the oysters, raw eggs, and sushi! I draw the line at raw chicken, however, which I’ve read is safe if you’re absolutely pristine about how you raise and butcher the bird. Gross.
Nance
I’m no fan of breakfast, period, whether for dinner or any other meal. But if someone is cooking eggs, I have the same preference you do: creamy eggs rather than those dry, pebbly stones. I also heard that salting the eggs before cooking is a no-no. So many rules!
What about bacon? I only eat bacon AS bacon; that is, I don’t add it to cheeseburgers or chicken or meatloaf because it is such a strong flavor to me. I prefer mine not too crispy and NOT crunchy. I like the fatty part still soft with just a bit of crackle. More like pork belly.
Rick and I have been devoted to BLTs this summer, with the addition of avocados when we get a good bunch. That is the Ultimate Use of bacon, IMO.
J
Nance, I agree wholeheartedly about BLTA. YUM. I also like a slice of bacon scrambled in with my eggs more than a straight piece of bacon. I do like a bit of bacon also crumbled into corn chowder. Mmmm. Bacon. But I rarely order it on a burger or anything like that.
Funny you should mention pork belly…tried it for the first time this week. It was creamy and delicious, but SO rich, I doubt I’d order it again. But I’d share an order with someone, and get a salad or something to balance it out.
V-Grrrl @ Compost Studios
I LOVE breakfast for dinner. I am a Breakfast Any Time kinda gal. I like my eggs fried, prefer bacon over sausage (but either is fine), and think a Western omelet is divine. I’m less into pancakes, waffles, and such but I do like Cracker Barrel’s pancakes.
J
Mmmm. Pancakes. We don’t have a Cracker Barrel around here, so I’ve never tried theirs. If I’m going to go sweet, I like a really good French Toast (made with a baguette perhaps), with a side of sausage. Generally I like bacon better, but in that case, I like sausage. So many rules. 🙂
J
V-Grrrl, I was wondering about Cracker Barrel, which I’ve heard about from other people as well, and I discovered two things.
1. I had it confused in my mind with Hickory Farms. You know, you used to be able to buy soup mix and smoked cheese and so on there.
2. There aren’t any real Cracker Barrel’s in California, according to their website. BUT, if you look up Cracker Barrel and you’re already located in California, they show one in Fremont, which is in the south east bay part of the area. And it’s called Cracker Barrel Deli & Thai. Funny! I wonder if it is a confused franchise, or just a coincidence?
http://local.yahoo.com/info-21432946-cracker-barrel-deli-thai-fremont?viewtype=map
Rain Trueax
My favorite food is eggs and when I talked to our doctor about it, he said they aren’t as bad as they are ‘cracked’ up to be. They give you good HDL as well as the bad. I just figure I’ll cut my fat other places. And I always consider eggs for dinner (in any form) to be a real treat.
J
Yay for your doctor! Eggs rock.
OmbudsBen
Growing up, we were big on breakfast at dinnertime on Sundays. My mom was a nurse. She remains pretty health conscious. But I’ll bet she doesn’t do now what she did back then: fry summer sausage in a pan, flipping it once (we called it “bubble-up” sausage as kids, because the large round slices form domes as they fry) then put the sausage on toast and pour the fat from the pan over the sandwich. Extra fat, oh yeah! I don’t see summer sausage out here as much as we had it in the upper midwest.
J
Maybe it’s an upper midwest thing? My husband’s stepfather is from Wisconsin, and his family used to pour bacon grease on the egg and toast. And maybe all of that is a cold weather thing? When I used to live in Alaska, my very FAVORITE part of a pork chop was the fat. Kind of creamy, kind of crispy. Yummy. Then we came to California, and within a year, I had to cut the fat off of a pork chop, because it was so damn gross. Funny, huh? Now butter? Butter I can always get behind.
Jessica
We LOVE breakfast for dinner — we call it “brinner” at our house. 😉
J
I don’t think I’ve heard Brinner before. Love it.