BajaNomad - Mellow Mexican Eggs

Mellow Mexican Eggs

Sharksbaja - 4-19-2006 at 11:59 AM

I like eggs. But I hate the odor emitted after hard-cooking them.
That brings up some questions. Why do store bought eggs stink the worse. And why are yolks of the eggs I purchase in Mulege a pale yellow color.
I regularly receive fresh farm eggs from a neighbor gal. They are sometimes giant and sometimes small. The shells vary in color and some resemble dyed Easter eggs. They never have stinky yolks. They range in color from deep rich yellow to a washed pale look. They are absolutely delicious.
But then, so are the Mulege eggs. I like them also . They tend to be on the small side but when hard boiled they are perfect. No mucho stinkum. Is this typical elsewhere in Baja?

Sharksbaja - 4-19-2006 at 05:49 PM

"Smell....it's about the method of cooking"

What?

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"On very rare occasions, a hard-cooked egg white may darken to a caramel shade due to a high amount of iron in the cooking water or to a carbonylamine-type reaction. Using fresh eggs and cooling them quickly after cooking helps to prevent this darkening."

? Yolk: color depends on the diet of the hen. If she gets plenty of yellow-orange plant pigments known as xanthophylls, they will be deposited in the yolk. Hens fed mashes containing yellow corn and alfalfa meal lay eggs with medium yellow yolks, while those eating wheat or barley yield lighter-colored yolks. A colorless diet, such as white cornmeal produces almost colorless yolks. Natural yellow-orange substances such as marigold petals may be added to light-colored feeds to enhance yolk color. Artificial color additives are not permitted. Gold or lemon-colored yolks are preferred by most buyers in this country. Yolk pigments are relatively stable and are not lost or changed in cooking.

Sometimes there is a greenish ring around hard-cooked egg yolks. It is the result of sulfur and iron compounds in the egg reacting at the surface of the yolk. It may occur when eggs are overcooked or when there is a high amount of iron in the cooking water. Although the color may be a bit unappealing, the eggs are still wholesome and nutritious and their flavor is unaffected. Greenish yolks can best be avoided by using the proper cooking time and temperature and by rapidly cooling the cooked eggs."

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"Just a casualty of the water and heat...not to worry"

:lol:

Interesting stuff, thanx Pompano

Sharksbaja - 4-19-2006 at 06:06 PM

Yer right, seems sometimes Iam talkin' to meself. :lol:

Bruce R Leech - 4-19-2006 at 06:13 PM

the eggs we get here in the stores in Mulege are more than 1 month old win they come of the truck. when you brake them in the skillet they flatten out to about 7 inches in diameter. when I buy fresh eggs from the ranches the yoke sets up high and the white spreads to about 4 inches.

also refrigeration effects them allot.

the color is due to the amount of betacaratine in the diet of the hen the more betacaratine the Oranger the yoke.

Diver - 4-19-2006 at 06:28 PM

We've had a dozen or more layers for years. Ours eat an organic layer mash, some corn scratch and all the bugs, leftovers and garden cliippings they can get.

We have a few different chickens and get a few different sizes and shades of brown and green eggs. They are always fresh, always a rich orange/yellow and they hold nice yolks when sunnysided.

It's the weeks and months in storage and transport that makes the yolks soften. Fresh is best !!

If you want to really gross out your friends, put some deep purple or lime green food coloring in your chicken's water for a few days. You'll get varying shades of purple, brown and green yolks. Weird !

Dave - 4-19-2006 at 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Greenish yolks can best be avoided by using the proper cooking time and temperature and by rapidly cooling the cooked eggs."

Correct. Simmer boil and time your eggs. For the perfect egg or if you're obsessive-compulsive, use Julia Child's recipe. :biggrin:

And the smell comes from hydrogen sulphide. When any egg is boiled, proteins which contain sulphur in the white of the egg break down and a hydrogen sulphide is formed. The fresher the egg, the less smell.

I love fresh hard boiled eggs. They're a b**ch to peel, though.

Paula - 4-19-2006 at 07:16 PM

Oh my!!! I'm late on a food conversation... I hate it when that happens, but I was many miles from my computer...

Sharksbaja, I have a friend in Montana with those multi-colored eggs, and hers are the best too. Often the eggs in Loreto seem watery to me, with very thin whites. And they smell a little different than I expect, although there is nothing wrong with them. I've wondered why, and the conversation here makes me think it is lack of refrigeration.

Dave, there are a lot of theories on boiling eggs so they peel easily. A lot of salt in the water may help. Starting them in cold water and bringing them up slowly may help. Using eggs that are a few days old is also reccommended. I haven't had the problem for years, and I've stopped adding the salt, but heat them slowly and boil 'em gently. And I guess I usually boil eggs that have been in the fridge for a while.
Hope this helps.

I have heard that immediately plunging the hot eggs into cold water helps to release the shell.

vgabndo - 4-19-2006 at 07:31 PM

I'm not sure it works. The best seems to refrigerate them for a couple of days. I also love pickled hard boiled eggs.
I'm lazy so when the dill pickle jar is empty, I just re-fill it with peeled boiled eggs. It's a nice change of pace.

Sharksbaja - 4-19-2006 at 08:09 PM

"Dave, there are a lot of theories on boiling eggs so they peel easily."

"I have heard that immediately plunging the hot eggs into cold water helps to release the shell."

The only eggs I use in the restaurant are local hard cooked Chriss' eggs. They at one time were awesome for a store bought variety. Not nearly as good anymore., Used to get huge double yolkers regularily

Now, alas they are "regular". I always refridgerate the (dead) animals :lol:

immediately after cooking. ......Of course there is a secret to peeling an egg easily"

Paula - 4-19-2006 at 08:30 PM

... and the secret is?

Ancient Chinese secret of peeling an egg.

Sharksbaja - 4-19-2006 at 09:05 PM

#1: Start with a chicken egg of course.
#2: Boil for 10 minutes exactly, nothing more and nothing less
#3: Rinse under cold water until the shell is nice and cool.
#4: Place egg on counter top.
#5: Take one step back and make sure that your arms are extended above the egg.
#6: Get a comfortable, firm grasp of the egg.
#7: Gently tap egg on counter top with it still in your palm.
#8: Apply moderate pressure in order to expand the existing cracks.
#9: Continue with rolling action until the shell is cracked around it's circumference.
#10: Pick up egg with your left hand and with your right inner thumb, gently apply a pushing motion to slide shell fragments off.

TA-DA! Congratulations, you just peeled your first egg correctly. Now pat your back and read my 50 step instruction guide to boiling water.

Paula - 4-19-2006 at 09:14 PM

Quote:

Now pat your back and read my 50 step instruction guide to boiling water.

hmmmm.... easier to peel the egg than to boil the water... how many steps to devil the eggs?

Sharksbaja - 4-19-2006 at 09:18 PM

Oops, fergot; Never use a fingernail, it's the membrane that you don't want to exceed.

Is it green eggs and ham...or...

Mexray - 4-19-2006 at 09:43 PM

...eggs and green ham? I can never remember, however whenever I fix eggs and green ham, I can never get anyone to ask for 'seconds'...!

Tonight I've put on big pot of split pea soup, using what's left of our Easter Dinner Ham bits and a big bone!...Yummy, green stuff & ham... we'll be eatin' low on the 'hog' for the next several days!

BTW, old salts at sea keep their eggs 'fresh' for weeks without refrigeration by dipping them in a waterglass sealant solution - keeps the air away from em' - you've got to start with eggs that haven't been in a refrigerator yet...

Dave - 4-19-2006 at 09:51 PM

Guys, I'm talking about absolutely fresh eggs...Like laid today. The egg is completely filled. No air space. It don't matter what you do to 'em.

They are impossible to peel.

But they sure are tasty!

Peeling fresh is even harder for me.

Hook - 4-20-2006 at 11:35 AM

I much prefer soft-boiled eggs to hard-boiled. Cant get too forceful with them.

One thing you might try with the hard ones is to peel them under a stream of cold water. As you peel away sections, the water gets under the membrane and it makes it somewhat easier.

We always transfer our eggs to cold water but mostly because we have to stop the cooking process or we will end up with hard boiled.

Not sure if this is the Julia Child method but we place eggs in cold water, apply heat and begin timing when the water reaches a gentle boil; 1-2 minutes for soft boiled, three minutes for hard. I think I might have gotten it from an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Eggs almost never crack using this method.

Eggsperiment

Sharksbaja - 4-20-2006 at 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
Guys, I'm talking about absolutely fresh eggs...Like laid today. The egg is completely filled. No air space. It don't matter what you do to 'em.

They are impossible to peel.

But they sure are tasty!

Yes they are. Hmmmm...no air space..... OK Dave yer on! Ill get some same day fresh ones lined up and I'll do a "real" experiment! I should make sure that they all come from the same hen. Uh......silly question is how often does a chicken lay one? I have to admit, I do run into an exceptionally stubborn one on occasion.

burro bob - 4-20-2006 at 12:21 PM

Every morning I start a fire in the old washer drum and boil water for coffee. My neighbor shows up about the time the water is boiling with eggs he just pulled out of his chicken coop, as fresh as they get. And yes there is still a small air space in there. We put the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring to boil for about ten minutes or when the first cup of coffee is finished. Then we rinse them in cold water.
My neighbor cracks the shell of his eggs all over with a spoon, I just make a crack at the fat end of the egg. We both manage to get entire eggs out of the shell.
The water is from the tap and has a lot of clorine in it.
The fire is made from old construction scraps.
The egg pot is a titanium camping pot.
The coffee is instant.
The neighbor is old.
The chickens are happy.
Not sure if any of these things make the eggs more cooperative but it can't hurt.
burro bob

Sharksbaja - 4-20-2006 at 12:55 PM

"The chickens are happy"

I ask you "Now isn't that the most important thing?"

:lol:

maybe not???

Ok..... :saint:

"happy campers" is the most important thing!

[Edited on 4-20-2006 by Sharksbaja]

Diver - 4-20-2006 at 01:24 PM

We had a rooster for a while but he was no gentleman.

Now we have a rooster "pin-up" on the wall of the coop !

They are happy !

If your chickens are friendly and sit when you approach, you can hold and squeeze them towards their rear ends and they love it. They get all fluffed up and strut around looking for a cigarette !

Our girls always have firm shells and firm yolks. They do have a small air space but they are ussually a b-tch to peel when hard boiled unless they are at least a few days old. Try refrigerating the fresh eggs overnight then plunging them into hot water as one of your tests Sharks.

Sharksbaja - 4-20-2006 at 01:40 PM

Quote:

We had a rooster for a while but he was no gentleman.Now we have a rooster "pin-up" on the wall of the coop !

They are happy !

If your chickens are friendly and sit when you approach, you can hold and squeeze them towards their rear ends and they love it. They get all fluffed up and strut around looking for a cigarette !

Diver, just be careful! :lol:

Bruce R Leech - 4-20-2006 at 02:44 PM

The egg pot is a titanium camping pot.

that must be costly :lol:

Diver - 4-20-2006 at 03:14 PM

No, but that did happen to friend's wife. After the change, she came home with a new girlfriend and made him fly the coop !!

How to peel a hard cooked egg.

RonnieRockCod - 4-20-2006 at 05:09 PM

After removing the egg from the boiling water plunge it into a bowl containg ice cubes and water. Make a small hole in the narrow end. Then follow the instructions Marie "Slim" Browning (Lauren Bacall) gave Harry "Steve" Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) on how to whistle in "To Have and Have Not" "You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." Do that to the little end and the egg will peel easily. RRC

Paula - 4-20-2006 at 05:54 PM

It's...........

Billary!!....

and I thinks she's a good egg!*

*not intended to open discussion on any topic otherr than opening eggs!!

[Edited on 4-21-2006 by Paula]

Sharksbaja - 4-21-2006 at 10:46 AM

Cool! I' ve been wondering about bucky-balls. Can you tell what applications are in store for the substance.

calacowboy - 4-21-2006 at 01:06 PM

You guys almost have it right..................

Ancient Chinese secret of peeling an egg.

#1: Start with a chicken egg of course.
#2: Boil for 10 minutes exactly, nothing more and nothing less
#3: Rinse under cold water until the shell is nice and cool.
#4: Place egg on counter top.
#5: Take one step back and make sure that your arms are extended above the egg.
#6: Get a comfortable, firm grasp of the egg.
#7: Gently tap egg on counter top with it still in your palm.
#8: Apply moderate pressure in order to expand the existing cracks.
#9: Continue with rolling action until the shell is cracked around it's circumference.
#10: Pick up egg with your left hand and with your right inner thumb, gently apply a pushing motion to slide shell fragments off.
***************************************

How to peel a hard cooked egg.

After removing the egg from the boiling water plunge it into a bowl containg ice cubes and water. Make a small hole in the narrow end. Then follow the instructions Marie "Slim" Browning (Lauren Bacall) gave Harry "Steve" Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) on how to whistle in "To Have and Have Not" "You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." Do that to the little end and the egg will peel easily. RRC

**************************************8

Poke a hole in the small end before boiling, it lets all the air out while egg is cooking, it will then peel very easily.

Farmer Rick :lol:

The Legend of Buster and Bonni

bajajudy - 4-21-2006 at 01:19 PM

Peeling eggs has always been a hit or miss thing for me.
But eating a fresh egg that my buddy, Bonni, has just laid is heaven. I can fit 4 into a large frying pan because they hold together so well. I just wish that Gimpy would start laying. Buster bothers her to death( I now understand all the jokes about c-cks(birds, that is)) And Mangler is too beat up to help her. The water hose helps

So are you guys saying that I should not refrigerate my eggs?

Sharksbaja - 4-21-2006 at 01:39 PM

That, would not be my inclination.

Oso - 4-21-2006 at 07:13 PM

John the farmer was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens, called pullets) and eight or ten roosters, whose job was to fertilize the eggs. The farmer kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into the soup pot and was replaced.

That took an awful lot of his time so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone so John could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing. Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells.

The farmer's favorite rooster was old Butch, a very fine specimen he was too.

But on this particular morning John noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! John went to investigate. The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover.

But to Farmer John's amazement, Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and sneak on to the next one. John was so proud of Butch, he entered him in the county fair and Butch became an overnight sensation among the judges.

The result...The judges not only awarded Butch the "No Bell Piece Prize" but they also awarded him the "Pulletsurprise" as well.

Clearly Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention?

Paula - 4-21-2006 at 09:22 PM

I think Butch would be very good with some Hellman's mayonaise.