Poaching Eggs Easy with Breakfast Television, Dyeing Eggs Naturally and Planting in Eggs

Yesterday I went to Breakfast Television Vancouver to do a segment for Egg Farmers of Canada, showing just how easy to poach eggs for a crowd.

There are two ways to prepare poached eggs for a crowd that will be easier when getting everything on the table.

The first way that I show in the video clip is done using a muffin pan.

Muffin Pan Poached Eggs

Preheat oven to 350.
Put a tablespoon of water into each muffin cup.
Break an egg into each cup and put in the oven for 11- 13 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove eggs.

Tips

a darker pan will cook eggs quicker than a light pan
test this method ahead of time with just a few eggs. Put a bit of water in the cups you are not using so the pan does not ruin.
Every pan and oven will vary the cooking time.
this method works best if you prefer your eggs on the soft to medium side as opposed to runny.
the egg will leave a little egg residue in the muffin pan that can be easily cleaned off with a kitchen brush. The egg itself will come out of the pan quite easily with a bit of gentle coaxing with the edge of the slotted spoon.

Poach Eggs the day before Method

Bring a pot of water to a simmer.
Crack eggs into a custard cup and then slip into simmering water. Poach up to half a dozen at a time. Stir very gently.
Poach three minutes and transfer to a bowl of ice water using a slotted spoon.
Store in the refrigerator overnight.
Just before serving, put the eggs into a pot of simmering water for 1 minute or until the yolks are done to your liking.

Tips

Lift the egg out of the simmering water with a slotted spoon and press the yolks with your finger to know how well done they are.
Use paper towel to blot the water from the eggs

Decorating eggs doesn't have to include using dye.

I used a non toxic white fine tipped pen to make some simple designs.

When you do your baking for Easter, don't throw the eggs away.

Open the egg by using an egg topper or tapping the top with a sharp knife and breaking away the shell gently with your fingers.

To make a grass filled egg you will need wheat berries which can be purchased at a health food store.

Put a bit of soil in the egg and sprinkle wheat berries on top.

Keep the soil damp by spraying several times a day with water.

Wheat should start to sprout in three days.

It is fun to dye eggs using natural food.

To make eggs Robin Egg blue, cook two cups of chopped red cabbage for 30 minutes in enough water to cover cabbage. Strain, add 1 tablespoon vinegar and allow to come to room temperature.

Dip hard boiled eggs in red cabbage dye for about 30 minutes. Leave the eggs longer for darker eggs.

To make Yellow eggs bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of turmeric and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Stir to dissolve. Simmer several minutes.

Place eggs in Turmeric Dye and check every few minutes.

The undissolved turmeric will add speckles to the eggs, adding to the natural effect.

To make green eggs, place in the turmeric dye first and then place into the red cabbage dye.

Play with the different colors. Add a bit of gel food color into the different dyes to add yet another layer of color to your eggs. I added a bit of red to the red cabbage at the end to change the color of a few of the eggs in the photo above. The residue of turmeric added a natural effect.

I made this inexpensive centerpiece by planting a little spring flower commonly called Grape Hyacinth in each egg. I went to the garden store and bought the littlest ones I could find. They can be started by planting bulbs but I didn't test that and they would have to be watered for weeks. Planting little flowers already in bud is much easier.

After they have bloomed, let them dry out and plant them in the garden this fall to let them bloom again in spring. Crack the shell first at the bottom before planting.