So, You Bought Too Many Eggs

It is possible that, while stocking up to stay home, you purchased too much of one particular item. I did this with eggs. It all happened so fast: I was at my local restaurant supply store, buying a normal amount (1.8 kg) of butter, when I was suddenly moved by the spirit (and A.A. Newton) to add five dozen eggs to my cart.

I eat a lot of eggs, and I use a lot of eggs in recipe development but—even for me—it was too many eggs. Luckily, I have strategies for dealing with such.

Strategy #1: Precision cook them

In addition to too many eggs, I also bought a bucket of cottage cheese, some excellent jowl bacon, and a bunch of shallots. It turns out that was all very smart, because those things can be used to make precision-cooked egg bites that are better than anything you would get at Starbucks, which you shouldn’t be going to anyway. (They’re also an excellent vehicle for any veggies in your fridge that are on the brink of death.)

Another one of my favourite precision-cooked egg projects are these tomagoyaki-esqe omelets, which use up four eggs at a time and are equally good served hot or cold. Just whisk ‘em with soy sauce, mirin (if you have it), and some sugar, then sous-vide in a freezer bag for 20 minutes at 78 degrees Celsius before slicing into little two-bite-sized pieces.

Strategy #2: Boil, then season

I love a seasoned egg moment, whether it be miso-cured or soy sauce-seasoned. Miso eggs are perhaps the easiest; all you need is miso, an ingredient that will keep virtually forever in your fridge. Just gently wrap the hardboiled eggs in the fermented soy bean paste, then let them hang out in the fridge for four hours. Gingerly remove the miso—save it for another use—and enjoy your salty, funky, slightly nutty cured egg.

For soy sauce eggs—aka “ramen eggs”—you’ll need some soy sauce, mirin, and sake (or sake substitute of one part rice wine vinegar to three parts water), and some sugar. Cook your eggs to their desired doneness—I do six minutes of boiling for soft egg and seven and a half for a firmer yolk—then chill for 15 minutes before submerging overnight in the soy sauce mixture.

Strategy #3: Do something unexpected

It’s possible you’re a little bored right now, and one of my favourite ways to alleviate boredom is to set it ablaze with my kitchen torch. Brûléed eggs may sound a like a little much, but that’s exactly why they’re so good.

They’re sweet, savoury, fudgy, and just a tad charred, and very easy to make. Boil one for six minutes, then peel once it’s cool enough to handle. Slice the egg in half, and top with a generous pinch of salt and a light layer of sugar. Torch with a low flame until it caramelises and bubbles, then let cool for about a minute before popping it in your mouth.

Another fun project, particularly if you have too many yolks in particular, are cured egg yolks, which can be grated much like cheese over your favourite foods.

There’s a good bit of waiting, but it’s inactive time; all you have to do is combine 1 ¾ cups sugar with 1 ¼ cups kosher salt, gently nestle the yolks in the mixture, and store it in a sealable container for about four days in the fridge. Once they’re firm, rinse off the excess salt and sugar with cold water, then dry them in a 93-degree C oven for about an hour. Grate them on top of salads, pasta, or anything else just as you would cheese.