Water-Basted Eggs Are The Big Batch Solution You Need

For as many wonderful ways we can cook with them, eggs present both professional and home chefs with a brain-scrambling array of ways to mess them up. There's the revolting green yolk of over-boiled eggs, the uncooked gooey top of the sunny side up style, and the horrors that may ensue during egg poaching misadventures, to name just a few. Eggs have thus become an accepted gauge of the cook's ability. According to the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, a chef's hat (also called a toque) has numerous pleats that once indicated different skills the chef had mastered, including all the different ways to cook eggs. Likewise, the New York Times reports that well-made omelets prepared in the traditional French style are often considered to be synonymous with culinary prowess, and Wolfgang Puck (via WIRED) says he still tests potential hires for his restaurants by making them cook an omelet.

Fortunately, you don't have to enroll in culinary school to make good eggs at home. The wonders of the internet and the professional cooking scene combined can help us figure out how to do justice to the nearly 300 eggs the average American consumes every year (per United Egg Producers). From what type of pan to use to specific techniques, you'll find plenty of helpful tips promising perfectly-cooked eggs. If you simply want to make a bunch of eggs at once, then it could be that the only "hack" you'll need comes from a surprising place: your kitchen faucet.

There are plenty of reasons why you'd want to prepare a huge batch of eggs at one time. Say you have a lot of people to feed and not much time to pull it off, like for a holiday breakfast. Look no further than the faucet to make crowd-pleasing eggs — even fried ones. According to MasterClass, a basted egg employs steam (courtesy of water added to the pan) to gently and evenly cook the egg. This technique also eliminates the need for flipping, prevents overcooking, and requires less cooking fat for a healthier meal.

Cooking eggs with water also helps to mitigate a potentially problematic cooking surface. Timing is everything when cooking eggs, and that hot pan surface can clash with eaters' personal doneness preferences. To contend with that issue, you can use a trickle of water to control the temperature and avoid disappointment. 

To baste eggs, MasterClass says to heat a pan on low heat with just enough oil to cover the bottom of the vessel. Crack your egg into the pan and turn the heat to medium, cooking until the egg whites are no longer transparent. Then carefully add a tablespoon of hot water to the pan and either increase the heat to high or cover it, cooking for two more minutes or until the yolk has turned fully white. This method does somewhat cook the yolks, so it may not be right for fans of a runny egg.

Healthline tells us that eggs are an affordable, low-calorie way to get a good dose of protein, antioxidants, and vitamin B7. While cooking eggs makes some nutrients more bioavailable, using too high of a temperature can damage these nutrients and cause harmful oxidization. Since cooking eggs in oil adds fat, using just a little oil or butter in conjunction with water basting may be one of the healthiest ways to prepare them.

Now that you know how to cook eggs with water, what are some ways you can enjoy them? The good news is that these culinary wonders go far beyond breakfast. Fried eggs are ideal toppers for sandwiches like burgers and play well in grilled cheese. You can even get a little fancy with an open-faced croque madame or an eggy avocado toast. Pair eggs with a carb like rice, potatoes, or pasta for a nourishing meal. Runny eggs are also fantastic with green vegetables like arugula and asparagus. 

The golden yolk and bright white of the egg make an easy, beautiful presentation all on their own, too. If you're a fan of that simplicity, Martha Stewart recommends adorning a bowl of shrimp and grits with a fried egg or even atop a tender salad of butter lettuce. Whether you're cooking for a crowd or just yourself, now you know that using water is a culinary technique par egg-cellence.