Eggs are a favorite of this certified dietitian. The dietary advantages are as varied as the forms in which they may be consumed. What is the healthiest way to cook and eat eggs? It is a query that many dietitians are asking. Here's a rundown of all the different ways to prepare eggs, along with which one is the healthiest.
Nutritional Value of Eggs
A large egg has 70 calories, 5 grams of fat (1.5 grams of saturated fat), 185 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, and 6 milligrams of protein. Eggs are low in carbohydrates, fiber, and fats, and are high in vitamins and minerals such as A, D, E, B2, B12, and biotin, as well as iron, potassium, calcium, and selenium. Choline and folate, two essential nutrients for cell development, brain wellbeing, and stable pregnancies, are often found in eggs. Eggs contain many essential amino acids.
Scrambled eggs
The sound of whisking eggs splashing in a cup is associated with breakfast. This way of cooking usually necessitates the use of fat to keep the eggs from sticking to the plate. It's fine to use oil, butter, or cooking spray (a nonstick pan helps too). Several recipes call for adding milk, half-and-half, or even cream to the egg mixture, which significantly raises the fat and calorie content.
However, adding milk isn't required; certain people consider a splash of water to be socially appropriate which will have no extra calories. Each teaspoon of oil contains 40 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, while a teaspoon of butter contains approximately 35 calories and 4 grams of fat. A tablespoon of heavy cream, there are 50 calories and 5.5 grams of fat. As a result, a single scrambled egg with one or more additional ingredients can contain at least 110 calories.
Boiling
Boiling eggs in their shells is possible. Soft boiled eggs have a desired soft and runny yolk, while hard-boiled eggs have a fully firm yolk that is often served chilled. Boiling eggs require no additional cooking fat because the calories come from the egg itself. Hard-boiled eggs create an easy and compact snack or protein source for salads, while soft-boiled eggs make a surprisingly satisfying meal.
Poached eggs
Simply put, poached eggs are scrambled eggs that have been removed from their shells. Pour a broken egg softly into a tub of gently simmering water, and the end result should be a wiggle pouch of wet, gooey yolk accompanied by a nest of soft-cooked egg white (fingers crossed). This is another way to cook eggs without using any fat, and it's a perfect addition to grain bowls. While the brunch classic Eggs Benedict can be lightened up, certain typical recipes have over 1,000 calories per serving.
- Food protection tip: Whether you choose to produce soft-boiled or poached eggs, you can buy pasteurized eggs.
Cooked
Fried eggs are a lot better than they seem. Eggs are broken directly in the skillet and baked rather than scrambled into a homogeneous mixture. They may then be fried “sunny-side up” or flipped and cooked before optimal doneness is achieved — thus the words “over easy” for a runnier yolk and “over hard” for a more deeply cooked yolk. Some oil or butter, as in scrambled eggs, is recommended here – particularly if you want the yolk to stay intact. Serve over rice bowls or as a sandwich topping.
Baked
Eggs prefer to be baked, whether they're in egg cups for meal prep breakfast sandwiches, quiche, or a batch of egg muffins. This technique is a great way to cook eggs because the nutritional content is determined by what you combine the eggs with. A high-calorie quiche can be made with a lot of milk, cream, cheese, and pastry, although this can be reduced by utilizing lower-fat foods, adding more vegetables, and even going crustless.
A Sous Vide cooking process
Just as you felt there were no more ways to make eggs, along comes this! Sous vide refers to the method of frying eggs in a vacuum-sealed bag immersed in water. This technique requires eggs to be cooked to every degree of doneness in or out of the shell. Though fat isn't needed, certain "egg bites" recipes call for a scrambled mixture of eggs, cheese, meats, and veggies to be cooked sous vide, which adds calories and fat.
Conclusion
Shorter and lower-heat cooking approaches result in fewer cholesterol degradation. It helps to conserve the majority of the nutrients in the egg. As a result, poached and boiled (hard or soft) eggs may be the healthiest choice. These cooking techniques often don't contribute any more calories to the equation. All of this is to say that consuming eggs is relatively nutritious, regardless of how they are prepared. So, rather than obsessing about the little stuff, you might just want to prepare and consume them the way you want.
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