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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

  1. Preheat oven to 350.  
  2. Put a tablespoon of water into each muffin cup.
  3. Break an egg into each cup and put in the oven for 11- 13 minutes. 
  4. 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
  1. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. 
  2. Crack eggs into a custard cup and then slip into simmering water.  Poach up to half a dozen at a time. Stir very gently.
  3. Poach three minutes and transfer to a bowl of ice water using a slotted spoon. 
  4. Store in the refrigerator overnight.
  5. 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.  



Using the white non toxic pen...
I'll write the names of my family and give them each a place of honor at our Easter Buffet!




Thank you Breakfast Television for sharing this segment with us. 

16 comments:

  1. Oh Lovella - that was eggceptional!!! Love, love all your ideas. Love your natural dye suggestions too. I'm just about to dye my eggs in onion skins today - we always do this and they turn out a chestnut brown. Your little egg planters are just the sweetest. You did such a great interview. HAPPY EASTER to you and yours.

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  2. I love these ideas! When using the muffin tins, do the edges of the egg tend to stick to the tin? Thanks for the tips on using natural dyes. I should have thought of that, because I use natural dyes in my soaps... but never thought of it for dying eggs. And of course the flowers in the egg shells are so springy and sweet! Have a wonderful Easter week.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for asking about the eggs sticking. I added that hint to the recipe. It will stick only a tiny bit but can easily be coaxed out of the pan by running the edge of the spoon around the side of each muffin cup. Use a brush to do a quick clean up of the cups.

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  3. Excellent presentation! I love the idea of planting seeds into the eggshells! I will use that idea next time. One more small thing....turmeric has 2 Rs and they should both be pronounced. :) I know, I'm a stickler for this but it becomes even more important when presenting. Have a great Easter!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the hint of pronouncing Turmeric properly. I had even looked it up and wondered and yet in my nervousness I supposed I slipped back into my usual speech.

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    2. Actually, Lovella...it seems there is no right or wrong way to pronounce turmeric. Both TUR-mer-ik and TOO-mer- are given as standard pronunciations in the dictionary. Some even give a third way to pronounce it. So feel free to pronounce it however you wish! (http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/06/turmeric.html)

      By the way, that segment was so well done!

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  4. What a lovely presentation, I can't wait to try some of these ideas! What kind of purple flower did you plant in the photo above, and how long did it take to flower?

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    Replies
    1. Evie, the are called Grape Hyacinth. I planted them already in bud. I went to the garden store and purchased the littlest ones I could find. They have continued to grow in the few weeks I have had them planted in the egg shells.

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  5. Wonderful presentation and tips - thanks! I also do the red cabbage for egg dye, but leave the eggs in the shredded cabbage overnight in the fridge to get a lovely denim color that has a tie-dyed effect from the shredded cabbage. Also use just a bit of vinegar in the dye.
    Have you ever done onion skin - yellow onions - dye? Makes an amazing rich copper color. My mom also did these too.
    Mary

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    Replies
    1. Mary, I was going to do onion skins but then decided I could just do something natural with the brown eggs already in our barns. I was going for more of a pastel palette but I love how the copper eggs look with primary colored eggs.

      Thank you !

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    2. I used brown eggs this year after seeing this post. lovely. I was lazy and used colorful stickers to decorate, but lovely still.

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  6. I would say you represented the Egg Farmers of Canada eggceptionally well, Lovella. You look like the picture of confidence and so pretty in your yellow apron. I have learned so much here today. Can't wait to try out your ideas for dying eggs naturally and poaching them in the oven. The grape hyacinths planted in the eggshells is such a pretty idea too. My only question is where would one find a non toxic white pen? Is that something that is used for cookie decorating?

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    Replies
    1. Happy@Home, I'm not actually sure if the one I bought is completely non-toxic. I decided that minimal paint on the outside of the shell that will be peeled off isn't going to be of any consequence.

      Thank you for your kind words.

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  7. Very informative, keep posting such good articles, it really helps to know about things.

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  8. This is the precise weblog for anybody who needs to seek out out about this topic. You notice so much its almost arduous to argue with you. You positively put a brand new spin on a subject that's been written about for years. Nice stuff, simply nice!

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  9. Very informative, keep posting such good articles, it really helps to know about things.

    ReplyDelete

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