Eggs...

[Super Hans]

Every full English breakfast I order seems to come with runny eggs, which is absolutely disgusting to look at and probably dangerous to eat. Properly cooked fried eggs are all over the place in thai food, so why are they semi-raw in farang food? Is there an easy to use Thai phrase to tell the waiting staff that I'd like an egg that has a solid white and a runny yolk? It's ot a big deal, obviously, but drives me nuts and ruins the meal for me.

[BambinA]

Is there an easy to use Thai phrase to tell the waiting staff that I'd like an egg that has a solid white and a runny yolk?

'Over easy' ขอไข่ดาวสุกๆแต่ไข่แดงยังเหลวอยู่ (Khor Khai dow suk suk dtae khai daeng yung lew yoo)

Ps.

'Over medium' - ขอไข่ดาวที่ไข่แดงเป็นยางมะตูม (khor khai dow tee khai daeng pen yang ma toom)

'Over hard' - ขอไข่ดาวแบบไข่แดงสุกมาก (khor khai dow bab khai daeng suk mak)

'Sunny side up' ขอไข่ดาวแบบไม่ต้องสุกมาก (khor khai dow bab mai dtong suk mak

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

I haven't found a Thai cook yet who knows how to cook proper eggs (fried, scrambled, or omellette). They can boil them, and maybe poach them, but I don't think they have enough finesse to cook with butter.

[BambinA]

The differences between THai and frange fried eggs style.

1) Oil

-Th - use alot of oil

-Farang - use less oil with/without magarine or butter

2) Pan

-Th - wok

-farang - flat pan

That is the reason why you may see properly cooked fried eggs in thai style (Thai use hot oil pure egg when they fry)

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

The differences between THai and frange fried eggs style.

1) Oil

-Th - use alot of oil

-Farang - use less oil with/without magarine or butter

2) Pan

-Th - wok

-farang - flat pan

That is the reason why you may see properly cooked fried eggs in thai style (Thai use hot oil pure egg when they fry)

I've cooked eggs with oil, and have used a wok, but I think you still need to know how the end result should look, before you can use these other cooking techniques. Oil vs. butter makes only a taste difference, not a significant cooking technique difference. Wok cooking requires good spatula technique, but is still manageable.

[BigSnake]

Every full English breakfast I order seems to come with runny eggs, which is absolutely disgusting to look at and probably dangerous to eat. Properly cooked fried eggs are all over the place in thai food, so why are they semi-raw in farang food? Is there an easy to use Thai phrase to tell the waiting staff that I'd like an egg that has a solid white and a runny yolk? It's ot a big deal, obviously, but drives me nuts and ruins the meal for me.

Proach for me.

[tutsiwarrior]

The differences between THai and frange fried eggs style.

1) Oil

-Th - use alot of oil

-Farang - use less oil with/without magarine or butter

2) Pan

-Th - wok

-farang - flat pan

That is the reason why you may see properly cooked fried eggs in thai style (Thai use hot oil pure egg when they fry)

I've cooked eggs with oil, and have used a wok, but I think you still need to know how the end result should look, before you can use these other cooking techniques. Oil vs. butter makes only a taste difference, not a significant cooking technique difference. Wok cooking requires good spatula technique, but is still manageable.

look where Bambi says alot of oil, ie., a thai omelette is deep fried after the eggs are beaten. Not what us falangs are used to but the ones my wife makes are tasty...firm texture, almost like a quiche; high dose wid tabasco and fresh ground pepper an' mmm, mmm good

[sbk]

Agreed, I had to teach our cook how to properly cook eggs and even then, when she is busy or in a hurry, tends to overcook the yolk. A properly basted egg takes patience and a low heat.

[PhilHarries]

Every full English breakfast I order seems to come with runny eggs, which is absolutely disgusting to look at and probably dangerous to eat. Properly cooked fried eggs are all over the place in thai food, so why are they semi-raw in farang food? Is there an easy to use Thai phrase to tell the waiting staff that I'd like an egg that has a solid white and a runny yolk? It's ot a big deal, obviously, but drives me nuts and ruins the meal for me.

Ever thought that a proper full English breakfast eggs should be served that way (now due to American tastes specified as "sunny side up"). If the place is serving such western food they should understand easy over, and a bit of mime flipping the outspread hand should get the message through. This assuming the phrases provided by Bambina are too much to remember.

I've eaten eggs sunny side up all over S. E. Asia and never, knowingly, gone sick from them so I don't get the "dangerous to eat" bit but I suppose if they are very undercooked you may have a problem. The white and the yolk are sealed within the shell and inner membrane so no bugs should be able to get in and if the egg has gone off your nose should detect it straight away.

[Cuban]

Greatest risk is cross contamination from the outside of the shell when you crack the egg.

A runny fried egg sandwich - fried in bacon fat. Lovely !

[BambinA]

This is Thai style fried egg.

You have to heat oil till you see smoke over it. Notice the quantity of oil. Although Thai style is not good for ABF or EBF and there are rich of calories, It's yummy with thai food or when you eat it with rice.

Pic from ROFT

Edited April 10, 2008 by BambinA

[Naam]

Agreed, I had to teach our cook how to properly cook eggs

i [not so] humbly beg to differ as there is no rule how to prepare eggs which are hardly ever "cooked" ) "properly". it all depends on the individual taste. most of the time i like my breakfast omelette on top a bit runny, yolks not completely destroyed, and i do HATE a fluffy omelett as i like to eat and swallow egg and not air

p.s. i also hate thai style deep fried eggs dripping with oil or fat. eggs should be prepared in a non-stick pan with a tiny amount of butter or ghee

[Naam]

Greatest risk is cross contamination from the outside of the shell when you crack the egg.

that's why any chicken shit should be washed off

[sbk]

Ok, to cook them as the majority of foreigners who eat in our place prefer to eat fried eggs, that is to say, with a runny yolk and a cooked white. It is possible to achieve this by basting the eggs as they slowly cook. Sure some people like their eggs cooked all the way through and will say so. But most people prefer the runny yolk, cooked white kind of fried egg.

And, just to add as a qualifier, that is with many many years of experience catering to foreigner's tastes.

Feel better now that I've qualified my statement Naam?

[Naam]

Ok, to cook them as the majority of foreigners who eat in our place prefer to eat fried eggs, that is to say, with a runny yolk and a cooked white. It is possible to achieve this by basting the eggs as they slowly cook. Sure some people like their eggs cooked all the way through and will say so. But most people prefer the runny yolk, cooked white kind of fried egg.

And, just to add as a qualifier, that is with many many years of experience catering to foreigner's tastes.

Feel better now that I've qualified my statement Naam?

pleese ekschplain "basting" for a (not so) humble non-native inglisch schpeeker

by the way, for a connoisseur runny yolk is MANDATORY or taste is gone!

[khunandy]

I just give the flip /flop hand signal...works for me, sometimes it is over cooked though

Just as long as the egg white is "white" I am happy.

Runny egg whites just don't do it for me.

[suegha]

I agree with sbk, I like my fried eggs lightly cooked so the the yolk is runny (not firm at all) and the white solid and not at all brown or crispy.

this is just about perfect;

[Pushit]

Ok, to cook them as the majority of foreigners who eat in our place prefer to eat fried eggs, that is to say, with a runny yolk and a cooked white. It is possible to achieve this by basting the eggs as they slowly cook. Sure some people like their eggs cooked all the way through and will say so. But most people prefer the runny yolk, cooked white kind of fried egg.

And, just to add as a qualifier, that is with many many years of experience catering to foreigner's tastes.

Feel better now that I've qualified my statement Naam?

Using minimum oil/butter, get them frying then cover the pan with a saucepan lid, experiment a bit and you can turn out some great eggs without basting with oil!

[khunandy]

I agree with sbk, I like my fried eggs lightly cooked so the the yolk is runny (not firm at all) and the white solid and not at all brown or crispy.

this is just about perfect;

The white looks a tad runny for me

[sbk]

Basting eggs requires oil or butter on a low heat. Cook the egg slowly and spoon the hot oil or butter over the top of the yolk and egg white. The egg white cooks faster and the yolk forms a light skin, allowing the white to cook through and the yolk to stay runny.

[Naam]

Basting eggs requires oil or butter on a low heat. Cook the egg slowly and spoon the hot oil or butter over the top of the yolk and egg white. The egg white cooks faster and the yolk forms a light skin, allowing the white to cook through and the yolk to stay runny.

zanks for ekshplaining "basting" SBK. vone kann learn a lott off zings vhen reading ThaiVisaForum. unnfortchunatly i kann not ekschplain "basting" to our kook as i lack ze suttleties of der zree lankviches vhich she shpeaks

Edited April 10, 2008 by Naam

[LaoPo]

Basting eggs requires oil or butter on a low heat. Cook the egg slowly and spoon the hot oil or butter over the top of the yolk and egg white. The egg white cooks faster and the yolk forms a light skin, allowing the white to cook through and the yolk to stay runny.

zanks for ekshplaining "basting" SBK. vone kann learn a lott off zings vhen reading ThaiVisaForum. unnfortchunatly i kann not ekschplain "basting" to our kook as i lack ze suttleties of der zree lankviches vhich she shpeaks

'To' Baste = dripping (with fat/oil onto something in this case an egg).

I had to look it up myself as I never heard the word and that's not surprising as this is not 'done', frying (cooking as 'SBK' calls it) an egg in Europe-mainland.

If I am incorrect I would appreciate to be corrected !

LaoPo

[Super Hans]

Basting eggs requires oil or butter on a low heat. Cook the egg slowly and spoon the hot oil or butter over the top of the yolk and egg white. The egg white cooks faster and the yolk forms a light skin, allowing the white to cook through and the yolk to stay runny.

I baste as well. We appear to be a select few, as I don't know anyone else that uses this method. It cooks both the white and the yolk perfectly, without the need flip, which can break the yolk.

So far as amount of butter/oil used, does it make any difference healthwise? Does the egg actually absorb any of the fat? I always use plenty of oil but get rid of any excess through using kitchen roll etc. My local greasy spoon fries them in a wok full to the brim!

[Super Hans]

I agree with sbk, I like my fried eggs lightly cooked so the the yolk is runny (not firm at all) and the white solid and not at all brown or crispy.

this is just about perfect;

The white looks a tad runny for me

Me too! I have always been mindful to carefully cook eggs since the salmonella scare in the late 80's. The thought of Edwina Currie's face makes me queasy enough as it is.

[ozzydom]

Much of the problem with getting well cooked and appealing to the eye egg in Thailand is in the way they are mis-handled by growers and retailers.

A fresh egg should have an air-cell (in the blunt end)about 1/4''-3/8" diameter for at least a week after laying, large aircells indicate the egg has been subject to heat or is stale and the albumen has dehydrated pulling away from the yolk.

This is why the majority of eggs purchased in Thailand spread out like a bread and butter plate and the white (albumen is like water).

The albumen is the built in shock absorber for the reproductive part of the egg (yolk )and in a fresh egg should remain in a compact position around the yolk.

Remember what a nice fresh egg poached used to look like.?

[suegha]

It's true, freshness makes a difference to the cooking!

[Bluebell]

Basting eggs requires oil or butter on a low heat. Cook the egg slowly and spoon the hot oil or butter over the top of the yolk and egg white. The egg white cooks faster and the yolk forms a light skin, allowing the white to cook through and the yolk to stay runny.

zanks for ekshplaining "basting" SBK. vone kann learn a lott off zings vhen reading ThaiVisaForum. unnfortchunatly i kann not ekschplain "basting" to our kook as i lack ze suttleties of der zree lankviches vhich she shpeaks

'To' Baste = dripping (with fat/oil onto something in this case an egg).

I had to look it up myself as I never heard the word and that's not surprising as this is not 'done', frying (cooking as 'SBK' calls it) an egg in Europe-mainland.

If I am incorrect I would appreciate to be corrected !

LaoPo

Basting is the standard cooking method in UK and Ireland.....perfect for that great cooked breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, mushrooms, black pudding and beans with lashings of hot buttered toast and tea! Yummy!

[cathyy]

Eating uncooked egg white is not safe. If a chicken is infected with salmonella (and in mass-market chicken farms they usually are) this can be transmitted to the egg. Even with an unbroken shell an egg can be a source of salmonella food poisoning. Cooking kills the salmonella, but only if the egg white is in fact cooked.

Frankly, I've switched to scrambled eggs when eating breakfast out. I find even the ones made from the powdered mix more palatable than eggs with runny whites. I used to baste, but now I flip eggs. I can use less butter this way.

[tutsiwarrior]

Basting eggs requires oil or butter on a low heat. Cook the egg slowly and spoon the hot oil or butter over the top of the yolk and egg white. The egg white cooks faster and the yolk forms a light skin, allowing the white to cook through and the yolk to stay runny.

zanks for ekshplaining "basting" SBK. vone kann learn a lott off zings vhen reading ThaiVisaForum. unnfortchunatly i kann not ekschplain "basting" to our kook as i lack ze suttleties of der zree lankviches vhich she shpeaks

'To' Baste = dripping (with fat/oil onto something in this case an egg).

I had to look it up myself as I never heard the word and that's not surprising as this is not 'done', frying (cooking as 'SBK' calls it) an egg in Europe-mainland.

If I am incorrect I would appreciate to be corrected !

LaoPo

Basting is the standard cooking method in UK and Ireland.....perfect for that great cooked breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, mushrooms, black pudding and beans with lashings of hot buttered toast and tea! Yummy!

Lord Peter Whimsey in Dorothy Sayer's novels useta like 'buttered' eggs prepared by his valet Bunter...same thing?

Edited April 15, 2008 by tutsiwarrior

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

You can also baste fried eggs by placing a cover over the pan during cooking. This is steam basting, and is a technique often used in restaurants.