Monday, August 06, 2012

Baking Eggs - a Nice Alternative to Hard-Boiled

I like to take my own food with me just about wherever I go.  If we are heading out for a walk, or going shopping I will put a piece of fruit, or a bar of some kind, or a baggie full of home made trail mix, in my pocket or bag.  The longer I anticipate we will be away from home, the more substantial the snack becomes.  No one likes me when I get hangry!

When we are going to be gone for a few hours in the car, I like to pack a healthy lunch, and take it along in a small cooler. It is often a salad with protein,  or sliced fresh veggies and hummus, some fresh fruit,  and I usually pack a few hard-boiled eggs, too.

But, I am getting a wee bit tired of them and thought I would like a different approach, so instead of hard-boiling my eggs, I decided to bake them. 

I used my silicone muffin cups, setting them inside aluminum cups for a bit of stability and then placed them on a rack on a baking tray... I wanted the heat to be about to surround them and thought this might be the best way.

Then I cracked a fresh egg into each one.



I placed them in the oven for 15 minutes and then removed the pan to a cooling rack and let them rest for 5 minutes...


where they cooled a bit, before turning them out onto a plate.


I was really very happily surprised that they popped out of the silicone cups so easily.  When they cooled completely, I put them in a storage container and placed it in the refrigerator.  Now I will have eggs to enjoy for several outings this week... and I won't have to deal with the shells.

Each baked egg counts as 2P+ on the Weight Watchers plan.  Not much for such a powerhouse of nutrition and long-lasting satisfaction.

If I had a regular muffin tin, I would have placed the silicone muffin cups inside that... so if you have one, be sure to use it.  I think you could coat the insides with a bit on non-stick spray and break the eggs directly into it, if you like... just a bit more cleanup that way, I would think.

And, if you know how you will be using the eggs, you could sprinkle them with salt and pepper, or herbs before you bake them... but I did mine plain.

So, to review my Baked Egg Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Break an egg into each muffin cup.
  3. Place pan in oven and bake eggs for 15 minutes.
  4. Remove pan to cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.
  5. Slide eggs out of muffin cups onto a plate.
  6. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating.
Do you like eggs?

Do you have any suggestions as to what makes a good take-along lunch for busy days?

5 comments:

  1. My grandmother used to cook eggs this way. I think she called them 'shirred' eggs (not absolutely sure; my memory is failing me...).
    Thanks for the reminder! A great, shell-less alternative to hard boiled (and solving the problem of what to do with the shells when you're out and about!)

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  2. What an interesting way to make eggs. I've never baked them before like this. I recently bought one of those "Eggies" hard-boiled egg makers (kind of gimmicky, I know) but it works SO well!

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  3. Looks interesting. Did the yolks get hard, like a hard boiled egg (I don't like runny).

    Seems easier then the eggies I bought. They were cute, cooked well, but insane to clean.

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  4. VERY COOL.
    Ive never tried this before!

    Miz.

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  5. I have never tried this, but I love this idea!

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