8 Healthy Ways to Cook Eggs

Eggs are not only an amazing source of inexpensive and high-quality protein but also a package of various nutrients, vitamins, minerals and most essentially choline. Apparently, boiled and poached eggs are the healthiest forms of its consumption, but there are various cooking methods, which can prove to be not only immensely good for you but even easy to cook. Thus Extrachai brings to you a curated list of how to cook the healthiest eggs.

8 Healthy Ways to Cook Eggs

1. Boiled Egg: 

Generally hard boiled eggs are boiled with their shells for around 5-10 minutes. The longer the eggs are boiled, the firmer the yolk would be. Boiled eggs are extremely healthy to be consumed as they have no amount of oil in the preparation.

2. Poached Egg:

This preparation can be made in a pot of simmering water. Just crack an egg in the base and let it cook until 3 minutes. Even this is another healthy and deliciously simple recipe which can constitute a healthy breakfast or nutritious snack.

3. Baked Egg:

Baked is another appetizing form of an egg. Usually, it is cooked in the saucepan set in a hot oven until the egg yolk is firm and the egg white is simmered. You can even infuse it into other dishes or eat it with some sprinkled oregano.

4. Scrambled Egg:

Well, the egg is beaten in a bowl properly, and stirred on low flame till it is set.

5. Fried Egg:

To fry the egg, one needs to crack it directly into the pan on medium flame. The yolk should be on the upper side while the fat gets set slowly thickened. You can flip the egg and fry it from both the sides.

6. Microwaved Egg:

Eggs in shells can be microwaved easily as it takes less time than being boiled on the stove. But there are chances that the egg might explode in the process of being cooked in a microwave.

7. Omelet:   

To cook an omelet, one needs to beat the egg properly, add some salt, veggies, cheese, and pepper; beat the mixture well and pour it into the pan. It shouldn’t be stirred, rather let it be cooked for around 2 minutes until the rawness vanishes.

8. Raw Egg: 

Though not a very popular way of consuming eggs, raw egg beaten into skimmed milk is a low-calorie food, which has over the year proven to be extremely healthy and high in protein.

Tips to Cook Healthy Eggs

1. Add some vegetables:

Eggs become more yummy and nutritious when combined with some sliced vegetables such as spinach, beans, carrot, bell pepper, etc. Make your scrambled eggs or omelet more delicious, with added vitamins and fiber to your meal.

2. Do not overcook eggs:

It is advised not to cook your eggs for long or on a too high flame, as in this process, the eggs tend to lose its nutrients or the number of oxidized cholesterol increases.

3. Cook low on calories:

Most health-conscious people prefer their meal to be low on calories. If you’re one of them, it’s better that you choose to cook your egg in the healthiest ways- poached and boiled. These methods are extremely low on calories and the extra fat that you don’t want to consume.

4. Make use of proper oil:

Some oils have properties that keep them stable at high temperatures and don’t let them oxidize easily to form any kind of harmful chemicals. The best examples of such oils are olive oil, butter, and coconut oil. But as a matter of fact, many people might not like the taste of egg in coconut oil. So it’s better to check your taste buds before choosing the right oil.

5. Pick the best eggs:

Well, eggs are best when they are the most nutritious in the whole lot. Generally, the quality of eggs is determined by the chicken’s diet and the farming method. Apparently, it’s the pasteurized and organically grown eggs which are considered to be much better than the conventionally produced and caged eggs.

Facts about Cooking Eggs

1. Cooking eggs tends to make the nutrients more digestible-

Actually, heat causes structural changes in the nutritious egg proteins, making it healthier and safer to eat. Also in raw eggs, egg whites bind the biotin so awfully, that it becomes unavailable to the body. Whereas, cooked eggs provide our bodies with the correct amount of biotin, in turn filling us with vitamin B7 and vitamin H.

2. Cooking eggs on high heat oxidizes the cholesterol in eggs-

A large egg consists of 212 mg of cholesterol; specifically the egg yolk, which is extremely high on cholesterol content. And as a reminder, the recommended intake of cholesterol is only 300mg per day. Now, as cooking the eggs on high heat causes to oxidize the cholesterol in them and proves to be more harmful than the already oxidized food we eat, it is recommended to cook the eggs on a low or medium flame, by taking precaution against overcooking them.

3. High-heat cooking damages nutrients in eggs-

It’s important to face the lesser known fact that cooking can damage some nutrients in foods, especially when it comes to eggs. Research studies have shown that cooking eggs reduced the vitamin A content by 16-20% and antioxidants residing in it by 18%. Also when eggs are baked for around 40 minutes, they might lose up to 60% of vitamin D residual in them. However, even though cooking tends to reduce the nutrients; the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants might remain intact.

NOTE:

Even though cooking the eggs before consumption should be always the preferred choice, but you need to keep in mind that it shouldn’t be cooked on a high flame or for long periods. If the eggs are prepared in a proper way, it’s richness and quality won’t be affected.

All that being said, you need to remember that it’s very crucial to consume eggs regularly if you want to maintain your health and weight to be more specific. Just grab on some and make the healthy and lip-smacking egg dishes you would love to fill in your appetite with!