"What?" you say. What does that have to do with anything? Ah, allow me to explain. Before I do, though, let me lay this out for you.
6 Ways to Cook an Egg
Upon doing some research, I found (supposedly) there are 101 different ways one can cook an egg. How crazy is that? It just makes me think who sits there all day and thinks about how you can cook an egg. Instead of discussing all 101 ways, I just want to highlight 6 common approaches to cooking an egg. I'm going to copy and paste the descriptions from a website--so the order and how they are describe aren't necessarily pertinent to the overarching theme.Over-Easy
One side of the egg is cooked in a pan with oil or butter. When the side being cooked is done, the egg is flipped to enable the other side to cook for a few seconds. -- panlasangpinoy.com
Sunny-Side Up
This style lets only one side of the egg cook. The other side is slightly cooked by the heat below. The yolks are left in its liquid form. It was called as such because the appearance of the egg resembles the shape of the sun. --panlasangpinoy.com
Hard Boiled
A hard-boiled egg is a result of boiling egg for a long period of time. The egg is placed in boiling water and left there to cook for 12 minutes or more. This will result with eggs having hard whites and yolk. --palasangpinoy.com
Poached
Poaching eggs means bringing water to a boil. Once the water boils, it is reduced to a simmer. The egg is cracked and placed in simmering water, and cooked until the desired results are achieved. --palasangpinoy.com
Scrambled
Scrambled eggs are prepared by whisking eggs in a bowl along with some salt and pepper. The whisked egg is then fried in a pan. This style suggests constant stirring while the egg is starting to cook. As you all know, omelets are derived from scrambled eggs. -- palasangpinoy.com
Soft Boiled
Soft boiled is the opposite of hard-boiled. Using the same boiling method, eggs are place in boiling water and cooked for a short period of time. The egg white is slightly cooked leaving some parts liquid. It will also produce liquid egg yolks. --palasangpinoy.com
So, there you have it. Six different ways to cook an egg. Now I know what you're thinking (or can guess): "Okay, Robert, I see you like eggs, but what are you getting at here?" Great question.
Cooking Eggs: It's All a Matter of Preference
I'm going to be honest, this topic arose in the shower. I was sitting there asking myself: What's the difference between the various ways one can cook an egg? My conclusion: There is no difference. At the end of the day, the way you cook an egg is based on personal preference. Some people like different textures and thus cook eggs accordingly. Some only know one way to cook and egg and just do that. Interestingly, no matter what way you cook an egg (so long as were are speaking in terms of the full egg) at the end of the cooking it is still an egg. Scrambled? Still an egg. Poached? Still an egg. At the end of the day, undeniable the egg remains an egg. The way you cook your egg may be different from the way I cook mine but that changes nothing to what it is--an egg.
And...?
Ready to get your mind blown? Thinking about cooking eggs from this perspective got me thinking about people. Have you ever looked at the way someone does something and thought, "well, that's strange." Maybe somebody washes his or her clothes differently from you. Maybe he or she eats his or her sandwich without the crust instead of with crust. Similarly to cooking an egg, that action is deep down the same as yours just with a different preference of "cooking" method. We are so quick to judge people for doing things differently from us, but that's what makes life so interesting. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and upbringings. At the end of the day, we are all still people and all still do the same things. Yes, we may do them in different manners, but that's no reason to judge or hate. So what someone may prefer scrambled eggs while I prefer sunny side up (I like eggs any which way but hypothetically speaking), that person may find it equally strange that I like them scrambled. Moreover, that's the egg that tastes best to them. It's interesting how we often tend to feel a sense of entitlement to demean someone else for nothing other than the fact that they do things differently.Obviously, not every method is effective. I could decide that the best method for cooking eggs is in the sun, which could potentially leave them undercooked and unhealthy. So yes, some people do things egregiously wrong. I think those instances are overt enough. What I'm talking about is something that happens on a more everyday basis. It is much more common to see someone doing something differently instead of purely wrong.
At the end of the day, we are all composed of genetic makeup that labels us as humans, as people. Like eggs, we have different means to our ends, but we all have the same ends. Also like eggs, our means may lead us on different paths, but more times than not the path is just a path, not something that is necessarily right or wrong.
I'm just suggesting that next time you think someone is odd for doing something differently maybe you could do two things. First, think about it from their perspective and realize they could say the same thing (and thus maybe it isn't so odd). Secondly, be open. Maybe you're stuck in a rut and have been eating only scrambled eggs your whole life. You can try a poached egg, it won't kill you. Heck, you might even like it. If not, go right ahead back to scrambled eggs. Someone does something for a reason. It's the curiosity behind those reasons that keeps life interesting. I don't like to keep a schedule, but rather I like to keep my to-do list in my head. Am I weird? Possibly, but that's my preference, that's my style of cooking eggs. Deep down, at the end of the day, we are more alike than we'd sometimes like to admit. We could make things so much better if we realized this fact.
Have you cooked an egg today?
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