Money Saving Meals

Eggs

As well as being inexpensive, convenient and delicious, eggs pack a nutritional punch. We simply can't put it better than Camille, who told us: ‘I always keep eggs in the fridge for those desperate times I can't be bothered cooking. You can whip up some scrambled eggs, use whatever you have in the fridge to make an omelette, have them sunny side up with toast, or just boiled on their own! They are always yummy, and most of all, they are very filling!' All we can add (apart from ‘Hear! Hear!') is that eggs are the most nourishing food. Period.

Diane's ‘eggstraspecial' tips:

• Brown eggs and white eggs are the same nutritionally.
  
• Eggs should be at room temperature for cooking.
  
• It's cheaper by the dozen. Don't fall for the 10-egg carton trick.
  
• Store eggs in the fridge in the carton.
  
• Buy eggs with the longest ‘best before' date.
  
• You can freeze egg whites but not yolks

Price check

We pay the extra for free range eggs because we hate the thought of chooks in cramped cages. But this is one saving we don't want to make. However, prices vary a lot between the same type of egg that it is worth comparing-many supermarkets now have the cost per 100g. We always use 60 g (2 oz) eggs in our cooking, so we ran a price check for a 700 g carton with a dozen 60 g eggs. There's quite a difference. Here's what Diane found when she visited her local supermarket to update the prices in mid July 2009.

‘Two words spring to mind after checking out the egg shelves in my local supermarket: "bewildered" and "bemused." How does anyone decide which egg to buy? Look at the choices below (and this is just a selection. There's more! I was also bemused at the marketing claims on the egg cartons. What do "field fresh," "barn-laid" and "farm fresh" really mean? Anyway, here are the prices:

Generic cage eggs = about 25 cents per egg
Branded cage eggs = about 40 cents per egg
Free range Omega-3 eggs = about 55 cents per egg
Free range eggs-branded = about 50 cents per egg
Free range in 10-egg carton = 65 cents per egg
Free range supermarket brand = 40 cents per egg
Organic, free range eggs = about 70 cents per egg.
Organic free-range in 10-egg carton = 75 cents per egg

Why eggs are so good

‘An egg is a compact package of nutrition,' says dietitian Catherine Saxelby from Foodwatch. ‘For a very modest 355 kilojoules (85 calories), it gives you every vitamin except vitamin C and a host of essential minerals. Worth mentioning is Vitamin B12 , which is hard to obtain on vegetarian diets, and folate. Eggs are a surprising source of two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin , natural compounds related to the beta-carotene of carrots and usually found only in vegetables and fruits. These two anti-oxidants are now under study for their role in preventing macular degeneration of the eye, a common cause of blindness in older folk. The number of eggs you can eat on a healthy diet depends on your overall fat intake and your likelihood of heart problems. If your risk is low (cholesterol less than 5.5 millimoles per litre, non-smoker, no family history), then the Heart Foundation believes that an egg a day poses no problem. Just don't fry it in bacon fat or scramble it in cream.'

Make the most of eggs

What can't you do with them is really the question.

• Boil, scramble or fry and serve on toast for the ultimate easy quick meal.
  
• Whip up an omelet, quiche, frittata, sweet or savoury French toast or a vegetable slice.
  
• Try Eggs Benedict or Hollandaise. For Spanish-style Eggs Benedict, top the eggs with salsa instead of hollandaise sauce.
  
• Add egg to stir fries and fried rice. Whisk an egg or two with a dash of sesame oil, pour into a heated oiled pan and swirl to fill pan, leave until set on the base and then flip it over, cooking for just a few seconds. Turn out onto a board and roll up and slice or just chop it up
  
• Add egg to salads - try hard-boiled eggs with salad leaves, capers, dill, cucumber, red onions and cherry tomatoes with a vinaigrette
  
• They are perfect for sandwich fillings: chopped hard boiled egg mixed with mayo and parsley or chives; chopped hard boiled egg combined with a chopped green onion.
  
• Don't forget spaghetti carbonara, custard, egg nog, and their magical uses in meringues, pavlova, pancakes, mousses.

Cooking eggs

‘Can't boil an egg' jokes aside, learning to boil an egg is a bit of an art. Here are our tips.

• Hard boiled eggs: There's a trick to hard boiling eggs so that when you peel them you just remove the shell and not half the white as well! Put them in a small saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 7 minutes (8 if they are jumbo sized), then remove from the heat, drain and run plenty of cold water over them. Gently tap or roll the egg so it has little cracks all over and then peel.
  
• Soft boiled eggs: Cook as for hard boiled but for 3-4 minutes
  
• Scrambled eggs: Whisk some eggs with a little milk and pour into pan sizzling with a little butter. Let cook for a few seconds and then use a wooden spoon to gently stir. Add herbs or cheese when it is nearly cooked to your liking.

Diane's 5-ingredient Bacon & Egg Tartlets from Money Saving Meals

These tartlets are quick and easy to make in a 6-hole Texas muffin pan. The end result using grainy bread like this is a crispy crunchy ‘nest' that's healthier than pastry. Use large size slices of bread. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan forced) and grease the muffin pan with olive oil spray.

Makes 6 tartlets
Preparation time: about 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 25 minutes
Cost per tart: about $1.00

1 medium onion, chopped
5 shortcut bacon rashers, diced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
6 slices multigrain bread, crusts removed
6 eggs

FROM THE PANTRY
olive oil cooking spray

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion and bacon for 3-4 minutes until the onion is soft and the bacon is colouring. Stir in the parsley, season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the bread cases.

Flatten the bread slices with a rolling pin (roll don't thump). Spray both sides of the bread with olive oil spray and press into each muffin hole to form a bread case. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the bacon mixture into each and break an egg over each of the mixture-filled
holes. It does not matter if the yolk breaks.

Scatter the remaining bacon mixture over each egg and bake for 20 minutes until the egg is just set. Carefully lift out each tartlet and serve hot or set aside to cool on a wire rack.