If You Aren't Salt-Curing Your Eggs, You're Seriously Missing Out

Egg lovers, rejoice! We’ve stumbled upon another way you can sneak more delicious eggs into your life: salt-cured yolks. Sure, scrambled  eggs are great because they’re easy to make; and poached eggs are lovely because they’re basically clouds you can eat for breakfast. But salt-cured eggs sometimes called “graved eggs” because they’re made in a similar fashion to gravlax  are a whole new level of umami goodness.

Salted-cured yolks are exactly what they sound like: egg yolks that have been cured in salt. There are a couple ways you can make them. One method will give you a runny yolk that can be eaten right away (this is a partially cured egg yolk) and the second method cures the yolk until it’s firm and has a longer shelf life (naturally, it takes longer to make).  

To make runny cured eggs as shown in the video above the yolks are covered in a salt and sugar mixture for roughly an hour and a half. They are then carefully washed off and ready to eat. That’s it, very simple. The short curing time sets the yolks to about same consistency as a perfectly poached egg. It’s delicious, try it.

For the complete recipe, visit Food People Places , the makers behind the video above. 

The second way to cure egg yolks takes significantly longer we’re talking nearly a week. There are many different ways to do this. Some call for curing them in the salt-sugar mixture for four days before dehydrating them for a couple of hours in a low-temp oven. Others call for curing the yolks for a week and then hanging them to dry  for even longer. Whichever method you choose, you’ll be rewarded with egg yolks that can be grated on top of all your favorite dishes think pastas, salads, asparagus, etc.

While the yolks do require some serious time to cure, most of the process is hands off and the yolks will stay good in the fridge for at least a month. 

For step-by-step directions on firm salt-cured eggs, visit Bon Appetit . 

Salt-cured eggs are safe to eat because they’re made with the same principle as any other type of cured food (such as lox). The salt gets rid of moisture and kills the bacteria that makes food go bad . The sugar feeds good bacteria, such as the kind found in kimchi, which also helps fight bad bacteria. Curing is a form of controlled fermentation .

Next time you find yourself with a recipe that calls for egg whites, don’t toss those yolks. Cure them.

H/T Fine Dining Lovers