Microwaved eggs can burst with flavor.

Or just explode.

It’s your choice.

“Eggs can be microwaved with good results. But they need
close attention,”
said Elizabeth Andress, an Extension Service food, nutrition
and health scientist with the
University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer
Sciences.

Andress said poaching, scrambling, “baking” or frying
eggs work well in a
microwave oven. Boiling or otherwise hard-cooking eggs in
the shell won’t work at all.

“The shell acts like a wall to trap heat inside,” Andress
said.
“Pressure builds up from steam being created inside from the
heating.”

Eventually, the shell won’t be able to contain the
pressure inside, and the egg will
virtually explode.

That’s the most violent, messiest way to explode an egg
in the microwave.
Unfortunately, it isn’t the only way.

“If you don’t ‘pop’ or pierce the membrane around the
yolk, it can also explode
from steam pressure that will build up during cooking,”
Andress said. “Use a
clean toothpick or the tip of a small paring knife to break
the yolk membrane.”

As long as you do that, you can fry eggs in your
microwave.

“Use a custard cup or low-rim dish containing melted
butter or greased with a
vegetable-oil spray,” Andress said. “Break the egg into the
container and pierce
the yolk. Microwave it at 50-percent power.”

Use the 50-percent power setting anytime you microwave
unbeaten eggs. “Because the
yolk contains fat, it cooks faster than the white,” Andress
said.

For poaching, break a whole egg into a small, deep
container with one-third cup of
water. Gently prick the yolk, cover with plastic wrap and
cook on 50-percent power. Then
pour off the water, or lift the egg out with a slotted
spoon.

You can break whole eggs onto the top of other dishes,
such as hash or ham slices, to
bake, Andress said. But again, prick the yolks before you
cook.

Perhaps the best way to microwave eggs, though, is to
scramble them. Microwaved eggs
cook quicker and with less messy cleanup. And the flavor can
be delightful. But they still
need close attention.

“Eggs are scrambled best in small quantities in a glass
bowl with melted butter or
margarine,” Andress said. “Pour the beaten eggs into the
prepared bowl. Cover
the bowl with waxed paper. Microwave it until the eggs are
slightly firm.”

J.Cannon, UGA CAES

MICROWAVE COOKING eggs can be tricky. Don’t serve them if the yolk is still partly liquid for food safety reasons. “Finish cooking” is the key — let the heat in the eggs finish cooking them. Cooking them completely in the microwave will likely overcook them and you’ll have rubbery eggs.

After the first minute, stop the cooking process every 30
seconds and stir. “Stop
microwaving just before the eggs are completely firm and
stir them,” she said.
“Then let them stand to finish cooking.”

To be safe, don’t serve the eggs if they’re still partly
liquid. “Finish
cooking” is the key, she said. But let the heat in the eggs
finish the job.
Otherwise, they’ll overcook.

Remember three basic rules of microwaving eggs.

• Stop and stir beaten eggs every 30 seconds or so.
• With unbeaten eggs, always prick the yolk and cook on
  50-percent power.
• Don’t even think about hard-cooking an egg in the
  shell.

In fact, even reheating a hard-cooked egg can be
dangerous, Andress said.

“When a hard-cooked whole egg is reheated in the
microwave,” she said,
“the yolk reheats faster and will get hotter than the
white.”

After reheating, the outside of the egg may be just
right, but the inside can be hot
enough to burn you.

“It would be best to cut the egg before reheating it,”
she said. “At
least cut and test it before eating it.” Andress said at
least one person learned
that lesson the hard way.

“She heated a previously hard-cooked, peeled egg in the
microwave,” she said.
“The outside didn’t seem that hot, and she bit into the
whole egg. The yolk
‘exploded’ inside her mouth, and the hot pieces burned her
lower lip and gums.”