10 Ways With…Eggs

Whether you’re an ‘egg a day’ kinda guy or gal, or you have one every so often as a treat (eggs Benedict, anyone?!) it’s true that the key ingredient is never far away from your kitchen. Hey, you may even be a keen baker, consistently in the kitchen in a bid to give Mary Berry a run for her money.

But what else can you do with eggs, aside from munching them for breakfast, or popping them in a Victoria sponge? We say ‘lots!’ – and thankfully, our latest blog in our ’10 Ways With…’ series will show you exactly how you can make the most of that box of six or 12.

1.Perfect the Poaching Method

If you’ve ever tried to poach an egg you’ll know it’s no mean feat. Once you’ve got the knack of it, however, you’ll be laughing. We’ve tried a few methods here at My Appliances (some to no avail), but Jamie Oliver has it covered over here.

Offering not one, not two, but three ways you can poach an egg to perfection, the chef ensures you can get it right pretty much first time. Let us know how you get on.

2. Give Your Hair a Treat

We’re not joking, you know – eggs are great for the hair. They’re rich in proteins which are very similar to the ones find in your locks – and for that reason they make a great, deep strength conditioner.

Beat one or two with a little olive oil and apply to your hair once it’s frothy in tecture.Then simply leave it on for 15-20 minutes – and rinse!

3. Make Coffee Less Bitter

Remove the bitterness from coffee by adding crushed egg shells to the coffee grounds before brewing – who knew, eh?!

4. Whip up a Face Mask

Want egg on your face? No problem. With this skincare saviour you can! Use an egg white face mask as often as once a day if you’d like youthful-looking, glowing skin. Homemademasks.net has some great ideas for egg-based beauty treats, but first try this one:

• Separate an egg white from the yolk and beat it well with a fork, or with a blender. It should now look foamy
• Apply it on freshly-washed skin
• Leave for 15 minutes
• Feel your skin tightening up? It’s time to remove the egg, with a cloth soaked in luke warm water. Et voila – beautiful skin for hardly any money at all!

5. Feed Your Plants

Again, this is not a wind up! If you’ve hard boiled an egg for your breakie, don’t pour away the water you used to boil it in. Plants love the high levels of calcium found in egg shells, so once your egg water has cooled, use it to water your plants. It works especially well with tomato and pepper plants. Go on, give it a go.

6. Paint Them

You might think this is an activity reserved for Easter, but if your kids are bored, does it really matter? Eggs are cheap enough to play around with when creative time beckons, so grab the paints and cover your kitchen table – things are about to get messy.

7. Hard Boil Them

So, we’ve explained why hard boiling your eggs is a good idea (hello, nourished plants) but they’re also highly nutritious for you, too. Replace your 3pm bag of crisps or chocolate bar for an egg. You can boil it the night before work, and simply ‘tap and unwrap’, as it were. Packed full of protein, boiled eggs add good fats to your body to keep your heart healthy – what’s not to love?

8. Prettify Them

Eggs don’t have to look bland in your daily salad. Instead, liven them up a little with a few well-chosen flavourings, or additions.

We love this idea, below. Chop your eggs in half and add a little cress – simple, yet effective – and they’ll look a stack better on a buffet, if you’re in charge of the food for a family do.

9. Make Leather as Good as New

What, really? Yeah, really. The thick and sticky base of egg whites will remove dirt from leather shoes, bags, purses – you name it.

Simply scrub an egg white into the leather, wiping off with a damp cloth. And if you’re looking for an added shine to your leather, the egg white will do that, too, forming a protective base over your favourite accessory – result!

10. Make a Feature of Them

No table centre? Don’t worry; grab some eggs and some fancy egg cups and turn your carton of six or 12 into one. Again, this works just as well at Easter as it does year-round. Think outside the (egg) box and be creative.

Have you read our other ’10 Ways With…’ posts? If not, check out our pieces on vinegar, baking soda, flour, and lemons!

Oh and before you go, we’re giving our usual shout out to our social media pages: hit ‘Like’ or ‘Follow’ here and here. And don’t forget to bookmark our blog, too.

Until next time…