Worst Week for NEOINY Part 2

Some things I’ve eaten lately:

Steamed frozen pork gyoza and steamed frozen edamame.

Steamed eggs.

Bread, croissants, fruit, cheese, vegetables, salad…candles.

Steamed stuff. Or raw stuff. Why? Because for the past week since moving into my new apartment, the gas hasn’t been hooked up for the stove and oven. The Keyspan people are supposedly setting it up on Tuesday, but for the time being I’m left without anything to cook with–I don’t even own a microwave. Except for the little rice steamer that could. My only plug-in cooking appliance has offered not only practicality but opened up a new way of seeing things–instead of boiling potatoes, why can’t you steam them? Instead of microwaving your leftover rotisserie chicken, steam those babies and they’ll be so much moister, right? My imagination has been running like a hamster wheel, but the act of doing either of these ideas hasn’t yet come to fruition.

I did pull out an old comfort dish that in these times of need, proved all the more comforting–steamed eggs. Commonly fed to babies for its gentle texture, the eggs were silky and bubbly and a perfect way to forget I didn’t have any stove in the first place. I can pull this off for a little longer than Tuesday if I need to (crossing my fingers that doesn’t happen).

Steamed Eggs
(Makes about 2 servings)

4 eggs, beaten
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
Dash of white pepper

Beat eggs well in shallow bowl or dish. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the mixture and salt to taste (a couple of good pinches). Place bowl in a steamer, or depending on size and type, you may want to place a small dish upside-down on the bottom of the steamer first to elevate the bowl with eggs. Put about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the steamer, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. (If you don’t have a steamer, you can just make a similar arrangement with dishes inside a large saucepan with a lid, and cook on medium-low.) Eggs are done when a fork pierced through the middle comes off un-runny. Sprinkle a little white pepper on top, and dig in.

Experiment with varying levels of doneness and amounts of water to get the texture that you prefer; some prefer it more custardy and soft like the way the eggs usually come out in the center of the bowl, others prefer the air bubbly well-done part around the edges of the bowl.

Cost Calculator:
(for 2 side servings)

4 eggs (at $1.20/dozen): $0.40
Salt, optional white pepper: $0.01

Total: $0.41

Health Factor:

Three brownie points–aside from the boiled or poached egg, I’m hard pressed to think of another way of cooking eggs that involves no grease. Plus, you can’t eat it runny so there’s no health risk here.