Baked eggs for sandwiches

 15 June 2021

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, January 2021

This is one of the oddest, and simplest, recipes I've tried and written about. It's a method for making the main ingredient of an egg sandwich, the eggs, and a clever way to prepare them at that. I was intrigued when I read the article. I like sandwiches but I rarely eat egg sandwiches. In part because this recipe was so easy I gave it a try.

Eight eggs were whisked in a bowl with a little table salt. Then, ⅔ cup of water was added and whisked until combined. The egg mixture was poured into an 8x8-inch baking pan that had been sprayed with vegetable oil. This was placed on a rimmed baking sheet then 1½ cups of water were poured onto the baking sheet. The eggs were baked in a 300° oven until they were set, about 34 minutes. After cooling, the baking sheet was inverted to remove the baked eggs. The baked eggs were cut into pieces and used as part of sandwiches with ham, cheese, salad dressing, and tomato. Total time was about one hour.

These eggs were a nice addition to sandwiches and we had them several times for dinners and lunches through the week. The egg was smooth and custardy and did not have a strong eggy flavor. We were not very adventurous and had only ham and cheese rather than trying some of the other ingredients suggested in the magazine.  The eggs did not release cleanly from the baking pan but they released well enough that this was not a major issue. We tried freezing some of the egg but this did not work. After thawing, the eggs leaked copious amounts of water and had an odd texture. It was a nice change for dinner and good for warm summer days when no one wants to do a lot of cooking.