Eggs are a wonderful food. They are nutritious, convenient, versatile, and economical. They are essential ingredients in many recipes, and also contribute to wonderful breakfasts, lunches, and brunches.

Eggs are a delicate food, and should be treated and cooked gently. Eggs are also the training ground of almost all beginning cooks, and simple scrambled eggs can become a delightful meal with the addition of diced ham, cheese, onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc. Eggs deserve a place on your menu.

Eggs are cooked when the whites are completely set and the yolks begin to thicken. Yolks should not be runny, nor do they need to be hard. The best advice is to cook eggs slowly over gentle heat.

Cooking eggs too rapidly over too high a heat produces what military mess halls call "rubber eggs'. Take your time. A fried egg sandwich on whole wheat toast with a slice of ham, and perhaps a slice of cheese, is a mouth watering breakfast treat.

Eggs are sold by size (determined by carton weight) and Grade. Grade is determined from the quality and appearance of the egg. Grade AA is the best in appearance. The supermarket standard of A is an excellent product. Grade B eggs have a flatter yolk but are just fine for baking. The nutritional content is the same for all eggs, and the color of the shell is meaningless, although most Americans only buy eggs with white shells.

Eggs are stored in the refrigerator, and should be stored in their original carton. This prevents the eggs from absorbing odors from other foods. Discard any egg with a cracked shell or an off odor. Fresh eggs are characterized by a high standing yolk and a thick cloudy white.

Treat eggs as the delicate delicious food they are. Take a look at the recipes and follow them.