This Might Be a New Low...

Hey everyone! It's Karen here. Many of you know my propensity for time-saving, shortcut ingredients. Where there is a way to save time or effort on the kitchen, I will find it. Some examples include my love of frozen diced onion, squeezable garlic and ginger, and pre-shredded vegetables like cole slaw cabbage, broccoli slaw, and shredded carrots. I will even leave out ingredients that I deem "not worth the effort" (like that parsley or green onion they tell you to chop up and sprinkle on top at the end of a recipe). Suffice it to say, the depths of my laziness (er, efficiency) know no limits.

But I may have hit a new low this past week. I discovered liquid whole eggs. I did not know such a thing was sold at Kroger (and for clarification, I was on Click List, not at the actual store...see a theme here?) Anyways, I thought the only egg product you could buy in liquid form was the egg white stuff. And I know many folks like and use those - they are very low in calories, have no cholesterol, and are a high quality protein source. But using them for scrambled eggs, fried eggs, etc. is not my favorite thing because you are missing some of that great texture and flavor that comes from the egg yolk (and there are some nutrients in the yolk that are not found in the white). Bottom line is that I don't scrabble or fry many eggs at home because I have to 1) crack the egg, 2) whisk it up, 3) clean up the dishes and spills, and 4) make sure the eggs are safely cooked. None of this would be a big deal for a lot of folks, but apparently it is for me. And I didn't realize how much of a deal it was until the liquid whole eggs arrived in my house.

Since buying the liquid eggs, I have cooked myself eggs on most mornings this past week. While this has been a joyous thing, it was a bit tragic and humbling to realize what was stopping me before (really, cracking eggs and cleaning a dish or two?) I am not proud. But it is what it is. I pour the liquid egg right into the pan and it is cooked in about a minute. It tastes great and I only have to clean the pan. The liquid eggs have nothing added (no salt, preservatives, etc.) and they are pasteurized, so no concerns about food safety. They do cost more than regular eggs, but for a a single serving, the convenience is worth it to me. The liquid whole eggs might also be useful in baking when you just need one or two eggs. If I were to make a quiche or something that required several eggs, then I would use the real ones (I'm not that lazy or wealthy).

Anyways, the lesson here is that I learned some new things this past week - not just about food, but also about myself. It wasn't all pretty, but being honest with oneself often isn't. I learned that I place a high value on kitchen efficiency and that I may sacrifice other things in the process. But that is life, right? Picking and choosing your battles and priorities. And not feeling bad about it when you do. I hope my sharing this story inspires you to search for that honesty too!