How long is the most nutritious time to cook eggs? Boiled in water
It was almost a well-known fact that eggs were nutritious. "The world's most nutritious breakfast," "The ideal nutrient bank," "The best quality protein," and so on were all the beautiful titles that people gave it. But did you know that boiled eggs, steamed eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs... Different practices had a great impact on its nutrient absorption.
Let's ask an authoritative nutritionist to analyze egg nutrition in detail for you, and list the "Egg Eating List" to tell you which egg is the best way to absorb the most protein, benefit the heart, and supplement vitamins.
Protein is in the egg white
Eating eggs is nothing more than egg whites and egg yolks. Some people think that egg yolks are nutritious, and they only eat egg yolks when they discard egg whites; some people are afraid of gaining weight and only eat egg whites and throw away egg yolks. Which is more nutritious, egg yolk or egg white?
In fact, egg whites and egg yolks have their own advantages, but the nutritional content is very different. In addition to 90% of the water in egg whites, the remaining 10% is mainly protein. Don't underestimate this 10% of protein, which is mainly contained in eggs. Professor Lin Xinying of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of Shandong University also pointed out that egg protein is second only to breast milk, which is highly utilized in the human body and is one of the best proteins in food. It is recommended that people with low immunity, especially those who have just undergone surgery, may wish to eat more egg whites to supplement protein.
Compared with egg whites, the nutritional content of egg yolks is much more complex. The fat in eggs is all concentrated in the yolk, but most of them are fatty acids that are beneficial to the human body, and they contain the main ingredient in olive oil, oleic acid, which is beneficial for preventing heart disease. In addition, vitamins A, D, E, K, phosphorus, iron and other minerals are also mostly in the yolk. Although the absorption rate of iron is relatively low, it is essential for babies who cannot eat meat. At the same time, there is a very important substance in the yolk, lecithin, which is particularly crucial for brain development and has the effect of lowering cholesterol. The color of the yolk contains a rich nutritional code: riboflavin to prevent cracking at the corners of the mouth, and lutein and zeaxanthin to protect the eyes. The darker the egg yolk, the higher the vitamin content.
Some people are afraid of the cholesterol in egg yolks, which is actually very wrong. If the serum cholesterol in the human body is too low, it will cause low immunity and affect the strength of blood vessels, which is also not conducive to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. Therefore, it is very healthy for healthy people to eat one or two egg yolks a day; for people who have high blood lipids, it is more appropriate to eat half an egg yolk every day.
Boiled food is the most nutritious
Among all kinds of foods, eggs are almost the most diverse. Fan Zhihong, an associate professor at the School of Food Science of China Agricultural University who specializes in cooking and nutrition research, helped us list three egg eating methods based on various research and experimental data. Finally, he found that no matter which list, the practice of "boiled eggs with shells" ranked first.
"Beneficial Heart Ranking":
First place: boiled eggs in shell. Without adding a drop of oil, the cooking temperature is not high, and the cholesterol in the egg yolk is not exposed to oxygen (once cholesterol is oxidized, it becomes one of the most serious cardiovascular health threats), so it is the most heart-friendly way to eat.
Second place: poached eggs.
Third place: Egg drop soup and steamed eggs.
Fourth place: Fried poached eggs.
Fifth place: Spread eggs. It refers to an egg cake fried with a small amount of oil and low heat, so the cholesterol in the egg yolk is not oxidized much.
Sixth place: scrambled eggs. After the eggs are beaten and then scrambled, the cholesterol in the egg yolk is in full contact with the air and oxidizes more. Eggs absorb more oil and use more oil.
"Best Protein Digestion Ranking":
First place: boiled eggs with shells. Studies have shown that the protein digestibility of boiled eggs is as high as 99.7%, and almost all of them can be absorbed and utilized by the human body.
Second place: fried poached eggs and scrambled eggs. The protein digestibility of these two methods is 98%.
Third place: scrambled eggs. Protein digestibility is 97%.
Fourth place: Steamed eggs. Protein digestibility 92.5%.
Fifth place: raw eggs. Protein digestibility is only 30% to 50%.
"Vitamin Preservation Ranking":
First place: boiled egg with shell. Low heating temperature, complete retention of nutrients.
Second place: steamed egg. The heating temperature is lower, and the loss of water-soluble vitamins such as riboflavin and lutein is less.
Third place: poached eggs. Heating temperature is low, water-soluble vitamins have a little loss.
Fourth place: fried poached eggs. High heating temperature, vitamin A, D, E, K and other fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins are lost.
Fifth place: Spreaded eggs. High heating temperature, all vitamins are lost.
Sixth place: scrambled eggs. High heating temperature, more vitamin loss.
Soak the eggs for 5 minutes after cooking
Just knowing which eggs are the best is not enough. If not handled correctly, it will not only make the taste worse, but also affect nutrition and even produce harmful substances.
Boiled eggs: Eggs should be boiled in a pot with cold water, heated slowly, boiled on low heat for 3 minutes after boiling, and soaked for 5 minutes after ceasefire. In this way, the boiled egg white is tender, the egg yolk is solidified and not old, the protein denaturation is the best, and it is also the easiest to digest. Eggs that have been boiled for more than 10 minutes not only age in taste, lose a lot of vitamins, but also become difficult to digest protein.
Boiled poached eggs: When the water boils, beat the eggs, turn to low heat and simmer. Salty poached eggs can be added with tomatoes, vegetables, etc., and sweet eggs can also be added with wine, red dates, wolfberry and other ingredients.
Egg custard: Do not add oil or salt when mixing eggs, as this will easily damage the gelatin and make the steamed custard thick and hard. Do not stir hard, stir a few times to ensure that it is evenly stirred and steamed in the pot. In addition, adding a little milk to the steamed custard can make it smoother and more nutritious.
Fried eggs: It is best to use a low heat and less oil. Some people like to fry the egg white to a crisp, which will not only lose nutrients, but also may produce carcinogens. It is best to fry only one side, and the egg white can solidify.
Spreading eggs: Use less oil, preferably over medium heat. If the egg cake is thicker, it is more conducive to preserving nutrients.
Scrambled eggs: It is best to use medium heat, avoid high heat, otherwise a lot of nutrients will be lost and the eggs will become hard. But if the fire is too small, it will not work, because the water will be lost over time, and the eggs will dry out, which will affect the texture.
