Why you should eat more eggs and recipes | Australia's Best Recipes

Eggs got a bad rap for a while, with some early research indicating that as egg yolks contain cholesterol, eating them could lead to high cholesterol in humans. But according to the Heart Foundation, the cholesterol in eggs has almost no effect on your blood cholesterol levels. Moreover, your cholesterol levels are more influenced by saturated and transfat in your diet.

Poached, scrambled, fried and boiled

Eggs contain low levels of saturated fat; a large egg contains only about 1.5 grams. The issue is how they are cooked; if you fry eggs in saturated oil, for instance as part of a big, rich brekkie fry up, it’s not going to be as healthy as if you poached them or scrambled them with a splash of olive oil.

Around six years ago, while working in a job that involved regular fine dining, I discovered that I had extremely high cholesterol. I was shocked, as I had never experienced high cholesterol problems before. But then I had never been over 40 before. And it turns out I have a familiar history of high cholesterol as well, although thankfully not a genetic history of heart disease.

While thankfully, I do not have high blood pressure, I realised that if I wished to counter high cholesterol I would need to make lifestyle changes. And one of the biggest changes I made at the time was to eat at least one egg a day.

And it worked.

By the end of a month, my cholesterol level had decreased to a more acceptable level. Of course, eating eggs wasn’t the only lifestyle change. I also started swimming and reduced my overall calorie consumption. Eating eggs helped me lose weight; eggs are protein-rich and low in calories. Eating them daily helped me reduce hunger pains without blowing out calories.

Devilled Eggs

One egg, five ways

Eggs have probably always formed an essential part of our diet. Many cuisines have dishes that would not be the same without eggs, such as souffle, Portuguese custard tarts, Caesar salad topped with a soft poached egg, angel’s food cake, Scotch eggs or, my mother-in-law’s special devilled eggs. These retro classics are her most often requested dish and featured prominently at our bring-a-plate wedding last year. She makes them with eggs from their chooks, and like most free-range eggs, they have the most vibrant, golden yolks.

The perfect devilled eggs

Her tips for making the best ever devilled eggs? Try to use eggs that are slightly older as they are easier to peel (but not too old or they will have too many air pockets in them). Boil them with a tablespoon of vinegar in them to help make them easier to peel. They will still be hard to peel; try to let them cool fully before peeling them as this will make it a bit easier. Her experience is that any decent quality eggs will be hard to peel, especially if still warm. But they will taste fabulous and look great displayed on a platter.

Cheesy Egg and Bacon Frittata