Wednesday, October 13, 2010

As sure as eggs is eggs you can cook an omelet in a bag

This is a quick and easy way to make an omelet for camping (or any other time) with very little fuss or muss.  With some advance planning – the omelet can be prepped, frozen and then cooked at the campsite. 

There are lots of recipes on the internet for “Omelet in a bag” suggesting the use of ZIPLOC®  bags or ZIPLOC®  freezer bags.  Many say they’ve used the baggies with success.  However, ZIPLOC®  says that their bags cannot be used to boil food.  ZIPLOC®  also states that they do not manufacture a "boilable" bag.... yet.  They do not recommend using any ZIPLOC® brand Bag in boiling water, or to "boil" in the microwave. ZIPLOC® brand Bags are made from polyethylene plastic with a softening point of approximately 195 degrees Fahrenheit. By pouring near boiling water (water begins to boil at 212 degrees) into the bag, or putting the bag into the water, the plastic could begin to melt. Might I add that eggs and cheese have fat which gets much hotter than water thus the likelihood of melting the plastic increases.

I’m going to assume that the same is true for other baggie makers.  So, take your chances if you want but I am going to offer up an alternative solution.  Vacuum sealer food storage bags.  They are made of a heavier plastic and are safe to use in the microwave and boiling on the stovetop.

Anyone who has used a vacuum sealer knows that trying to seal liquids (like eggs) is fairly difficult to do with out a mess and with a good seal.  I also have a solution for that, but you have to plan in advance – freeze the eggs.

Freeze the entire egg. Remove the egg from the shell.  Beat the eggs until mixed thoroughly, but do not whip in air. Pour the mixed eggs into a container and seal tightly. Alternately, freeze the egg mixture in an ice cube tray. Place 3 tbsps. of egg mixture into each section of the tray. Freeze until solid and then remove the cubes and seal them in moisture-vapor resistant containers.

The Omelet in a Bag recipe is assuming you are freezing the eggs and using vacuum sealed bags.

For each omelet you will need:
  • 3 Frozen Eggs
  • 2 Slices Ham, Chopped (Optional)
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Onion (Optional)
  • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Green Bell Pepper
  • (Optional)
  • 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Tomato
  • (Optional)
  • 1 Tablespoon Chunky Salsa (Optional)
  • 2 Fresh Mushrooms, Sliced (Optional)
  • or whatever ingredients you like


DIRECTIONS:
1.         To the bag add the eggs, the ham, cheese, onion, green pepper, tomato, salsa, mushrooms or whatever ingredients you like. Vacuum seal the bag and freeze. 

2.         Defrost the egg mixture prior to cooking.
3.         Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place up to 8 bags at a time into the boiling water. Cook for exactly 13 minutes. 


4.Open the bag, and let the omelet roll out onto a plate. The omelet should roll out easily.
This is really a fantastic breakfast . . . quick, easy, no fuss, no muss and really delicious!

2 comments:

  1. Fantastic blog!I have hardly came across with nice informative blog like this..Great work done..I would like to have more from you in the future..
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  2. This idea is brilliant!I never thought of using a food vacuum sealer to that way.Thanks a lot.

    ReplyDelete