Chef Shaunna

Shanna Burnett

I am transitioning from my borrowed
life in Santiago to my academic life here, in our campus-bound subcommunity
of Appleton. Consequently, my column for The Lawrentian is also transitioning now that I have returned. It will not surprise those of you who read my first article, “In Search of Italian Sausage,” to learn that I will be writing about food, covering everything from Downer to gastronomic dormitory
adventures and misadventures.
I chose to be on the lowest meal plan this term. I had some half-formed idea that this would inspire me to cook more, since I clearly do not have sufficient funds for eating out very often, even if it is just Erb’s ‘n’ Gerb’s. Tonight, in trying to cook something cheap, vaguely nutritious, and easily prepared, I came upon a recipe that I would like to share.
Now, while my roommate can attest to my mismatched collection of silverware and teetering stacks of dishes and frying pans – she did help me carry them up those three flights of stairs, after all – no recipe that I recommend will ever require you to have many more utensils than a bowl and plate, perhaps some knives, and whatever you can check out from your dormitory front desk. Plan ahead if you will need things from the front desk or, if you forget, just sweet talk your RLA.
Microwave-Fried Eggs
Utensils:
Small microwaveable bowl
Fork
Knife
Some type of microwaveable cover (Saran wrap or plastic lid)
Ingredients:
Eggs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Some type of bread (I used an English muffin)
Directions: Smooth a little olive oil around the bottom of the bowl with your fingers. Crack a single egg into the bowl, prick the yolk with the knife, cover, and microwave on 30 percent power for one minute. Watch your egg “fry.” A bit of opaque white will start forming at the outside edge, to eventually
creep across the entire white; parts of the yolk will lose their translucence. The olive oil may boil, making the whole thing quake. This all happens extremely quickly, so keep an eye on your egg and take it out of the microwave
when things are still jiggling a bit. It won’t be pretty, but it won’t matter. Keep covered for a minute and repeat with as many other eggs as you would like. Put the already cooked eggs on a plate for later. When you have finished cooking the eggs, add bread, salt, pepper,
maybe some cheese, and enjoy.
Note: If you try to cook more than one egg at a time, some of the egg white will not cook all of the way. If you leave the egg cooking for too long, the yolk will explode. Clean up in the case of an explosion. It will still taste good in either event.