Which method of cooking does the age of the egg matter least?

Question

I have a tray of older eggs (almost 2 weeks old).

Previously I never paid attention to thier age and cooked whatever I wanted, but after poaching some super fresh eggs obtained from the farmers market, I've seen how much better they are to eat and easier to cook (they stay together better).

Which method would give me similar results with any age of egg (within reason)? Obviously any flavour changes cannot be accounted for but with poached (and from sites such as Delia shallow frying suffers similar problems) eggs it is more difficult to cook and the egg itself falls apart as they age.

I am trying hard boiled eggs tonight as I suspect there are fewer factors to interfere with the outcome, but would another method for cooking perhaps be better?

Answer 1

Actually, hard boiling is one of the recommended uses for older eggs, since older eggs are much easier to peel.

I'd highly recommend against using old eggs if you were going to whip the whites, for example, or any other heavy "structural" application. Quiche would probably be fine.

Answer 2

You might try coddling them. Butter a ramekin or similar heatproof cup, crack in an egg, then cover with foil and place in a pan of near boiling water until the egg is done to your liking, usually around ten minutes.

You can also try boiling the egg in its shell for 30 seconds or so before cracking and poaching it as usual. The initial boil sets the egg slightly, which prevents the white from spreading so readily. You will probably need to experiment with your batch of eggs to get the timing right.