One simple ingredient. A whole lot of technique—and a whole lot of eggs.

EGG WEEK

Week 3 at culinary school was Egg Week, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen, cooked, or tasted so many eggs in such a short amount of time.

When you think about eggs, they seem pretty simple. Scrambled, fried, boiled—how complicated can they really be? This week showed me that eggs are actually one of the best ways to practice precision, timing, temperature control, and classic French cooking techniques.

And with all the cooking and tasting we did, one thing became very important: making sure we had enough eggs to get through the week! Between preparing our own dishes, tasting what we made, and trying each other’s creations, we went through a LOT of eggs.

Starting with a Classic: Deviled Eggs

We started with something familiar—deviled eggs.

Even with a dish most people have had before, technique still matters. We worked on properly cooking the eggs, cooling and peeling them without damaging the whites, preparing a smooth yolk filling, and piping the mixture back into the egg whites for a clean presentation.

It was a good reminder that professional cooking isn’t always about making something complicated. Sometimes it’s about taking something simple and learning how to execute it consistently and present it well.

Eggs Farci Chimay

Next came Eggs Farci Chimay, a classic French preparation that took stuffed eggs to another level.

Hard-cooked eggs are filled with a savory mixture traditionally incorporating mushrooms and sauce, then finished in the oven. This dish gave us more practice working with fillings, sauces, knife skills, and proper presentation.

It was interesting to see how French cuisine could take an ingredient as basic as a boiled egg and turn it into something completely different.

Eggs Benedict

Then we tackled Eggs Benedict, which brought several techniques together on one plate.

The biggest challenge was getting the poached eggs right. The whites need to set while the yolk stays soft and runny inside, which means temperature and timing are everything.

Then there was the Hollandaise sauce, bringing back the emulsification skills we worked on during Sauce Week. Slowly incorporating clarified butter into the egg yolks while controlling the temperature is one of those techniques where you really have to pay attention. Too much heat can scramble the yolks, while adding the butter too quickly can cause the emulsion to break.

Building the final Eggs Benedict showed how several individual techniques have to come together at exactly the right time. The egg needs to be ready, the sauce needs to stay warm without breaking, and everything needs to make it onto the plate while it’s still at its best.

Mushroom & Spinach Crêpes

We also made mushroom and spinach crêpes, which gave us another completely different set of skills to practice.

Making a good crêpe is all about getting the batter consistency right and controlling the amount of batter and heat in the pan. The goal is a crêpe that’s thin, delicate, evenly cooked, and flexible enough to fold without tearing.

For the filling, we worked with mushrooms and spinach, which meant properly sautéing the vegetables and controlling their moisture. Mushrooms and spinach both release water as they cook, so managing that moisture is important when they’re going inside a delicate crêpe.

Then everything had to be assembled and presented neatly.

So. Many. Eggs.

By the end of the week, I definitely understood why we needed to make sure there were plenty of eggs on hand.

Eggs in the recipes. Eggs in the sauces. Eggs in the crêpe batter. Eggs for practicing. Eggs for tasting.

And then, of course, everyone has to taste what they made.

When you’re learning culinary arts, tasting is part of the process. You have to know whether the texture is right, whether something needs more seasoning, whether the sauce has the right consistency, and whether the technique actually worked.

So Egg Week also became egg-tasting week.

I think I had enough eggs to last me for a while.

More Than Just Breakfast

The biggest lesson from Week 3 was realizing just how versatile eggs really are.

We practiced hard-cooking, poaching, emulsifying, sautéing, filling, piping, crêpe-making, temperature control, timing, and presentation—all while working with an ingredient most of us have eaten our entire lives.

Each week I’m starting to see more connections between what we’ve already learned and what we’re learning next. The Hollandaise techniques from Sauce Week came back for Eggs Benedict. Knife skills showed up in our fillings. Temperature control mattered in almost everything.

That’s what I’m enjoying about this journey. Every week isn’t completely separate from the last. The techniques are starting to build on each other.

Week 3 proved that even one of the simplest ingredients in the kitchen can teach you a lot.

And after this week, I think I’ve officially eaten enough eggs for a little while.