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The Fresh Egg Cookbook: From Chicken to Kitchen, Recipes for Using Eggs from Farmers' Markets, Local Farms, and Your Own Backyard
Fresh eggs offer great nutrition and unbeatable flavor. Whether you’re collecting eggs from a backyard coop or buying them from local farms, Jennifer Trainer Thompson has 101 delicious recipes to help you make the most of them. With unique twists on breakfast classics like French toast, eggs Florentine, and huevos rancheros, as well as tips for using your eggs in smoothies, mayonnaise, and carbonara sauce, you’ll be enjoying the healthy and delicious joys of fresh eggs in an amazingly versatile range of dishes.
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
About the author
Jennifer Trainer Thompson
24 books4 followersWith several hundred thousand books and posters in print, Jennifer Trainer Thompson has written more than sixteen books, including The Fresh Egg Cookbook, Hot Sauce!, Beyond Einstein (co-authored with Michio Kaku), and Jump Up and Kiss Me: Spicy Vegetarian Cooking, among others. Nominated for three James Beard awards and dubbed the “Queen of Hot” by Associated Press, she’s recognized as a leader in the spicy foods movement for her cookbooks and the hot sauce posters that she created, which have been featured everywhere from Playboy Magazine to Good Morning America.
Her books have drawn acclaim in the national press, and she’s been on hundreds of talk shows, including Live with Regis, CNN, and Good Morning America. The chef and creator of Jump Up and Kiss Me, an all-natural line of spicy sauces, she is passionate about spicy foods, and has followed her own personal “Trail of Flame,” speaking at festivals and in the media about hot foods, serving as guest chef at Hot Nights at restaurants in Boston, Philadelphia, and the Berkshires, and even going so far as to try Armageddon Sauce at a bar in the Adirondacks that’s accessible only by snowmobile in the winter.
A journalist for over 20 years, Jennifer writes about topics that interest her – science, food, travel, art, and lifestyle – for The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Omni, Discover, Harvard Magazine among others, and has garnered a reputation for sniffing out trends. She wrote the first objective book on the commercial nuclear power controversy (Nuclear Power: Both Sides), and co-authored a popular book about scientists’ quest for the unified field theory (Beyond Einstein) when the superstring theory was proposed in 1987. She wrote the first national story about the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) for The New York Times in 1987, and was so taken by the idea of establishing a contemporary art museum in an abandoned mill complex in a small New England city that she asked the fledgling institution’s founding director Joseph Thompson for a job. Thompson hired her to become MASS MoCA’s founding development director, and several years later married her. She and her husband Joe live in western Massachusetts with their two children. Family and family traditions have always been important to her, which led to write The Joy of Family Traditions.
Her books have drawn acclaim in the national press, and she’s been on hundreds of talk shows, including Live with Regis, CNN, and Good Morning America. The chef and creator of Jump Up and Kiss Me, an all-natural line of spicy sauces, she is passionate about spicy foods, and has followed her own personal “Trail of Flame,” speaking at festivals and in the media about hot foods, serving as guest chef at Hot Nights at restaurants in Boston, Philadelphia, and the Berkshires, and even going so far as to try Armageddon Sauce at a bar in the Adirondacks that’s accessible only by snowmobile in the winter.
A journalist for over 20 years, Jennifer writes about topics that interest her – science, food, travel, art, and lifestyle – for The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Omni, Discover, Harvard Magazine among others, and has garnered a reputation for sniffing out trends. She wrote the first objective book on the commercial nuclear power controversy (Nuclear Power: Both Sides), and co-authored a popular book about scientists’ quest for the unified field theory (Beyond Einstein) when the superstring theory was proposed in 1987. She wrote the first national story about the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) for The New York Times in 1987, and was so taken by the idea of establishing a contemporary art museum in an abandoned mill complex in a small New England city that she asked the fledgling institution’s founding director Joseph Thompson for a job. Thompson hired her to become MASS MoCA’s founding development director, and several years later married her. She and her husband Joe live in western Massachusetts with their two children. Family and family traditions have always been important to her, which led to write The Joy of Family Traditions.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 17, 2013
Sooo...when the three modest laying hens began having enough eggs where we were like "what do we do with all these eggs!" I needed a cookbook to back me up. Granted, the chickens weren't in egg laying overdrive. No, we just were egged out and not eating as much. They began to pile up. If you google around you'll find tons of recipes that pride themselves on using few or no eggs at all. None of that for me please. This book churns out recipes that easily require 4-8 eggs!! 8 eggs! Heck to the yeah! They also look doable (not too hard for us novice bakers/cooks). I highly recommend it!
July 17, 2022
Good Recipes, Horrible Layout
These are generally good recipes, but this book has the most horrible layout. It gives an ingredient list, THEN the recipe name, then the instructions. The recipes all run together and you must be very, very careful that you are still on the same recipe.
I like the book and the recipes, but I would never have purchased it, if I’d known how poorly it was laid out.
These are generally good recipes, but this book has the most horrible layout. It gives an ingredient list, THEN the recipe name, then the instructions. The recipes all run together and you must be very, very careful that you are still on the same recipe.
I like the book and the recipes, but I would never have purchased it, if I’d known how poorly it was laid out.
May 28, 2015
I've been looking for a book that is a hybrid of keeping chickens,as well as recipes for their meat and eggs. This book isn't that, but it's as close as it seems I'm going to get in 2015. There are a plethora of egg recipes that are exciting, versitile, and diverse. Thompson also shares many stories from her family's chicken raising adventures which i greatly enjoyed reading.
July 20, 2017
Simple, interesting recipes and really good starter info for keeping chickens.
February 12, 2019
Good anecdotes about the author’s experiences with chickens and many egg recipes as well. Some of the recipes are very simple, perhaps for someone who has never cooked.
December 8, 2011
Book Review for The Fresh Egg Cookbook by Jennifer Trainer Thompson
It isn’t often that I consider a cookbook a “good read”, however when I picked up The Fresh Egg Cookbook by Jennifer Trainer Thompson I was immediately enthralled. This is a cookbook that is captivating! Thompson has a beautiful way with words and her book is filled with stories about her backyard chicken experiences as well as amazing recipes, and helpful hints. She talks about the triumphs and failures that come along with raising chickens as well as loving any animal.
The recipes in this book are simple, clear, and absolutely delicious. I made a host of different recipes, but two recipes were my absolute favorite. My favorite recipe by far was the Mango Smoothie. The smoothie was refreshing, easy to make and it was filling enough to have for breakfast!
The other recipe that I found very useful was the recipe for hard boiled eggs. I love hard boiled eggs, and when I first started raising urban chickens I was excited about the prospect of having tons of hard boiled eggs! However, every time I attempted to make hard boiled eggs I would end up with eggs that were pitted and impossible to peel. I learned from Thompson that my eggs were too fresh. She recommends in her book that you allow fresh eggs to sit several weeks before hard boiling them. I tried this technique, and it works! The shells peel off easily and there are no pit marks on my eggs anymore.
I would recommend this book to people who love to cook as well as people who have no clue how to cook. Thompson’s recipes are simple, healthy, and delicious!
It isn’t often that I consider a cookbook a “good read”, however when I picked up The Fresh Egg Cookbook by Jennifer Trainer Thompson I was immediately enthralled. This is a cookbook that is captivating! Thompson has a beautiful way with words and her book is filled with stories about her backyard chicken experiences as well as amazing recipes, and helpful hints. She talks about the triumphs and failures that come along with raising chickens as well as loving any animal.
The recipes in this book are simple, clear, and absolutely delicious. I made a host of different recipes, but two recipes were my absolute favorite. My favorite recipe by far was the Mango Smoothie. The smoothie was refreshing, easy to make and it was filling enough to have for breakfast!
The other recipe that I found very useful was the recipe for hard boiled eggs. I love hard boiled eggs, and when I first started raising urban chickens I was excited about the prospect of having tons of hard boiled eggs! However, every time I attempted to make hard boiled eggs I would end up with eggs that were pitted and impossible to peel. I learned from Thompson that my eggs were too fresh. She recommends in her book that you allow fresh eggs to sit several weeks before hard boiling them. I tried this technique, and it works! The shells peel off easily and there are no pit marks on my eggs anymore.
I would recommend this book to people who love to cook as well as people who have no clue how to cook. Thompson’s recipes are simple, healthy, and delicious!
December 20, 2011
The Fresh Egg Cookbook is a fabulous book that blends stories, tips on raising chickens, how-to's for the proper way to work with eggs, as well as many wonderful and simple recipes that use eggs. I have not yet had a chance to make any of the recipes, but a quick glance of them show this experienced cook that the recipes are very easy to follow and are full of flavour.
Thompson shares her experience with raising chickens with her family and all of the 'good, bad and ugly' stories that go along with having chickens as a part of the family. I learned many new things about chickens and eggs from this book. Along with all of the stories and tips, there are also several pictures of the chickens that roam around the yard.
One other interesting aspect of the cookbook, besides it being centered on eggs, is that not only is it divided up into various meals of the day, but each recipe has a little history with is, either how the recipe came into her hands, or the background of the dish, makes this book a joy to read.
This book was provided as a galley by the publisher for an honest review.
Thompson shares her experience with raising chickens with her family and all of the 'good, bad and ugly' stories that go along with having chickens as a part of the family. I learned many new things about chickens and eggs from this book. Along with all of the stories and tips, there are also several pictures of the chickens that roam around the yard.
One other interesting aspect of the cookbook, besides it being centered on eggs, is that not only is it divided up into various meals of the day, but each recipe has a little history with is, either how the recipe came into her hands, or the background of the dish, makes this book a joy to read.
This book was provided as a galley by the publisher for an honest review.
July 15, 2012
Which came first – the chicken, the egg or the cookbook? We wish this book had come first, certainly before the ever-more available fresh eggs at farmers’ markets or from the backyard coop. Egg recipes are often overlooked in more cookbooks than not, sublimed to mere ingredient status except in the occasional brunch cookbook. The Fresh Egg Cookbook from Jennifer Trainer Thompson (of Jump Up and Kiss Me Hot Sauce fame) handles the oeuvre without missing a beat.
The mastery of egg cookery is one of a chef’s essential skills (the folds of a chef’s toque classically represent the wearer’s proficiency in 100 ways to cook an egg) and when properly done, the egg shines far beyond just being a part of a recipe.
Thompson catches the essence of how it’s done from the scrambled to the dessert with clean recipes, great photography, interesting egg-asides and enough (even though there are only 101 recipes) to keep even the most ardent egg-eater busy for a year.
Edible Notes received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and reeived no additional compensation. Copyright 2012 Edible Notes
The mastery of egg cookery is one of a chef’s essential skills (the folds of a chef’s toque classically represent the wearer’s proficiency in 100 ways to cook an egg) and when properly done, the egg shines far beyond just being a part of a recipe.
Thompson catches the essence of how it’s done from the scrambled to the dessert with clean recipes, great photography, interesting egg-asides and enough (even though there are only 101 recipes) to keep even the most ardent egg-eater busy for a year.
Edible Notes received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and reeived no additional compensation. Copyright 2012 Edible Notes
April 16, 2012
With four hens in the backyard giving us 3-4 eggs a day, this book is essential in utilizing our amazing and plentiful bounty.
Update: this was a library book, and it is so good that I will purchase a copy. The recipes are super and inventive (I'm cooking indian styled eggs for dinner tonight and cannot wait!) and I loved reading more about my favorite new hobby, raising hens.
I'd say this is a must- have for folks with chooks.
Update: this was a library book, and it is so good that I will purchase a copy. The recipes are super and inventive (I'm cooking indian styled eggs for dinner tonight and cannot wait!) and I loved reading more about my favorite new hobby, raising hens.
I'd say this is a must- have for folks with chooks.
February 21, 2013
The incredible edible egg!
This is a totally charming book that has great recipes, beautiful photos, and wonderful stories about the author's relationship to her chickens. Very fun -- although I was hoping for tips on how to peel fresh hardboiled eggs. The answer seems to remain "keep them until they're not that fresh anymore."
This is a totally charming book that has great recipes, beautiful photos, and wonderful stories about the author's relationship to her chickens. Very fun -- although I was hoping for tips on how to peel fresh hardboiled eggs. The answer seems to remain "keep them until they're not that fresh anymore."
April 14, 2012
this cookbook with a story was a delight to read, imparting some wisdom about raising chickens, alongside a wide assortment of egg recipes. i like how there's a chapter on recipes for using lots of eggs - those come in handy sometimes!
February 21, 2013
I love this book! I read it cover to cover and expect to try many of the recipes. I also especially enjoyed the charming illustrations and fun anecdotal elements. She loves her chickens like I love mine!
March 18, 2012
Great cookbook with interesting fun quotes and stories about chickens and eggs. Thanks to my local library.
July 20, 2012
Some good recipes in this book to use up you fresh eggs if you are becoming overwhelmed. Gorgeous pics as well.
August 18, 2012
I love this book. Eggsellent recipes and an adorable yet very insightful guidebook on raising chickens. I hope she writes another one!
March 16, 2013
Pretty good, pretty good.
July 31, 2013
Nice cookbook especially for those with hens like me!
April 13, 2014
A useful spread of recipes for using eggs without getting tired of them. I copied down a lot of recipes from here for future use when the duck eggs start to pile up.
June 23, 2014
If you have chickens or think you might like to this is a must have book. It has great tips for getting started and a great selection of recipes for eggs.
December 10, 2016
Nice try. There is a strong theme. But there are way too many words for too few recipes that aren't any special.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews