How to boil an egg

I had to look this up this morning as my daughter wanted boiled eggs for breakfast... I never boiled an egg before.



How to Cook Boiled Eggs

Ingredients

* Fresh egg(s); free range, large2
* Some water

Equipment

* Kettle
* Saucepan
* Egg cup(s)
* Teaspoon(s)

The Method

Firstly, boil enough water in the kettle to cover the egg. While the water is heating up, prepare the rest of the breakfast.

If you are removing the egg straight from the fridge, them prick the rounded end of the egg with a pin. This prevents the egg from cracking when put into the water.

When the water has boiled, pour the required quantity into the pan. Turn on the heat, and wait until the water boils furiously. Now you put your egg into the water, taking care not to burn your fingers. Try not to drop the egg in, as the shell will crack, causing the egg white to spill everywhere in the pan. You can use a slotted spoon if you don't want to get too close to the boiling water.

At this point it might be useful to ask the person who is having breakfast with you, or yourself, 'how you would like your egg?' (which is incidentally also a common chat-up line, used by the unoriginal to the unattainable). There will be a number of responses, but the most common answers deal with how long (approximately) the egg should be boiled for. Timing should start when the water comes back to the boil after you put the egg in.

The Four States of Egg

Soft Boiled

This is the egg with a runny yolk and a lightly cooked white. The egg should be boiled for no longer than three minutes for this state to occur. This applies, regardless of how many eggs there are in the pan. The soft boiled egg causes the most problems, as there are many questions due to the timing and their safety. British guidelines state that those in vulnerable groups, ie, very young children, those who are pregnant and the elderly, should not eat this type of egg. On the other hand, this does take the fun out of consuming it, as you cannot have 'Eggy Soldiers' with them (see below).

Hard Boiled

This is the egg with a solid white and a completely solid yolk. Considered the safest, but also the less fun option. Boil for about eight minutes. This state of boiled egg inevitably causes problems due to timing, because if you remove the egg from the water too soon, you will end up with an egg with a soft centre.

Soft, but not Too Soft

This is generally regarded to be a solid white and a thick yolk which looks like it is coagulating around its borders. About a 4 or 5-minute egg.

A Three-minute Egg

Pretty self-explanatory.

Once the egg has been cooked for the required time, it is then time to remove it from the hot water. Use a slotted spoon to remove it, and carefully place it in an egg cup. If you like, you could place an egg cosy3 over the egg to keep it warm.

Problems at Altitude

Boiling eggs becomes progressively more difficult the higher up you are, due to the lower air pressures in higher altitudes. As a result, if you are living up 'high', then you would have to alter boiling times. So:

*

At 5000 feet/1800 metres above sea level - it's about double the required boiling time
*

At 9000 feet/3000 metres above sea level - it's probably best not to bother. The water will boil and evaporate before your egg has even begun to cook. At this point, it may be best to consider an omelette or a scrambled egg

How to Get into the Boiled Egg

When the egg is first placed in front of you, it will be too hot to touch. You could use this moment to sample your coffee or tea. When the egg is cool enough to touch but not cold, it is then you will have to break into it. There are two recognised methods of doing this.

The Smash

Quite self-explanatory and accepted as the most fun, this does require some practice. The aim is to break the shell so that it can be peeled off easily. This can be achieved by lightly tapping the egg at either the pointed or round end with a teaspoon, and increasing the taps in strength until the shell breaks. At this point you can start peeling the eggshell off, exposing as much of the egg as you desire.

The Slice

This is a slightly more complex way of getting into the egg. The aim is to remove the end of the egg (either one), by slicing off the top. This can be done by firstly breaking the shell at about a centimetre from the top of the egg via a sharp blow to the side with a teaspoon. Once this is done, support the egg by placing your finger on the top. With a sawing motion, cut horizontally to about two-thirds through the width of the egg. Then, gently flip the top over, thus exposing the egg.

However, 'the slice' does pose some problems as you will have no idea which end the yolk will come to rest. If it comes to rest at the opposite end to which you are slicing it, then you have no problem. If it comes to rest at the end which you are slicing, then there will be a great deal of mess.

The easiest method by far is the smash, although in polite company, the slice is the preferred option, due to (if you are lucky) less mess, and less noise.

Prior to taking your first mouthful, remember to pick out all the little bits of shell that may have fallen into the egg. Although they may add a new texture, they add no taste, and these shell bits may also be uncomfortable to crunch.

Accompanying the Egg

Boiled eggs can be eaten with other breakfast-time snacks. In fact, eggs are often served with conveniently sliced pieces of toast called 'Eggy Soldiers'.

What are 'Eggy Soldiers'?

The term is a misnomer, as when they are served to you they are neither eggy, nor soldiers. They are actually slices of bread, grilled to make toast, cut into rectangular pieces 2cm/1 inch wide, used to dip into the yolk of a soft-boiled egg.

How to Eat Them

You should have reached the yolk of the egg before you try to dip the soldiers in. Once you have, remember, do not be too zealous in dipping, as you may find the yolk being displaced all over the table and yourself.

When removing the eggy soldier from the egg, do not use a sudden pulling motion. This is because if you remove it too suddenly, the part of the soldier in the yolk will remain in the egg, while the rest is torn off. Treat the soldier gently, and you will facilitate consuming your breakfast morning meal without embarrassment.

adding 2 or 3 teaspoonfuls of cheap white vinegar to the water stops it boiling so vigorously helping not to crack the eggs

I add eggs from the fridge to cold water, then it all heats up together and the eggs don't crack.

OMG!

All these years I've been cooking eggs, only to find out that I've been doing it ... WRONG!

Oh sheesh.

What a way to start the day.

Yep - sometimes it takes an beginner to teach people...only though to post it cos there has got to be other people wondering how to boil eggs - sad to say my wife is a trained chef so I did not want to ask her

I go with Delia again on this one.

Boil Kettle > add water to pan and bring back to boil > Add egg and reduce heat so egg isn't bouncing around.

Cook for ONE minute then take off of the heat and cover the pan. Leave for FIVE minutes (or SIX for a larger egg).

Cut off top. Eat with soldiers as above.

This will give a very creamy (ie runny) egg every time, which is the only way to eat one with soldiers.

I warm mine up in warm water while the kettle is boiling to prevent cracking. Also add the vinegar.

cheers small, will try this way on Saturday

hehe, I've always just hard boiled them ... hmm never really tried the other ones ... is the pin prick thing really worthwhile?
I'm guessing it's useful for soft boiled etc .. hard boil I usually just put the end in the saucepan and boil it up