by Carmel Brulez

Created on: October 11, 2009   Last Updated: October 12, 2009

Hard boiled eggs are very cheap, tasty, quick and easy to prepare and nutritious. They are easy to store. We can boil a batch of eggs and keep them in the fridge until we are peckish. Or pickle the shelled boiled eggs in vinegar, where they will keep until wanted.

They contain vitamin B12, iron, calcium, potassium and are one of the only foods to contain vitamin D.

Because a hard boiled egg is in its shell it is also portable, it is easy to take it with you for a picnic or packed lunch for school or work. They are delicious hot or cold and can be eaten in many different ways. They are very popular when cold in a sandwich, perhaps with salad cream or mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato, or in a salad. I love hard boiled eggs with chips, mayonnaise and tomato ketchup! But, hey, nobody is perfect! Cold boiled eggs go very well with pork pies.

Boiling an egg is easy once you get the hang of it.

You need a saucepan, which you fill with very hot water, preferably boiling water. When the water is boiling rapidly you very carefully lower the egg in so that it does not break or crack. Make sure the water does not boil over. How long you boil the egg depends on if you want it to be soft and runny in the middle or hard in the middle.

If you will be eating your egg with bread soldiers you probably prefer it soft. For a good soft egg make sure the water is boiling for four minutes, then remove the egg immediately. If you allow the egg to remain in the water it will continue to cook and get hard.

For a hard boiled egg leave it for 6-7 minutes, although a bit longer will not hurt it. If you choose to eat your boiled egg cold you will need to allow it to cool down for about 30 minutes before eating it. There is nothing worse than a cold boiled egg that is still warm.

You can also use an egg timer when boiling an egg. If using an egg timer you will know when the egg is ready without having to watch the clock. If you are boiling a whole saucepan full of eggs allow the eggs a little longer before turning off the heat and removing them.

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