by Mark Hopkins

Created on: April 03, 2010

Firstly, let's hope you are boiling eggs laid by chickens kept in humane conditions, ideally 'free range' and fed a natural, organic diet. Otherwise, no matter how skilfully the eggs are boiled they may well leave a nasty taste in your mouth...or at least on your conscience!

Hard boiled eggs are very straight forward to prepare. It is simply a matter of placing the required number of eggs in a saucepan of water deep enough to cover them, allowing  for quite a  bit to be lost while they boil. It does not really matter how fresh the eggs are, so long as they are not bad. Once the water has come to the boil, the heat can be turned down allowing the eggs to simmer for 6 to 7 minutes, (depending on how big the eggs are, as very big eggs will take a little longer). The egg yolk and white will be quite cooked through and solid and it is now time to remove them from the heat, carefully tip off the hot water and place the pan under a flow of cold water for a minute or two.

Once the eggs feel cool, gently crack the shells with a teaspoon and peel them away. With the eggs newly cooled the shell usually peels away easily, in large sections, and hey presto! you have hard boiled eggs. Some folks like a soft boiled egg though and here there is a greater challenge.

A good soft boiled egg should have a runny yolk and a firm white. A runny egg white is off putting, though not inedible, and an over-cooked 'soft boiled' egg is, let's face it, a hard boiled egg! The perfect soft boiled egg requires thought and careful timing. Large eggs will need a little more time boiling than small eggs, so it is important to make an initial judgement as to which category the eggs in question fall into.

The cooking procedure begins as for hard boiled eggs. The eggs are placed in a saucepan of cold water which covers them with a little to spare. The pan is heated to boil the water. As soon as it begins to boil, it is essential check the time elapsing. A small egg, as from a bantam, will need about four minutes to soft boil. 'About' is a necessary word as 15 seconds more or less may prove to be necessary and unfortunately only trial and error will establish which. If in doubt, slightly firm might be better than slightly under cooked. A larger egg will need a little longer, perhaps four and a half minutes of boiling. Again, only experience using the eggs usually available will establish the absolutely optimum timing.

With  soft boiled eggs, it is essential to remove them from the boiling water immediately, using a spatula or a tablespoon and pop them into their egg cups. Remember the shells will be hot enough to burn fingers.  Tapping the top of the eggs with a spoon to crack their shells helps to slow any 'cooking within the shell'. Next, it is important to enjoy eating them immediately too!  Slice off the tops with a knife or the side of a tea spoon and dig in!  A hot soft boiled egg ( or two) with a few slices of lightly buttered bread makes a very pleasant, cheap and nutritious meal or snack. Eaten occasionally, it is a healthy addition to the balanced weekly diet, especially if fresh fruit is added for dessert. Enjoy!     

     

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