COOKING GUIDE

"You can't even boil an egg", is an all too familiar expression to describe someone as totally lacking of basic cooking skills - and yes - you are right, boiling eggs is really  basic cooking stuff !

To be accurate, eggs are simmered rather than boiled. For many, a boiled egg with toast for breakfast, is all too often taken for granted. But the soft-boiled egg and its cousin, the coddled egg, have many delicious applications. If they are to be peeled for serving, cook them for the longest time suggested below. The salt in the cooking water aids in peeling. Hard-boiled eggs make classic salads and sandwich fillings, as well as cold first course and buffet dishes and hot main dishes.

When hard-boiling eggs.

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil, then with a slotted spoon, lower each egg into the water. Reduce the heat so the water is just simmering and cook for 10 minutes. Immediately plunge the eggs into a bowl of iced water to cool.

When the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them. If they are not to be used immediately, keep the peeled eggs in a bowl of cold salted water. Alternatively, store the eggs, still in the shell, in the refrigerator;  they will keep for up to one week.

When coddling eggs.

Lower the eggs into a pan of boiling salted water, cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Leave for approx. 6 - 8 minutes or until the eggs are done to your taste. Lift out each egg, place in an egg cup and cut off the top of the shell for serving. If peeling is needed, plunge eggs into a bowl of cold water. When cold enough to handle, peel carefully. To reheat for serving, immerse in a bowl of hot water for 1 - 2 minutes.

When soft-boiling eggs.

Bring pan of well-salted water to the boil. With a slotted spoon, lower each egg into the water and lower the heat so the water just simmers. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until the eggs are done to your taste.