This is the first in our “How To” series that will feature quick and easy cooking lessons for the new and seasoned cook. There are many things we may have learned by route that need a little tweaking here and there and this is where we all take the leap into becoming even better cooks! So where do we begin? Why, with that little orb of goodness, the egg.
One of the tales of the culinary industry is that the many pleats of a chef’s hat indicate the many ways that you can cook an egg. You often see eggs as the stars of dishes here because they are affordable, delicious and downright good for you! It may have been one of the first things you learnt to cook and mastering egg cooking appears to be a skill akin to that of boiling water, but as easy as it is to do it right, it just isn’t that simple.
As any chef worth his or her measure in salt will tell you, the simplest things are the hardest or most delicate to cook. According to our resident chef at Chef and Steward, “It’s like telling a woman that you love her for the first time.” Once you get over that initial anxiety, the rest is sheer bliss with a bright yellow nucleus!
Coddled eggs: Lower cold eggs into already simmering water and simmer for 30 seconds.
Soft cooked eggs: Lower cold eggs into already simmering water and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Medium-cooked eggs: Lower cold into already simmering water and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Hard-cooked eggs: Place the eggs in a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches or 50mm.Bring the water to a boil and then immediately lower the temperature to a simmer. When it starts to simmer, begin the timing.Cook small eggs for 12 minutes, medium eggs for 13 minutes and large eggs for 14-15 minutes. Cool the eggs quickly in cool water an peel as soon as possible.
CHEF’S NOTE: Eggs should never be “boiled.” They should always be cooked at a simmer. The difference really is the length of time you cook them to get them cooked at the desired temperature. When making hard-cooked eggs, note that the fresher the eggs, the harder it will be to peel away the shell. So, you may want to use fresher eggs to make coddled and medium eggs and serve in the shell in an egg cup.
Sally says
Soft- boiled (sorry simmered!) dippy eggs and soldiers for me please!
chefandsteward says
Sally, I have a special place for you in my heart with the soldiers! Too cute! My mother used to make them runny when I was young then I changed to hard, medium and now I am back at soft!
Mel says
Written by Vladimir Nabokov:
http://biblioklept.org/2010/11/24/vladimir-nabokovs-recipe-for-eggs-a-la-nabocoque/
Tanyogin says
Really like where this is going? You have a Youtube account? Oneika Russell mentioned seeing one. I was trying to find it. My cousin 🙂
Tanyogin says
Sorry the first sentence was not a question. It was an exclamation mark:-)
chefandsteward says
Tanya, even with the exclamation mark, I cannot say that I understand your comment. But re Youtube, that is part of the plan once things get off the ground. Please clarify your comment so that I can be sure that I have answered you correctly.
Nikki Jacks says
I learned something…I only like my eggs hard boiled and I always just boil them till I think they’re done. Thanks guys!
chefandsteward says
Great Nikki! That is why we are doing this. There is a release of sulphur that causes a green line if eggs are cooked too long or too rapidly. Stay tuned for lots more in this series!
Tony says
Just a thought about hard boiled eggs… If you simmer/boil an egg for anything longer than 10 minutes, you oxidise the yolk. This causes the outside of the yolk to turn black, and while it makes little difference to the taste, it can look unsightly! Cooking for 8-9 minutes then placing in cold water to stop the cooking, produces an egg with no runny yolk, but is a delight to look at, seeing only golden yellow and pristine white.
Kind regards, Tony. P.S. Fantastic site!!!