If you have an egg in the house, you have a nutritious meal, which can be prepared in a flash. For the culinarily-challenged, boiling an egg can be something of a mystery, let alone mastering other egg-cooking techniques. Here is a quick run down of some egg staples and how to make them fabulous.
Boiling an egg
Use a small saucepan and fill with enough cold water to cover your eggs. Use medium/high heat to bring the water to a simmer (you don’t need it at a rolling boil or the shells may crack). Simmer 4 minutes for a soft yolk, and remove with a spoon. If you prefer your eggs more well done, leave for an additional two minutes. Over-boiled eggs will go green or grey around the yolk.
Poaching an egg
Bring a pan of water to a light simmer (not a rolling boil). Add a teaspoon of white vinegar per egg and gently crack the egg into the water (try and get the egg as close to the water as you can – dropping it from a height will see it spread all over the pan). The water needs to be barely simmering as the egg cooks, about 4 minutes for a soft yolk. You can test the egg by lifting it with a slotted spoon and touching the yolk – a very soft/runny yolk will feel spongy (like pressing soft white bread) – the firmer it is, the more well done it is.
Scrambling an egg
Eggs are packed full or protein, which makes them very nutritious. However, as with baking, when over-mixing can make muffins ‘tough,’ if you over-mix your scrambled egg as you cook it, it won’t be a pleasant texture.
Per serving, crack two eggs into a bowl and add 1/4 cup cream or milk. Whisk until well combined with a fork. Heat a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of lightly-flavoured oil (eg grape seed) in a pan until it foams. Add the egg mixture and turn down the heat. As the egg begins to set, gently scrape the mixture in from the outer edges of the pan and fold. Once the egg is about half cooked, season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat when it is nearly cooked, as it will continue to cook from its own heat.
For an omelette, complete all the above steps except the scraping – leave the egg to cook almost through on a low/medium heat and add fillings to half the mixture (eg cheese, bacon, leftover roast vegetables). Season and fold in half, then slide on to a serving plate.
Frying an egg
Heat a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of lightly-flavoured oil (eg grape seed) in a pan until it foams. Crack in your eggs and allow them to cook to your liking. For sunny side up, allow the white to cook through and don’t flip them – for over-easy, flip them after a couple of minutes and then let them cook for a minute upside down.
There you have it!