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how to boil the perfect egg.

Just refer to Saint Delia. She started a TV series with 'How to boil and egg' some years ago.

In my limited experience, the differences in results are all due to size and age. Older eggs take less cooking.

My wife likes a soft boiled egg and gets cross if it over cooks. She soft boils it and ten removes the shell. I poach mine - much more reliable!
 
This method has never failed me for decades and I do them at least twice a week: egg and water in the pan, wait for a rolling boil, then set a timer for 3:30m. Works every time for me. Runny yolk and firm white.
 
I use boiling water and eggs at room temperature. I've never put eggs in the fridge.

Some eggs do have thinner shells so you have to be careful if using boiling water. The method is still the same though. Wait for a rolling boil.

Rockmeister said:
egg from fridge? cold water?
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cold water, never keep eggs in the fridge. bring to boil and take off heat for 6 minutes IIRC
 
Kept out of fridge like Tomatoes
Gently put in empty saucepan, fill just over with cold water, bring to boil then 8mins for Hard, not experimented with soft

Have noticed that if you want to use eggs from fresh, brown shells get nice crack from impact easy separation, white eggs disentigrate in hand egg everywhere.
If you want to use boiled eggs without shells, white eggs shell easier, brown seem to have thicker shells and come off in bits rather than large pieces
been doing 8 at a time, buying in crates of 30
 
when I was a kid, white shelled eggs were the norm, and the odd brown shelled egg was a novelty and a source of excitement.

In those days brown eggs tasted nicer.

And then there were the double yolked eggs which sent us into a frenzy. We'd normally wrestle or joust for the privilege of getting to eat the doubler.
 
I used to buy our eggs from our Butcher, now sadly retired. He was a traditional Butcher and told me one day that there were a lot of double yolkers in the current batch and I was to tell him if we got any as he was supposed to charge extra.....

I told him I`d bear it in mind.

There were quite a few doubles though.
 
Barrymagrec said:
I used to buy our eggs from our Butcher, now sadly retired. He was a traditional Butcher and told me one day that there were a lot of double yolkers in the current batch and I was to tell him if we got any as he was supposed to charge extra.....

I told him I`d bear it in mind.

There were quite a few doubles though.
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I don't know why but that reminds me of a story in Rabelais' Gargantua. This bloke is very poor and he can't afford to eat. He finds himself in Paris, in the Chatelet I think, and there's this rottissorie on the streets -- the smell of the delicious roasting meats is wonderful. So he decides to quell his hunger by positioning himself close and relishing the odours.

Anyway, the owner of the rottissorie notices what he's doing and wants to charge him for enjoying the smells. A fight ensues, and lots of passers by get involved in the altercation.

In the end a lawyer finds the solution. He takes some coins and jangles them in front of the owner. He says that the payment for the smell of the roasting meats should be the sound of the jangling coins.

A propos of nothing, sorry, couldn't resist.
 
One of the nice things about Europe over the US is that eggs aren’t washed and so don’t need refrigeration.
 
I see there are a couple of Delia Smith followers on this thread. Boil an egg for one minute. Take the pan off the heat. Put a lid on it and leave the egg in the pan for five minutes, or six if it's large.

This works. If you want to peel the egg, rinse it in cold water first otherwise you will burn your fingers.

Jack
 
My best poached effort to date (hoping this thread is more appropriate than the fried). Boiling water, taken off the stove, slight vortex, add egg, back onto low heat for 3 mins. Fresh eggs are key, no need for binding agents like vinegar etc.

2qvOMX.jpg
 
An egg shaped poached egg? I don't think so, unless it has been trimmed or wrapped in cling film.
 
Cav said:
An egg shaped poached egg? I don't think so, unless it has been trimmed or wrapped in cling film.
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Straight out of the water, no trimming or cling film -- I would state so otherwise. I've had similar at a few restaurants, this one for me was a one off though, hence I took the pic (two years ago). The egg was only a day or two old which is the main factor, the white stays intact. Fresh egg + good vortex = you can't go wrong.
 
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