How to boil an egg our way
The humble egg. For years gone by it has made an appearance on many buffet tables. Whether in mashed, mayonnaised, sandwich form, or inside a tasty meat overcoat in the form of a scotch or ‘picnic’ egg.
We love the good old egg. We use them in cooking and they always feature in our canapé menus. Our favourites being little quail eggs as they are mouthful size and look so lovely and appealing. Like our quail egg with caviar and a paprika mayonnaise canapés. We have to make sure the eggs are not overboiled (which makes them dry and chalky) so they remain sticky and creamy. And for a little egg such as the quail’s, this requires spot on timing and process.
And this is why you probably won’t be surprised at how difficult it can be to boil an egg how you want it. In fact, in a recent study it was found a whopping 1 in 5 people weren’t sure or confident when it came to boiling an egg and it is a popular search on Google.
So with that in mind, we thought it would be good to use our knowledge and tell you how we go about it. So, here is our quick guide to boiling a large (chicken) egg.
Firstly, make sure you always pick a good egg! The best quality you can, and of course free range. An egg right out of the fridge will take longer to cook than an egg at room temperature, so we suggest removing them from the fridge a while before you need them. Although some people prefer to put them straight into a pan of boiling water (if you do this use a dip and drop method) we like to bring them to the boil with the water. It can also help prevent cracking.
So, pop your egg in a pan and fill with cold water, enough to cover about half an inch above the egg. Remember also to add a pinch of sea salt to the boiling water as this can also prevent cracking and seeping.
Put a lid on your pan and place on the heat. The secret is to start timing your eggs when the water has reached a rolling boil. Then we recommend you use a timer, not a clock, for a consistent result:
• For a soft-boiled egg, just right for dipping – 4 minutes
• For a slightly soft-boiled egg, great for dipping but not as oozy – 5 minutes
• For a custardy yet firm soft-boiled egg (think Niçoise salad) – 6 minutes
• For a creamy hard-boiled egg, great for Scotch eggs – 7 minutes
• For a firm yet still creamy hard-boiled egg which mashes like a treat – 8 minutes
Adjust the timing for the size and type of egg. We halve the time for quails’ eggs but increase by 30 seconds for larger eggs such as duck.
And remember, if you’re not using immediately, put straight in to cold water to prevent the egg cooking any further.
Happy dipping!
