This section looks at boiling eggs so that you can have a meal in minutes with a yolk cooked just to your liking. We then look at adding a few basic ingredients to turn your eggy meal into a feast.
There are 2 big debates to be had for boiled eggs; getting the yolk perfect and whether to use fresh or old eggs.
- Getting the yolk right is driven in part by whether you are eating the eggs hot or cold. In general you want a runny yolk if serving hot and a hard yolk when cold. If you are not certain go for better cooked rather than under cooked, a runny yolk in a cold egg really puts me off. The difference between a runny and soft yolk is about 30 seconds, timing is key if you like your yolks runny.
- Old eggs or new is down to whether you are going to try to peel the shell off. New eggs do not peel easily. The shell pulls the outer layer of the white away from the rest of the egg and you will be left with a messy looking egg. This is not a problem if you are then going to mash them up, all be it a waste of white. But it is not good if you want to present a nice even egg as part of a salad or for pickling. Eggs in excess of a week old peel easily and cleanly. If you are eating a boiled egg in its shell, new eggs are not a problem.
One last thing to remember is that your eggs will continue to cook after you have removed them from the hot water. So don't leave them too long before you start to eat them. If you need your eggs for a recipe and they are to be recooked remove them at the soft or runny stage and immediately put them into iced water to stop them cooking any further.
Do NOT start cooking eggs and go off to do something else. I guarantee you will be longer than you think. The result is not nice, especially if your eggs boil dry and start to burn in the pan, it’s a smell you wont forget in a hurry.
You will need
- A saucepan
- Cold water either from the tap
- As many eggs as you want to boil, 1 – 2 per person.
- A second accurate timer or watch
- Egg cups, 1 for each person.
- Something to eat with your egg. Toast made into soldiers is a classic, they are also good with a slice of ham, a slice of cheddar and a piece of bread and butter
Method
- If you are good at multi-tasking then cook your toast whilst the eggs are cooking. If you don’t cope with doing 2 things at once do the toast first and keep it warm in the oven whilst you cook your eggs.
- Fill your saucepan three quarters full of cold water, add the eggs and then bring the water to boiling and maintain a slow rolling boil as opposed to a fast boil.
- As soon as the water comes to the boil you need to start your timing, timing is essential for boiled eggs. See below for your timings.
- Remove your eggs from the pan using a slotted spoon, allowing the water to drain off
- Serve your egg in an egg cup, pointy end up. Slice the top off, eat and enjoy!
Remember our yolk cooking stages, when boiling your timings are as follows;
- Raw – just don’t go there
- Runny – 2 to 2.5 mins, no longer
- Soft – 2.5 to 3.5 mins
- Hard – 4 to 10 mins, leave for 10 if you want to make sure your yolks have no risk of a runniness to them
Problem solving
- Softer shells risk cracking in the boiling water as the water will knock the eggs around the pan whilst they are cooking. This cracking is not a problem but it is unsightly so avoid using softer shelled eggs.
- Boiled eggs continue to cook in the shell after they are removed from the water. If you a really certain you want a very runny egg cook for 2 mins not 2.5, the half second can make a big difference.
- The yolks on hard boiled eggs take on a grey tinge if you allow them to cool slowly. This is un slightly so to stop it happening drain off the hot water and put the eggs in ice cold water for a few minutes before you shell them.
- You will only know if your yolks are cooked enough once you have opened the egg and there is no way to continue cooking them at that point. So don’t guess whether they have had 2.5 minutes or 3, make certain you use a timer.
- If you are using hard boiled eggs and find they are not cooked enough, don’t throw them away, you can still mash them and use them in sandwiches.
- Hard boiled eggs can be cooked in advance of needing them. Do not shell them until you need them, keep your cooked eggs in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- You are learning it is OK to get it wrong, so practice if you are going to try to impress with your cooking prowess.
Once you have mastered basic egg boiling you will want to get more adventurous. Check out our "Boiled egg recipes" page for more serving suggestions and ideas for taking your perfect boiled eggs from a simple meal into a feast fit to impress.
Happy eating!