Different ways to cook eggs

If you like to eat eggs, it should be noted that egg white is high in protein and toughens in the same way that meat does if overcooked and the yolk is rich in fat. Eggs should be cooked slowly with moderate heat. Too rapid cooking will toughen and burn the egg white and can make the yolk to become hard and chalky.

Eggs are one of the most versatile ingredient around. They are main source of protein, they can be eaten raw, boiled, fried, scrambled, coddled or made into omelette's. It seems so basic but sometimes you can still have burnt eggs or runny tops or green ring around egg yolk or how about when you have a complaint that the poached egg is too spread out.

Here are the different methods of cooking eggs with some tips or point of cake when cooking them.

• Choose a pan to suit the number of eggs you are boiling. One in a small pan, up to four in a medium pan, remember that the eggs need room to move around.
• Place enough tap water to cover the eggs. Stir over high heat until the water boils this is to centralise the yolks. Boil uncovered.

Please Note: For soft boiled eggs it will take about 3 minutes, medium-boiled, 4 minutes and hard boiled it will take about 6-7 minutes. Important: count the time from when the water begins to boil

• Place the suacepan of eggs under cold running water for about 1 minute to cool for peeling.

A common fault with hard boiled eggs is a black ring around the yolk. This is iron sulphide caused by sulphur in the egg white combining with iron in the yolk. It can be avoided by selecting fresh eggs, cooking them at the corrct temperature and for the correct time and rapidly cooling the eggs after cooking.

A perfect hard boiled egg is when cut in half, the white is firm but not tough, the yolk set and there should be not evidence of darkening between the white and the yolk.

Step by step: How to poach an egg

1. Break an egg into a small dish or bowl, make sure the egg is fresh and has no blood spots.
2. Fill a shallow pan with water to a depth of 5 cm and bring to the boil. Whisk or swirl the boiling water; this will encourage the white to surround the yolk. The addition of vinegar to the poaching liquid will help to coagulate the egg white and keep it surrounding the yolk as it poaches.
3. Pour the egg carefully into the water. Uncovered for about 3-5 minutes. Usually a poached egg is cooked until the egg white is firm and the yolk is still soft.
4. Remove the egg, using a slotted spoon and drain on a plate.

Fried eggs can be cooked on one side only (sunny side up) or on both sides. if the yolk is still soft and the white is a little runny, it is called 'over easy'. If the yolk is barely set and the white is cooked, it is 'over medium' And if the yolk is completely set, it is 'over hard.'

•  Place frying pan on a medium heat and add oil.
• Let the frying pan heat for two minutes or until it is very hot and starting to sizzle.
• Break the egg into the pan and fry slowly.
• Baste with fat while cooking. (or you can turn the egg over if desired or requested)
• Lift out of fat immediately when eggs are set. (Drain the egg of excess fat when lifting from the pan.)
• To serve, place each egg on a slice of buttered toast and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Scrammble eggs must be cooked over a medium heat. If the pan is too hot, the egg will stick to the pan and become dry and flaky.

You will need the following:

• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons (40ml)milk
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons (10g) butter

1. In a medium bowl using a fork, whisk eggs, milk and salt together until they are frothy and evenly coloured.
2. Heat butter in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat for 1 minute, or until the butter begins to foam. Tilt pan to ensure entire base of frying pan is lightly coated with butter.
3. Add egg mixture to frying pan and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds without stirring.
4. With a wooden spoon, gently push the cooked egg mixture towards the centre, tilting frying pan to let the runny parts cook. Soft folds of cooked eggs will begin to appear.
5. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is cooked but still creamy. Remove pan from stove as eggs will continue to cook in the residual heat.
6. Serve on toast, garnished with parsley.

Omelettes are served folded into a spindle-shape or flat. Folded omelette may have a filling incorporated with the eggs or some prepared mixture may be spooned into the omelette just before it is folded.

A frying pan of the right shape is important as this helps to shape the omelette. A heavy pan steel pan with curved sides and a diameter of about 20 cm. or a heavy aluminium pan of similar shape with Teflon is suitable. The pan must be kept clean and polished, dry and free of moisture.

Here is a simple recipe for Plain omelette (folded)

•  3 Eggs
•  15 g Butter
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Procedures:

• Break the eggs into a bowl and season Season with salt and pepper and beat lightly with a fork.
• Place the butter in frying pan on medium heat until butter begins to sizzle and before it turns brown, pour the beaten eggs and let them cook for one minute to set the base.
• When the omelette has nearly set, use an egg slider to fold one side of the omelette over the filling.
• Then gently put the egg slider under the cooked omelette and slide it on to a plate. Tilting the pan it will also help.

Omelettes are quick and versatile meal option for any time of the day. You can make a a filling by adding rasher bacon and tomatoes or add mushrooms or parsley. or you can make a Cheese omelette by adding 40 g. grated hard cheese to eggs .

• Crack the eggs into a dish first rather than straight into the pan to prevent hot oil splashing up.
• Extreme care should be taken when seasoning an omelette pan, as the temperatures of the pan can be very high without any visual evidence of heat such as steam.