How to cook an egg

Gizzi Erskine reveals how to cook the perfect egg

Superfoods may be all the rage at the moment, but there’s one food that has been super for centuries: the humble egg!

The legend that is Delia Smith taught us that sometimes learning to cook comes from the simple things like knowing how to boil an egg.

Here are my top tips for cooking eggs:

Boiling

1. Take eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes before boiling them – that will avoid them cracking.

2. Bring the water to a rolling boil and use a spoon to carefully lower the eggs into the pan.

3. Time your eggs carefully if you want them to be perfectly cooked – I swear by four minutes and 15 seconds for soft boiled eggs!

4. Peeling an egg under running water while still slightly warm will ensure that the shell peels off really easily.

Poaching

1. Use the freshest eggs you can find.

2. After bringing the water to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium.

3. Swirl the water but let it die down a little before you add the egg, otherwise there will be too much movement and the yolk will detach itself from the white.

4. For ease, poach eggs one at a time.

5. Drain the poached eggs on kitchen paper before serving.

Omelettes

1. Always cook omelettes in a non-stick frying pan.

2. Have all your fillings prepared before starting to cook.

3. Move the omelette around in the pan to create texture while it’s cooking.

4. For a proper French omelette don’t cook it completely. Serve it while still a little runny, or ‘baveuse’ as the French say (the actual translation of this is dribble or drool. Much tastier than it sounds!)

I always look for the British Lion on eggs to guarantee the highest standards of food safety.  These eggs come from British hens vaccinated against salmonella and are date-stamped for freshness. They also taste egg-cellent!

What do you think? 

Those are my top tips but what about yours? Please share your thoughts using the comments box below!