There are several basic ways to cook eggs,
and the very same amount of ways to do them wrong. Trust me, I've made every mistake in the book.
Here are some in your back pocket ways to cook good eggs, every time. Basic eggs, we'll get on to 'yer fancy eggs later! - Keep scrolling for Scrambled eggs (UK and US) and a perfect Poached! (at the bottom)
Fried Eggs
I mean, you crack it into a pan of hot oil and watch it... that’s it, right?
Well there are some tweaks:
When you fry an egg you do want a small pan of hot fat, at least 3 tbs of good vegetable oil (olive oil isn’t good at very high temperatures). You want the oil hot so the white of the egg starts to take solid form as it hits the pan. Your hob will vary, but just above mid level heat should do it without burning anything straight away.
A useful trick is to tilt the pan once the egg had started to hold together, and spoon some off the hot oil across the top of the egg, especially if you are cooking it ‘sunny side up’ (cooked on one side with a runny yoke) this means the hot oil will will cook the egg white, but leave a soft center (for those that like that sort of thing).
‘Over easy’ involves (depending where you eat) in flipping the egg to lightly cook the yoke as well, this all speaks to taste. I tend to order my eggs ‘over hard’ - I am fairly certain this is not an actual cooking style, but it generally gets me an egg cooked through completely.
Ingredients:
3 tbs of good vegetable oil
1 (or more) large free range hen's eggs
Equipment:
small non-stick frying pan
flexible rubber/plastic spatula (you can use a rigid, or wooden on if that's all you've got, but the angled flexible ones make it super easy. Never use metal utensils on non-stick/enamel pans!)
Method:
Pour or spoon the oil into a small frying pan firmly tap the egg on the lip of the pan.
Close to the surface of the pan: place both thumbs at the side of the crack, and fingers on the whole side of the egg, gently tease the shell apart - avoid pressing your thumbs in, as this will break shell pieces into the egg.As above, but break the egg into a small shallow glass (like a brandy glass or child's tumbler) first, this way you can make sure no shell has gotten into the egg (or fish it out with a teaspoon -not your fingers!- if it has)
Fry on a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, checking to make sure the edges are firming up (maybe going a little golden brown) but not burning, reduce the heat as needed.
For over-easy eggs, slide a flexible plastic/rubber spatula full under the egg, gently rotate with your wrist to slip the egg - try and stay as close to the pan surface as possible, placing the yoke down (with practice you can do this without breaking it, but if you're flipping your eggs anyway, it won't affect the flavor if the yoke cooks flat.)
Scrambled EGGS - English style
Ingredients:
3 tbsp of good vegetable oil
2-4 (or more!) large free range hen's eggs
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp dried parsley/oregano (not necessary but adds a hint of distinct flavour)
3 tbsp (one good 'glug') - Milk (how you like it, or Unsweetened Oat/Soy*)
Equipment:
small non-stick frying pan
ridged spatula
(Never use metal utensils on non-stick/enamel pans!)
Method:
Add all items to a small mixing jug (you can use a pint glass if your kitchen doesn’t have a mixing jug, mine didn’t for the longest time) - whisk with a fork or a balloon whisk (or baboon whisk**, if you’re in my kitchen)
Make sure all are combined into a consistent light yellow colour. If you have areas that look clear you haven't combined enough - it will cook just fine, but it won’t be a nice even scrambled egg, so give it another thrashing!
Heat a saute pan (it’s like a frying pan but with raised sides - you can use a high sided saucepan, but in my experience it’s more work to clean later) with a tbsp of olive oil, and set it to one above the mid range for your hob (I use induction, your mileage may vary). Once you can hold a hand 10cm above the pan and feel heat, you’re good to cook:
Pour the mixed egg in and stir gently with a wooden spoon (but preferably a rubber spatula) creating a lovely tasty lumpy mess. The British scrambled egg, that goes wonderfully next some some baked beans and Cumberland sausages.:
* again - use unsweetened as the extra sugar doesn’t cook right, and sometimes caramelises ** This is how boys told they "don't cook", cook. We’ll get technical when its food safety, but for the time being, no one taught us, so we made it up as we heard it.
Scrambled EGGS - American style
(I didn’t know this was a thing until I lived with an American lady, who responded with horror to what I was doing to some eggs when I cooked her a Full English... I have to say I much prefer this method she showed me, just for the look on the plate)
Ingredients:
3 tbsp of good vegetable oil 2-4 large free range hen's eggs (any type works, but we’re still being nice to the chickens) Salt and Pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp dried paprika/oregano (not necessary but adds a hint of distinct flavour)
3 tbsp (one good 'glug') - Milk (how you like it, or Unsweetened Oat/Soy*)
Equipment:
small non-stick frying pan
ridged spatula
(Never use metal utensils on non-stick/enamel pans!)
Method:
Add all items to a small mixing jug (yep - you can still use that pint glass, we won’t judge) - whisk with a fork or a balloon whisk, you’ve got to give this one the full welly, because it needs to be a smoooooth yellow colour!
Heat a non-stick flat or saute pan with 1tbsp olive oil, to one stop higher than the mid on your hob, and once it feels warm to a hand 10cm above the pan, add the mix in a smooth motion.
Push the cooking egg to the back of the pan in gentle folds, the rawer mix will flow to the front of the pan (tip it to encourage it if it isn’t behaving).
As the egg (almost omelette) cooks, slide it backwards with the spatula, encouraging the uncooked egg to flow to the front and the cooked egg to the back.
Once you’re happy most of the egg has some amount of cooking, flip it. This will likely break up the egg (unless you’re that darn good!) but this isn’t an omelette, it’s scrambled eggs, so officially no one is allowed to judge!
It’s alright not to cook the egg totally-through on the first pass, once you flip it, and even after that, the egg will cook in the reschedule heat. Depending on your tastes, some people like scrambled eggs a little creamier than solid.
You’ll be left with a few larger pillows of fluffy egg, perfect for serving with american style pancakes.
Perfectly Passable Poached.... Egg
(OK, I ran out of alliteration)
Ingredients:
1 large free-range egg 2 tbsp white wine vinegar Salt and pepper to taste
Equipment:
small(!) non-stick sauce pan
ridged spatula
(Never use metal utensils on non-stick/enamel pans!)
Method:
Heat a SMALL pan of boiling water*, salt it with a pinch (ground or the posh flaky one, I dare say it will make no difference here, but salt raises the boiling point slightly, so the water is extra hot) Once you have an energetic rolling boil (big bubbles), drop the heat one 'stop' of your hob (I use induction, your hob may vary)
Splash in a little white wine vinegar (honestly, this is a VITAL key, don’t skip it), I have said 2tbsp, you might only need one. What you are looking for is an obvious change in the bubbles - the bubbles should go from a big blobby surface, to a constant fizz of small bubbles.
Break an egg into a small glass (not a tall tumbler, a short whiskey or brandy glass or similar with a very short pour distance is ideal)At this point, stir in a constant gentle circular motion with a flat slotted spoon (not a spaghetti spoon with the pointy bits, but slotted so you can drain the water off later) - you want a steady stir of small fizzy bubbles in a gentle whirl.
Once your water is swirling gently, pour the whole egg into the centre of the whirl in once smooth motion. At this point I like to use my broad slotted spoon to guide the white of the egg to curl up small, but in theory the whirl of the water can do it for you.
In your head, count two minutes. I say in your head, because if you get distracted and miss Siri nagging you, you’ll go over, and it’s very time sensitive.
You know your guests better than I do, so check the cook of the egg to their taste. 2 mins will often do for a very soft poach. My wife likes about 4 mins, and I am obviously lacking in all good taste and judgement, because I like mine fully cooked to 7+ mins, but you don’t need to be as uncouth as me!
* (That's 100℃ - use a kettle or get the pan bubbling with big bubbles, don't mess about with hot water from the hot tap or tea/coffee makers, boiling water - so be careful)
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