Eggs really are quite odd. They are either the vessels of life or a light snack. When you come to think about it, they are involved in lots of cooking - mainly sauces or baking. But when you're in a hurry and can't be arsed faffing about in the kitchen, eggs are your saving grace. They can be cooked in lots of different ways without adding more than a pinch of salt and pepper. Here are 5 ways to cook eggs for a busy student on the go.
Easiest of them all and by far the most popular. You have to really make sure though that they do not over cook, or else they are really chewy.
2 eggs into a pot with a knob of butter. Don't season it, don't whisk the eggs, don't do anything. Just put the eggs and the butter into the pot and pop it on a high heat.
Making the best scrambled eggs is kind of like making a risotto. If you don't know how to make a risotto, fair enough. You just have to stand beside the pot with a wooden spoon and keep stirring it.
When the butter has melted and the eggs have started to thicken, take it off the heat and stir it on the work bench for a bit.
Then put it back onto the heat and stir it some more until you start to see a ratio of about 40% cooked egg amongst the uncooked.
Take it off the heat a final time and finish the stirring on the work top until it is all cooked. The reason why you keep taking this thing on and off the heat is to make sure it doesn't overcook and so the eggs are creamy and fluffy. When you get to this step the bottom of the pan is already really hot, so the eggs are going to cool while you're stirring it on the stove top.
Add to it about a tablespoon of milk and stir it in with salt and pepper. You're done.
These are the banes of any cook, whether you are at home or in a flat. You're going to have to practice with this one until you can get it right. With my recipe you don't need to do any of that swilling around the pot business. Why bother? You're just going to end up with egg everywhere.
You can expect your poached eggs to go to custard if you are not going to use really fresh eggs. That is why this dish is probably less of a flat staple, and more of a thing to pull out and show off with on the odd occasion.
One egg - fresh, and it has to be as fresh as you can possibly get it.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Put enough water in there so a small hedgehog could have enough space for a roomy bath.
Take off the pot from the heat long enough for it to be left to a quiet simmer. Simmering will make you the perfect poached eggs. Boiling water will smash your eggs to bits before your eyes and you can expect tears. Do not let that pot continue to boil.
Crack the egg directly into the pot of hot water. A bowl may be useful.
Leave the egg in the water for 3 minutes, and then take out with a slotted spoon.
Boiled eggs - soft and hard
These are the stinky ones, guys. Some people love them, some people hate them. The good thing about a hard boiled egg is that you can stick them in your fridge for a few days and use them as stuff for salads, for sandwiches. They're very useful.
Get a pot boiling away with some hot water and very gently slip in 3 eggs. Shells in tact.
TIP: if you are making hard boiled eggs, put a match into the boiling water. Yes, one of those beehive fire safety matches. It does something to the shells - it's a trick my mum taught me. Works well!
Timing is the only hard part about this one - boil for 4 minutes if you like them runny, just over 5 minutes if you like them firm, and 10 minutes if you like them hard boiled.
Again, this is super easy. Heat a reasonably sturdy frying pan on the hob until it is quite hot. Then, add about half a tablespoon of butter and let it melt until it's foaming. Then, crack in the egg.
The egg will cook initially around the edges, with a little pillow of raw egg white in the middle and the yolk on top. To cook fully you will need to let the eggs sizzle away for about 3 minutes.
Simply slide the egg onto a plate
The quintessential French meal of eggs and nothing much else. I was taught the ways of cooking a brilliant omelette by the legendary cook Julia Child (I'm Juuuuulia Child and Welcome to the French Chef!).
Too many eggs make a leathery omelette, as Julia told me. Make with about 2-3 instead, and simply whisk these in a glass just before hand with a crack of pepper and salt, and a tablespoon of milk or water.
Melt a decent and generous amount of butter into the pan (this is Juuuuuulia Child, after all) and leave it until it's starting to foam.
Pour the eggs directly into the pan and start to shake the pan. Strange? Yes, very strange, but it's how you make the best omelette. You are supposed to firmly swirl the eggs flat around the bottom of the pan. Don't go overboard, or else you'll have a complete disaster. This whole process only needs to take twenty seconds - if it is taking longer, you havent got the pan over a high enough heat, or your mixture is too thick.
Plop the omelette over a plate with a fist of parsley, or spinach is quite nice.
And there you have it. 5 quick and easy ways to make the most out of eggs in your flat when you're caught on a busy day.
