I am a reasonable cook and can do most things in a passable enough way but boil an egg I can't.

First of all there is the issue of timing. I have tried putting the eggs in cold water and timing for say 1 or 2 minutes from when the water starts to boil. There is the other way of putting the eggs in boiling water and cooking for a longer time than the first method say 4 or 5 minutes.

Either way I get either a hard boiled egg or one that has the white all runny YUK.

Then there is the decision of straight from the fridge or room temperature before putting in the pan. Keeping the egg at room temperature is supposed to stop the egg from cracking and spilling in the water.

How do you do yours?

Guess work - I dont do boiled very often, but when I do I just guess and like yours they come out different each time.

Fried are much easier - you can see what is happeneing:thumbsup:

I like poached eggs, add some vinegar to the water, swizz the water round and break an egg in the water, cook until it looks done.:thumbsup:

From fridge perfect boiled egg (runny yolk, hard white) instructions as follows:

Place in medium pan of cold water -
When you see the first BIG bubbles of boiling time 2.5 mins.

Then take out of pan and serve! Done!

If I am to presume that this is not a wind-up....

No probs, forget room temp or fridge.

(I imagine that would depend as much on thickness of the shell)

Bring pan of water to just under boil.

Add egg gently for 2 mins, if note done enough, next time 3 mins.

Until you have SELECT (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.eggrecipes.co.uk/recipesection/imag_rec/boiled.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.eggrecipes.co.uk/recipesection/asp/recipe.asp%3Fr%3D417&h=191&w=163&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboiled%2Begg%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%2 6lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8) eggs petal.

Obviously if you add a different number of eggs, cooking times will vary.

Personnally I poach.

But I think you should learn the former before attempting the latter Honey.

vengelia s.

Venger this is most certainly not a wind up.

Thanks for the link but how do you boil in just one inch of water...surely the egg won't cook uniformly.

And the bit about pricking the end of the egg to stop it cracking well whats the idea of that..... the egg white would come plithering out all over the place.

:rolleyes:

Good to hear its not just me that cant cook. Delia has advice here :

http://www.deliaonline.com/cookeryschool/howto/how_0000000003.asp

Sorry, I did not read it Mo.

Just thought I would send a nice picture.

I keep with my original directions.

More specificly also, egg should be submerged.

vengelia stiff.

Get yourself one of those plastic egg shaped things that you put in the pan with the eggs. Add cold water and boil together with the eggs. It gradually changes colour slightly and shows when it is soft or medium or hard boiled. Not sure how it works, but it does. It is a bit difficult to see the subtle colour change with all the bubbling water though. Not sure where you get them from but I have one and it definitely works.

Didn't even know they existed! - the cooking aids not boiled eggs :-)
I scramble - no chance of getting vomitous gloopy white.