Eggs & the Egg Kitchen

Boiled-egg timings

Large eggs (about 60 g) straight from the fridge, lowered into boiling water, then cooled in iced water.

Egg techniques

• Boiled

  1. Lower fridge-cold eggs gently into water that is already at a rolling boil, then turn it down to a lively simmer and start the timer.
  2. Room-temperature eggs cook about a minute faster; medium eggs about 30 seconds faster.
  3. Move the eggs straight into iced water for at least 5 minutes: it stops the cooking, prevents a grey ring and makes them easier to peel.

  Practise with: Boiled Eggs (Soft or Hard), Ajitsuke tamago (ramen eggs), Devilled eggs

• Poached

  1. Use the freshest eggs you have — the white stays tight. Tip each egg into a fine sieve for a few seconds to drain off the watery outer white.
  2. Bring a wide pan of water to a bare simmer, with small bubbles on the base only (about 80–90 °C). A splash of vinegar helps but isn't essential.
  3. Slide the egg in from a cup close to the surface and poach for about 3 minutes, until the white is set and the yolk soft. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper.

  Practise with: Poached Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Çılbır

• Scrambled

  1. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt just before cooking.
  2. Cook in butter over low to medium-low heat, stirring and folding constantly with a spatula, for soft, small curds; for larger, fluffier curds, push the eggs across the pan less often over medium heat.
  3. Take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look wet and glossy — they keep cooking on the plate.

  Practise with: Creamy Scrambled Eggs, Anda bhurji (Indian spiced scrambled eggs), Akuri (Parsi scrambled eggs)

• Omelette

  1. Use 2–3 eggs in a 20 cm non-stick or well-seasoned pan, beaten until no streaks of white remain.
  2. Melt butter over medium-high heat until it foams, pour in the eggs and stir with a fork while shaking the pan for 20–30 seconds, until softly set but still moist on top.
  3. Add any filling, roll or fold the omelette onto a warm plate seam-side down. A French omelette has no colour; a country-style one is lightly golden.

  Practise with: French omelette, Tamagoyaki, Masala omelette

• Fried

  1. For tender whites, crack the egg into butter or oil over medium-low heat and cover the pan for the last minute so the top of the white sets.
  2. For crisp, lacy edges, use hot olive oil and spoon it over the white as it bubbles, as in Spain.
  3. 'Over easy' means flipped briefly so the yolk stays runny; 'sunny-side up' isn't flipped.

  Practise with: Fried Eggs, Huevos rotos (broken eggs over fried potatoes), Egg Kejriwal

• Custards

  1. Egg proteins thicken gently, so heat slowly: a stirred custard sauce like crème anglaise thickens at about 80–84 °C — take it off before it boils or it curdles.
  2. Bake set custards (crème caramel, custard tarts, pots de crème) in a low oven, 130–160 °C, in a water bath, and stop while the centre still wobbles.
  3. Strain the mixture before baking for a silky texture, and skim off any foam.

  Practise with: Crème caramel, Crème anglaise, Chawanmushi

Safe eggs

Advice differs between countries because egg production does. Follow the guidance where you live, and take extra care when cooking for young children, pregnant people, older adults or anyone unwell.

Eggs & Egg Kitchen recipes