[jambutty]

The humble hen’s egg is one of nature’s most versatile foods around.

Have I got this right? A fresh egg will sink to the bottom of the saucepan whilst a not so fresh egg will tend to float.

I like my eggs done in one of four ways – soft boiled or hard boiled for salads and sandwiches, fried with the white cooked through but the yoke soft, scrambled or as an omelette.

I keep my eggs in the fridge but to place them into boiling water is only asking for the shell to crack and it usually does. So I put the egg/s into cold water and bring it to the boil. As soon as the water is showing signs of boiling I set the timer running - 3½ minutes for a small egg, 4 - 4½ minutes for a medium sized egg and 5 - 5½ minutes for a large or extra large egg. The egg white is usually cooked and the yolk soft.

However a Charles D.H. Williams of the University of Exeter at http://newton.ex.ac.uk/teaching/CDHW/egg/ reveals that the egg white cooks at a temperature of between 62 – 65 degrees C, whilst the egg yoke will cook at between 65 – 70 degrees C. The duration is dependant on the freshness of the egg, its size/weight and the egg temperature upon insertion into the water. So it is not necessary to boil the water just maintain it at 65 degrees C if you want the yoke soft and the whiter hard.

Or you could go here http://www.hintsandthings.com/kitchen/eggs.htm and try that method.

A fried egg, preferably fried in butter but lard will do, goes well on a bacon buttie or part of a proper mixed grill. Chips, lamb chop, bacon, devilled kidney, fried tomatoes, fried onions and a liberal sprinkling of Daddy’s brown sauce. Some people like mushrooms in a mixed grill but I don’t like them.

Scrambled in butter on toast, buttered of course, but most people end up with a scrambled omelette because they over cook it. Melt some butter in a frying pan unless you can get hold of a special scrambled egg utensil.** Let the frying pan cool. Break in two or three eggs and whisk lightly. You cannot scramble more than three at a time successfully. Return the frying pan to a high heat and start stirring the mixture. DO NOT stop stirring. Once the snotty bits are beginning to show signs of being cooked reduce the heat to about half and keep stirring. Just before the whole mess is cooked take the frying pan off the heat and keep stirring. The egg will continue cooking from its own internal heat even as you spoon it out onto the toast. Add salt/pepper etc to taste and enjoy.

** A scrambled egg thingy was a saucepan type of thing that you filled with water, boiled the water and kept it boiling whilst you did the egg stirring thing in a fryingpan type of thing resting on top of the saucepan.

An omelette can be a meal on its own. Prepare some corned beef or spam or fried bacon or even chicken into tiny pieces. Or the whole lot. Having had the forethought of saving some of the new potatoes you boiled earlier cut a couple in to small pieces. Chop some cheese into small pieces. Chop up some spring onion. Add a few small pieces of tomato. Add bits of mushroom if that’s your thing.

Beat three eggs into a bowl. Beat them quite hard. Put your choice of fat/oil into a frying pan and heat until it is hot. Pour in the beaten egg and cook over a hot flame. As soon as the egg is showing signs of being cooked but the top is still quite runny pour on the other ingredients onto one half of the cooking omelette. Fold over the other half and cook for another minute or so. Slide onto a plate and garnish with your favourite sauce. A meal in itself.