2 different ways to a perfect boiled egg

Before you start: 

• Very cold eggs that have come straight from the fridge are more likely to crack if plunged into hot water, so make sure you get them to room temperature before cooking.   

• Always use a kitchen timer. Trying to guess the timing or even remembering to look at your watch can be hazardous! 

• Always use a small saucepan. Eggs with too much space can move around, and crash into one another and crack.  

• If the eggs are very fresh (less than four days old), allow an extra 30 seconds on each timing. 

Method 1 

1. Fill a saucepan with enough cold water so your eggs will be covered (by about 1cm).   

2. Bring it up to the boil and when large bubbles are breaking on the surface quickly but gently lower the eggs into the water, one at a time, using a tablespoon. 

3. Now switch the timer on and give the eggs exactly 1 minute's simmering time. 

4. Then remove the pan from the heat, put a lid on it and let the eggs sit for the following times:  

   • 6 minutes will produce a soft, liquid yolk and a white that is just set but still quite wobbly. 

   • 7 minutes will produce a firmer creamier yolk with a white that is completely set. 

Method 2 

1. Put your room temperature eggs into a saucepan that is the right size so that they sit comfortably and cover them with cold water (by about 1cm).   

2. Bring the water up to boiling point then turn down to a simmer. 

3. Set the timer, depending on how you prefer your eggs cooked:  

   • Soft-boiled eggs: 4 to 6 minutes 

   • Medium-boiled eggs: 8 to 10 minutes 

   • Hard-boiled eggs: 10 to 12 minutes 

4. Then, the most important part is to cool them rapidly under cold running water. Let the cold tap run over them for about 1 minute, then leave them in cold water till they're cool enough to handle. 

5. This rapid cooling helps to prevent dark rings forming between the yolk and the white. 

Eggy tips 

• For easiest peeling, use eggs that have been in the refrigerator the longest. The less fresh the egg, the easier it is to peel. Don't throw away those eggshells! 

• To peel them crack the shells all over on a hard surface then roll the egg between your hands to loosen the shell. Begin peeling at the large end. Hold the egg under cold running water or dip it in a bowl of water to help remove the shell. 

• Hard boiled eggs with the shell on and kept in a sealed container will keep for 1 week in the fridge. 

• To tell whether an egg is hard boiled or raw, spin it! If it spins round and round evenly, it is hard boiled. If it wobbles while spinning, it is a raw egg. When you’ve finished your eggs – here’s what you can do with the carton!