SWF, 37, Can't Cook Eggs, GSOH

Sundae · 08-09-2009, 02:52 PM

Sorry, I just can't.

Omelettes I thought I got. Turns out, when I'm turned out in to the wide world, that what we called omelettes at home were called overcooked placemats elsewhere.

Mum never fried an egg the whole time I lived at home, so I never got the knack. Mostly because my Dad's Mum was a real East End mother and fried everything so my Mum was trying to lower the grease:blood ratio after she married Dad.

And their poached eggs are (by preference) mostly hard, except for a tiny leaking yolk right in the centre. I want to make really soft yolked ones.

Boiled eggs, I can't excuse. I didn't eat them ALL my adult life and now am too embarrassed to ask Mum how to cook them, at 37. And that's what this post has been precipitated by. Mum left me three eggs. I have tried to make myself a soft-boiled egg three times. I have failed every time.

I don't know if I'm starting off with the water too cold. Or too hot. Or if I have the cooking heat too high or too low. I KNOW there must be a rule, but I'd rather hear it from Dwellars than google it, because you might be able to help with my other egg issues on the back of this.

Truth is, in Food & Nutrition (at school) we learned the temperature of the coagulation points of both egg yolk and egg white. Well, I say learned. I didn't. It was numbers! I didn't know it then and I don't know it now.

I find I still have runny white when the yolk is just right. For poached, fried and boiled. If I get the white right, the yolk is hard as old whatsits. I can eat hard boiled eggs of course, but if I have soldiers ready (or toast in the case of poached/ fried) it's a real upset.

Should I raise or lower the temp/ increase or decrease the cooking time?

If someone could detail exactly how to cook a perfect soft boiled egg - and please don't miss out any stage! - I would really appreciate it. More general help would also be great. Just don't use temperatures

zippyt · 08-09-2009, 03:12 PM

Boy scout eggs ,
Get some freezer zip top bags ,
crack 2-3 eggs in the bag ,
add salt pepper , onions , Bacon bits , cheese , what ever floats yer boat
squeeze it all togather untill thurly mixed
put in a Big pot of boiling water ,
cook untill they feel right
open bag , put the eggs on a Plate and Enjoy

Easy Peasy Kiddo !!

DanaC · 08-09-2009, 03:53 PM

Properly done omelette is inedible as far as I am concerned. Semi set liquid egg. Mmm. *bleh*

I do omelettes the way my Dad taught me. Folded in the pan. Fluffy on the inside, golden brown on the outside and a little salt and pepper.

Griff · 08-09-2009, 04:02 PM

Put the omlette under the broiler after you're done with the pan work. yummish!

Dagney · 08-09-2009, 04:48 PM

How I do the perfect hard boiled egg...without numbers! (Well, a few well counted minutes, but that's about it).

But X number of eggs in water to cover. Put them on the heat, and bring them to a boil. Let boil for 3 minutes, then turn the heat off and let them sit for 18 minutes.

Perfectly boiled every time - and never a green yolk to be found.

Sundae · 08-09-2009, 04:58 PM

Thanks Dagney! That was exactly what I was looking for.
Hang on - are you sure that's soft boiled? ETA - nope, reread and that's hard boiled. Sorry hon, even I can manage a hard boiled egg. Similar timings to yours in fact.

You other guys - cheers, but I'm afraid it doesn't help.
Zips - that's an interesting take on eggs, but not one I'm ready to embrace.
Dani - I'd be completely happy to have that kind of omelette, but I still seem to get it rubbery on the bottom and liquid on top - am I cooking too high or too low?
Griff - ummmmm. Actually, is that how it's done? Am I waiting too long for the top to cook when I should be grilling it?

Timings and approx heats would really help.

jinx · 08-09-2009, 05:10 PM

I like a 6 minute egg... not soft boiled, but not hard, chalky or green (boil for longer than 10 minutes to achieve this). Sounds like you might like a 5 min or less egg SG.
Put eggs in pot, cover with water, put on high heat until water boils then start timing. When time is up, put pot in sink and run cold water over eggs to stop the cooking.

Clodfobble · 08-09-2009, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Dani - I'd be completely happy to have that kind of omelette, but I still seem to get it rubbery on the bottom and liquid on top - am I cooking too high or too low?

If the bottom is cooking too quickly before the top has a chance to start to set, that means your heat is too high. Lower heat on the stove will allow more time for the heat to travel up to the top of the eggs before the bottom gets hot enough to overcook.

Griff · 08-09-2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Griff - ummmmm. Actually, is that how it's done? Am I waiting too long for the top to cook when I should be grilling it?

I just fry pan it to the consistancy the target audience wants then only about 2 minutes under the broiler on high to brown the top. It is a complete eyeball deal. For me cooking is about adjusting on the fly not following precise directions...

Pie · 08-09-2009, 06:31 PM

Drop the heat and cover the omlette pan after the bottom has set up somewhat, SG. The trapped steam will help set the top.

Or you can throw it under the broiler to get a drier, 'souffle' effect, as Griff suggested.

I make a lot of eggs.

Three-minute eggs are my favorite for dunking toast soldiers into. Omelets, frittata, fried, scrambled, en casserole, baked in red wine...

Here's a good write up of different stages of boiled egg, and how to achieve each.

DanaC · 08-09-2009, 06:40 PM

Yeah, covering it for a little while lets the top catch up.

I then fold mine over in the pan whilst the top is still soft. It continues to cook whilst you're transferring from the pan.

Cloud · 08-09-2009, 08:02 PM

I just say a Julia Child thing on TV where she demonstrated omellete making. She made, like 15 omelletes, one after another (which I thought was kinda weird). They took like 20 seconds to make on high heat.

I don't recommend that way! The biggest obstacle to pan eggs is overcooking.

As far as hard/soft boiled eggs go--the cooking time is variable. It depends on the size of the egg, how cold it is, and maybe some other factors. So you have to experiment a bit with your stove, and your eggs. I usually like 9 minute medium boiled eggs and make my hard boiled eggs about 15 minutes with eggs out of the frig.

gvidas · 08-09-2009, 09:47 PM

My two thoughts:

- with fried eggs, there's a sack on the albumen (the egg whites) that is akin to the yolk sack. So if you want an egg where the whites are crispy and the yolk is runny, you need a pretty hot surface and you need to be clear to pop the outer sack without popping the inner, allowing it to thin out and cook faster.

- with omlettes and such, you're really managing moisture content. You can cheat by adding a lot of oil or, better, a lot of medium-soft cheese like feta or cheddar. Other people add milk while scrambling the eggs. But the reality of the situation is that visual aesthetics aren't important once it's in your mouth, and how it tastes is way more important. "Pan scrambles" or a "frittata" are much more realistically attainable and delicious for the lack of stress involved.

Aliantha · 08-09-2009, 09:59 PM

When I do fried eggs, I crack them onto a hot pan which has a small amount of oil or butter, then I immediately put the lid on the pan. This gives the eggs the effect of poaching on top, so there's no raw white left, but you have all the yumminess of a fried egg from the pan. You just leave the lid on for as long as you need to get the desired degree of yolk hardness you prefer. Usually best to leave it on for at least 2 minutes at first to begin the cooking process. Once it's begun, the yolks wont take long to go hard, so keep an eye on them. Obviously, a glass lid is ideal for this because you can see what's happening and take them off at the right time.

Sounds complicated, but give it a go. It's really easy.

lumberjim · 08-09-2009, 10:06 PM

hot pan with butter

crack in two or 3 eggs quickly...one handed if you're cool

leave them alone until they get firm underneath and begin to bubble

then wiggle the pan and get them loose

if you want a good sunny side up, lift the edge of the egg and let the raw stuff on top slide under.

for over light, quick flip them, and cook for 30 seconds and flip them back, plate them

cook longer on the top for over easy, longer still for over medium.

never eat over hard or over well. unless you also put ketchup on hotdogs....because damn.

08-09-2009, 02:52 PM	#1
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	SWF, 37, Can't Cook Eggs, GSOH Sorry, I just can't. Omelettes I thought I got. Turns out, when I'm turned out in to the wide world, that what we called omelettes at home were called overcooked placemats elsewhere. Mum never fried an egg the whole time I lived at home, so I never got the knack. Mostly because my Dad's Mum was a real East End mother and fried everything so my Mum was trying to lower the grease:blood ratio after she married Dad. And their poached eggs are (by preference) mostly hard, except for a tiny leaking yolk right in the centre. I want to make really soft yolked ones. Boiled eggs, I can't excuse. I didn't eat them ALL my adult life and now am too embarrassed to ask Mum how to cook them, at 37. And that's what this post has been precipitated by. Mum left me three eggs. I have tried to make myself a soft-boiled egg three times. I have failed every time. I don't know if I'm starting off with the water too cold. Or too hot. Or if I have the cooking heat too high or too low. I KNOW there must be a rule, but I'd rather hear it from Dwellars than google it, because you might be able to help with my other egg issues on the back of this. Truth is, in Food & Nutrition (at school) we learned the temperature of the coagulation points of both egg yolk and egg white. Well, I say learned. I didn't. It was numbers! I didn't know it then and I don't know it now. I find I still have runny white when the yolk is just right. For poached, fried and boiled. If I get the white right, the yolk is hard as old whatsits. I can eat hard boiled eggs of course, but if I have soldiers ready (or toast in the case of poached/ fried) it's a real upset. Should I raise or lower the temp/ increase or decrease the cooking time? If someone could detail exactly how to cook a perfect soft boiled egg - and please don't miss out any stage! - I would really appreciate it. More general help would also be great. Just don't use temperatures __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

08-09-2009, 03:12 PM	#2
zippyt LONG LIVE KING ZIPPY! per Feetz Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Arkansas Posts: 7,661	Boy scout eggs , Get some freezer zip top bags , crack 2-3 eggs in the bag , add salt pepper , onions , Bacon bits , cheese , what ever floats yer boat squeeze it all togather untill thurly mixed put in a Big pot of boiling water , cook untill they feel right open bag , put the eggs on a Plate and Enjoy Easy Peasy Kiddo !! __________________ "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. " Brother Dave Gardner

08-09-2009, 04:02 PM	#4
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Put the omlette under the broiler after you're done with the pan work. yummish! __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-09-2009, 04:48 PM	#5
Dagney The Prodigal Brat Returneth Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: North Cackalacky Posts: 1,107	How I do the perfect hard boiled egg...without numbers! (Well, a few well counted minutes, but that's about it). But X number of eggs in water to cover. Put them on the heat, and bring them to a boil. Let boil for 3 minutes, then turn the heat off and let them sit for 18 minutes. Perfectly boiled every time - and never a green yolk to be found. __________________ The Constitution gives every American the right to make a total fool out of himself. But that doesn't mean you need to.

08-09-2009, 04:58 PM	#6
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Thanks Dagney! That was exactly what I was looking for. Hang on - are you sure that's soft boiled? ETA - nope, reread and that's hard boiled. Sorry hon, even I can manage a hard boiled egg. Similar timings to yours in fact. You other guys - cheers, but I'm afraid it doesn't help. Zips - that's an interesting take on eggs, but not one I'm ready to embrace. Dani - I'd be completely happy to have that kind of omelette, but I still seem to get it rubbery on the bottom and liquid on top - am I cooking too high or too low? Griff - ummmmm. Actually, is that how it's done? Am I waiting too long for the top to cook when I should be grilling it? Timings and approx heats would really help. __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

08-09-2009, 05:10 PM	#7
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	I like a 6 minute egg... not soft boiled, but not hard, chalky or green (boil for longer than 10 minutes to achieve this). Sounds like you might like a 5 min or less egg SG. Put eggs in pot, cover with water, put on high heat until water boils then start timing. When time is up, put pot in sink and run cold water over eggs to stop the cooking. __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

08-09-2009, 06:31 PM	#10
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	Drop the heat and cover the omlette pan after the bottom has set up somewhat, SG. The trapped steam will help set the top. Or you can throw it under the broiler to get a drier, 'souffle' effect, as Griff suggested. I make a lot of eggs. Three-minute eggs are my favorite for dunking toast soldiers into. Omelets, frittata, fried, scrambled, en casserole, baked in red wine... Here's a good write up of different stages of boiled egg, and how to achieve each. __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not. Last edited by Pie; 08-09-2009 at 06:44 PM.

08-09-2009, 08:02 PM	#12
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	I just say a Julia Child thing on TV where she demonstrated omellete making. She made, like 15 omelletes, one after another (which I thought was kinda weird). They took like 20 seconds to make on high heat. I don't recommend that way! The biggest obstacle to pan eggs is overcooking. As far as hard/soft boiled eggs go--the cooking time is variable. It depends on the size of the egg, how cold it is, and maybe some other factors. So you have to experiment a bit with your stove, and your eggs. I usually like 9 minute medium boiled eggs and make my hard boiled eggs about 15 minutes with eggs out of the frig. __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

08-09-2009, 09:47 PM	#13
gvidas Hoodoo Guru Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 286	My two thoughts: - with fried eggs, there's a sack on the albumen (the egg whites) that is akin to the yolk sack. So if you want an egg where the whites are crispy and the yolk is runny, you need a pretty hot surface and you need to be clear to pop the outer sack without popping the inner, allowing it to thin out and cook faster. - with omlettes and such, you're really managing moisture content. You can cheat by adding a lot of oil or, better, a lot of medium-soft cheese like feta or cheddar. Other people add milk while scrambling the eggs. But the reality of the situation is that visual aesthetics aren't important once it's in your mouth, and how it tastes is way more important. "Pan scrambles" or a "frittata" are much more realistically attainable and delicious for the lack of stress involved.

08-09-2009, 09:59 PM	#14
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	When I do fried eggs, I crack them onto a hot pan which has a small amount of oil or butter, then I immediately put the lid on the pan. This gives the eggs the effect of poaching on top, so there's no raw white left, but you have all the yumminess of a fried egg from the pan. You just leave the lid on for as long as you need to get the desired degree of yolk hardness you prefer. Usually best to leave it on for at least 2 minutes at first to begin the cooking process. Once it's begun, the yolks wont take long to go hard, so keep an eye on them. Obviously, a glass lid is ideal for this because you can see what's happening and take them off at the right time. Sounds complicated, but give it a go. It's really easy. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

08-09-2009, 10:06 PM	#15
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	hot pan with butter crack in two or 3 eggs quickly...one handed if you're cool leave them alone until they get firm underneath and begin to bubble then wiggle the pan and get them loose if you want a good sunny side up, lift the edge of the egg and let the raw stuff on top slide under. for over light, quick flip them, and cook for 30 seconds and flip them back, plate them cook longer on the top for over easy, longer still for over medium. never eat over hard or over well. unless you also put ketchup on hotdogs....because damn. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

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