42 The Times MagazinePERFECT BOILED EGGS
AND SOLDIERSGordon Ramsay says the perfect
dippy egg takes six minutes to
boil. Jamie Oliver says it’s five.
Controversially Angela
Hartnett boils hers
for eight minutes. For
me the ideal egg is a
posh (Burford Brown
or St Ewe) free-range
with an oozy orange
yolk and just-set white.
Fill a saucepan with just enough
water to cover the eggs. Once
it’s boiling furiously, reduce
it to a simmer and add
your eggs. Put the lid on
and set a timer for five
minutes. Meanwhile
toast your bread and cut
into soldiers. Remove your
egg from the water as soon as
the timer goes off and serve.TOP TIP Rye bread or granary
toast is ideal for dunking because
it’s dense. I avoid sourdough
because the butter leaks through
the holes. Marmite is my
favourite topping but if you have
time melted cheese is a treat.PERFECT POACHED EGGS
Everyone has their
“secret” method for
perfect poaching.
Nigella Lawson
cracks the egg
into a tea strainer
first to get rid of
the “watery bits” in
the white, then slides
the egg into simmering water.
Gordon Ramsay uses a balloon
whisk to create a “vortex” of
water and slips the egg into
the middle. Delia Smith
forgoes the whirlpool and
instead bastes her eggs
with warm water.
The following works
for me: boil a pan of water,
then reduce it to a simmer.
Using a ladle, slip a cracked egg
into the pan. Gently swirl the
water around the eggs to stop thewhites from straying away from
the yolk. Wait for three minutes
or until the whites have set, and
remove with a slotted spoon.PERFECT SCRAMBLED EGGS
Scrambled eggs are simple to
make but easy to get wrong,
leaving you with a rubbery mess.
Beat together three eggs in abowl with a whisk rather than
fork. This will get more air into
the mix, which means fluffier
eggs. Michel Roux and Mary Berry
swear by adding double cream,
milk or even crème fraîche. I have
to agree with Michelin-starred
Luke Selby, who says adding dairy
is a “cardinal sin”. The mix can
separate to leave rubbery eggs inHow to make perfect eggs (according to the experts)
a watery puddle. If you have fresh
free-range eggs you don’t need to
add anything. Otherwise, add a
knob of butter to the pan on a
low heat. Once it’s melted, pour
in the eggs and keep them
moving with a spatula. Take the
eggs off the heat when they still
look a bit wet. They’ll keep
Getty imaGes, alamy cooking in the hot pan.