Sheer indulgent simplicity. Peeled and halved it’s an essential component of ramen; decadent peeled and lightly squashed atop a corn fritter; and deeply comforting sat jauntily in an egg cup with toast soldiers for dipping.
- An egg (or up to 4 eggs) – I use large, fridge-cold eggs. If yours are smaller or warmer, reduce the cooking time by a minute
- If you can, prick your eggshell with a pin on their rounded bottoms to allow the air inside to escape. Just don’t prick the pointy end by mistake or the egg itself will try to escape from the shell during cooking
- Bring a small pan of water to a rolling boil
- Gently lower your egg(s) in with a spoon
- Set the timer for 7 minutes and turn the heat down to a simmer
- When the timer goes off, fish the eggs out with a spoon and serve immediately (or plunge into cold water to stop them cooking)
For hard boiled eggs, do the same but start them in the cold water and start the timer for 7 mins when it comes to the boil. This will give you eggs with tender whites and a still-slightly-squidgy yolk. The cold water plunge is essential with hard boiled eggs, to stop them cooking and prevent a sulphuric grey ring forming around the yolk.
Sophie cooks 