SWF, 37, Can't Cook Eggs, GSOH

[Undertoad]

Also, cooking is one of those things where you have to actually DO it until you get some experience. The best chefs in the world can describe what has to happen, but in the end, you have to go for it and make a few mistakes. In cooking, mistakes are definitely how we learn. The good news is that eggs are cheap, so you can just throw away anything that doesn't work and it's 10 minutes to try again.

And don't forget 1/4 t salt and a dash of pepper... the simple egg requires seasoning.

[ZenGum]

To The Manor Born Eggs


one egg

a safety pin

some thread

A bunsen burner ....

[Scriveyn]

Not sure if someone has mentioned it, don't take too big a pot. - A small pot with just enough water to cover the egg(s), bring to boil with the lid on with maximum heat (on a gas ring), when boiling revert to minimum heat for four and a half minutes; that does it for me. Time may vary a little, depending on whether your have small or large eggs.

[Sundae]

Some great ideas for me to try - thank you, thank you, thank you.
Our frying pans here don't have covers, so if I want a fried egg I will try using a saucepan in future. And the help with soft-boiled eggs was what really I was looking for.

For those who've said it's trial and error - I completely agree.
I'd just come to end end of my tether after these three most recent trials. And they were presaged by some previously of course.

With the soft boiled, it turns out I've been cooking too fast and on too high a heat.
With fried eggs it's the opposite - and big thanks re the piercing idea!

I used to date a guy who made perfect fried eggs (another reason I never learned ).
He loved my roast dinners, I loved his breakfasts.
But in his case, he knew what he was doing - he could fry eggs and bacon to specification (having been a breakfast cook in a greasy spoon) and with me it was mostly sticking to rigid rules and cheating where I had no skill (yorkshire puddings!)...

Still, a girl's gotta know her meat & two veg

Zen - I seem to remember that resulted in raw egg?
And UT - I so hate wasting food
I've eaten my previous non-learning curve.
I just didn't want t eat unsatisfactory eggs (as opposed to factory farmed eggs!) for the next 37 years.

[Pie]

Sundae, another point for any fried-egg type application: use a teflon coated pan. If it's a plain steel pan (or aluminum, etc) the egg WILL STICK BADLY, no matter how much butter you use. Not fun to clean.

Oh, and the 'cover' for the frypan can be a plate or saucer, or the lid off another pot. Nuthin' fancy. Just trying to trap a little steam in with the egg.

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by Pie

Sundae, another point for any fried-egg type application: use a teflon coated pan. If it's a plain steel pan (or aluminum, etc) the egg WILL STICK BADLY, no matter how much butter you use. Not fun to clean.

Oh, and the 'cover' for the frypan can be a plate or saucer, or the lid off another pot. Nuthin' fancy. Just trying to trap a little steam in with the egg.

A pie plate works nicely as well. I've used one many times when I'm like "where the heck are all my lids?"

I'm hungry for eggs.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Pie

Sundae, another point for any fried-egg type application: use a teflon coated pan. If it's a plain steel pan (or aluminum, etc) the egg WILL STICK BADLY, no matter how much butter you use. Not fun to clean.

I use a properly cured cast iron skillet having banned teflon from my home after the cancer scare a few years ago. I don't know the current science on the coatings but I found them neither necessary nor durable. That said, they are an easy short cut and I believe the carcinogen thing was only at crazy high temps. (not looking for an argument)

[busterb]

Originally Posted by Griff

I use a properly cured cast iron skillet having banned teflon from my home after the cancer scare a few years ago. I don't know the current science on the coatings but I found them neither necessary nor durable. That said, they are an easy short cut and I believe the carcinogen thing was only at crazy high temps. (not looking for an argument)

Giff I use a pan for eggs, another just for cornbread. Nothing sticks.
Softboiled eggs are an art. I lived with a lady once, that had it down to an art. She learned making them for her hung-over Dad and also for me.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by busterb

Softboiled eggs are an art. I lived with a lady once, that had it down to an art. She learned making them for her hung-over Dad and also for me.

This is wisdom to pass on to your children:
If you meet someone who can cook eggs like you like them, never let them go.

Easier than teaching them to cook eggs after all.

Bought some more today. I may be experimenting.
I may be dead from salmonella poisoning (if I don't report back, don't panic, my bro has instructions to post here if anything happens to me).
Or I may just be living on Slimfast/ honey and toast because the 'rents are away and I'm suffering extreme culinary laziness (my alcohol counsellour kindly calls this "reverting to childhood" given it means I'm not drinking).

[Pie]

Originally Posted by Griff

I use a properly cured cast iron skillet having banned teflon from my home after the cancer scare a few years ago. I don't know the current science on the coatings but I found them neither necessary nor durable. That said, they are an easy short cut and I believe the carcinogen thing was only at crazy high temps. (not looking for an argument)

No argument from me -- cast iron will do the trick a treat, if you have a well-seasoned pan. I'm sure it would be a good idea to entirely reject teflon, but I'm lazy. I also don't have kids to protect.

[Shawnee123]

My teflon died in 9/11, you insensitive bastard! (There, you weren't looking for an argument but you got one!)

I could never get the hang of a cast iron skillet. Is it hard to get used to? I have a gas stove...is it better for cast iron?

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

I could never get the hang of a cast iron skillet. Is it hard to get used to? I have a gas stove...is it better for cast iron?

The key is not washing it. Clean it with salt and oil allowing the crevasses to fill with nasty old greases. I've used both, heavy cast iron could be rough on a glass surface. Right on BB.

[JuancoRocks]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

My teflon died in 9/11, you insensitive bastard! (There, you weren't looking for an argument but you got one!)

Thank you for that one ^^^^

I could never get the hang of a cast iron skillet. Is it hard to get used to? I have a gas stove...is it better for cast iron?

Cast iron works better on a gas stove than on an electric one, although both work fine.
Just remember to turn your heat settings down at least two from the settings that you normally use. Cast iron heats more evenly than any other pan and when properly seasoned is as non stick as the teflon ones.

Cast iron imparts a flavor and taste like no other cooking pans.
I have cast iron pans that date back to 1865 and is better today than ever.

Here's a cast iron dutch oven that I have had for many years. Anything cooked in this is exquisite.



After cooking wipe with a paper towel. If necessary, rinse out with hot water only, no soap. Reheat till dry and grease lightly, inside and out with crisco or any good cooking oil.

The more you cook with it, the better it gets. Especially bacon!

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Griff

I use a properly cured cast iron skillet having banned teflon from my home after the cancer scare a few years ago. I don't know the current science on the coatings but I found them neither necessary nor durable. That said, they are an easy short cut and I believe the carcinogen thing was only at crazy high temps. (not looking for an argument)

We've been told to avoid all teflon for potential toxins as well (on the assumption that part of the kids' inherent illness is being unable to excrete toxins like normal people.) I'm down with the glass and stainless steel... but the wafflemaker is still nonstick. I tell myself that it's an extremely high quality nonstick though.

[TheMercenary]

The trick, of course, is to control the heat as much as possible. That's why I prefer the term "softcooked" rather than "soft-boiled" -- it suggests that you're cooking with more moderate heat, which affords more control.

Warm eggs to room temperature. The shortcut for this step is to put the eggs in a bowl of hot tap water for 4 to 5 minutes. Fill a heavy-bottomed saucepan with enough water to cover eggs by an inch. Bring water to a full boil. Stir in one teaspoon of salt. Carefully lower eggs into the water, bring back to a boil, then heat down to maintain a low simmer.

At 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes, the eggs are cooked, but some of the white is still soft and runny. At 4 minutes, the white is firm and the yolk is still runny. For a medium-soft cooked egg, cook for 5 1/2 to 6 minutes.

Remove eggs at time of desired doneness and hold briefly under cold running water to stop cooking process.

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