Dippy, jammy, gooey, runny … whatever you like to call it, slicing into a boiled egg to reveal a glorious golden yolk wrapped within a firm, creamy white is one of life’s purest pleasures.
In my humble opinion, you can’t beat a soft-boiled egg with a battalion of soldiers on the side – a dish that is rumoured to have been invented by the Egg Marketing Board back in the 1950s. Choosing your favourite egg cup, ceremoniously cracking the shell with a thwack of your spoon, slicing off the top then dunking buttered toast into the oozing yolk is a food ceremony that never gets old.
Yes, a boiled egg is a thing of practical, perfect beauty – and achieving the ideal one takes only a modicum of kitchen knowhow. As all seasoned cooks understand, the first step is choosing the ideal egg. Your eggs must be fresh, free-range, and golden-yolked, for a glorious splash of colour as you slice them open. Choose an award-winning brand such as Freshlay Farms Golden Yolkers, which can be traced right back to the farm that produced them, and you’ll know you’ve laid your hands on an egg that needs no embellishment.
Next, the oft-dreaded boil. According to the Guardian’s classic method, the rules are simple but immovable. Temperature is irrelevant, but pan size isn’t: it needs to be generously sized to avoid overcrowding. The eggs should be covered with an inch of cold water that’s brought to the boil as quickly as possible, then reduced to a simmer. Next, set your timer. The moment you open an egg to find the perfect yolk is uniquely satisfying, so this isn’t the time for guesstimations. For soft-boiled, set your timer to two minutes; for hard-boiled with a slight bit of goo in your yolk, three; and for no-quibble solid yolk, go for a generous seven minutes.
When they’re done, place your eggs into a bowl of iced water, or run them under the cold tap to stop them over-cooking. If you’re deshelling: wait until your egg is cool enough to handle, then a gentle roll on a hard surface will loosen the shell, at which point, a teaspoon can be slid between the shell and the egg, to ease it off in just a few pieces.
Going back to your soft-boileds for just a moment, it may be that you want to pair them with something more than buttered toast, so there’s nothing to stop you adding your own flourishes when it comes to your dipping device. In the past, asparagus wrapped in Parma ham, strips of rarebit toast, avocado adorned with thinly sliced pancetta, fingers of firm polenta dusted with parmesan and even pigs in blankets have all found their way into the depths of a dippy egg on my watch.
The possibilities for hard-boiled eggs are endless too. The crowning glory of a kedgeree, smushed atop avocado toast, or mixed into salads for an added punch of protein – from a classic niçoise to an Asian chicken salad dusted with black sesame seeds, or a simple summery ensemble of tomato, herbs and hunks of crusty white bread.
At dinnertime, peeled hard-boiled eggs poached in soy, mirin, rice vinegar and chilli make a thrilling, umami-packed meal, served on a simple bowl of rice or in a comforting noodle soup, while a boiled egg curry is an underrated Indian classic.
Meanwhile devilled eggs are (whisper it) making an unexpected comeback. A staple of 1970s shindigs, these tasty hors d’oeuvres are capable of turning heads when they’re given a modern makeover – perhaps topped with shaved truffle, deep-fried, or marinated in soy before their yolks are mixed with wasabi and pickled ginger.
So there really are a multitude of options when it comes to how you put your boiled eggs to use, but whichever way you’re serving them, do you fancy a final flourish before you tuck in? Add the crushed shells to your rose garden – should you be fortunate enough to have one – and they’ll benefit from the extra calcium boost. Did someone say wholesome?
Find out more about Freshlay Farms and why its Golden Yolkers have clinched a Great Taste Award 2024