How to Boil Egg

A seemingly simple cooking regimen that can be outlandishly complex in nature because you cannot be sure of the result till you break open the shell. It is like cooking a mystery novel over the stove and you are not quite sure about the outcome.

I have lost count of the number of times when I boiled an egg and it did not turn out the way I expected it to. Results range from almost uncooked runny eggs to over boiled leathery eggs that can easily be classified as protein chewing gum.

After a long series of culinary disasters, including an attempt to boil an egg inside a microwave (don't ask), I have hit upon some easy guidelines to have a perfectly boiled egg and eat it too.

When I say egg, I mean an egg from a hen. For duck eggs or quail eggs the timings are different.

Choosing the eggs.

Fresh eggs are better since they seldom crack while boiling. Trust me, it can look ghastly, somewhat like an alien spawn trying to come out of an egg. Eggs which have been in the fridge for a several days are more prone to cracking. However fresh eggs are harder to peel since the egg white tends to stick to the hard shell after boiling.

The right temperature.

If the eggs you will be boiling were in the fridge and still cold to the touch, bring them to room temperature by putting them under hot water from your tap. A cold egg has higher chances of cracking.

Should you add salt while boiling an egg?

I add salt while boiling because I saw my mother doing it when I was a kid. Some people say, it makes the egg white all rubbery but easy to peel. But I never faced such problems not unless I parked myself in front of the computer and forgot all about eggs boiling on the stove.