Mrs Beetons Cheese and Egg Recipes Revisited
To Boil Eggs for Breakfast, Salads, etc.
Eggs for boiling cannot be too fresh or boiled too soon after they are laid.
A rather longer time should be allowed for boiling a new laid egg than for one that is three or four days old.
Have a saucepan of boiling water ready.
Put the eggs into it gently with a spoon, letting the spoon touch the bottom of the saucepan before it is withdrawn, so that the egg will not fall and consequently crack.
For those who like eggs lightly boiled, 3 minutes is enough, 3¾ to 4 minutes will set the white nicely and if preferred hard, 6 to 7 minutes is not too long.
Should the eggs be unusually large, as those of black Spanish fowls sometimes are, allow an extra ¾ minute for them.
Eggs for salads should be boiled from 10 to 15 minutes and should be placed in a basin of cold water for a few minutes.
They should then be rolled on the table with the hand and the shell will peel off easily.
Time: To boil eggs lightly, for invalids or children, 3 minutes.
To boil eggs to suit most tastes, 3¾ to 4 minutes.
To boil eggs hard, 6 to 7 minutes.
For salads, 10 to 15 minutes.
Note: Silver or plated egg-dishes, are now very much used.
The price is £2. 2s. and may be purchased of Messrs. R. & J. Slack, 336, Strand - [Now Citibank House]
Eggs: When fresh eggs are dropped into a vessel full of boiling water, they crack, because the eggs being well filled, the shells give way to the efforts of the interior fluids, dilated by heat.
If the volume of hot water be small, the shells do not crack, because its temperature is reduced by the eggs before the interior dilation can take place.
Stale eggs, again, do not crack, because the air inside is easily compressed.
TO BOIL EGGS FOR BREAKFAST, SALADS, &c.
1656. Eggs for boiling cannot be too fresh, or boiled too soon after they are laid; but rather a longer time should be allowed for boiling a new-laid egg than for one that is three or four days old. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water; put the eggs into it gently with a spoon, letting the spoon touch the bottom of the saucepan before it is withdrawn, that the egg may not fall, and consequently crack. For those who like eggs lightly boiled, 3 minutes will be found sufficient; 3-3/4 to 4 minutes will be ample time to set the white nicely; and, if liked hard, 6 to 7 minutes will not be found too long. Should the eggs be unusually large, as those of black Spanish fowls sometimes are, allow an extra 1/2 minute for them. Eggs for salads should be boiled from 10 minutes to 1/4 hour, and should be placed in a basin of cold water for a few minutes; they should then be rolled on the table with the hand, and the shell will peel off easily.
Time - To boil eggs lightly, for invalids or children, 3 minutes; to boil eggs to suit the generality of tastes, 3-3/4 to 4 minutes; to boil eggs hard, 6 to 7 minutes; for salads, 10 to 15 minutes.
Note - Silver or plated egg-dishes, like that shown in our engraving, are now very much used. The price of the one illustrated is £2. 2s., and may be purchased of Messrs. R. & J. Slack, 336, Strand
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