To Boil Or Not To Boil, That Is The Question

Remember the old Paul Simon song, "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover?" Well, substitute "boil an egg" for "the words "leave your lover," sing the song and that is my subject for today- eggs!

Last weekend, while in the mountains with five other youngish, old gals like me, we made a salad to go with the fabulous pork loin cooked by Helen. There were two eggs left over from breakfast and I decided to boil them for the salad. I found the smallest pan in the kitchen, filled it with enough cold water to cover the eggs and turned on the gas burner. I boil my eggs from 15 minutes, plunge them into icy water, crack the shells and let them sit for a few minutes in the water. The shells peel off easily.

One friend said I was doing it wrong. "The eggs should be brought to a boil, removed from the heat, covered and let sit for 5 minutes." Fine! She did it her way, while I adjusted my nose which had come out of joint during the conversation. The eggs were fine, the salad was yummy and the pork loin- perfect.

During dinner we discussed the many ways to boil an egg. I think it was the wine talking because otherwise, who would care? Someone said "You poke a hole in the shell before you boil it." Another said to boil salted water to prevent breaking, add the egg and cook for 10 minutes. (Paula Deen does it this way.) Another friend was sure that you start the egg in cold water. It seemed that everyone had a different way to boil an egg.

I did some research after coming home and several people online said never use a fresh egg. They insisted that a week old egg peels better. Who knew?

One website said to put room temperature eggs in a single layer, cover with water and over medium heat, boil for 4 minutes and rinse under cold water. Test for doneness by spinning the egg. An uncooked egg will wobble. Again, who knew?

One comment from a reader said she cooks eggs until the water runs dry and the pan catches on fire. Of course, she added LOL. Dare I say it again? WHO KNEW?

Seriously, another reader suggested just cooking the eggs all day in a crock pot. My sister has an electric egg cooker and just pushes a button. She gets perfect soft, medium or hard boiled eggs every time. Now that's the ticket! A "Chef" website said this: "Use only room temperature eggs. Carefully place eggs in boiling water and reduce to a simmer. Cook 3-4 minutes for soft boiled, 5-7 minutes for medium boiled and 12-15 minutes for hard boiled." He added that cooking time would vary, depending on the size of the egg and amount of water used. He simmers a very large egg for 17 minutes. (A man after my own heart.) He then chills them in cold water, cracks and starts peeling at the large end of the egg where the air sac is located.

I was overwhelmed by so much egg information so I called my cooking source, my son Travis, who is a Chef. He said with a slotted spoon, he carefully lowers the egg into boiling water, and cooks for 12 minutes. He chills them in the refrigerator and when ready to use, rolls the egg on a flat surface and the shell falls off. Then Travis told me an interesting little fact. It seems the tall traditional Chef hat, also called a toque-blanche, has 100 pleats. It is said that a Master Chef knows 100 different ways to prepare eggs, as many ways as there are pleats in his hat.

So, I guess it "boils" down to this: If you like your hard boiled eggs cooked for 4 minutes or 40 minutes, it is up to you. My mother taught me to boil and egg and I have done it the same way for 50 years. I say "whatever works!" One thing I do know is that an egg (or anything else) always tastes better with a good glass of wine!