I think I can safely say that all us Brits grew up with our boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast. I always had mine in my Noddy egg cup that had a little hat to keep my eggy warm!
Now I don’t know what secret my Mum had but the egg was always perfect. The white was set and the yolk was just a little hard around the edge but runny inside, perfect!
I can do hard boiled eggs without a problem but sometimes I struggle with getting the soft boiled egg just right. There are many different methods out there and it seems that every chef has their own. But I think I can safely say is that to get a hard boiled egg is a no brainer.
Hard boiled eggs:
Pour enough water in a small saucepan to cover the eggs, put in the eggs and bring the water to a boil and then boil them for 6-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and run under cold water for a few minutes then let them sit in a saucepan of cold water to really cool. This also stops the eggs from cooking further.
Soft boiled eggs:
Soft boiled eggs are a more delicate matter and the key is not to use eggs out of the fridge but eggs that are at room temperature. As with the hard boiled eggs, fill a small saucepan with enough water to cover the eggs by about a centimetre then bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling gently lower the eggs into the the boiling water with a slotted spoon and set the timer for 3.5 minutes for medium and 4 minutes for large. The eggs should be just right to serve.
Knock off the top of your egg and season with a bit of salt and pepper then use some nice bread buttered and sliced lengthways as your soldiers for dipping.
Tip
Whilst boiling your eggs steam a few spears of asparagus and use these as your soldiers instead of the bread. A drop of cider vinegar onto the egg yolk gives you the perfect dipping Hollondaise sauce!
Enjoy!