Hard boiled eggs

[PaulK]

I have just got off the phone to a friend of mine who is in a terrible state. She has tried everything but alas to no avail. She has a problem with regards to boiling eggs. She likes soft eggs , slightly runny but not undercoooked. However she has great difficulty in achieving this. I have tried to help her on numerous occasions but i dont feel i am qualified to help her as my eggs always turn out slightly hard . Has anyone else got this problem and if so have they any advice that i can pass on to my frustrated friend?

[????]

Stick her or your head in boiling water strikes me as the best

[KidKruger]

Sounds a tricky one that - is she bipolar by any chance ?

[uncleglen]

Scrambled is nicer

[tfwsoll]

I use an old fashioned egg timer and get perfect results every time

[Marmora Man]

ask Delia - she has a whole chapter on eggs

[Alex K]

The sales are on -- purchase an egg-cooker from John Lewis. Since ours entered the house a year ago, minor adjustments to account for out-of-the-fridge versus long-since-room-temperature aside, we have never had an unsatisfactory egg. NEVER. Easily a contender with our French press for best poncy kitchen appliance ever.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Put eggs in cold water, bring to boil, time from first bubbles for four minutes. Perfectly runny eggs.

Now, is there a cheffy secret to peeling hard boiled eggs? Sometimes it's easy, sometimes frustrating.

[AbDabs]

(Problem hinted at by Alex K) Does she keep the eggs in the fridge? if so, the temperature of the fridge may be too cold and/or inconsistent, consequently the eggs take a different amount of time to heat to the point that they start to cook. Now don't do this at home (as it might be dangerous boys and girls) but I keep eggs in the cupboard and never have a problem.

Electric rings can be a bit slow to heat a pan of water and cooking does start before boiling. Is she using gas or electric?

Are they the same size eggs? There is a weight/time ratio

[Huguenot]

PGC yes - it's the age of the eggs.

Leave 'em at least 10 days and silky quick every time.

[Annette Curtain]

How is she now ?

I mean, after all the Egg dilema and all that.

[PaulK]

Shes usually got a hard shell but is soft inside however her brains have been fried by this eggsacting issue. All her fears were laid bare yesterday when we went to john lewis to buy the egg cooker and there was a mad scramble beacause of the sales, it was no yolk

[????]

How we chortled

[Dopamine1979]

It's not that serious an issue. Stop Eggsaggerating.

[MediaBoy]

Bloody hell. hate to think what'd happen if she attempted a scotch egg.

[camberwell70]

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