Recently I have been getting a lot of mail from non-cooks who would like to begin a kitchen lifestyle and learn from scratch. One woman told me she could not even boil an egg! The only thing she can do is prepare toast. Some of you may laugh, but my hat is off to her for being honest. Despite all of my other considerable skills in the kitchen, I sometimes still botch up peeling an orange.voila, I confessed and it feels good! You cannot imagine how frustrating and embarrassing this is for me as I love eating oranges for my vitamin C intake.

Growing up, I had a dear friend and neighbour who is like a sister to me to this day who would come over to my house and peel my oranges. All foodies have something they wish they could be better at; the solution? Practice makes perfect, and I am getting there with my oranges!

So I go thinking, hmmm OK, if I am going to pen a column on the basics, what comes to mind? Eggs popped up. Most people who are limited in the kitchen can typically prepare breakfast, and eggs are the most popular due to availability and price, as well as the convenience of being quick to prepare and nutritious. The humble egg is the cornerstone of many kitchens. It is also a primary ingredient for many recipes since time immemorial. It is rare to find an ingredient more versatile in its uses and preparations from both the raw to cooked stage and from breakfast to dinner. Whether you are fond of eggs or not, it is a culinary champion and a basic necessity in cooking.

Eggs are the foundations of doughs, cakes, meringues, all sorts of batters, certain sauces, as a wash to glaze pastries, custards, mayonnaise and ice cream, to name a few. Eggs act as binding agents, that is, holding other ingredients together, a culinary “glue”, so to speak. Eggs can be fried, scrambled, poached, baked or boiled.

You know that boiling an egg should be the simplest of tasks, but there are still people out there who are confused on how to prepare it for soft-boiled or hard-boiled. The latter is easier, but a perfectly soft-boiled egg is even trickier. So since this is a column on the basics let me share the correct methods. For both types of eggs, lay eggs on the bottom of a saucepan and cover with enough cold water to submerge the eggs and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to simmering to produce a soft-boiled egg which should be removed after 3 to 4 minutes max. Remove and run under cold water before you remove the top of the shell to scoop out the insides or if you peel the entire shell.

If you want a hard-boiled egg there are two methods, the first is that you can leave it in the pan from the boiling point and continue to boil for a further 5 to 6 minutes and the second is to remove the saucepan from the heat at just below boiling point. Timing is crucial here, so let the egg stand in the water for 10 to 15 minutes. After both ways of doing it, again plunge into cold water before you handle them so you won’t burn your fingers.

JuicyChef’s Tip of the Week

Use eggs which are a few days old rather than the freshest for boiled eggs, which should be at room temperature before boiling. Freshest are best for poaching and frying.

If the shells are cracked when boiling, tip some salt in the water to prevent the egg from seeping out.

To test the freshness of eggs, prepare a bowl of cold water. The freshest of eggs will remain at the bottom of the bowl, the ones that are a few days old will rise to the middle of the bowl and the not-so-fresh, or plain rotten will rise to the very top and float above the water.

Frittata

A frittata is an Italian style of preparing eggs; it’s what an omelette is to the French and a tortilla to the Spanish. The ingredients typically include vegetables and meat with cheese. This is a great way to use up any leftover vegetables or cold cuts. A frittata is first prepared on the stovetop and finished in the oven. It is lovely served with a side salad and bread for lunch or dinner. Below is a basic frittata recipe; simply add to it your favourite combination. Recommended fillings for example are ham, green peas, zucchini, callaloo, onions, potatoes, sweet peppers, broccoli, and smoked salmon.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

3 tbsps cream or milk

1 cup shredded cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil or butter to grease the pan

Method:

Preheat oven to grill/broil setting.

Beat eggs and mix in 1/2 of the cheese.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.

Add olive oil or butter.

Pour in egg mixture and stir until the bottom is set and the centre is still runny.

Add the rest of the cheese.

Add to oven and cook under the grill until golden and set.

Allow to rest for a few minutes, cut in wedges and serve.

Egg Salad

Again this recipe is light and healthy. Add a couple of boiled eggs as the main protein to a mixture of greens and beans. Use 1 egg per person. Use enough vegetables to serve 4 or more if you want. This is good with both vinaigrette and cream-style dressings.

Ingredients:

4 eggs, hard or soft-boiled, depending on individual preference

Mixture of salad greens

1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, parboiled, thick sliced then grilled until done

Beetroot slices

Pack of string beans

Red onion slices

Olives

Method:

Toss all the ingredients in a bowl except the eggs, and place into 4 separate bowls.

Top with eggs.

Drizzle with your favourite dressing.

Egg and Chickpea Curry

This is a nice curry for vegetarians who consume eggs or for those of you who want a break from meat but still want something that is substantial. Serve with brown rice for a healthy alternative to white rice or with some pita bread.

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

1 can of chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans)

1 can chopped tomatoes

200 ml vegetable stock

2 tbsps curry paste, hot or mild, your choice

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 large onion, chopped

400g Irish potato, peeled and diced

1 sweet pepper, deseeded and diced

1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, potato, pepper and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes until softened.

Add the chickpeas, curry paste, tomatoes and stock, then bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate saucepan place the eggs inside and cover with cold water and slowly bring to the boil. When boiling simmer for 4 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water tapping the shells all over. Remove the shells and cut each egg into quarters.

Add the eggs over the curried vegetables, cover and gently simmer for a few minutes until the eggs are heated through.

Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Boiled eggs with

asparagus soldiers

(*Recipe courtesy of Brunch by Louise Pickford)

*Remember that eggs need to be at room temperature before they are plunged into boiling water.

Ingredients:

24 thick asparagus spears

8 large free range eggs

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Toast to serve

Method:

Tie the asparagus into bunches of 6 with string. Steam or boil for 3-4 minutes, then transfer them to eggcups. Remove the tops of the eggs with a spoon and add salt to taste. Serve with toast and asparagus.

Contact me at info@juicychef.com for feedback and questions on these and past published recipes. I am open to suggestions for future food topics and will insert the relevant tested recipes to those columns where possible.

Have a wonderful day and Bon Appétit!

Jacqui Sinclair is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef/food stylist & hotelier. She has worked in the world of food photography and film in Europe. A bon vivant, she is passionate about sharing her food secrets with enthusiastic home cooks.