Egg cutting

[Addie]

That must involve a lot of rather messy unpeeling for the person serving, surely?? Doesn't the yolk run all over the place if you aren't careful??

No. I have a grapefruit spoon that is smaller then your regular spoon and scoop out the egg. The yolk doesn't break until I break it in the bowl. Break the egg toward the top and remove. Using a spoon you scoop out the egg and then the part your removed first.

 

[taxlady]

We always used egg cups at my house. I really disliked it when the egg was served scooped out of the shell. My Mormor (mother's mother) did that when I was 4-5 years old. I always felt it was the baby way to eat soft boiled eggs.

 

[Addie]

We always used egg cups at my house. I really disliked it when the egg was served scooped out of the shell. My Mormor (mother's mother) did that when I was 4-5 years old. I always felt it was the baby way to eat soft boiled eggs.

I was a little kid the first time I ever saw an egg served this way. I had no idea how to eat it. I honestly thought you were supposed to eat the shell and all. I left the egg there.

 

[Jing]

That's so funny, Addie! I suppose it depends on our origins. Like tax lady, I live in Canada now, where I think egg cups are fairly commonplace? Plus I was brought up in the UK where everyone's kitchen crockery includes a set of egg cups...it's definitely the way you eat soft boiled eggs there unless, as tax lady says, you are a baby. I do have fond recollections of my grandma giving me a shelled soft egg cut up on buttered toast when I was a very tiny little thing.

 

[RPCookin]

That's so funny, Addie! I suppose it depends on our origins. Like tax lady, I live in Canada now, where I think egg cups are fairly commonplace? Plus I was brought up in the UK where everyone's kitchen crockery includes a set of egg cups...it's definitely the way you eat soft boiled eggs there unless, as tax lady says, you are a baby. I do have fond recollections of my grandma giving me a shelled soft egg cut up on buttered toast when I was a very tiny little thing.

I agree that it seems to be more of an English thing. I'm English and Welsh on my mother's side, and it was her mother (family name Griffith) who taught us how to eat an egg in the shell using an egg cup.

 

[taxlady]

Maybe it's a European thing. My mum was Danish and my dad was Swedish.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I have a couple of these kicking around, but I never use them.

Never attempted the egg in the shell, I don't function too well first thing in the morning!

 

[Caslon]

OMG I have never thought of eating soft boiled eggs any other way but in an egg cup! How do you eat them if you don't use an egg cup??

Here's how. My eggs come out of the fridge pretty cold. I punch a hole in one end, boil for 5 minutes (cause my eggs are very cold) and bring the pan to the sink. I start my toaster. I run a little cold water on them (they are hot), pick them up and hit them on the counter. I lay a paper towel on the counter for the shells and proceed to peel the shells off. Because they are hot, I run them under a stream of cold water a couple of times while peeling. I put them into a small serving bowl just as the toast pops up. The eggs stay warm as I move everything to the table because they haven't been broken into yet. I'm fine with this method...I've gotten good at it.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Here's how. My eggs come out of the fridge pretty cold. I punch a hole in one end, boil for 5 minutes (cause my eggs are very cold) and bring the pan to the sink. I start my toaster. I run a little cold water on them (they are hot), pick them up and hit them on the counter. I lay a paper towel on the counter for the shells and proceed to peel the shells off. Because they are hot, I run them under a stream of cold water a couple of times while peeling. I put them into a small serving bowl just as the toast pops up. The eggs stay warm as I move everything to the table because they haven't been broken into yet. I'm fine with this method...I've gotten good at it.

I have been wanting to give this method a try since I saw an episode of Essential Pepin where they were making mollet eggs. I am interested in the presentation of the soft cooked whole egg in a bowl of soup.

Tomato Chowder With Mollet Eggs | Essential Pepin


One question for you, does the age of the egg make a difference in the removal of the shell?

 

[Caslon]

I have been wanting to give this method a try since I saw an episode of Essential Pepin where they were making mollet eggs. I am interested in the presentation of the soft cooked whole egg in a bowl of soup.

Tomato Chowder With Mollet Eggs | Essential Pepin


One question for you, does the age of the egg make a difference in the removal of the shell?

No it doesn't. The key is that when you start peeling the egg, use your thumb to start the membrane pulling off too. When you do, the shells peel off quite easily (with a little practice).

 

[Aunt Bea]

No it doesn't. The key is that when you start peeling the egg, use your thumb to start the membrane pulling off too. When you do, the shells peel off quite easily (with a little practice).

Thanks for the information!

I'm going to give this a try.

I'm a coward so I will probably cook two eggs, my primary egg and my emergency back up egg!

 

[Caslon]

Thanks for the information!

I'm going to give this a try.

Just have some cold water running as you peel them and run them under it for a second when your hand gets too hot. You only have to do this once, maybe twice, while peeling them.

 

[RPCookin]

No it doesn't. The key is that when you start peeling the egg, use your thumb to start the membrane pulling off too. When you do, the shells peel off quite easily (with a little practice).

Thanks for the information!

I'm going to give this a try.

I'm a coward so I will probably cook two eggs, my primary egg and my emergency back up egg!

Sometimes the membrane sticks to the white no matter what you do. My best success is with eggs that are at least a week old. The connection between the membrane and the egg white starts to naturally break down as the egg ages (or so I've read from a supposedly knowledgeable source).

 

[Caslon]

Sometimes the membrane sticks to the white no matter what you do. My best success is with eggs that are at least a week old. The connection between the membrane and the egg white starts to naturally break down as the egg ages (or so I've read from a supposedly knowledgeable source).

I just bought some eggs that have a date code thats dated pretty far ahead, meaning the eggs are fresh. I'll give it a go with those to see if the shell still comes off as easy. The only part that's sometimes harder to remove are the very top caps of the egg. As far as cracking them, just gently crack them on your counter top and rotate the egg and crack the other side and maybe crack the top too, then start peeling them.

 

[Jing]

This thread is a powerhouse of great tips...thanks to everyone!

 

[Addie]

FYI. Brown shell eggs have thicker shells than white eggs. Harder to peel. But not as delicate as the white. They don't crack as easily when cooking in boiling water.

 

[Mad Cook]

Try this little stocking stuffer!

Egg Topper | Williams-Sonoma

Hell's teeth! 28 quid!

I must be a dreadful hostess - I give my guests a knife to slice off the top of their soft boiled egg

 

[Mad Cook]

I've seen soft boiled eggs eaten in the shell...in b&w movies, lol. I've always wanted to try them that classy, room service way.

Doesn't everyone eat their soft boiled egg that way unless it is an oeuf mollet?

 

[Mad Cook]

One of my most memorable restaurant dishes featured softly scrambled egg with chopped chives in a perfect whole egg shell with just a tiny lid cut off the shell and replaced to lean gently over the top. When you lifted up the lid, you found caviar on top of the scrambled egg. The egg was served in a traditional plain egg cup.

It was a brilliant presentation...but I have no idea how they did it so beautifully.

Empty eggshells are sold for the catering trade.

The cook scrambled egg was probably inserted into the shell with the aid of a piping bag with a large plain nozzle. Practice required so that the scrambled egg doesn't get squashed.

 

[Jing]

Empty eggshells are sold for the catering trade.

The cook scrambled egg was probably inserted into the shell with the aid of a piping bag with a large plain nozzle. Practice required so that the scrambled egg doesn't get squashed.

That would make sense. I am sure you are right.