Cooking Skills

CUTTING VEGETABLES:

How long to boil an egg:

• 5 minutes: set white and runny yolk – just right for dipping into

• 6 minutes: liquid yolk – a little less oozy

• 7 minutes: almost set – deliciously sticky

• 8 minutes: softly set – this is what you want to make Scotch eggs

• 10 minutes: the classic hard-boiled egg – mashable but not dry and chalky

• Make sure your eggs are really fresh. Fresh eggs have a thicker white near the yolk that will better hold a round shape as it cooks. You can tell how fresh an egg is by putting it in a glass of water; if it lies horizontally at the bottom, it is very fresh; if it starts to float or stand on end it is less fresh. If your egg isn’t so fresh, crack it into a small bowl and drain off the runnier white.

• Crack your egg into a bowl or onto a saucer, this makes it easier to slide into the pan. If there is any very runny white surrounding the thicker white then tip this away.

• Add a drop of vinegar (you can add this to the water in the pan if you prefer).

• Bring a pan of water filled at least 5cm deep to a simmer. Don’t add any salt as this may break up the egg white.

• Stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool to help the egg white wrap around the yolk.

• Slowly tip the egg into the centre. Make sure the heat is low enough not to throw the egg around – there should only be small bubbles rising.

• Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the white is set.

• Lift the egg out with a slotted spoon and drain it on kitchen paper. Trim off any straggly bits of white. If you need to cook more than one poached egg, keep it at the right temperature in warm water, but make sure the water isn’t hot enough to overcook the egg.

• Place chicken, beef or pork carcasses/bones into large pan and top with cold water. Heat to a gentle simmer and skim off any protein scum which rises up. Top up with cold water.

• Add vegetables and bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer again but do not let the stock boil vigorously. Regulate the heat so that a few bubbles rise to the surface. Skim regularly and keep the ingredients covered by topping up with cold water. Cook uncovered for 3-4 hours.

• Strain the stock, pour into a clean pan and boil fiercely to reduce the stock and intensify the flavour.

TIPS

MAKING STOCK

Chop veg into large uniform chunks – too small and they’ll disintegrate during the long cooking time.

Don’t use starchy vegetables such as potatoes as these will make the stock cloudy, or vegetables that are too green as these can colour the stock.

MAKING STOCK

Try not to let the stock boil, especially if using bones as fat will disperse through the stock and be impossible to skim off. Stock can be frozen, just reduce it down and pour into freezer bags or ice cube trays.