How to Cook the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

For anyone that has read our blog over the past year, I don't post too often and focus more on the "behind the scenes" elements of the site, but lately I've learned a few basic things in the kitchen that I've noticed many people on the Internet question. A lot of people ask how many minutes to cook hard boiled eggs. So today I bring you instructions for cooking a perfect hard boiled egg.

With so much to think about with how high the stove should be, how long the eggs should cook, there are a lot of opinions out there.  There are no doubt different methods that will achieve boiling the egg, but you don't want an egg that is undercooked or overcooked. 

*The first step is to put the eggs in the pan, and fill with water so the eggs are fully submerged

*Next put the pan on the stove and set it to "high"

*Let the eggs sit on high until the water is at a "rolling boil," meaning you see large bubbled coming up and burst at the surface of the water.

*When you see the water is at a rolling boil, turn the stove down to "medium" right away, and let the eggs sit at medium for 10 minutes.

*After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the stove and run run cold water over the eggs right after draining out the hot water (this step assures that the yolk will be a nice yellow and not the green or gray color you may see on some hard boiled egg yolks.)

*Let the eggs cool off for around 20 minutes, and you're all set.

This method makes a great egg that's shell is more easily removed than eggs I've dealt with in the past, and the inside is cooked to perfection.  Try out this basic method for cooking a hard boiled egg, and let us know if you got the same great result in the comments below!

Southwestern Omelette

One of my favorite times of day is the morning. Even though waking up too early stinks, if you gotta be up, there's fewer things better to eat than a tasty omelette filled with all of your favorite flavors combined :)

My favorite omelette is a southwestern omelette. The following recipe serves 1 Hungry Jerk. It's simple, it's colorful, and it tastes heavenly!

You'll Need:

• 3 eggs
• A splash of milk (about 1/4 cup)
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• 1 small green pepper
• 1 small red pepper
• Your choice of already cooked meat, chopped into bite size pieces (I am a fan of linguica so I used that. Any meat will do though)
• 1 small onion (optional)
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream (optional)
• Salsa (optional)

Set a lightly greased frying pan to medium heat.

In a small to medium sized bowl, mix your eggs and milk throughly (I use a fork or whisk). Whisk until the mixture looks like it is one color (a lovely orange color).

Set egg mixture to the side. Dice veggies and add to your egg mixture.

Add the omelette mixture to the warm pan. Add salt and pepper to the top of the omelette.

Now it's time to let your omelette cook for a few minutes. Keep an eye on it and once you can, take your spatula and run it around the rim of the pan and seperate the egg from it. Then you know it is about ready to flip. This is the time where you add in your cooked meat. Sprinkle it in a line down the middle of the omelette.

Mmmm....meat.

Now, fold one side of the omelette inwards (lengthwise over the meat) and cook for a minute or two before flipping the other side in as well. Allow this to cook another minute.

Flip like so~

Now here comes the tricky part. I'm not very good at flipping whole omelettes with one spatula, so I use two. Very carefully flip the entire omelette over. Let this cook for a minute or two to allow the two flaps on the bottom to 'seal'. Now is a good time to sprinkle cheese on top of the omelette.

Add some cheese, please!

Turn off the heat and get your spatula(s) ready. Very carefully lift the omelette off of the pan and onto a plate. Top with sour cream and salsa (or to the side. Whatever you like!). ENJOY.

Wa-la! Omelette....du...fromage..?

Food Pr0n: Traditional English Fry Up

If you've never had an Englishman (or woman) serve you a traditional English fry up, I'm afraid dear chaps you have indeed missed out! The fry up pictured here is often times referred to as the "Full Monty." It's a traditional English fry up, featuring fried eggs, fried bacon, toast, beans, grilled sausages, grilled mushrooms, and grilled tomatoes. If I'm doing it right, we eat the tomatoes, mushrooms, and sausages together. The bacon goes with the eggs. The beans go with toast. If you're like me, you get a little bit of each thing in your bite. That's the best way to go!

Do you have your own favorite fry up?